Digging For Clues

Today we've been working on a little history 101 - learning about archaeology and the difference between artifacts and fossils. After reading our little archaeology book ("Archaeologists Dig For Clues"), I set up this little "dig site" with our kinetic sand to find and document both. It's pretty much the hit of the school year so far.

 

It's Christmas Time...

We wrapped up Thanksgiving and joyfully kicked off the Christmas season. Lainey has clearly forgotten all of this from last year. She kept pointing at the tree and asking, "what's THAT?!".

We also gave them their Christmas jammies and they're pretty cute all matching.

We love these little rascals. :)

School Photos

This week with the kiddos I got inspired to take some school photos. Basically the traditional thing but without the laser / faux painted wall background. So we did a little impromptu shoot and the kids were hilarious trying to make each other smile and laugh at the camera. Next time, I think I might just film the behind the scenes instead of the actual thing!

Science, Science, and More Science

So far with Kindergarten we've focused on reading (a ton), math ("Math-U-See Alpha"), phonics ("All About Reading 2"), and handwriting ("Handwriting without Tears" / "Explode the Code") -- with a little bit of science, art, music, and social studies (history, geography, etc) thrown in there as well - but without a formal curriculum.

We've hit a groove with all of that, and I was feeling ready to start adding in more formal curriculum for science in particular. I wanted to find something that was very hands-on with both reading and video lessons. I settled on Sonlight Core A Science. We got our Sonlight box this past week and dove right in. Canaan LOVES it!!!

Because he's ahead in math and phonics (and because homeschooling means we get to be flexible!), I'm letting science take over this week. There's just no reason to tell him "no, you need to stop learning science!" when he's so excited about it. In the last two days we've finished the first 8 days of science. He's done a total of 13 experiments, recording his hypotheses and observations in his science notebook, and learning a ton (me too! Did you know that pure snowflakes all have 6 points??). Ezra has been right along with him watching and helping. 

We are also loving the main book Sonlight uses - "The Usborne Children's Encyclopedia". Each section has a QR code which takes him to a related video. Canaan loves using his "magic" science book. :)

Canaan asked me to record one of his experiments. He was cracking me up doing his video just like the Sonlight videos. "You can do this at home!" lol

Petting Zoo

This week we had to get. out. I'm still getting over this pneumonia, but I'm also sick of the indoors. And the kids are too. So we took a visit to the petting zoo.

Lainey made friends.

Canaan drew a picture of his favorite creature.

Lainey also rode next her sleeping brother. He slept until I was loading him back into the car. His first words of course were, "I want to see da animals".

This image of Lainey and Canaan by the rope bridge just cracks me up. Her face, his face... and the fact that both her feet are mid-air.

We've all been sick, but there's also lots of love going around too.

Close

A few weeks ago BJ and I took the kids to a local farm for all the traditional fall experiences. Pony rides, picking pumpkins, and our new favorite - hand. feeding. Bambi.

Remember that time Lainey was terrified of our dog? Lainey doesn't either. ;) Check out my brave girl! Sometimes very simple, taken-for-granted moments like this stop me for a moment and I find myself holding back tears. I can't help but think of all that's led up to this... how much she's grown, and what her life would be like if she were still waiting. And how different our lives would be without her. She is one of the greatest treasures of my life and I am so blessed and grateful.

Lainey's Obsession

Our girl is OB-sessed with this book. A think we've read it 100,000 times in the last two weeks. She's finding b, d, and p a little tricky. They all stinkin' SO similar! :)

We've started working with primarily lower case letters, and working more on the sound the letters make than that letter name itself.



This girl. I love her so much and am so proud of what a smart girl she is! :)

Perfectly Coordinated

This year we threw aside our grown-up costume plans (a family of circus performers!), and instead opted to do just let the kids decide. Lainey, was once again... a princess. Canaan decided he wanted to be a rocket man.

Ezra, decided quickly and decisively. "I wan be a SAN-WICH! I wike to eat san-wich. I wanna BE san-wich!" And over the next month he stood strong in is decision.

And so there we had it. A man on a rocket, a princess, and a sandwich.

Minion

Ezra has a minion.

And her name... is Lainey.

This girl is completely under his big brother spell and he SOAKS up all her utter devotion. She is the first one she calls to come to his "rescue". And she does.

He calls to her, "HELP ME WAINEY!!", and with a stern face she scolds us for him ("Put ESRA down, Daddy! Stop tickling Esra wite. now!") as Ezra grins ear to ear. The other night after this scenario played out in our living room Ezra broke free from the "tickle monster" (Daddy) and he rushed to give Lainey a bear hug, "TANK YOU, Wainey!". She just smiles at him, jumps with glee, and then their off together hiding behind the couch and laughing as the "tickle monster" strikes again.

If I tell Ezra not to do something ("Ezra, please no more playing with the stuffing for Canaan's costume. You're making a mess."), Ezra will call on Lainey to do the dirty work for him (in a whisper, "Wainey, get da stuffing over der.").

The other day, I laid Lainey down for a nap and about five minutes later Canaan reported that Ezra was up there talking to her. I went up to shoo him out and discovered Lainey had covered herself, the walls, her crib, her sheets, her pillow... with marker. I, being the sick with pneumonia Momma that I am (read: steller parenting week), just turned the light back out, said goodnight and shut the door. Mess to be dealt with later.

About an hour... later Ezra asked for a marker to "make a picture" with a quite naughty little look in his eye. I told him do NOT bring the marker upstairs. He said he wouldn't and got out a paper to prove his innocence.

Flash to end of Lainey's nap. I go up there and find her happy as a clam with Ezra's marker and additional colored everything. He had somehow managed to sneak it up there, taking advantage of a sick mommy!

The are very cute. They are very very cute. And their bond is adorable.

But the are also very. big. stinkers.

Cincy Zoo

We are soaking up these last days of warm weather... hoping for many more but knowing full well that an Indiana autumn can be gone in the blink of an eye. And this girl is very much in dread of the long... looooong cold winter. And so we headed out this morning to the zoo and found almost everything on Canaan's "zoo checklist". We are still not sure if kangaroos exist there, so we ended up adding "or meerkats" next to that one and called it good enough.

We capped things off with our traditional train ride around the park - worth every penny to see their smiling faces. These little ones of mine are so so precious and I am so blessed to be their momma!

When the Beach Calls...

The beach. We have a little yearly trip we take with friends every year (since Canaan was a wee babe) to the same remote and quiet place in Florida... where the beaches are deserted and the kids can run and play and make sweet memories. We settled in quickly to our vacation routine. Morning beach play, lunch, afternoon swims in the pool, dinner, back to the beach for the sunset and crab catching, bedtime.... and repeat.

Counting down the days until we're back. :)