Cousins Week : Day 5

Today we visit another happy family. Here's the lo-down.

Sneaker, a.k.a. Drama Queen, 13, loves drama(shocker) and singing, and is smart, witty, clever, and a real bum-shaka’ when the karaoke is going.

Daddy’s Girl, almost 12, is tender-hearted, strong minded, and thoughtful. She loves ballet and horse-back riding. She’s on fi-ah.

These three are always like this,

deep in thoughts and plans together.

Bon, 10, is getting to be quite the young man. He’s into soccer, and is a great big brother. The force is strong with this one.

GuyGuy, 8, was baptized this year. His smile is irresistible. He, too, plays the soccer, and makes a great "Ron Weasley". Watch out for his Jedi mind tricks.

Do-Balvin, 5, has just begun kindergarten! This smart cookie asks lots of good and stumping questions. Beware his skills with the light saber.

M, 3, loves Blue's Clues and is learning all about the joys of potty usage. He starts preschool soon, and it's so fun to see him and S.A.M. play and laugh together.

Princess is 1 1/2. Her majesty sits upon the throne to void, and commands her subjects in a firm but loving manner. Plus, she is a little girls who has a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead.

And I am pleased to inform you that another delightful child will be joining this family come Spring. Congratulations!

Cousins Week, day 4 -

You know the routine, right?

This is Dot. She just had a birthday.

Guess how old she is?

Dot swims like a fish

and loves all things horse.

This is D. He is almost 3.

I don't think I could describe him

any better than this picture does.

This is My-Girl.
She's only 1 1/2,

but she's a tough one.

With a big brother like D,

wouldn't you have to be?

And that's not all.

They are getting ready for another

sweet and spunky baby girl

who is due

in just a couple of months!

Cousin Week : Day 3
Back to the other side of the family. See a pattern? Back and forth and back and forth again.

stats–
N1 – 22ish, boy(RM, ladies)
N2 – 20ish, girl
B1 – 17ish, girl
C1 – 15ish, boy
A– 13, boy
C2 – 11, boy
B2 – 9, boy
L – 3, girl
G – close to ½, girl

Details –

The oldest two live near-ish these days, and we love it! They both are in college and they both work a lot. They both are fun. They both are good dancers. They both are single…look out! Oh, and one of them gets hurt a lot, and the other one is sometimes to blame.
The next one, B1, is in highschool. She dances, too. And someday maybe just maybe you’ll get lucky and see a movie she made. And then you’ll laugh.
Then there is C1 and A, who are together on here because they get along so well in real life. Both of ‘em stand up guys, and it’s hard to find stand up teens these days. C1 wowed me with his knowledge of the theatre (not yer local cinema), and they don’t call A “the Professor” for nothing.
C2, "Mr. Fix-It"is, well, sunshine. I know I’m silly, but I see his smile and his eyes, and how sweet he is and it’s all over for me. And I’ve felt like that since he was a wee baby.
B2 is a doting big brother, and knows what’s up. If you are ever wondering what’s up, he will likely be able to tell you. He told me, and I loved every second of it.
L is a special girl with a big heart. She cares, oh my, she cares. She loves order, and prettiness, and talking on the phone. Or is it listening and laughing?
G is not very old yet, so she hasn’t told me much about herself, but what she has told me is that she is calm and sweet and that she loves smiles and tickles.

In summary –

Fun, Silly Dancing, High School Musical, Knowledgeable, Joking, Snake-Holding, Smart, Slip n Sliding, Helpful, Balcony Jumping, Protective, ER visiting, Cookie Giving,
Big Family

Get the picture?

Cousin Week : Day 2
we turn now to the other side of the family

Meet Goldilocks and Lightning McQueen. They are almost 4 and 3, respectively. Aren't they cute?!

Goldilocks is quite the little lady, with heels and curls and skirts that twirl. Lightning McQueen loves the movie Cars with the kind of intense obsession that only comes in size 2T.

We went to see them about a week ago. It had been awhile. We are so glad to have them nearby again!

Cousins Week -

My kids are very blessed. They have 27 cousins, and almost 31. Just give it a couple of months - those numbers are always growing.

Do you know how fun it is to have lots of cousins?

My kids would rather play with their cousins than do just about anything else.

Plus, without cousins, there'd be no kissing cousins. That'd be a shame.

Today I give you

These three darlings are a fun bunch of sisters. They are smart, I tell you what, and fun, to boot. There is The Great One, a world traveler with great taste in music, who is almost thirteen. She is on the right. Then there is The Bear, in the middle both in this picture and in her family. This girl has an eye for art. She's turning 11 this year. And then, Magoo, newly 9. She is our family champion in chicken wrangling. You should have seen her catch them, one after another, last winter. Just for fun. (since I'm secretly afraid of our chickens even though I feed them every day, I was obviously impressed)

We love you, girls!

We've only been home for two

pretty mellow storms this summer.

We really have missed the

refreshing summer rains,

and the thrill of the

lightning and thunder.

So we soaked up as much as we could.

S.A.M. does a funny hop-dance

that makes me cringe-panic that

he's going to slip-fall.

Mademoiselle twirls.

But of course.

Benefactor splashes,

and tries to get as many

rain-kisses as he can.

He loves those.

Can you guess what movie Mademoiselle just watched? Go ahead, take a shot at it.

and seriously, if I don't get more than

2 comments with good guesses

(that aren't from me),

then I'm going to sulk for a week at least.

especially after the debacle that was

the photo caption contest.

sheesh.

Read This.

And That's AN Order.

That'll Be All.

Who in this world owns

their very own

soft-serve ice cream machine?

My brother-in-law and his family.

And it's the perfect recipe for

fantastic family reunion fun.

Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl

with Fresh Raspberries on top...

I miss you already!

Here's where you learn that we are homeschooling:

We are homeschooling our kids. Mademoiselle would have been entering Kindergarten this month, but instead of sending her to the area schools, which are pretty bad in many ways, we decided to homeschool.

When I was in college I said I'd never homeschool. When I was newly married I said I'd never homeschool. When we had a toddler and a baby, I said I'd never homeschool. I said it other times, too. And I thought I meant it.

But being in our particular situation means we are homeschooling. And I've learned to love the idea.

Enough about me and my thoughts.

Because we are homeschooling and making it as successful and enjoyable as possible, I have done a lot or reading and learning.

Goal # 1 - make sure that learning and questioning and growing stay FUN and INTERESTING.

Goal # 2 - make sure that Mademoiselle learns what she needs to learn to stay with her grade level.

I'm fun and interesting, so that accomplishes goal # 1.

To accomplish goal #2, I found a great book. Home Learning Year by Year :How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through Highschool, by Rebecca Rupp, (Three Rivers Press, 2000), is that book.

Basically, it contains a chapter per grade level, and each chapter is divided into every subject a student in that grade can or should study. Each subject is then broken down into main points, with suggestion on how to learn and teach those points. Also, there are references listed in each section, which include books, music, internet sites, games and more.

Rupp also includes a touch of personal advice here and there, since she has homeschooled her 3 children for over 10 years. The overall tone supports goal #1 for us, and that's what makes this book a gem.

What it is not - a step-by-step guide on training up your very own brood of mini-geniuses.

What it is - a clear and complete, well-researched how to, that encourages attention to learning styles, interests, attention spans, growth rates, and developmental progress and clearly shows what the general standards for knowledge, grade by grade, are in the U.S.

Basically, what happened was this: I researched and read for months on end, I developed some ideas of how I'd like to do things. I looked at curriculum and resources and at the same time felt overwhelmed and unsatisfied by what I found. I looked at books on Amazon and read a lot of reviews and found a new copy of this book for 7 bucks. I bought it, and read it, and now have a clear and detailed outline of what we are doing for the next several months. It just immediately help all my varied thoughts take form.

Here's where I tell you this book is great. And if you are homeschooling, you should own it.

So, what's better than 3 kids who are coughing and bogey-ish, and sick?

When one of them coughs as loud and as often and they can, just for fun.

That's what.

Tyler likes some strange things.

In the past he has played with rattlesnakes and tarantulas and gila monsters. You know, just for kicks. Plus it was his job.

Recently he got certified (yes, certified) to handle bats. The rabies carriers. That bite. And have rabies.

This week he is spending his nights in a cape and a mask, ridding the world of evil and injustice.

Except he wears gloves and puts up mist nets and is just measuring the bats and stuff.

But Tyler's almost as cool and Batman, and that's the point.

I fixed up and painted this highback children's chair to put in the kids' room. They like to lay it on it's back and turn it into a truck or plane or boat.

We started fishing about 15 minutes before dark.

Cast. Nibble. Tug. Reel. Unhook fish. Toss it back.

Repeat. 11 times.

We caught eleven fish in 15 minutes. Mademoiselle caught 6 because she's almost 6. S.A.M. caught 3 because he is 3 1/2 and catching half a fish is tricky. I caught 2 because it was my party and I could fish if I wanted to.

Mademoiselle wanted to throw them all back. S.A.M. wanted to poke them all in their eyes. Benefactor wanted to not get bitten by any more mosquitos. He didn't say that, but I could tell.

Mademoiselle caught what might have been a world record Blue Gill. It was huge.

After a bit of debate, we released it. I think we're going to try to catch it again tonight.

That's our fish tale.

Happy Birthday to me!

29 years old

(can you say eight eleven-ty seventy eight?)

Some call it "the last birthday".

I just put that here to make my mother's eyes roll.

She hates that. A lot.

So, when should I be expecting the maturity and wisdom, exactly?

follow your genius

"I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel. It was a drama of many scenes and without an end. If we were always, indeed, getting our living and regulating our lives according to the last and best mode we had learned, we should never be troubled with ennui. Follow your genius closely enough, and it will not fail to show you a fresh prospect every hour."

- Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Yesterday my children announced their "e-gagement".

Mademoiselle orchestrated the entire thing. She even found the engagement ring and planted it in S.A.M.'s pocket without him realizing. Then she told him how to propose.

And he did. After awhile.

I think he was waiting for the time to be right.

Then they got married.

It was a simple wedding.

They went to play in the water and mud under the apple tree. That is where tragedy struck. Mademoiselle's ring was lost.

Tyler and I were engaged once. I did not tell him how to propose or even help pick out the ring. But we were engaged.

Then we were married.

I wouldn't call it simple.

Then, the next summer we went to Idaho and floated down the Payette River. That is when tragedy struck. My ring was lost.

Mademoiselle patiently decided to let the water subside and hope that it will be easier to spot today.

The Payette will not be subsiding anytime soon. I tell myself that maybe a fish ate my ring, because they sometimes like shiney things.

Or is that crows?

I have some big plans for the day we have our own little house. So many options open up when you can paint the walls, or even just hang things from the walls.

The kids room is pretty much 100% functional right now. And even the functionality of it isn't that great. I'd love to be able to add a few things to the area they spend so much time in.

For instance, I've always loved the idea of using chalkboard paint or magnetic paint on the walls. Even better is this idea, from Real Simple, using the chalkboard paint to create shapes or images on the walls that the children can then embellish and erase to their heart's content. My mind is just swimming with silhouettes that would be fun used in this way.

Along the same lines, leave it to Martha Stewart to take that kind of creativity to a whole new level.

Don't you love these ideas?

Muddy waters blocked our way through the stream to get home. Tyler waded through and brought back out 4-wheel-drive truck to load our stuff and ourselves into. While he was gone, the dogs gave me a nice, excited, muddy welcome.

Our water was out when we got into the house. Tyler took his muddy self to the tank and fixed things right up. Too bad it took a few days for the water to not be orange anymore.

Then Tyler took that same muddy self of his to the barn, and counted our animals. 5 missing chickens, one missing chick, and our last duck is nowhere to be found. But the next morning Mademoiselle discovered that we have a new barn dweller – a Diamondback Rattlesnake.

I made dinner with the little bit of food that was in the house, and after I cleaned up, I realized that the full dishwasher wouldn’t turn on. The next day I got it to run for a minute, but stopped it when I smelled that burny appliance smell. (It’s nothing like the new car smell.)

The next night, Tyler got home from work, and half an hour later, just as we were drifting off to sleep, we heard a sound. It was S.A.M., very sick and having a hard time breathing. Tyler and S.A.M. got home from the ER at 5am. S.A.M. slept in until 8. Tyler left for work by noon.

Now that all of that’s out of the way, we can move on to the good stuff!



Look down…see the rest of S.A.M.’s pictures?
He’s a character, I tell you!


And I thank my muddy goodness for Tyler.

Darling kittens,

Why are you so feral, and skittish, and scared?

Why do you run when I try to pet you

And bite the hand that feeds you?

Why do you play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

when the temperature sores?

And, why oh why,

do you eat grass?

Sweet, juicy, plump, delicious cherries.

We downed a pound in under 5 minutes.

Mademoiselle and S.A.M. practiced the art of eating all of the cherry, but not the pit or stem.

It's harder than it looks, apparently.

We visited Van, my brother, and his girls.

Mademoiselle loved the school desk and making pictures for her cousins, swimming, and playing dress up with them.

S.A.M. loved swinging on their swing in the front yard and kept asking the girls, "You miss me? You yove me?"

Benefactor loved the grass, eating the sidewalk chalk, and banging around their little birdcage.

We visited Margaret, my sister, and her family.

Mademoiselle loved playing dress up with her little cousin, slip and sliding in the back yard, and trying to put together a show in the church gym with some cousins and friends.

S.A.M. loved having so many boys around, playing video games for the first time, and eating yummy chocolate chip "tookies".

Benefactor loved climbing the stairs, his uncle and special cousin friend, and getting all the attention a little heart could ever desire.

We visited the children's great-grandparents, Grandma and Granpa Haws.

Mademoiselle loved her great-aunts' attention and jewelry, the merry-go-round in the yard, and learning a new song on the piano.

S.A.M. loved the tractors, the tractors, the tractors, the four wheelers, and the tractors.

Benefactor loved ice cubes for his sore gums, swinging on my lap holding both chains, and showing off his walking skills to a very willing audience.

We visited Chris, my brother, and his family.

Mademoiselle loved the attention of two fun and indulging big girl cousings, sleeping over in their room, and painting her nails in rainbow colors.

S.A.M. loved his special cousin friend and swords and laughing and new toys.

Benefactor loved his uncle, pushing chairs all over the place, and having lots of room to explore.

We all loved building stronger relationships with people who are so important to us. We saw some beautiful places and things. We learned a lot from being welcomed into so many wonderful homes and families.

Thank you!

(no pictures until I find my camera-to-computer cord!)