One of our FAVORITE things to do school-wise is SCIENCE!! Our first science day was back in early September but somehow I forgot to write about it. I'm not sure how I managed to miss posting about it. OH WAIT! It may have had something to do with the 632 swim meets we had.

I found a few boxed science kits at Michaels for about 50% off and thought they would be a great way to start out. The first day we did science we studied colors. We learned what the primary colors are and what happens when we mix those colors. The kit included these little white crystals that turned into blobs of colored gel when you put them into the colored water.

A few weeks ago Regan started going to a local tutoring center. The man who started and runs the center is a retired teacher I used to work with. His whole philosophy on teaching is that if you gets kids interested in something there is no limit to what they can learn. I like that!

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So Regan goes down there once a week (for now) and gets a lot of help with her reading. She really likes to read but it has become a big challenge for her. After working with Regan for about an hour, Mr. Freeman noticed that Regan isn't making mental movies. So when she reads she isn't picturing what happens in her mind. She's just reading words. Which is fine when she was reading easy readers with simple lines like 'Pat is a cat.' But now that she is wanting to move into beginner chapter books its causing problems.

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So Michael and I have her go to the Freeman Center once a week, she goes to Juliannas house twice a week for one on one work and her teacher at school is having her work one on one with another teacher three days a week. So basically Regan is surrounded with people who are helping her with her reading. And she's LOVING it!

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Book Review: The Quest To Digest

The Quest To Digest

Written by Mary K. Corcoran

Illustrated by Jef Czekaj

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We read this book this morning as a part of our study of the human body. Everyone (including myself) learned something new with this book! It's written for the 3rd to 5th grade group but it held Regan and Ryans attention from beginning to end.

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The story starts with a little green guy explaining why we need food and proceeds to go through every part of the digestion process. From why we need saliva to why we burp and throw up. The illustrations in this book really helped the younger kids understand what I was reading.

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I found an activity guide to go along with the book that we all just loved! Doing things like measuring out 20 feet so we could see how long our small intestines are and putting bread and water in a ziploc bag and mashing it up to show what chewing does to our food REALLY help to remember the lesson. I would recommend the book and activity guide for kids in grades 1-6 with the younger kids getting a little extra explaining.

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Activity Guide

The time. It's gotten away from me.

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The days have blended together in a whirlwind of schoolwork, trips to the pool, grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning and millions of little errands. Oh, and a few classes thrown in there for good measure. I'm feeling a little tired.

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I have dozens of blog posts floating around in my mind and hopefully soon I'll have a chance to get a few transferred to the computer.

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Until then, enjoy this little clip.

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Habitats

For science Ryan, Regan and I have been studying habitats. In addition to the Evan-Moor Daily Science worksheets, we are reading as many books as we can find from our local library. Here are the books we have read so far.Savanna Animals: Fun facts and Stuff To Do
Let's Find Rain Forest Animals: Up, Down, Around

Rain Forest Animals

Talking About The Earth: Prairies

Land Habitats

About Habitats: Deserts

True Book: Desert Mammals

Backyard Habitats

Does A Baboon Sleep In A Bed?

The Antarctic Habitat

Animal babies in Ponds And Rivers

We are about halfway through our unit so there may be books added to this list.

Last Friday we got a new puppy from Elissa and her boyfriend Scott. Scott dog, Zelda, is a Great Dane who had 'relations' with a neighborhood hottie. We've been waiting for him since early August and are thrilled that he's finally joined us!
So, he was delivered Friday morning and we (the whole family) have been brain storming a name for him every since. Today we finally settled on naming him Jack. JACK!! The name I love and suggested right away! It was fun listening to the kids' suggestions for names. Regan really wanted to name him Buttercup. Isn't that funny!

So far it seems like Payton has bonded with jack the most. She makes beds for him, reads to him and spends most of her time playing with him. She even helps Michael when its time to take Jack outside to go potty. The only problem she has with him is whenever she is on the floor Jack likes to climb on top of her and just lay there!

October 2, 2009

The past month has been one swim practice after another. My girls are just crazy about swimming!

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Regan has been going twice a week and made quite a few friends. She started the swim team barely knowing how to do the crawl stroke. She has improved that stroke and started working on her back stroke. Her endurance is what has made the most progress though.

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Devon is SO in love with swimming. She gets home from three hours of practice and says she can't wait to go back the next day! Ca-razy! The two heats she swims the most are the 50 free and the 100 free. Her meet times have improved from 44 seconds to 29 (50 free) and 151 seconds to 129 (100 free)! Isn't that just awesome!

Our last 'summer' trip to the library produced a few doozies for read aloud time. Can anyone guess how much I regret letting Ryan pick out a book entitled "Chicken Butt"? Payton now runs around the house singing 'Butt, Butt Chicken!' It almost sounds like she's saying 'Bok, Bok chicken' so thats what I'm going to pretend shes saying.

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy was a good one. Regan and Ryan thought about dressing as those characters for Halloween until Regan remembered that she's going to be Zorro. Man, that girl LOVES her some Zorro! I think 'The Mask of Zorro' has been her favorite movie since she was 2.

So while this was from our last 'summer' trip we are still taking weekly trips to the library. Every Monday we head down there and meet up with a few friends so the kids can hang out. AND so Mom can get a little adult conversation.

September 15, 2009

The other day I was looking at my ipod and came to the sad, sad realization that I have never left the 80's/early 90's.

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The music that my kids listen to today is like marshmallow fluff when compared to the soul baring Power Ballads of my youth. And being the home schooling Mother that I am I have decided to give my children a proper education and add a class entitled "Power Ballads" to our lesson plan. (This counts for our music credits)

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When planning this class, the first thing I did was make a list (of course) of the 'Top Ten Power Ballads You Just Can't Go Through Life Without Knowing.' (that's the official title) Then I went to itunes and downloaded the songs I didn't already have. I loaded them onto Devons Ipod and Regans MP3 player. I have the girls listen to these songs every day while in the car.

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In order for the kids to get full credit for this class they not only have to learn all the worlds to each of the ten songs, BUT they also need to put on a concert and sing one song each. (Dressing like the lead singer complete with big hair and spandex will get an automatic A+)

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And for YOUR enjoyment I will be posting a video of said concert soon after its completion.

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Here is the list of songs the girls are learning:

(Click on the song title to see the music video)

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Something To believe In - Poison

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I want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner

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Missing You - John Waite

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You Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone - Cinderella

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I Remember You - Skid Row

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Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

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Heaven - Warrant

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I'll Never Let You Go - Steelheart

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When I Look Into Your Eyes - Firehouse

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When I See You Smile - Bad English

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Bonus I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf

This year I am doing 1st grade with Ryan. I had a few months of stress when I was trying to figure out what on earth I was going to use as our curriculum. I was really leaning towards using Sonlight because I love that its literature based but in the end I just didn't want to spend a boatload of money on our first year.

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So instead I went to a few curriculum stores and spent hours looking at all the different books and such. So after much consideration here is what we are doing this year.

For science, writing and language we are using the Evan Moore daily reviews. I LOVE these workbooks! They have practice for him to do each day AND each week there are ideas on how to stretch the lesson further. There are ideas for writing stories, adding details, making the science lessons more hands on, etc.

For math we are using the Singapore math workbooks. So far everything has been easy for him so we haven't actually had a time where he's learning from the books. A few more chapters in and I'll have a better idea on how this will work for him.

For piano we are using the Robert Pace books that Devon started with. I have no idea how to play the piano so for now Devon is working with him on the basics like finger exercises. I have contacted a wonderful girl who teaches piano and Devon, Regan and Ryan will be starting with her in the next month or so.

As our foreign language option we have decided to learn sign language. This year the kids are using the Signing Times videos and flash cards to learn the basic signs. By the time we get through these videos the kids will know the finger spell alphabet and around 200 words.

Ryan is using A Reason for Writing for his handwriting practice. Not a lot to say about this other than I like the fact that he is learning scriptures while practicing handwriting.

I didn't buy an art curriculum. That just seemed like a crazy expense when you consider all the art type supplies we already have. I am having him branch out a little and try new things. So far he's loving it and is more than willing to do art every day!

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I mentioned before that Regan is doing part time homeschooling with us. She joins Ryan with science, writing, sign language and sometimes art.

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Regan and Ryan practice the piano for 15 -30 minutes and they read aloud to me for 20 minutes.

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I think that pretty much cover what we do for school. if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Devon had her first meet with the high School team. It was actually a District Team relay so none of the times the girls swam are official. Which works out well for Devon. The second heat that she swam in, she had her head angled wrong and her goggles came off. That seriously threw off her time. She kept going though. I was watching her and wondering why she didn't just grab the goggles (they were over her mouth) and toss them off. Later I found out that she would have been disqualified if she touched her goggles.

Next week she has a meet on Wednesday and another on Friday. I ordered a new zoom for my camera so hopefully I'll be able to get some good action shots of Devon swimming.

(Devons cheering section)

Last Tuesday, the 1st, was Regans first day of school. She is in second grade this year so she is still in Mrs. Bols class. (Mrs. Bol teaches the K - 3 class)

This year Michael and I are having her do half days at the school and the rest of the day at home with us. She gets to school each day by 8:15 and leaves for home after lunch recess.

So far this is working out great for everyone. She loves being able to go to school and see all her friends and I love that I am still homeschooling her part day.

A few weeks ago Devon had her first swim practice with the High School swim team. The pool they usually use was closed for their annual repairs so they used the local outdoor pool instead.

(The High School team and Poseidon use the same pool. Its an indoor pool which is wonderful for the swimmers but horrible for mothers who love to take pictures of everything. )

The outdoor pool they used is just perfect for pictures. I was planning on just dropping her off but decided at the last minute to stay a few minutes and take some photos.

I'm really glad I did.

Two weeks ago was my Mothers birthday. I'm not going to tell you how old she is. Because I value my life.

When Aunt Robin asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said she wanted a big BBQ with the whole family. Well, everyone that was actually in our state. Buddy and the twins got a free pass.

So we all gathered out at Roger and Robins house for some grilled chicken and a million side dishes. And cheesecake. MMmmmmm...cheesecake.

The kids ran around like crazy people, I annoyed everyone by taking their pictures and we laughed at all the stories people told.

After we finished eating my brother and his family had to leave. :-(

He was working a booth for his company at the fair and needed to get some rest to prepare.

Here's Michael contemplating his future. Or seconds on the cheesecake.

Julianna tried hiding behind her coffee cup so I wouldn't take her picture. Obviously nothing can stop me.

Marianna didn't mind though. I think she might even like getting her picture taken. But don't tell her I told you that.

We ended up heading over to the fire pit and roasting some marshmallows. Poor Ryan somehow got a chunk of hot marshmallow stuck on his eyelid. Really, I have no idea how that happened. It may have had something to do with him swinging his marshmallow stick around wildly. Not that he did that. Don't worry though. He's ok.

I usually don't like to do posts without some sort of picture but I switched computers and haven't had the time to move my pictures over. This post isn't going to be anything special though so I guess the picture won't make much difference.

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I just wanted to leave a little update and let you all know that the next two weeks probably won't have any posts. The girls are starting swim team on Monday (the new years practice starts then) and we have a whole lot of appointments I'm trying to squeeze in. Not to mention all the back to school shopping and orientations we have.

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So most likely, I will be back around the 1st or 2nd with some updates and new pictures. See you then!

I think I've mentioned before that Devon swims for Poseidon. Poseidon is a USA Swimming program that participates in Pacific Northwest Swimming (PNS), the local USA swimming organization representing nearly 5,000 athletes in western Washington. Out of the five levels, Devon is currently at level three. Her goal is to reach level five by her junior year in high school. (She is going to be a freshman this Fall)

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As of today, she is also going to be swimming for Centralia High School. (*sidenote* The captain of the High School swim team is Regans private swim coach) The high school swim season is roughly twelve weeks long while Poseidon is a year round program.

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So starting August 24 Devon will be swimming Monday through Friday from 3-5 for the high school and M,W,F from 4:30-6 for Poseidon. I realize the times overlap but both teams train in the same pool and the two coaches work together on the kids who swim for both teams.

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Starting the day after labor Day the high school swim team will start at 3:30 instead of 3.

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AND---if everything goes well and Regan makes the swim team (Poseidon) she will be swimming on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-5:45.

This is our ferret, Stuart. More commonly referred to as Stuey. He joined our family months ago and I just realized I have never done a post on him. Shame on me!

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So here he is. Michael had been wanting to get a ferret for years but I was all "A giant rat? In our house? On purpose? No thank you!" But then he went and got hurt and I needed him to have something to occupy his time. So Stuey joined our family!

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The first month I didn't really touch him and really didn't like all the ferret smells. They have a really musky scent. We bought a ferret spray that helps him smell like baby powder instead of stink but it doesn't cover all the smell.

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But now I'm used to the smell and play with him all the time. He is SO cute. And cuddly too! Whenever I hold his he climbs up into my hair and nuzzles my neck.

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I was also a little worried about how he would do with Payton. Would he bite her or scratch her up? As you can see from the following picture he is a really fierce animal!

I'm really glad he have Stuey. He is definitely one of the favorite pets we've ever had.

I used to be a perfect mother.

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Fourteen years ago that changed. It changed because I had my first child.

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Since then I have been reminded daily that I'm NOT a perfect mother and my children aren't perfect either. And you know what? I am SO okay with that.

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I'm okay with dirty hands and feet. Messy faces. Shoes that are on the wrong feet and mismatched clothing. I'm okay with children who don't learn everything early and sometimes take a little longer.

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I'm okay with my imperfect children. More than okay. I like their imperfections. Its what makes each of them so unique and special. Its what makes them them.

This morning I was checking my email and found a friends request from facebook. It was from my Dad!

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I accepted him and wrote a little note to him asking how he was doing since I hadn't spoken to him in a few weeks. He called me up and we chatted for a while. Every time I talk to him I feel a little homesick for Orland. I think the last time we were down there and saw my Dad was when I was pregnant with Ryan. I think I'm going to start planning for us to head down their this Spring.

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He sent me this picture of him and a salmon he caught last Fall. It weighed about 41 lbs. He almost caught another one after it that weighed a little over 50 but it ended up getting away.

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He was telling me a story about how he was painting the exterior of an Episcopal church and the Pastor came out to chat with him. The Pastor said "Hi, I'm Jim and I'm a fisher of men." My Dad said, "I'm Mike and I'm a fisher of fish."

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So my Dad took him fishing.

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That's pretty much what I've been praying for. That someone would reach out to my Dad with his interests (fishing) and minister to him.

This past weekend our church had its annual 'Weekend at the Beach'. We had such a great time. The girls and I stayed in a hotel while Michael and Ryan camped out. The campground they stayed at was pretty nice. Most of the other people from our church was there too.
The kids had a lot of fun building sand castles, racing go carts, going on walks, roasting marshmallows, eating yummy ice cream cones and playing with their friends.

I definitely think we will be going back next year. It is so nice to be able to get away for a few days and just enjoy the family.

Today was one of those days where my To Do list was longer than my day. Well, not really, but I'm a homebody and don't like to be gone running errands all day.

Devon had her yearly physical this afternoon. We arrived about twenty minutes early so we decided to hop on over to the park across the street and shoot a few pictures. As you can see, the girls had fun!

Oh! Devon has grown four and a half inches since last years physical! Can you believe it? She still hasn't reached the 100 lb mark but she's getting closer.

After the Dr. appointment we headed to the pool. Regan had a lesson aimed at getting her ready for swim team. Devon had her second practice and learned how to do the back stroke. She is learning so fast! I am so amazed by her!

I took about a dozen pictures of them swimming. The pool is indoor so they turned out pretty dark so I'll have to work on lightening them up. I'll post some as soon as I can get it figured out.

We had the most amazing thunder and lightning this morning. It started around 5 am and lasted for HOURS! When I first heard it I thought Michael and Jake were downstairs moving furniture around. Why I would think that is beyond me! Ha! It must have been the early hour that make me think crazy.

I finally got around to downloading the pictures off my camera this evening. I found this one and really liked it. The way its close up and half of her face is showing. I think I'll try some more close up but be sure to wash her face next time!

I'm going to go watch Atlantis with the kids. Hopefully someone will snuggle with me.

Here it is Saturday and I'm just getting around to posting about Mondays trip to the library. How 'bout that? Am I on top of things, or what?

This week it was Devon and I who went to the library to pick out our books. Michael had the other kids and was taking them on an 'Adventure Walk' through the downtown area. I think they explored about a dozen antique shops.

One of their stops was to our local pet/feed store to buy some crickets and feeder fish. The bullfrog Michael and Ryan brought home from their fishing trip eats a LOT!

As many of you know, Devon has been swimming with a friend of hers three mornings a week for the past year or so. Her friend, Lily, is on the local swim team and has been helping Devon improve her stroke, time and endurance so she could eventually try out for the team too. This past Tuesday was her try out day.

She made the team!!

Monday will be her first team practice. She will be practicing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:00. She won't be eligible for swim meets until at least October but thats fine. She wants time to work on her time and endurance.

So if you see her be sure to congratulate her! She worked hard to make the swim team and is proud of her accomplishment.

July 3, 2009

Please pray for this little girl.

July 2, 2009

It has been a LONG time since I joined in on Things I Love Thursday. So long, in fact, that I can't remember the last one I did.

So todays TILT is all about the holidays. I just LOVE holidays. Actually, any day that involves family getting together and food. This year we are heading out to Michaels parents' house for a BBQ and fireworks. I am taking Firework Shrimp, Pink Lemonade cupcakes, Baked Potato Dip and BCT salad. I am posting the links to each of the recipes so just click on the dish to find it.

BCT salad is pretty easy to make. My kids just LOVE it! It is probably the most requested side salad in our house. the ingredients are pretty simple.

Box of pasta (we use farfalle or fiori)

Bacon (chopped small)

Cheese (cut into small cubes. Like pencil eraser small)

Cucumber (cut to the same size as the cheese)

Tomato (also cut small)

Ranch

Simply cook your pasta, drain and set in large bowl. Add ingredients. Mix well. You can add as much or as little ranch as you like. We like our pasta coated but not dripping.

This weekend Michael and the kids set up the tent in the backyard and had a camp out. (Payton and I had our own little sleepover in my bed) They had a little campfire thingy(I'm not sure what it's called) going and make shish kabobs and roasted marshmallows. I think they took every spare blanket they could find out to put under them to make a cushy bed. ha! I think they had five or six inches of blankets to lay on!

June 28, 2009

On Saturday we went to Westport with Julianna to check out Pirate days. She went last year and thought my kids would really enjoy it. Michael took one look at all the piratey-wenches and declared it a GREAT idea! Ha!
Seriously though, I think he was in heaven with the food options. They had huge turkey legs, elephant ears, fish sandwiches, burgers, Icees, Italian Ice, freshly made donuts and the biggest ice cream cones I have ever seen!

The kids had fun exploring a full sized pirate ship (not pictured) and exploring the all the shops and booths that were set up. I think we'll make this one of our yearly traditions.

June 27, 2009

We spent Saturday in Westport. I think we love the beach.

June 26, 2009

Yay! Devon's home from camp! She left on Monday and has been gone ALL WEEK! I picked her and Mariah up from the church this evening 7:30. We took Mariah home and then stopped to pick up some groceries and gas up the mini van. (Tomorrow we are heading to the beach to see if we can find some pirates!) It was nice to have a chance to chat with her before we got home and the kids attacked her. They really missed her. Especially Payton, who would wander through the house called for 'Dedon'.

Devon said she had a great time at camp. The services were just amazing. She made a lot of new friends and tried a lot of things she had never done before. Like rowing a canoe and jumping on a water trampoline. Oh, and she's TAN! Apparently, living in a bathing suit (with a tank top and shorts over it) for a whole week will do that.

June 25, 2009

Tuesday was Regan and Ryan's first day of camp. They attended the 'Under The Sea' camp at our local gym. They had a pirate/mermaid theme and played games, swam and did crafts. The camp lasts three days with today being their last day. As you can see from the picture above Ryan is completely wiped out by the time camp is over. Doesn't he look comfy?

This afternoon I'm dropping the kids off at camp and heading over to Julianna's house to do some sewing. I STILL need to get the binding sewn on to Danyelle's birthday quilt. I have the binding cut and sewn together so it should only talk a little bit to get it finished. *crossing my fingers*

June 24, 2009

This summer I am doing a 'summer school' of sorts with Regan and Ryan. I picked up a dozen workbooks from the dollar store (2 each of six workbooks) covering addition/subtraction, phonics, time/money, counting from 1-100, word families and sight words. I made packets for them with each packet containing one page from each of the workbooks. I think I was able to make about 15 packets. I also picked up a few creative writing books with story starters and other ideas to get kids writing. I'm thinking it'll take us about an hour each day to get our workbook work done.

I have a variety of activities and crafts planned out for each of our days. I actually made a list of everything I could think of for us to do this summer. From hiking and making day trips to riding bikes and blowing bubbles. While I was at the dollar store picking up the workbooks I also picked up some extra stuff to stock my boredom box. Stickers, water balloons, sidewalk chalk, etc. Perfect things for those days the kids are starting to get bored and irritable.

If you have any ideas on crafts or activities for kids to do please leave a comment and let me know. I'm always on the lookout for new things to try.

June 22, 2009

This morning I took Regan, Ryan and Payton to the library for our weekly book binge AND to sign up for the summer reading program. Since we are going to be pretty busy this week we only picked out a few books. Regan picked out the three books that are pictured above.

Ryan picked out these three books. I'm not sure how carefully he looked at them before adding them to our bag. I think he just wanted to hurry and get his books so he could play I Spy on the library computer.

I looked at Ryans book The Boy From The Sun and while it has very nice illustrations, I don't think its one that I'll let him read. Its going to go back to the library this afternoon.

June 21, 2009

I mentioned yesterday that Michael took Regan and Ryan camping out at Jakes house. As soon as they got home Ryan brought me the camera so I could see the pictures of his fish. Ain't it a beaut!

The kids had never been camping before so Ryan was really concerned about where he would be sleeping. Once they got their tent set up Ryan did his little inspection. It passed with flying colors!!

Dinner was A little kids dream of BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs.

I wasn't there but by the looks of the pictures everyone had a great time.

June 20, 2009

Michael took Regan and Ryan camping yesterday. They were actually in Jake's backyard but there are lots of woods and the neighbor had a pond for them to fish in so the kids thought it was awesome. I'm going to do a post on their trip sometime this weekend but I just HAD to show these pictures of Regan and her first fish that she caught ALL BY HERSELF!!

She was so proud of it. Jake was showing her how to hold it by the mouth and she was just about to when suddenly........

it MOVED!!

June 18, 2009

Today I attempted to tackle Mt. Laundry and failed miserably. I think I might have done about half of it but I still need to put things away and get to the other half. I hope to get to it tomorrow but between taking Michael to both of his therapy appointments, taking Devon to get her hair done, picking up prescriptions from two different pharmacys, getting all Devons stuff together for camp next Monday, sewing the binding on Danyelles quilt, signing Regan and Ryan up for camp at Thorbecks...whew! I'm tired! I think I'll stay in bed! Is that an option?

June 17, 2009

Mariah came and spent the weekend with us. Friday night the older girls went to the Ape Caves and didn't get home until around 2 in the morning!! They had to wake up early Saturday morning to go down to the youth group car wash. I think they were pretty much sleepwalking through the day!

Sunday after church I had took Jessie, Mariah and Devon shopping. The girls were looking for jeans and I was trying to find some board shorts for Devon to wear over her bathing suit. No luck on the shorts but I'm still looking.

Monday we picked Mariah up again and headed to the park for some hiking. If you want to call walking around on trails that are completely flat hiking. The kids had lots of fun though. they ran around like little crazy people and showed off their awesome gymnastic skills.

June 10, 2009

I just love this picture! I took it the day we were out at Robin and Rogers house planting the garden. Julianna had made red kool aid for the kids to drink. Payton had never had kool aid before. She loves it!! I think she squeezed about four refills out of Julianna! Between that, all the dirt she found to play in and her sticky hands from watermelon-She was a mess! Actually, she looked like she had a great day! And she slept really good!

June 9, 2009

We made our second library trip of the summer yesterday. I think we had about 40 books in our stack to check out! I'm not sure how much of that my poor old back can take!

So far we have only read a few of the books so there are no favorites to post yet. Maybe I'll come back and edit this one later and list em for ya.

Devon had a huge stack of books she wanted to get for her June research paper. Since there were seventeen books I decided not to list them here. She is having a hard time choosing between two topics so she got plenty of books to comer both of them.

Ryan and Regan continue to surprise me with their reading. Regan disliked it all of last year and most of this year. I mean really disliked it. Then sometime around February she suddenly decided she loves books! So while she needs to do a quick catch up on all the months she didn't try to read I think she is doing amazing! One of her new favorite things is to curl up with a book and see how many of the words she can read.

Ryan , on the other hand, is just zipping through our book box! Regan's teacher is going to test him to see what his reading level is. Not that its really important since he's only five and needs age appropriate books more than he needs level appropriate books. But she offered and I'm curious so we'll do it sometime in the next few weeks.

June 8, 2009

This past Friday night Elissa graduated from High School. I can't believe it. The first of my nieces/nephews is now an adult!! How did this happen? Yesterday we went to a BBQ that was in her honor. Actually, by the time we got there (three hours late) she was gone. So I sat around with the family while we tried to convince each other that she was still twelve and we were still young.

All kidding aside, Elissa has grown into an amazing young lady. She excelled in just about every sport her high school offered, was active in her student council AND got good grades! When the big flood hit a few years ago she and some friends got together to help some families with clean up.

I look forward to seeing what she does the next few years. She has so much potential and the drive to do something with herself. It'll be fun to watch.

June 2, 2009

This summer I am going to take the kids to the library every Monday. As a way to keep track of our summer reading I am going to post the books we check out on here. I don't plan on doing reviews of them or anything. (unless its such an amazing books it MUST have a review!)

Ryan says his favorite book from this trip was Big Brave Bryan.

Regan favorite book is definitely Are You A Horse?

My personal favorite was Violet the Pilot.

Devon has her own pile of books to read. I'll see if she wants to post them on her own blog before I put them here.

May 31, 2009

Yesterday Devon helped at a car wash the youth group was holding and got a MAJOR sunburn!! She was holding the car wash sign for about five hours with no shade. I gave her sunblock to put on but apparently she thought covering her arms and legs as good enough. Her cheeks are so red they have little blisters on them!! Even the whites of her eyes turned a little red!

I've been slathering aloe all over her shoulders, face and upper chest but she was still in a lot of pain. Ali suggested using sour cream to help stop the burn and ease the pain. We tried it and Devon said she thought it was helping but Michael didn't like the idea of having dairy (bacteria) on her blisters so we washed it off and went back to the aloe. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow.

The flash on my camera washed out the color of the sunburn on her face. In person it is very red.

May 30, 2009

SUMMERTIME!!!

Summer is time for catching frogs, swimming, sleeping in, visiting friends, stay up late, camping, yard work, reading, aloe vera gel, tank tops, sleepovers, boat trips, sunblock, popsicles, summer camp, the ice cream truck, road trips, sticky fingers, sun burns and family.

May 30, 2009

Last week was the Zoo Trip for Regans class. Everyone took their own cars and met at the entrance at 9:40. Or at least they were supposed to meet then. About half of the group was late.

The first thing we did was go to a shark class that Mrs. Bol had scheduled for us. The kids learned about shark anatomy, how they live and even got to touch a shark skin! Kids under four weren't allowed in the class so I took Payton to the kid Zone while Julianna stayed with the older three.
When the shark class ended everyone kind of went there own way (some traveled around in small groups) with the idea to meet for lunch. The middle of the zoo has this big grassy area with a hill at one end and picnic tables along the edges. Payton spent most of out lunch time climbing to the top of the hill and rolling down. Man! I wish I'd taken the camcorder for that. She was hilarious!

Around 1:30 Payton decided she'd had enough and proceeded to have a MAJOR meltdown!! Too much excitement and no nap makes for crabby babies! I took her back to the van for her nap.

Aside from Payton falling apart, I think it was one of our more successful trips o the zoo. The weather was gorgeous, I packed plenty of snacks and everyone was in a good mood. It kinda makes me want to do it again. Kinda.

May 26, 2009

I was reading Parenting School Years this afternoon and came across this top ten list that I just had to share.

Top Ten Things that are okay NOT to share with your kids

1. Your cheesecake

2. Your private potty time.

3. Your rationale for deciding who gets to sit by the window.

4. Your wild, semi-legal pastimes during your teen years - and that weekend they spent at Grandmas.

5. That, believe it or not, you want to yell way more than you do.

6. that Elmo is just a woolly puppet with a 48-year-old's hand up his butt.

7. That, come Monday morning, you're often incredibly psyched to go to work.

8. That sometimes you go weeks without eating vegetables.

9. That, no, you really don't want to hear her sing the barney song again, right this very second.

10. But that she should go ahead because you'll be so sad when she's too old and cool to offer.

May 18, 2009

A Baby Meme
For Paytons 2nd Birthday

How long had you been married at the time of the birth? Payton was born on our 6th anniversary.

What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? We were so happy. We had been trying to have another baby for over a year.

How old were you? 29.

How did you find out that you were pregnant? Home pregnancy test. I was using those things like they were crack.

Who did you tell first? Umm...Whoever heard me shrieking from the bathroom.

Did you find out the sex? Yes.

Did you deliver early or late? I was induced three days early

Did you have morning sickness? Nope. And I didn't claim to either.

What did you crave? Chocolate which was weird because prior to that pregnancy I hated chocolate.

Who irritated you most? I'm not going to say. Just in case that person reads this.

What was your child's sex? Girl

How many pounds did you gain throughout your pregnancy? 20 lbs.

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Yes. I was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. It made things a little scary but everything was fine.

Where did you give birth? The same hospital Regan was born.

How many hours were you in labor? Maybe an hour.

Who drove you to the hospital? Michael

Who watched? Michael

Was it vaginal or c-section? vaginal

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I wish!! The epidural man was down the hall helping another woman while I was going through the worst pain. By the time he got to me I was ready to push. They gave it to me anyway so I had a good nap right after delivery.

How much did your baby weigh? 7 lbs 7 oz

What did you name your baby? Payton Joy

How old is your baby today? 2 Years old today!

May 17, 2009

Regan has two weeks left of school. Two weeks left and she'll no longer be my little first grader.

May 16, 2009

This afternoon we all headed out to Roger and Robins house to work on the garden. Today was the day we turned in the fertilizer, laid out the rows and planted the the seeds. We planted rows of green beans, peas, green onions, carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe. And when I saw 'we' I am using the word very loosely.

May 15, 2009

I saw this picture the other day and had to take a second look to confirm that they weren't my kids. Cause you know that's happened here.

If this is your photo please let me know so I can give proper credit. And maybe send you some chocolate.

May 14, 2009

This morning was an end of the year swimming party for Regans class. All siblings and parents were invited to attend. We got there a few minutes late but once we were there everyone had a great time. I think my children are starting to grow gills. We have been to the pool about nine times in the past two weeks.