Catch Up

We have been back from vacation for nearly three weeks and I've yet to write anything about being back.  So I will try to make this quick, mostly with pictures (hopefully) so we can get to the present time.

Today, August 27, was Colby's third birthday!  As is hopefully our continuing tradition, we celebrated at home with Grandma and Grandpa...just the way I like it.

He likes to stick his tongue out like this when he's kind of embarrassed.

Or stick it out when he's excited!

Ice cream cake.  Since I'm buying, I figure I can get what I like!

At three year's old, Colby is still very much a mama's boy although it has certainly improved.  Usually he only wants me to get him out of his crib and every morning after I do, we always cuddle on the floor with a blanket while we wait for everyone else to wake up (although often, Aubree and Brady proceed him awake). He still loves to play with my hair any time he happens to be sitting on my lap.  He has gotten to be quite a ham - - entertaining his siblings with funny faces and voices.  He also likes to dance and will copy anything Brady does.  He loves anything with wheels.  He still takes a long afternoon nap, uses a binky, and wears diapers.  All things that will probably disappear during this fourth year and then I'll really be losing my baby.  His talking improves every day and right now his favorite thing to say is (when we are in Target, for example), "Brady, come here!  You gotta see this." Over and over again.  He loves, loves books and could sit forever if someone would read to him.  There is so much more to say but I'll leave it at that!

One thing I will go into a little detail on is that we had our first day of school on Monday, August 22 - - which was this week.  Once again we are doing My Father's World (MFW) curriculum with this year focusing on Creation to the Greeks.  Here is a rundown of what we are using:

Calleigh (4th) 
Bible - MFW
History - MFW
Science - Science in the Beginning (the main textbook is Streams of Civilization)
English - Critical Thinking Company (4th Grade)
Writing - Writing Strands (Level 4)
Spelling - A Reason for Spelling (finishing Level C)
Math - Khan Academy
Vocabulary - Focusing on Greek language using "English from the Roots Up"
Handwriting - Queen's "Pictures in Cursive - Book A & B"
Spanish - Duolingo
Art - Class on Tuesday's with Rosa

Aubree (2nd/3rd)
Bible - MFW
History - MFW (the main textbook is Streams of Civilization)
Science - Science in the Beginning
English - Language Lessons for the Very Young (Vol 2)
Writing - Writing Strands (Level 4)
Spelling - A Reason for Spelling (continuing Level C)
Math - Teaching Textbooks (Level 3)
Vocabulary - Focusing on Greek language using "English from the Roots Up"
Handwriting - Queen's "Pictures in Cursive - Book A & B"
Spanish - Duolingo
Art - Class on Tuesday's with Rosa

Aubree is a mix of both grades two and three as she does the same work as Calleigh for Bible, History, Vocabulary, and Science (the beauty of MFW) but then is also mostly in grade three with all her individual work as well.  This is the beauty of homeschooling - - moving at her own pace!

We got the girls iPads not long ago because Calleigh is going to be using Khan Academy this year for math - - honestly, I feel like we are just trying out every math curriculum there is hoping to land on one Calleigh likes or will at least tolerate.  In about four years I should be able to give some excellent recommendations on anyone looking for a math curriculum because we will have tried them all! They've also started Duolingo on their iPads which is a free Spanish app.  We really like it but there have been some strange graphics on it.  They also use their iPads to practice spelling words on the Spelling City app which has some great games, etc.  By the way, once you have an iPad, any other brand of tablet pales in comparison.

Duelingo - See what I mean?

Some still in pajamas, some not.

Favorite color green, wants to be a palentologist

Favorite color is blue, wants to be an archeologist

Favorite color is red, wants to be a veterinarian

Favorite color is blue, wants to be a firefighter

One of the things we are doing for Bible is learning about the feasts celebrated by the Israelites in Exodus.  Our first feast was the Sabbath which we celebrated this weekend.  Obviously we already "celebrate" it but this is a much more structured event with specific prayers and passages to read, blessings to give, candles, and a special meal, etc. Here, they are preparing a cover to put in the Challah bread.

Another covering.

Making some spices on Thursday that we would use for closing the Sabbath on Saturday.

Decorating his spice box.

Kneading the Challah bread on Friday afternoon. Yes, that is Brady dressed in a girl's Hello Kitty shirt.

Colby got to put the egg white glaze on top.

Our Friday evening celebration.  We used our best china which was my mom's from when she got married.  The kids were so excited about it all.

The father gives a blessing to each child.  Love Brady laughing behind his hands in the background.  Also, the cherry on a toothpick is called a "candlestick salad' but it's supposed to be a banana instead of a toothpick.  I didn't realize the kids had eaten all the bananas.

One of our loaves of Challah bread.  It was SO delicious.  We will definitely be making it again.

This evening we lit the Havdalah candle.

Smelled the spices we put in our spice boxes. This is aroma is supposed to stay with us through the arduous week until it is Sabbath once again.

Some of us spilled our spices and drove our monster trucks through it.

Leading up to school starting, I worked very diligently on getting things set up - - - preparing the room, reviewing all the curriculum, just getting it all ready.  Not once did I do anything to prepare for Brady starting school.  Frankly, he has shown no interest and I never did any Kindergarten with Calleigh nor Aubree, really, other than teach her to read. So imagine my surprise on Monday afternoon at 5:30 when Brady says to me "Mooommm, you never did any school with me." Oh. Didn't know that was a thing.  I got out a workbook I had on hand and he proceeded to do page after page. This from my boy that wouldn't recognize the letter "Q" if it bit him on the behind.  Apparently things have changed!
This is all new to me because I never taught the girls their letters and sounds or anything.  Not formally that I can remember.  They just knew all that stuff, somehow. So I stayed up late Monday night, scouring websites looking for fun stuff for Brady to learn.  I landed on Confessions of a Homeschooler which I knew had some good printables and downloaded the Letter of the Week "curriculum" for $15.  She has thousands of things on there.  The next day, Brady immediately wanted to know what he was doing for school and since then, he has been working happily away and when he finishes one thing, he wants to know what's next.  The first thing he says when he wakes up is "What are we doing this day?" When I reply "School" he says "Good." Now, I realize this could all go to pot in about three days and he'll just go back to playing with Colby again.  And that will be just fine.  But until then, I'm enjoying his enjoyment.  It just amazes me how he just suddenly wants to do this stuff.  I joked that if he suddenly asks to eat a carrot, we will know that someone switched out his body and this is a clone.

He also decided he wants to do the art class each week.  Several hours after class, Colby says to me, "Mom, I miss Brady when he's in art class." Awww, made me sad.

Speaking of vegetables...Brady saw a costume in Costco that he really wanted.  Being the clever person that I think I am, I told him that if he ate vegetables every day for a month, I'd buy it for him.  The first challenge was to eat a tomato which didn't go well at all.  He basically took a teeny, tiny nibble and then almost gagged on it.  Doesn't count, I say!  The next day, he ate a cucumber slice - - actually ate the whole thing.  I was feeling all good and hopeful.  Maybe this kid will come around after all. The third day - - well, let's just say he decided he didn't want the costume THAT badly. So much for that.





Some other things we've been up to...

Duncan took the girls rock climbing at a local place a few Sundays ago.

They had a great time.

You had to be 40 pounds to do it though so that meant Brady was with me and Colby at Lucky Monkey which he probably would have picked anyway. I enjoy the time with just my boys.

The sign there cracked me up though.

Awww.

Celebrated Grandma's birthday on August 10 with dinner out and cake in.

Notice that Brady locked up both vehicles.  I guess with three siblings, you never know when someone might try to steal your wheels.

Duncan went paddle boarding on a lake in Windermere and we went down to see him.  They had this lightening "alarm" thingy near the playground so we stopped to check it out.  It seemed like a clear blue sky but sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, this thing started blaring.  Of course, Aubree started freaking out and we made a beeline for the van.

We joined Jennifer and Z kids on a field trip on I-Drive to the Skeleton Museum which has hundreds of animal skeletons on display (all animals died from natural causes).  They had a fun scavenger hunt.  The place was basically empty since public school has just started.  Exactly how we like it!

Since we were so close, we had to stop at the world's largest McDonald's since they had completely rebuilt it from the only other time we went four years ago.

We went to Rebounderz for Evan's 8th birthday.  I paid for Colby to jump which he did for about five minutes and then spent the other 55 minutes, "playing" games in the arcade.  I never actually put any money in.  He just went from one thing to the next, pretending he was playing.

The birthday boy and two boys that like him a lot.

Calleigh is building a model engine with Duncan.

Meet my two daughters, Katie and Annabelle.  I always wanted four daughters!

We've been going to the pool from about 6:45 to 7:45 each evening. Nobody is there and it has been perfect for the kids to get in some exercise.

Aubree the artist.

Weekly Sabbath photos.

This kid can really be a ham.

Adventurers has started and the kids had Induction at the church today.

In closing, a couple of Brady quotes.

The next morning after we had gotten back from Nova Scotia, I was resting on the couch with Colby and Brady was in the kitchen with Duncan who was getting some breakfast.  As Brady opens the refrigerator door to get something...
Brady (seeing the fridge basically bare):"Dad! Come here! Someone came into our house and ate all our food while we were gone!!"

We were in Home Depot getting some light bulbs.  As we checked out, I let Brady type in the numbers for my debit card PIN:
Me:"1"
Brady:"1"
Me: "2"
Brady: Looks for 2. "2"
Me: "3"
Brady: Looks for 3. "3"
Me: "4"
Brady: Looking, looking.  Takes him a little bit and finally presses it. "4"
Brady (As we are walking out, he leans over and whispers): "I've been on vacation so I kind of forgot four."

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!