So our creative baby decided if mommy is not going to buy walking push-toys, he is going to create his own! This chair is an easy maneuver over our wood floors.









And did I mention spring cleaning? Ahhh, they are never too young to train.... watch out dust bunnies, Bryson is on his way!















Up on his own, and no where to go.... so he just stands and grins! ;^)

We had a great day! We made no-bake cookies.

We also were taught a quick way to multiply large numbers by 5, and were astounded at how simple it was.

Chemistry Challenge
We did a cool science experiment with a plate of whole milk, 4 drops of various food coloring near each other, then put dishsoap on a q-tip, next place that tip in the center of the 4 drops of color ...try it, and see what amazing thing happens; simple, yet fascinating!

So, pictures will be rare until we purchase that digital camera, soon I hope, very soon ;^D
So in the mean time you will get my chatty ramblings, lucky you...
~Our Joey stopped by this week-end, unexpectedly at that...it was so good to see him (and his girlfriend Sara). I just wanted to squeeze and hug and visit forever! I just love that man-child of ours! Now I am beginning to relate to why my lovely m.i.l. Michele can be a bit mushy when we come see her. Ofcourse, this is not so dramatic for my husband, as our oldest son works for him, and occasionally with him; but me? I think I have done well letting Joe gain his independence, but I can still miss him, can't I??
~Our Nick is studying for his permit test, finally. I will be excited to have him driving soon! I love relaxing in the passenger seat ;^) He is also going through a "don't-take-my-picture-i-do-not-want-to-be-on-your-blog" phase; but he is so darn charming, and it shows so well in photos...uh, yeah, getting more like his dad everyday ;^)
~Our TJ is in the 'great helper' stage; I just love this age! He wants to cook, will help tidy up, distracts the baby when needed, entertains Andrew (which is not always easy), and willingly plays endless board games with Katie...yeah, he is a pretty great kid!
~Our Katie-girl~ she too wants to cook (amusing, as I do not cook so much), loves to randomly read encyclopedias (today was babies and ballet), & spends a good amount of time dancing and singing (although she will not perform in public). She also got the pleasure of having Grandpa & Nana visit her school for a Grandparents Day visit... her glowing excitement was priceless!
~Our Andrew~ officially potty-trained at last! I humbly admit this in the hopes of encouraging mums of other late bloomers. It does happen, just not on our time schedule. Andrew is also realizing that Baby Bryson will soon be a fun play-mate....boys and toys, a combination they never outgrow, eh?
~Baby Bryson, such a sweet spirit amongst his mischievious grin...currently loves to try to eat dog food, now realizes the toilet lid "lifts", has discovered drawers, cupboards, and bookcases, oh my! Now "stands" for good lengths of time, but does not realize he can walk. I suppose a push toy would get those feet a movin', but I ain't in no hurry, he will be running soon enough!

Now to share tidbits of thoughts roaming my brain (amusing thought, ain't it? ;^)
~ I just ordered a new HISTORY curriculum. I was looking for more of a timeline of events, so I started with the Bible. I figure that is a great place to start... at the beginning. Anyways, thanks to a fellow blogger, I found a useful textbook that aligns the Bible events with other worldly events of the same era. Joshua was in the same time era as King Tut, Ruth during Helen of Troy, Ezekiel during Buddha (that should be interesting). This should also advance our geography skills; I just love using our huge laminated wall map!
~ The new bail out bill is just down right baffling to me... take billions of dollars to bail out people to force people to pay back the billions of dollars? and yes, on a personal note, a good percentage of that money will help pay for stuff we do not, nor will ever, want to support.
~ on that same note...why is it we (the people) are encouraged to get out of debt, slim down our spending habits, cut out the little things, etc... in the name of financial responsibility. I am willing to hang dry many of our clothes, and take showers every other day, and walk to the store when possible (the few cut backs of our simple life), then what is government doing to cut back their budget? Do you suppose any elected officials buy their suits at the Goodwill? just curious, lol.
~ Spring is around the corner, and we will be attempting a humble garden of sorts. I am not good at such things; I have the heart, just not the skills. I think for our first year we will be using big round plastic tubs for a few trial ideas. Each kid will probably have their own, choose their own plants, etc... I am sure we will be sharing our adventures, successful or not, when the time comes.
~ Spring cleaning... I love it! Yep, I can feel it creeping up....soon....very soon! Swishing, swiping everything in sight...and I have learned to delegate so well over the years. The littles get the baseboards, doorknobs, and window sills; the middles get windows, and lower cupboards and shelves; and poor Nick gets ceiling fans, top cupboards and shelves. Dust, wash, polish...yippee! ;^) And no, they don't complain, cuz they see how much is left for me to do, although I must admit I am always willing to trade them lists ;^D
ok...bedtime routines are knocking on my door, but thanks for letting me ramble so...
Blessings to you all!

Bryson is 9 months now. Time just keeps on ticking... TJ took this picture while we were waiting for Katie at swimming lessons. My phone quality photos are not the greatest, so Nick and I are researching our best options for a digital camera. Nick is interested in photography, so I am confident that this will be a worthy investment, and if I am really lucky, our blog will surely benefit from his efforts! ;^) As for baby photos, I sure better label them well, as they all look the same at this age!!

Over the week end, Fred & I were able to go to a Valentine event at our church. Great fellowship, a fun round of the 'newlywed' game, steak dinner w/ the works, a relaxing view of the movie, Fireproof, WITH childcare provided...All for the low price of $15!

TJ helped in the nursery (with Bryson), and Nick tackled the preschoolers, or, er, should I say they tackled him? When I peeked in on occasion, those little tikes had Nick dog-piled all at once, all in the name of a "horsey ride"! Hmmm, he is becoming more like his dad every day! ;^D

Simplicity of our day... Bryson loves chasing the reflection of the flashlight...a house full of giggles.

Ahhh, Nick relaxing w/ our lovable dog, Asia. She is the black pillow he is resting on... a house full of calm.

Now who knew that later this day Bryson would decide to swallow a penny! He constantly puts stuff in his mouth, we are constantly picking up stuff, but non the less, he did swallow a penny. .. Bryson would cry then gurgle, cry then gurgle... Nick calls 911, I do what baby rescue I know; tip him down? thrust his little diaphragm, firm yet gentle blows to his back...darn it, I can see that dumb penny, but it just won't come out....yet. So I hold him upsidedown with one hand, and with the other hand I stick my finger in his mouth to hold the back of his tongue down and sorta shake him a couple of times...and out drops the penny, just as help arrives. Poor TJ comes out of the restroom dumbfounded...the dog is locked up, barking relentlessly, police are in our home, paramedics are arriving, and Bryson is grinning at them all!

So the boys now take my "nothing smaller than his (Baby Bryson) fist" rule to a whole new perspective. And Bryson got extra loves, hugs, and kisses the rest of the day; if that is even possible. ;^)


As for other parts of the day:

I tried to take photos of pre- school time. We did a fun turtle craft for our Letter Tt time. My phone is slow taking pictures, and Andrew is way too active to hold still, so the only picture to share is at the end of the day when he crashed on a pile of clean laundry while eating a snack. (sorry, no pants again, that is just the way it is).

We also had snow again today, about an inch or so...enough to cover the ground and look pretty. So Katie bundled up for school, which seemed odd to me as she had her swimming suit on under everything for swimming lessons later in the day. She has had 2 weeks of lessons during school, and is enjoying them... yay, no face in the water panic now. I think I will continue them for a few months so that she (and I) will be more comfortable with our pool this summer.

Ok...I am off now to start school... on schedule for the week:

Chemistry -Nick, all about nitrogen, this should be fun.

Animal Science- TJ, migration of birds (tanagers, specifically)

Bible- An in depth look at Joseph and his family.

Math- Nick, review of powers and exponents; TJ, the operation of parentheses.

Grammar- Nick, introducing adverbs and infinitives; TJ, prepositional phrases.

Health- Nick, Parts of the brain and what it controls. TJ, blood, oxygen, & the heart.

Fine Arts- The Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge, Venice.

PE- weights and fun runs.

It is sunny, and we are off to enjoy the day.....

Monday Mania

Good Morning! I love mornings. I love the silence of the house, the quiet of thoughts if just for a moment, God's gift of another day to appreciate. I love listening to the stirring of loved ones waking up, to see their rosy cheeks, sleepy eyes, the sleep lines that may frame a cheek.

Our weekend was relaxing. Fred's much younger sister, Jenna, spent the night with us Friday. For those who don't know her, she is our Nick's age (14). She is a quite lovely. Always polite, helpful, appreciative; and although she is very smart, she keeps it real w/ a dash of lighthearted giggles.

The rest of the weekend was full of simple activities: soccer at the field, light yard work on a sunny day, a few chores, board games, cookie baking, and such....

For today:

I plan to enjoy our school lessons w/ the boys, do more yard work, find some creative time w/ Andrew, cheer Bryson's newest triumphs on standing alone, and encourage Katie's attempt at cooking dinner tonight.

I see Andrew circling through our house on a toy car...varoom! I also am aware of the stacks of clean laundry baskets that we all need to put away, and am grateful that laundry is caught up.

I hear Andrews idle ramblings, which is rather intriging when I take the time to actually listen to him.

I smell french toast, maple syrup...mmmm!

I taste nothing at the moment... the boys are the ones eating breakfast, lol.

I feel motivated to get several things accomplished this week...I think I better create a to do list to stay focused and on task...

I pray that God will be kind to you, that His living hope will dwell in you, and that your day may be full of blessings from above, Amen.