Easter 2012 - Family Photos

{pretty}

Everyone dressed up in their Easter attire after church;)

{happy}

We are always thankful for the chances we get to see Gran-grandma!! We visited at her house this time!! The kids love playing in her backyard!

{funny}

After a morning at church and having lunch we set up a little Easter egg hunt. Grandma and each of the kids (who wanted to) hid eggs for the others. At first all the eggs were empty.

Nate had had a little egg hunt during his Awana class the week before with jelly beans in the eggs. So as Nate popped open the empty eggs he knew something was missing. He ran inside, grabbed a stool, got the box of jelly beans off the kitchen counter and brought them out to us;) During the second round of hunting, Nate was shaking the eggs to be sure there was something in them:)

{real}

Wondering how any of the kids are looking forward for the Easter pictures? We've got entertainment behind the photographer... this time Daddy was caught in a reflection in the door!

Real is also that I didn't plan anything exciting or memorable this Easter :( But our exact plans were really unknown until two days before we left for visiting with grandparents. In the past we have made Resurrection Rolls and did the Trail to the Tree (Holy Experience) .

Thankfully going to Grandma and Grandaddy's is a big treat for us. And Grandma had a delicious Easter meal and even the Easter eggs the kids could play with. Another treat was watching The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The kids have been listening to The Chronicles of Narnia on CD since Christmas and we borrowed a copy from Brian's uncle. We thought since the kids had listened to it they would be ok watching it... it's always a little more intense watching something rather than just reading (listening) to it. But the kids did well and liked it. It was a treat to stay up late with them and watch it together;)


We have some big house news to share, too!! And I know I'm late, but I HAVE to do Nate's monthly post... he is just one shy of hitting 24 months, I can't not do 23 months:) LOL!!

Christmas Memories

 As we traveled to the grandparents a couple of days before Christmas, Brian and I shared some of our Christmas memories with the kids. Stuff like playing on a FL beach Christmas Day with my siblings, getting a new bike or going to an aunt's home filled with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

It was interesting how all our memories centered around spending time with family and special presents.

Our Christmas this year was the same;)

It started with a scavenger hunt for Chris, Anna and Lydia to find one of their gifts from us (2 gifts being too big/awkward to wrap). Each had their own hunt around Grammie and Pey's house...

Lydia getting Pey's help with her clues & Pey VERY glad to help:)

Victory;)

And yes, the kids were all dressed up:) After exchanging presents with just our family, we packed up and headed to church with my parents! It was a treat to be back at the church I attended on college breaks! Fun to see some old friends;)

When we got home, the aunts, uncles and cousins began to pour in;)

Remember this "little" guy? here 's a hint

And more gifts before our meal together;)

Uncle Eric& Aunt Tori opening my parents gift (one to each of us) videos of our childhood:)They gave us each Blackmail material;)

Love Hannah Grace's expression:)

It was busy having us all there... but I know we will all look back and we thankful for the times of gathering.

We traveled home Christmas evening and the kids opened the stockings that got left behind;)

Monday morning we headed to the grandparents in the South:)

And you guessed it... more Christmas family moments and presents;)

Sharing the moments via Skype with Uncle Scott & Aunt Bea in Thailand.

oh... so sad it's all over soo quickly!!

I mean relatively speaking... the meals consumed quickly, the family dispersing soon after and the gifts all tucked away in their new places (lol... ok, not yet... but we're getting there) in just a short span of  10 days!

And now we're into a new year!! WOW!

I've got tons more to blog.... a look into our new year!! My new job... yikes!! My not-so-little baby's new month! But I'll just have to leave it unwritten for now...

because for now we're just soo thankful for the Christmas memories we shared this year:)








337. peaceful Christmas preparations
338. Christmas Eve trip to Williamsburg
339. Christmas Eve party with neighbors
340. little arms digging into stockings
341. delicious chocolate treat
342. scavenging for gifts
343. Pey helping with clues
344. worshiping at church Christmas morning
345. a full house
346. little cousins together (cute even with a few mishaps)
347. protection of Grandma
348. homemade,with added germs, biscuits
349. skype-ing gift opening with family abroad
350. a warm lap for napping
351. 2 visits with Gran-Grandma:)

352. simplicity of wooden blocks
353. a full week of vacation with Daddy
354. anticipation of visiting friends

&

355. a New Year.... with many expectations and challenges leading to opportunities to grow in our faith...

if we are willing!

Blue Tongues & Falling Asleep on a Lap

just a part of being at Grandma & Grandaddy's house:)

The Week the Grandparents Helped Homeschool;)

What another crazy week;)

First it was our "adventurous" trip to the state capital. I had Grandma in tears laughing at all the details I left out of the blog post... I'm never sure how much you really want to know... LOL!! Like how I really found out that Nate's pants were messy... I mean extremely disguising :/

Tuesday afternoon we headed home after a quick swim. At home we got unpacked a bit, checked email and then ran to town to get some errands for our future home completed. I haven't blogged about it because nothing is finalized yet.... not until the loan goes through. The last date I saw for a possible closing on the loan was for NEXT year.... <groan>... I'm soo ready to feel settled... got some more waiting to do.

Wednesday we schooled;) Ahhhh... back on schedule;)  I was very pleased with all we accomplished on our 1st "school" day of the week, the kids jumped right back into the "totally new, non-napping Nate" schedule. We covered the basics... math, reading, memory verses, free writing, Grammar, spelling and yes, even reading some history;)

That afternoon Grandma and Grandaddy came to visit:) Tried to get some family pictures, Brian got tied up at work :( So  this was the best one:)

I always worry that with the excitement with grandparents visiting the kids wouldn't be able to stay focused. But thankfully Thursday went well.... again covering the basics (like Wednesday) and then figuring out what some seeds, leaves and other nature things were that they brought in after a morning walk with Grandaddy:) Of course the microscope had to be pulled out, too... lol, Grandma would want me to confess that I like Science as much as the kids;)

With a flexible, simple plan, homeschooling with the grandparents turned out perfect... too bad they don't live closer :( They could come everyday to help out;)

Chris reading with Grandaddy

Anna and Grandma working on spelling

Lydia and I working on her spelling... she wanted to do beans versus Play-Doh:)

It doesn't seem possible that with extra people and distractions in the house our days schooling with Grandma and Grandaddy went very smoothly;) I'm soo thankful for grandparents who are soo supportive of us homeschooling. They know our heart for our children and our desire for them to have a solid education!! ANd they are willing to not only come to visit us but set aside time to school with us;)

It feels a little weird not sharing what we're doing for history this week:) We have started the chapter on the Pilgrims (Separatists and Dutch) coming to the New World and the 1st Thanksgiving. Our library had a TON of resources and it's always nice to "study the holidays". So we're going to stick with this chapter until Thanksgiving. Hopefully next week I can share our favorite Thanksgiving books and activities;)

I have really enjoyed reading the 10 Days... blogs through Heart of the Matter. WOW... very challenging. At Raising Arrows there is a great list of all the topics and contributors;)

These are a few of my favorites (hoping to read a few more this weekend..... when it might settle down a bit at my house!!)

• If you really loved your children turn off...... by Sally Clarkson
• 10 Days to a Peaceful Home: Start with Your Heart .... by Amy @ Raising Arrows
• Close Everyday with a blessing

Weekly Wrap-Up:The Week the Grandparents Visited

We had another action packed week. My mom, Grammie, came to visit Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning. And then my in-laws, Grandma and Grandaddy, came Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Saturday morning.

We attempted to school each day even if it was a little bit. And I really appreciated the extra hands doing spelling tests, listening to little ones read and doing projects. Monday we went fishing. Friday though was beautiful, as soon as breakfast was over the kids were outside:) And then we ate lunch out, went shopping and even played at the park;) Definitely a FULL day, even without the schooling.

Bible
The kids and I have been working through the Trail to the Tree from Holy Experience each day this week we've schooled. I have loved it, some of the wording and thoughts are a little "above" my kids but the stories are ones that are simple and that speak of Christ. And I have LOVED the pictures that the kids have been drawing to illustrate each story:)

(sorry about the blurry pics!!)

Grammie made us an Easter tree for the illustrations.


We also worked through an Awana lesson for each kid. It amazing that all three will finish their books this year! I am soo proud of them and thankful that we have diligent to complete them, although I know some kids complete numerous books during the year.

Reading
We continue to work through OPG (and will be for a lONG time... LOL!!) Chris and Lydia also listened to library books being read, practiced handwriting and reviewed sight words. I love hearing them read and often have to remind them that learning to read is "hard work".

Anna did her spelling with Grammie and Grandma. And completed a few grammer lessons. Completed copywork and read some for me, Grammie and Grandma;)

Math
Again, the kids whizzed through math. So glad that they enjoy it as much as they do. Wished they enjoyed the fact sheets, though. I've been doing Chris' fact sheet with him orally.... the point of the sheet is to think fast and review the facts, so I"m fine with writing them for him (for now)!

Lydia and Chris also spent some time working on Math Mastermind with Grammie. I really love the hands-on math manipulatives and activities that our kit provides.

Oh, we've been working through the Number Families. So far we've gotten 2,3,4 &5. This week I was supposed to teach Anna her 3 Multiplication Facts.... she already knew them, well... only struggling with 8x3. So I'm definitely continuing to work through each, since they have been soo beneficial and the kids have really enjoyed learning them.

Science
Anna continued to work through some Star stages/vocabulary that we didn't get to last week. None of the books we had used the same language so we had to look up each term and pick out the most important information. It was a good exercise for us and we have 2 more left.

We also continued to learn more about constellations. Our favorite book was this one. We read through each of the constellations. And the kids tried to find them on each page.

I also gave each child a blue piece of paper divided into 4 sections. In each section Anna drew a constellation from the book and labeled it. She then used glitter glue to make the stars in each constellation pop:) Anna was really into making her constellations JUST like the book had them!


One night we were outside with the fire pit and the clouds "finally" moved. The kids and I were able to find some of the constellations that we had read about;) I loved hearing the kids talk about finding "Orion" and trying to figure out which star was the North Star:)

History
This week we worked through a chapter on the first Russians. Very fun to learn about the background of the Russians and put information to the names Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible. And I'm hoping to learning more about the Kremlin... the buildings are just soo beautiful.

One of the activities was to make blown eggs in the Russian style. Grammie is the craft woman. She showed the kids how to blow out an egg.

Then Anna and her painted them solid black as the Russian artists did. And they put very ornate religious crosses on them.


Picture of the Week
Grammie giving Farkle lessons ;)

Linking up to Weekly Wrap-up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

The In-Laws & #101 - #114

We really enjoyed our vacation last week, in fact, it was a nice break from the busy days we encountered when we returned home... so much that I'm just now blogging about how awesome my in-laws are....

they are extremely gracious, understanding and we really enjoy being with them:) And we are super thankful for them letting us come to visit, cooking for us and letting the kids take over their house!!

I know things with mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws can be tough, strained, or tense. I am thankful that while neither of us claim to be perfect (she may be, though!!), I really enjoy visiting and cooking with her and I never get the impression that having us in their home or caring for us (and giving us an afternoon out) is EVER a burden!

While she never "preaches" to me, she teaches with her attitude and actions. And this THICK skull/heart of mine is challenged through her model. It reminds me of

Titus 2: 3-5

Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God.
They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.
Instead, they should teach others what is good.
These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands
and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes,
to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands.
Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

I am soo thankful for her, and other in my life, that demonstrate with their lives and attitudes how to serve Christ in all things cheerfully! And my continual prayer is that my heart is sensitive enough to understand and attempt to live it, too!!




101. warm afternoon sunshine
102. snoring little baby
103. wind chimes tinging
104. mommy moments to read
105. shared discoveries of a little boy

106. comfy shoes
107. shared tasks
108. baby steps
109. love notes from a child
110. borrowed socks from Grandma

111. sidewalks for biking trips
112. kissing shadows

113. everlasting undeserved love
114. the Titus women in my life

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We were busy making Valentines last week and little Lydia was trying to tell who her Valentines were for. She was trying to make me understand which "Grandma" and she said,

"You know, the Grandma that has a Granddaddy."

LOL!! I thought it was funny:)

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We have been working our way through the solar system and I found a cute little planet rhyme hoping it helps the kids (and I) learn the order of the planets.

The funniest thing though is that Anna enjoys calling out the names of the planets as we read the "poem" and each time she gets to the planet Uranus (one that always causes giggles b/c of the name) she calls it 'uterus'!! LOL!!

I've gently corrected her with the right word without trying to explain anything;)

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And just this afternoon as Daddy was being goofy, Anna called out from the other room," He is your husband!"

We chuckled and then I asked, "Well what does that mean"

She answered, "He's your husband, not your boy. So you can't boss him around."

LOL!!!

Belated Blessings

AS a young family we try to see both families around the holidays, we see one before or after and the other the day of... so this year we visited with my family on Christmas Day and planned to visit with Brian's parents the week after.

Well, that's when the snow and the stomach virus' hit!! We planned to leave after it all cleared up but it seemed like no 24 hour period went by that someone wasn't dealing with some symptom of the virus... and then we worried about getting Grandma sick right before her back surgery :(

So we stayed away :(

On Wednesday, Brian and Anna took a train to visit with Grandma and Granddaddy... to check on Grandma, make her smile and to help Granddaddy.They had a blast on the train and I know Anna loved all the adult attention:) And Grandma and Granddaddy seemed really glad to have them for the few days:)

And Brian and Anna brought back Grandma and Granddaddy's Christmas presents for Chris, Lydia, Nate and I:) I hadn't told the younger kids since I wasn't sure what they were going to be able to travel back with:) But they brought back all sorts of treasures that the kids LOVED digging into:)

SO here are the pics for Grandma and Granddaddy to enjoy... so that they can see the kids as they opened their belated Christmas blessings from Grandma and Granddaddy:)

Nate trying to climb into the pile of gifts

They both got some much needed underwear;)
Chris was soo excited about his b/c they were Spiderman....

This was his reaction when he realized it was underwear;) LOL!!

Lydia really putting an outfit together:)
Her new Sunday dress with her new hoodie and rainboots;)
Quite the ensemble!

Nate's outfit fit perfectly:) He wore it to church on Sunday:)

Chris received some more "real" tools:)
He brought his real wrench to both Sunday services... to show all the guys:) LOL!!
And the kids LOVED the marking "tape" ... they made a huge train with the whole roll! LOL!! Who knew it would be soo much fun!

We are soo blessed with parents that give soo much to us and the kids! We really appreciate all their gifts and time and prayers:) We are soo blessed by them!!

And in this case, thank you soo much to Grandma and Granddaddy... we hated not to be with you during this last holiday season. But we praise God for your health and will continue to pray for complete healing! The kids loved the gifts:) They are wearing the clothes and the boots like crazy! And we've even played plenty of games of Connect 4:)I'm sure the kids will want to challenge you the next time we see you:)