Emily's 6th Birthday!

Yesterday, we celebrated Emily's 6th Birthday! I cannot believe she is that old! She is a tender-hearted, sweet, helpful, funny, beautiful, smart little girl. We are so thankful for the special gift of Emily:

And, remembering back...

Fun party for five...

Four

Three

Two

(somewhere is the picture CD for baby/1st year...I hid it somewhere...)

Homeschool Afternoons 2011

Our homeschool afternoons are a lot less busy.

At one o'clock, the boys go down for a nap. The girls and I have our Literature time with a little more substantial reading material that the boys would not easily sit through. We just finished James Herriot's Treasury for Children, several wholesome and sweet stories of barnyard animals. The girls really enjoyed these stories.

Then, after read aloud, we have 30 more minutes of homeschool. This time rotates:

Monday - baking project (I especially want my girls to have some experience in the kitchen)

Tuesday and Thursday - history lesson

Wednesday - science lesson (a unit study on the human body)

Then, after we are done, the girls, for about an hour and a half, have quiet time playing with their toys. And, I do something that helps me relax a bit (like reading/blogging/listening to something edifying), usually involving a large cup of coffee with way too much flavored creamer and a little dark chocolate...

After sanity hour, the kids are up full force again. So, we head outdoors to visit with our neighbors. My favorite neighbor, my sweet running buddy (who has a little mean streak...she makes me run a little further every week)...and her two cute sons plus some other children are usually out on one of the many playgrounds in our military housing. The kids run wild, and we are able to girl talk. We all have a fun time.

It is hard to take a picture of a group of littles under age 5.

Fridays we do not do our homeschool routine. Fridays are left open for fellowship opportunities with friends, going to the library, or running errands. I am really enjoying our new year!

Cutie Caleb

One of the cute things Caleb has been doing is that when he is afraid he will put his hand up to his mouth and make an I-am-afraid little noise. He likes looking at books and right here he is looking at a turtle that makes him afraid.

Mom's Visit

I am late in posting my Mom's visit. Here are some pictures from our time with her:

We were very busy while she was here!

Adam decided not to be a party pooper...

Mom and the Birthday Boy (could not get him to smile)

Adam and I on our once-a-year date night!

Mom and the kids at their favorite spot...our backyard playground area

On our way (in style) to the Plimoth Plantation

Someone is getting cranky...

We enjoyed our time with Mom/Grammie! She was a tremendous help and blessing!

Homeschool Mornings 2011

Here is a picture look into our homeschool routine for this year:

Breakfast

Luke's Chore

Elizabeth's Chore

Emily's Chore: I told her that some jobs in life are stinky!

After breakfast and chores, we get ready for the day. I get Caleb ready first and then he goes into his crib with some books and toys so that he does not get into trouble or hurt.

Learning to take care of ourselves

Bible time: brief time to pray, sing, read, memorize

Preschool for the boys: learning letters, numbers, colors

and, reading two simple preschool books

snack time

Then, table work starts.

Here is Emily reading to our principal who came home early from work.

She does reading, spelling, copy work and math at this time

Meanwhile, the other three amigos watch a 30 min. video

After the video, is table activities and pack n' play time...

Here is Luke with his fav pink/purple tea cup and a Lauri puzzle

(Remember, he does have two older sisters....)

Elizabeth draws and plays with magnetic wooden animals

Caleb has some board books and toys in his pack n' play.

He usually spends about 15 minutes busy before starting to cry to be released.

After Emily is done with her school time, I practice letters and sounds with Elizabeth.

And, she practices writing capital and lowercase letters.

After all these things are done,

I make lunch and the kids run around the house screaming at the top of their lungs.