Learning to do homework - Sara Time

Sara wanted to go to school as soon as possible.  I have made the other summer birthdays wait a year, but this girl was excited.  Homework though has required a little more attention then the others because we started early.  But she likes it.  Now she can do homework without me, but does she.  Nope.  It is our time together and she loves to sit on me or close by so she has my full attention.  She loves our time without siblings and so do I.  She has grown so much this year.  She has learned to solve math problems and read books and navigate the social world of kindergarten.  Which she loves.  Social bug.

Cake decorating - Blue and Gold preparation

Older siblings are the best!  There is hope after babies and toddlers.  Teenagers are awesome for this kind of stuff.
Katie helped Jonathan finish his snowman cake pops for blue and gold.  I had to come up with awards for the boys.  The awards turned out cute but what to name them and give the boys and credible compliment was a little more challenging.
We gave Jonathan the cool award.  Snowman - Cool.  However, there was a car, and a flag cake and a basketball.  Those scouts were creative.  Luckily Jonathan had both Kaleb (to make the cake pops) and Katie (to help decorate them) to help him be successful.  or is it lucky me?

The tree house spontaneity

Spring break was a lot of fun and work.  During working on our yard and getting it back into shape,  I had an idea and talked Scott into going along with it.
A basic treehouse.  Something to sit in and relax and dream up all kinds of drama.
We have since added a slide.  But oh boy did making this boost our confidence.  Little neighbors stayed and helped.  Our kids impatiently asked when we would be finished.
It took all afternoon.  Sunburned and so tired we sat in chairs close by to admire our little miracle.  Seriously.
Our neighbor came to check it out.  Probably to make sure it was steady and safe for his kids.  I would too.  But it turned out so Awesome (for us this is Awesome).
We used an old bookcase, and thus it is nicely stained.  Reuse, reduce, recycle.  That was just bonus.   Now with the leaves returning I need to take another picture of our newest addition to the backyard.

What boys think are important - Kaleb's Trip to Germany

So we received little communication from Kaleb as he traveled.  Good sign he can take care of himself. But when we did it was pictures of huge chocolate boats.  Seriously.  He came back with lots of pictures of the BMW museum and chocolate.  But he did manage to appease his mother with this picture.  So beautiful.  This is how I picture Germany.  Realistically it is more like the other pictures he brought back.  Graffiti, tourist attractions, kids without parents.  I am sure his bubble popped a little in what he viewed on his trip also. Sigh, growing up.   However, the lessons from war, and paying to attend church sure sank in.  What an awesome treasure for him to grow from and add to his life experience bucket.  The chocolate tasting and food sure helped to make the week awesome.

Keeping up with a teenager

Sara demanded to try on Katie's new clothes.  She is hiding from having her picture taken.  I love that she loves to do everything and wants to always be a part of the action.  Katie is pretty patient with her room mate.

Seventh Grade

 Things to remember:  learning new names and teachers, earning a pop for a correct answer, movies in English, playing the flute with 9th graders, running track, Thursday practices, bus rides and babysitting.

Bedtimes

I love cozy evenings waiting for bed.  Especially with a willing reader and eager listener.