Last Soccer Game

Of course it had to be in the rain! What a nasty morning. Our guys had fun anyway :)

Brandon had just kicked the ball here. Of course I'm not fast enough to catch him actually kicking it.
Nicholas' turn:
Here he is as goalie. He did a great job defending his goal :)
See his little celebration?? He's kind of behind the referee.
My soaked, little goalie...
It was a very wet morning but I was lucky to get a parking place up front so Megan could stay warm and dry in the van with Kung Fu Panda :) And, of course, I ducked in from time to time to sip my coffee and warm up!

We really loved our soccer season. The boys learned so much and had such a great time! I'm grateful that the Upwards season is early. We had the chance to enjoy almost the entire season in great weather.

We're thinking about basketball now. There's a church close by that offers Upwards Basketball so if the boys are interested, we may give it a try :)

Being Grateful

I would love to have a neater home. I've been trying to be neater and more organized, but it isn't easy for me. I'm often pulled away from a task and forget to go back and finish. Some days just providing healthy meals and snacks seems to take up the whole day! Most days I run the dishwasher three times...three times! And I don't run it unless it's full!

Our house layout doesn't help. The entire main floor is completely open. One room open to the next all around. There's no separate room for school things. Or toys. There's a kitchen set in the family room and six ottomans stuffed with toys in the living room. Then there's the Lego boxes everywhere. It seems like the toys are never picked up all the way. We are trying to make the basement more organized so some of this can go down there, but I know there will still be toys on the main floor. We have kids!

As Kristen turned eighteen this year, graduated our homeschool, and started college, I've come to realize just how very short this Season-of-Mess is in my life. It may seem long when you're living it, but it really isn't. They grow up sooooo fast.

This blog post over at No Ordinary Moments says it all. Check it out! I think I'm going to have to read that book she's reading!

I'll continue on my path to be more organized and I hope to impart some good life skills to our kids along the way, but I'm going to make every attempt to not stress over it. Not let it steal my joy when we have days where we struggle with it. And I know that will be most days ;)

A Brief Update

Kristen's first day of college went great! She had two of her five classes today (which she loved and cannot wait to go back tomorrow for number three out of five) and an opportunity to spend some time with friends :) She has at least one friend in all her classes which was not planned but really cool that it worked out that way! And she ran into a friend from co-op ! They have the same break time so I'm sure those two will be spending some time together :)

My girl is lovin' this new phase....and so am I :)

You Knew This Post Was Coming

Kristen has her first day of college today!!! I cannot even tell you how excited I am for her or how proud I am of her! I'm happy that she has friends that attend the same college, but I also know she'll have no trouble making new friends and I'm confident that she'll be a light for Christ in all those friendships :)

So, yeah, she let me take her picture on her first day!

Little sister woke up just in time for a quick good-bye snuggle :)
I'm very much going to miss her today and look forward to hearing all about her first day tonight at dinner, but you know what? I'm not as heartbroken as I was last spring just thinking about this. We've really eased into this whole independence thing and I think we are both so much more comfortable with this new place in our lives than maybe we would have been otherwise. I don't adapt well to change so slower is better! It really does help that she'll still be living at home, and it's equally important that she wants to. She is very close to her family and I hope that we'll all be a source of support and encouragement for her :)

Kristen, have a great, first day!!! I love you!!!

A Great Recipe

Tonight, I'm making stuffed bell peppers and thought I'd share this recipe with my family and friends :) It's delicious!

Click here to check it out!

The Breakfast (Walking) Club

This year, before we start our school day, we are taking walks. For us, this works really well since we are all (mostly) morning people! By evening, I'm either too pooped or running someone to something, but also, I think a little exercise in the morning helps brain function (and I need all the help I can get!). It's also an easy way to transition from breakfast to school work :)

Here's a picture from one of our walks this week.
Do you see the stuffed animals in their shirts?? They crack me up! Megan gave Kristen one to carry too ;)

Morning walks with the kids. Another reason I love homeschooling :)

A Lovely Day at the Park

Last week, our co-op had a little field trip to the park for some frisbee golf and, of course, we had to go! ;) Neither the kids not I had ever played before, so we were pretty excited. Not to mention it was a gorgeous day and we were looking forward to some time outside.

We ended up splitting up by families which was perfect and allowed us to all move at our own pace. Angi's crew (plus one ;)) plowed through that course like it was nothing! My gang moved a little slower and fetched alot of discs out of the woods ;) Megan spent a good deal of time carrying hers :)
I'm glad none of us ended up with poison ivy :) We spent alot of time in the woods!
Brandon in action:
Megan found a place to rest:
I wish this picture had turned out a little better. This tree was filled with bees that looked like honey bees! You can kinda see them crawling around but it was very different in person. I looked like the bark was moving! Maybe there was honey comb in there. That would've been something to see!
The park was just beautiful and so was the weather. Thank you for such a fun field trip, Angi! I'm really looking forward to all the fun you have planned for us this fall!

My Girl, All Grown Up

Last Monday and Tuesday, Kristen had her orientation! Monday was testing day. She had to take the math and language arts placement tests (everyone does) and she scored right on par! As a homeschool mom, I try not to let the state dictate what my kids are learning, and especially how they learn it ;) but it's so much harder when they are preparing for college. So many tests! You really get caught up in the comparison thing that standardized tests promote. I'm relieved that she can move forward with her education at her own pace, directing her own path.

Tuesday, parents could come and sit in on the morning of orientation, have lunch, and help with registering for classes. You can be sure I was there ;) It was really an experience! There was alot of information thrown out there during orientation and some of it was quite comforting. I feel that she will be in a safe, encouraging environment.

It was very special to me to help her decide on her classes. We've been doing this quite a bit over the last four years as I sought her opinion when I could on her high school classes, but this was much more broad! We were in the very last orientation before the semester starts so most of the classes on her "wish list" were full but we were able to come up with a full load of very good classes for her! She's especially excited about being in a book club ;) That's my girl!

We are all so very proud of you, Kristen and very excited about what is sure to be an adventure for you! I'm looking forward to our "Gilmore Girls" nights and hearing all about your school days!

Painting, Kristen Style

This summer, we've had a few house projects going on and Kristen decided to get in on the fun by redoing her room :) Time was beginning to run out for her since she starts COLLEGE next week, so she got a move on last week and got it done! With the help of Jessie, of course ;)

This was what I came home to after co-op last week:
Are they trying to look like they didn't smear paint all over themselves?? I asked these lovely young women why did they have paint streaks all over themselves and their response was that there were little paint globs on the wall and after they swiped them they didn't have anywhere to put them. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that was the answer these college students gave me ;)

So glad you crazy girls had a great time painting that room! Kristen, it looks very good and I know you're very excited that it's not blue anymore! Jessie, thank you for coming over to help!
(See? They did actually work too ;))

Let the Chaos Begin!

We started school this week and it has been going very well! I'm actually not getting alot of complaints..... yet ;) Brandon has reached the...age? maturity? when he realizes that if he works hard in the morning (we are very much morning people here) he can be done or almost done by lunch and he is really loving that. And so am I! Nicholas' takes a little longer but he's hanging in there. Megan will be upping her amount of work at some point this year, but I'm not rushing ;)

Today we started co-op. It was not my original plan to start school and co-op in the same week but it just worked that way when we had to postpone our vacation. Let me tell you, it won't happen that way again ;) It's nice to have at least a week to get rolling before we start adding stuff! Anyway, it went very well. From a board member stand point, there were only a few things to tweak/watch; from a teacher stand point, my classes went much better than I was anticipating which was a great surprise; from a parent stand point, our kids loved all their classes!

Brandon is taking Chess Club, Latin, WWI, Art, and Around the World. Nicholas is taking Music, Seasons, Art, Around the World, and Gym (his gym teacher is his favorite teacher ;)). Megan is taking Montessori preschool, Preschool Play, and Gym. Her first two classes are longer than the boys so even though she has less classes she still goes a full day missing only an hour in the afternoon. She's pooped! I think I'll be talking her daddy into picking her up tonight at soccer practice and putting her to bed early ;)

I loved getting a chance to chat a little with all my mommy friends! I think I look forward to that part as much as the kids!

So here is their first day of co-op picture!
Yes Megan is crying. Why? Because I made her leave her beloved Bionicle at home. Yes she loves them too and even knows several of their names. In hindight, I should have let her bring it in the car, but I was afraid she would throw her fit in the parking lot at church so I decided to deal with it at home :)

A friend of mine noticed this book in one of my vacation pictures and asked to let her know how it was. It was a terrific read! It is written entirely in letter form written to and from about twenty different characters which is a first for me and took a little getting used to but it was so worth it!

It takes place right after WWII so much of the topic was the German occupation of the isle of Guernsey which is in the English Channel.

From Publishers Weekly
The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as will readers. (Aug.)


Poignant but also laugh out loud funny, this book had a little bit of everything :) If you like historical fiction, you'll love this book!

Creativity

On vacation, we spent a little more time indoors than on previous beach trips. This required a trip to an adorable toy store very close to where we were staying. We just hadn't packed very many toys! At this little toy store, however, they had some really great things! Not your usual toy store with all the name brand stuff, this one had some very creative, learny-type toys...just the sort of things this homeschooling mama likes ;)

We actually had trouble choosing! They had games, books, and all sorts of wooden, kitchen toys and paint sets. But one of the toys that stood out was this:


We bought the all red one and went back for the multi-colored one! The kids have really enjoyed this toy and have made some really great things with it! They really are the perfect thing for encouraging creativity and imagination! Visit their website for some creative stocking stuffers :)

We're Home!

We thoroughly enjoyed our last day. The weather was better than it had been in days and Megan was feeling better so we spent most of the day outside! Megan mostly played in the sand by me and Kristen while the boys played in the ocean (Todd had to get the tire fixed...ugh). It was very relaxing! When Megan felt like getting in, I was happy to oblige!
Todd was back and able to join us when we switched to the pool :)
Megan was not about to get in this time. Sunday the water was so warm but by Tuesday it was freezing and stayed that way the rest of the week. Not sure what happened there. It seems unrealistic that a little rain would cool it down so much so maybe they added water or something. Regardless, the girls stayed out ;)
After all that swimming we decided we'd head to our favorite restaurant one more time.
Fun, fun fun! And the best grouper ever!

Aren't they an adorable bunch??
You can charter a fishing trip here as well and the owners have a golden retriever that we all love named Doppler.
Isn't he cute?? We're just a golden retriever lovin' family :)
Waiting for our food:
We're already planning our next trip back :)

Nicholas

Our little guy learned how to put his face in the water! He's always loved the water, but he hasn't been too keen on sticking his face in until Dad gave him a lesson this week :) Of course, I need to share this big event!



He also learned how to head-butt the water ;)

Evening Stroll

It's still too early to head down to the beach so I thought I'd share a few more pictures :) Last night, I took the boys for a stroll on the beach. The water looked so beautiful as the sun was beginning to set I wanted a closer look!
We stood under the pier and watched the waves come in. The boys loved that.

We Now Resume Our Regularly Scheduled Vacation

Well sort of...

Megan seems to be a bit better. Thank you all for your comments and phone calls! She was feverish for three days and again last night, she's been very tired, and we can't get her to eat much of anything. She's actually a bit more animated this morning so I'm hopeful that we can enjoy our last day here.

Thank God for the pool! We have a great view of the pool (on purpose ;)) so we can easily let the kids go swim and take turns spending some time there with them.

I took the kids down to the beach yesterday while Todd stayed in with Megan. The boys had a great time! So did Kristen and I just hanging out with our books ;)

The water was actually a bit too calm for my boys. They like getting tossed around some ;)
Every now and then a good one would come up!
I'm constantly telling Nicholas to pull up his britches ;)
We plan to squeeze in some more fun today before we have to pack up. We'll be leaving early in the morning for home.