Chaska and Olive came for the send-off (really, they just like playing in the lake!)
We were reading in a book today about a little boy who is 7-years-old. So, I asked my five-year-old: "In how many years will you be 7?"
Hendrick quickly answered: "two...Mooommmm, that's math!"
You're right - we may be done with our "official" math for the year, but math is everywhere!
We are so proud of Hendrick for completing his first year of Homeschool! He has finished his Kindergarten Math and is now tearing through our books, reading at a 2nd-Grade level thanks to Teach Your Child to Read, Sonlight curriculum and other fun learning.
"that's Math!" -Hendrick's own creation of "Color By Number"
We're working hard...it's time for Potty Training! We're very proud of our big boy. Davis has had some success (followed by much celebration) and lots of laundry (cloth "potty pants"). Hey, it's a learning process! We would love for him to be out of diapers before the arrival of #5 - four in diapers seems overwhelming! So, at most, we have 16 weeks...hmmm...no pressure!
Anticipating a Summer of bed-rest (for Amy), we thought we had better take advantage our current travel freedom and take a Mini-Vacation...so, off to Chattanooga we went!
We had a great weekend: we thoroughly enjoyed our sweet hotel suite, our NEW Tennessee Aquarium family pass, sidewalk river play, an evening Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game, and our travel-home break at the Nashville Zoo (and awesome Jungle Gym).
It was a great weekend - we all had so much fun! AND, it was a surprisingly cheap weekend trip, thanks to our packed food (yummy PBJ sandwiches!), family passes, and super discounted hotel suite. Gotta Love Mini-Vacations!
Today, between haircuts, baths, playing outside, and two loads of laundry...Hendrick set-up his "Church Nursery". He blocked off an area in the family room and had the younger kids in one-at-a-time for a personal "nursery" experience.
For Maegli, he gathered baby toys, played with her, then set her up for a comfy nap. For Burke, he offered a choice of toys and read a story. For Davis, he read the story of Creation from our kids bible and then proceeded to teach a lesson about the Bible, and God, and Jesus. Hendrick made it a really special experience for his brothers and sister. I may have him teach lessons from now on!
Hendrick is having so much fun at his YMCA swim lessons. He is fearless in the pool and is the first to volunteer for every new activity. His teacher has been great and has kept the class fun with "Red Light, Green Light", "Spiderman wall-walk", swim races, distance jump contests, dunking games, and plenty of laughing and splashing. Hendrick will be ready for for the summer and our lake beach...and the OUTER BANKS (!!!!!!). Way to go Hendrick!
Are all 5-year-old boys like this? Hendrick has managed to wear holes in the knees of EVERY pair of his pants...EVERY pair! After a weekend of patching, he now has 8 pairs of patched pants.
Mike: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
This classic by Lewis is a set of letters written by Screwtape (a demon) to his nephew Wormwood, directing Wormwood in how to properly tempt his "patient." His writing style, while becoming extinct, is full of unique insights into the human condition. Progeny Press also has a perfect study guide for group study (or old homeschoolers).
Amy:
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis' reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche - which he considered to be his best work of literature - proves he is truly a master story-teller. I was not familiar with this ancient myth but thoroughly enjoyed the amazing story. It is not as "christian" themed as his other works, it is more "human" themed...but as with his other books, you do learn a lesson: our perceptions can sometimes fail us and may lead us to do horrible things in the name of what we think is right - it certainly made me want to take a closer look at my own heart. This book reads like a great historical fiction...but is so "deep" - I may need to read it a few more times to truly grasp all the lessons contained in this book.
Kids: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Disney's Jungle Book movie has been a recent favorite of the boys, so we purchased this unabridged version of Kipling's original Jungle Book for use as a read-aloud. It's fantastic! The illustrations are amazing and the boys are enthralled with the magical story of Mowgli, the man-cub, raised by wolves in the jungles of India along with other animal tales.
Kipling was born in India and spent most of his life there, thinking of himself as "the editor" - he collected these wonderful stories from a multitude of people. The language he uses to capture these tales is beautiful - 1894 British (lot's of thee, thou, and thy).
The cartoon version was definitely Disneyfied...a fun movie, but the book is sooooo much better!
Recently, Davis has decided to sleep on the floor, rather than his bed. I guess it's a good thing we upgraded to the double carpet pad...or maybe not :)
I am blessed to have married a bride who reflects so much of the wife described in Proverbs 31. I love you with all my heart, sweetie! Thank you for being intent on cultivating your relationship with God, and then knowing that is secure, tending to us. You are the bestest.
"A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!"
Proverbs 31:10-31
The Message translation
Along with our two semi-aquatic turtles, we are now hosting a blue-tailed skink. We have had a skink guest before (Wormie), and two years ago had one living in our vents for a few months, but they're very hard to catch - they're quick! This one just showed up. You don't want to know how...well, maybe you do:
Chaska, our smooth collie, has been an outdoor dog for the past 5 months. She has a dog house outside filled with soft blankets - which were due for a washing. Mike ran a huge laundry load of her hairy blankets last night...after washing he carried the load upstairs to hang-dry on the railings. Under the pile of washed blankets, he found our little stowaway.
So, we now have a very clean (and sluggish) blue-tailed skink. Wormie II is doing surprisingly well and is resting in a food bin along with plenty of bugs caught by Hendrick. Thank goodness we washed the blankets on COLD and didn't use the dryer!
FYI - it's 420 miles from our home to Indianapolis...where Amy's brother Dann and his lovely wife, Julie reside...so not quite 500.
We had a fantastic weekend visit with Uncle Dann and Aunt Julie. They were wonderful to host our family and let us take over their home for a few days. We took full advantage of the beautiful weather, checking out a local playground and cheering on the Indianapolis Indians (triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates). If you live in/around Indianpolis, we highly recommend you check out Santorini Greek Kitchen (great Greek food - trust me, you won't go hungry).
The kids had so much fun and were ready to stay in Indy...we'll definitely have to do this again!
Hendrick: "Uncle Dann has a guitar...and it's fake!"
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