Jared reading a story to me!

Jared is reading a chapter out of our first grade readers by Pathway. The stories are about an Amish family. In this chapter, the oldest child, Peter, is thinking about how much he wants a big dog and how his little brother, Andrew wants a small dog.

Just thought I'd share the progress we're making!

Madison's Boo Boo

Madison continued to stand up in one of our kitchen chairs on Sunday.....after several times of being told to sit down (which she obeyed, but only to stand again after I turned around) she finally did it.....knocked the chair over and hit the wood floor face first. Fortunately (I think) the chair was between her and the floor, so the chair was the real culprit to the bruise!

The "I Love Mommy" shirt seems soooo appropriate for this moment, don't you think? :(

New Poncho

My mom bought a poncho for Evie two years ago. I loved it so much and have really enjoyed seeing Madison wearing it this winter. So, when this one appeared on ebay, I couldn't resist! Is she cute or what? :)

Matching Christmas Dresses

Scott's mom got the girls matching dresses for Christmas. All she asked for was a picture....easier said than done!

"Okay, Mom, I've had ENOUGH!"

Way too tired!

Evie fell asleep while standing up, leaning on the couch just after lunch. Talk about tired!

Biggest Snow of the Season

Look at all that fluffy white stuff. Isn't it just beautiful? The grand total ended up being 6 1/2 inches.

One Hour of Preschool

Evie went to preschool this past Monday....for a one-hour evaluation to be a peer-model. After just one hour, she collapsed in the car and went to sleep. Can she start preschool next week? :)

I couldn't resist taking Madison's picture, too. She's wearing a hand-me-down poncho that was Evie's. I loved it then and I love it now!

BTW, the pacifier is officially GONE. I took it away on Tuesday morning and it wasn't nearly as hard as I had anticipated.

The Nile River

We made our own Nile River (complete with the Delta that feeds into the Med. Sea). I was most impressed that our grass seed actually grew!

This was a suggested activty in our "Story of the World" history book. I don't want anyone thinking I was actually this creative. :)

Merry Late Christmas from the Snyders

We got the most fun package from the Snyder's last week! Scott and Evie hammed it up for the camera....
all for Charity's benefit! :) (told you I'd take pictures for ya!)

Jared & Caleb

Jared's friend Caleb came over to play a couple of weeks ago. The boys stayed busy making Gak and Oobleck. Below is the Gak that we made. Very messy & very fun!

Brownie Batter Debacle

Today I baked blonde brownies, to which I added red food coloring. I spooned batter into a mini-muffin pan and the rest into a small casserole dish. While trying to remove the muffin pan, I pulled the oven tray a little too fast and the dish flew foward, fell onto the open oven door (slopping batter everywhere--in the oven, on the floor, on the cabinet) and promptly slid back into the oven on the bottom level. Are you at least smiling yet?

Jared, who--at close range--witnessed the entire scene calmly said, "Mommy, do you think you could make brownies again, but be more careful next time?"

Homeschool Triumphs

We've had a few triumphs in the homeschooling arena this past week.

All on his own, without prompting, Jared showed Evie how the sun shines on the earth in each of the four seasons. Using paper and a flashlight, he showed her that the sun shines directly on the earth during the summer and begins to slant for fall and winter. Very, very cool!

He painted a picture this week--a car, road (complete with highway dashes), rainbow and a triangle. I asked what the triangle was and he replied "Mt. Everest" which we had read about in "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?"

Lastly, he drew a large red oval on a sheet of paper and added a small black circle. He said it was our galaxy and a black hole.

The most amazing part about these three things is that they all happened on the same day. Talk about firing on all four cylinders! :)

I am proud of my little boy. I continue to be amazed at the information he is capable of learning and repeating in context. It only cements my desire to homeschool.