Discovering Treasures

in our new backyard.

We have found ...

lots & lots of STRAWBERRIES.

I'm dreaming of smoothies & strawberry shortcake. yummy!

Besides two strawberry patches, we also have....
an apple tree...

a cherry tree...

Grapes....








and a pear tree & apricot tree that I haven't taken pictures of yet.



Yes... we have 4 fruit trees, a grapevine, and 2 strawberry patches

in a teeny tiny backyard. *smile*

The move is going well. I have to say that we have spent the last week downsizing!! After living with very minimal material things for 2 years, it was quit the shock to adjust to all our stuff that has been in storage for these past 2 years. And to think I DID downsize when I had packed it all. oh my! I do have to remind myself we had lived in a decent sized home (back in the day)with LOTs of storage space.

This new home is beautiful & spacious too,
just less nooks & crannies to hide things in, thankfully.

Hope to share more soon, but I'm off for now to unpack some more boxes...

Dissection

of a

snowman
and other tidbits of l.i.f.e. Academy.

So, in my previous post, we made a snowman. It began to snow at 6 p.m. & finished snowing at 10 p.m. ~thus we made a snowman at night. By mid-morning this is what was left of our Jack Frost...note: we felt the need to add our own paper snowflakes to get the full winter effect here. =)

We decided to observe the dissection of our snowman.
Do you see the tiny spot of that snow left? This was only a few hours later (in the afternoon). Some of Jack Frost remains were leaves, rocks, twigs, & a dog toy. That has to be the quickest life of a snowman ever!

l.i.f.e. Academy~

Nick enjoying a video game to himself because he is the only one whom gets up early to get his school work done & out of the way. Note: he does not enjoy getting his picture taken; like the "mom, what are you doing?" look he is giving me?


In here (mom & dad's room), I am sure TJ had the best intentions to get his work done. After all, I do see his math, grammar, & literature books out, along with a pencil even! Only he fell back to sleep...No worries though, Bryson was soon in being "Tigger" on the bed. =)

Bryson is always helpful in his own way....

Why, just moments before waking TJ, he decided to help himself get a snack. That would be a just-fresh-opened-bag-O-chips that he has spilled in his attempt at filling his own plate. And just because I know you are wondering; why yes, yes we do eat off the floor when this type of thing happens, because it happens a lot around here... haven't you heard of the 3 second, er 3 minute rule?


Meanwhile, Katie has continued her writing from the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWrMo from November). She is quite the budding little author, complete with illustrations too!

School is going great! Love the Robinson Curriculum we chose at the beginning of the year (in Aug). So much consistancy & simplicity, yet gaining knowledge by the books full... yay!

Andrew (6) is finally starting to get momentum in his willingness to learn. I am approaching his schooling in the same way as with the older kids. Reading, wRiting, & aRithmetic, the 3 R's are a must every day. Ofcourse, he does not know how to read, but he has reading time w/ me, and we are beginning our first McGuffey Primer lesson this week. I love those old-fashioned styled books! I'll let you know how it goes...

How to build a snowman...

flatten the top of the first ball

~
have the little ones roll another ball to Dad

~
then add a head and accessories.

Be sure to become buddies w/ Jack Frost

We decided snowmen are kind like clowns, a bit creepy in stature, especially when they slowly deteriorate...is it just us?


We completed our winterland adventure w/ warm oatmeal cookies...

and plenty of hot cocoa to warm cold hands...
'cept our Andrew,
who requested soda instead. =)

Our Seasonal Tree~

FALL





Ee - eagle
Ff - frogs
Gg - grasshoppers
Hh - harvest
Ii - inchworms

Our Family Fall Nature Walk


Not too bad a picture for throwing them all under a tree.

Bryson was checking out the mushroom Daddy found. He tried to lick it like an ice cream cone. Thankfully this child has tamed down a bit, and didn't once run off towards the cliffs or hillside. This makes for a much more peaceful nature walk!

This completes our "year round" study of the environment at this particular nature trail. We started our observations last winter, and continued our research of wildlife and nature through all four seasons. Kind of a fun project to do.

Today's trip was to gather seeds & leaves, search for bugs, and to take note of which animals were still around.

It was a great outing, and the weather was beautiful. Days like these make me slow down my thoughts and be grateful for the more simple moments in life.

WELCOME SPRING...

...HELLO backyard!

THE SIMPLE DAYS OF SPRING BREAK

* shopping for soccer gear

* light-hearted games of yahtzee & dominoes

* a Sounder game

* new windows installed at the house

* scheduling our daily routines

* organized our school room

* a nature hike
* mom read Little House in the Big Woods w/ daughter.

* dad read Screwtape Letters w/ older boys.

* sidewalk chalk

* pet rocks

* spillproof bubbles
* Katie's movie night of "Snow White" w/ Grandma & all her brothers!

No fancy trips to write about,
but we are blessed to enjoy each others uniqueness.

LIFE IS FULL OF... TEMPTATION



I am wanting to take our 2-week Spring Break early. Maybe it's the sunshine tempting me? On the more realistic side, it is the perfectionist in me that is leaning towards time off. With our transitioning move, I want to get the school books in order, arrange our new classroom, and adjust our daily schedule.


I loved Oregon, cuz you could be more flexible w/ your school schedule. Life was always about learning, but it was fun to think outside the box... as in beyond 4 walls.

Here in Washington, they hold you to 11 specific subjects, hours per day, weeks per year, etc...


Folks that don't homeschool seem to think strict rules will hold parents "accountable", and that should be a good thing? For us? I find it a bit of a hinderance, but ofcourse, we have adjusted as needed. You see, to take spring break early would throw off our "record books" on our length of each quarter. Although, if I were to add in all the hours that we "school" (aka learn) during the evenings and weekends, I suppose the hours would be quite sufficient.

After a bit of pondering,
I've come to the conclusion,
that I will do what the public schools do...
take a few days off as "in-service days"...
funny thing is...
my kids will continue to show up for class. ;^)

Post-summer blues...

NOT!!
Ha, so summer is fun and all, but really, I am not a "heat" person... so I am just reflecting back on our summer of change, and do realize we had some good times in the blur of things!

Katie-girl loves drinking her dads gatorade!



TJ and his shades...

Our Andrew- cool and laid back....

Joe (always Joey to mom) and our littlest Bry-guy!

The young man behind the camera...
NICK!

So long summer...

HELLO FALL!

SPRINGING INTO A NEW SEASON

Isn't spring a lovely time of year?
To reflect the beauty of a new and fresh beginning....
We have beautiful flowers blooming all around us, birds chirping cheerily in the early mornings, and creepy creatures (worms, bees, & ants, oh my) coming out to greet us.

Bryson is very fond of the outdoors. Not so content when stuck in his exersaucer... Sadly, I do not yet have shoes for the lil child. With our front yard at such a slope, he prefers the street to play in.

Tis the season of yard work... most our days consist of gray, drizzly rain that I prefer to refer to as "liquid sunshine"... but on a rare occasion such as this day, we embrace what we can.

I do not enjoy weeding, but will plug away at it slow and steady, wondering if I really am making any progress?? The younger kids are playing in the fresh mowed lawn, having quite the blast of rolling down the hill. Gotta love spray-n-wash, eh?

Did I mention new beginnings? Ah, yes, it seems to be the season for that.
No... I am not pregnant (for those who know us well, lol).
I am excited to announce that our family will be moving this summer up to the Seattle area. There are many positives for this change...I just wish it wasn't so painful to leave behind the people in our lives we have grown close to, and quite frankly, I adore the little town we currently live in.
We do not have much details as of yet. Looks as if July is our target for the move. We will, by choice, be staying at my m.i.l. (Michele)'s home for a couple of months. Fred's sister will also be in the picture, as she has currently been room-mates with mom already. This will be of condensed space, but I am optimistic that as we settle up there, options and opportunities will fall into place.
I feel our biggest challenge will be to find a new church. We all, as believers in Jesus Christ, are of one church body... yet it is of our best interest to find a place to worship our awesome God. Church buildings seem to be a dime a dozen, so we really want God's direction in this part of our journey. We have put so much time, energy, and heart into our current home church (and community for that matter); however, we are aware that God has a plan for us, so please pray that we are lead by His will.
A lot of changes will be taking place the next few months, so I will be sure to share our journey as I find time. I am now thankful that the boys' school testing came early this year. Setting school aside for a summer break will be much needed during this transition in their lives.

Until next time, may God bless you and yours!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Note: the kids are enjoying their slushy 'snow' cones, yet for the picture, TJ is in bare feet for the picture outside our back door...brrr! ;^)

Oh, such abundance of snow we have! It is so beautiful! I can't help but smile when I go outside... really, lol. Now, I am fully aware that when this stuff starts to melt we are in for a muddy, slushy mess... but for now?...

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... yep, that will be most likely in our area, simply amazing for us 'rainy day folks'.

Christmas is quickly upon us, yet I can't help reflecting on "gifts" already received this blessed season!

Things that are making my heart smile this week...

*seeing T.J. rock baby Bryson to sleep.

*fresh made "snow" cones from my honey!

*My Katie-girl singing 'Away in a Manger'

*having Nick help put chains on my van.

*Andrew's expression as he recognizes the Charlie Brown Christmas theme song on the radio.

*T.J. cookin' up tasty hamburgers all on his own! Yum!

*Friends who call 'just because'!

*Fred & Nick shoveling our driveway; phew! That was a lot of snow!

*sharing weather reports with Joe (although, admittedly, I rather prefer if he were here with us already, Christmas IS in a few days)

*curled up on the couch with family and a warm fire, giggling about good times!

Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights James 1:17

Do I dare say "I love this time of year?"

~The Christmas music... although I do not enjoy it before Thanksgiving, I do truly enjoy the good ole classic festive tunes, My favorite... caroling on a haytruck, hot cocoa at hand, w/ my children aside us.

~The Christmas lights... although our own lights run on the simple side, my eyes twinkle at seeing fancy, eloquent, or creative displays of lights! My favorite... going to the local city's raceway display of lights; lots of visual creativity in the warmth of our own van (bonus: if I go late enough, the littles go to sleep on the way home ;^)

~The Christmas tree... although a challenge year to year to actually get one, a tree is a sensory pleasure to enjoy. My favorite... sitting in the still of the night curled up on the couch just to observe the little lights reflecting off of the ornaments (much like Jesus' light reflecting off of us onto our children).

~The Christmas baking... although difficult to not overindulge, it is delightful to receive a plate full of homemade treats made from the heart of someone who cares! My favorite... passing on my Grandma's special melt-in-your-mouth fudge making tradition to my own children.

~The Christmas Spirit of Giving... although we are not fond of the commercialism aspect of this time of year, we have, in the past, been over abundantly blessed during true times of need, thus... My favorite... blessing others as God allows us!

~tis the season to be jolly...fa la la lalala...
May the God of hope fill you (and yours) with joy and peace as you trust in Him this blessed season!!