Home Education

Home school is clearly a delight for everyone involved, every day. 

Well, at least I could compliment her on the spelling. 

All jokes aside, I LOVE teaching my kids & designing their education individually (and having the freedom to do it).They generally enjoy it too, but work is work...

Need a laugh?

When the kids and I got home from church late tonight, there was an enormous cricket on our living room floor. I hate bugs so I just trap them and wait for Mike to get home and squish or release. Mike and I cracked up tonight when we saw the sign Charis made for our imprisoned guest: 

Army Guys & Food Pics

Than Than the Big Boy Man got his first army guys and GI Joe's. He and Daddy (and the girls too) have been having lots of fun with these new Goodwill treasures.

We spent Saturday morning cleaning, then played outside and sipped tea while waiting for Daddy to come pick us up for a family date to our new favorite special restaurant, Mexico!

Meet-and-greet picnic lunch with our home school support group last week. PE begins this week. Each of the girls will be with her own age group learning games & sports for 2 hours.

They had their first snow cones. The big girls were too busy running around making new friends, so I didn't get any pics of them.

Bubby has been SO HUNGRY lately. He could eat a pound of sausage if I let him. "Mom, I'm really, really hungry", he says all the time. I just realized that most of these pictures feature some kind of food or another. Totally a coincidence, but we'll continue with the pattern...

"Look what I found! A lemon boy!" They love tomatoes as much as candy.

We made platanos fritos for a Spanish project. They were not a big hit, which is always nice when it comes to deep fried foods. But it was fun to taste plantains.

The girls have been taking turns being Mommy's kitchen helper in the evening, and they love it!  So do I. :) Bethany was helping with eggplant pizzas.

They decided to color flags and "parade" in our empty cul-de-sac on September 11, singing patriotic songs with their friend Sophia.

Bubby helps Daddy with grilling and yard work. This particular day, he fell sound asleep on Daddy's lap while mowing!

Pop Day and Zoo Trip

Pop made our week by coming last Friday for a visit. He took us on a date to Chik FilA, took Bubby James to see his first fire engine close-up (and sit in the driver's seat!), built a camp fire in the front yard for the girls, and helped Mike wrangle the kiddos through dinner time so I could have a night out with some of my favorite ladies!

Pop's wondering why she drinks her Polynesian sauce. Mmmm, condiments.

Camp fire!

We had a busy Labor Day weekend which included a trip to the Richmond Zoo.

Of course Daddy couldn't resist buying the girls some little mermaid umbrellas for the drizzly day.

Feeding the giraffe!

Waiting to catch a bird...

There's one!

Riding the safari train

Beautiful sweeties!

Time to go home.

Awww. Ew.

Than Man helps Daddy with lots of yard work

My phone is full of these selfies she sneaks in when I'm not looking!

The school year has begun. The big girls started music this week, and will begin P.E. in a couple of weeks. We're hoping to fit some swimming lessons in there somewhere between lots of school work at home (and hopefully lots of fun too)!

We love you, family & friends, and hope you're enjoying the end of your summer!

August

So many little things have happened this summer, and I haven't posted since July, so prepare for a TON of pictures!

Little Bethy at her kidney ultrasound.

The Mercer's had a belated birthday cake for Charis!

Classic Jimmy Story expression. (..."and Vannah never, ever, ate too much candy again. And she always, always listened to her Pop from then on..."

Snaggle tooth!  She couldn't read in school without both of us cracking up at her wiggly tooth blowing in the breeze every time she read a word involving any airflow! It was a great relief when the little floppy tooth finally came out.

We are so refined.

Found the BEST donut shop in Mechanicsville!

Making cuneiform in their playdough while we learn about Ancient Egypt.

Love this pic of Figgy & Pop babysitting Sus and John.

There's that gap!

 We've enjoyed lots of splashing around here.

Road trip!

More cooling off with the hose.

Snuggle loves

Nathanael's introduction to Pop's fishing room

Precious

We spent a few days in Hburg with Fig & Pop while Daddy was busy with teen camp at church. The kids had a great time getting out and having lots of different activities.

Chik fila date with Aunt Sarah

The girls love their Auntie

Trying to put on those goofy bandanas

There's one!

Bubby's first time climbing to the top and sliding down the Chik Chik slide!

Aunt Sarah bought the girls their first make-up compact. So glam!

Park play time

The Hburg children's museum

Putting on a show

Little Princess

Froyo with Figgy

They had the BEST time at Pump It Up! We were worried when we first went into the stuffy, hot, kid-stinky room with a million other kids, but it was magical...

Yes, they got colds. Yes, they can't wait to go back.

Enormous ice cream breakfast from Figgy at the Dayton Farmer's Market

Cute, son.

Soft pretzels, too!

Tasting lemons after reading our book-of-the-week, Lentil.

Ew.

Sour!

Than's first time on roller skates!

Hannah did great on her roller blades!

Mowing together

No more cribs at our house, sniff sniff... He loves his big boy bed. (And he still hasn't figured out that he can get into and out of it at will. SSHHHH! Don't tell him!)

I wondered why she was wearing a bib from my baby days. We've since learned that this is her nursing cover.

Thirsty

Picking Aunt Sally's wild flowers on our play day in Franklin!

Baby John is toddling all over the place!

Silly girls

These girls have a blast playing together

Really? Can you really read like this?