A Little Jaunt to Our Neighborhood Pond

Random Pictures

Phoebe finally lost her two front teeth Saturday night. They were both crooked and awkward, so I was glad to pull those things out. She was looking a little like Nannie Mcfee.

Jonathan and Harrison are watching The Piano Guys. The kids want to learn how to play cello now.

Logan got Jonathan hooked on Angry Birds while he was here a week ago. So Jon used some of his Christmas money to buy two of them from Walmart. They're kind of fun to play with.

Elizabeth doing one of her favorite past times while Harrison bugs her.

Jonathan couldn't wait to get his antlers in the mail from Aupa. They're hanging on his bedroom wall now. I thought it would scare the boys for them to wake up to deer antlers on the wall, but they seem to handle it fine.

Another fine face painting job by Elizabeth.

And again we see Liz' creativity with this new hairstyle on Phoebe.

Uncle Lee and Aunt Doris

We had some more lovely visitors yesterday. Uncle Lee and Aunt Doris were visiting other relatives in Florida and stopped by to see us for a little while after lunch. Uncle Lee is Phillip's Dad's brother. Harrison was a little hesitant about them at first, but he soon warmed up and sat on Uncle Lee's lap for the duration of the visit.

A Visit from Friends

Phillip's good friend from college came to visit with his children for a few days. I must say, my children behaved better with them around than they do on their own! They seriously put themselves to bed before I could make it upstairs to see to it. That could be because they were so worn out. Anyway, it was a very good visit; I'm so glad our kids can see each other every once in a while and build a friendship.

In other news, I again have almost no pictures for this post. Excuses, excuses, the kids confiscated the camera, more excuses..... We had a lot of fun though. There was a little walk to look at the beach, a ferry ride, a trip to an old plantation, a long wait at Longhorn Steakhouse (but it was worth it for that steak! please show me how to cook like that!), a little bit of Dutch Blitz with the kids, movies, I sent the guys out to do some manly changing of the oil and putting new windshield wipers on the van, and other various and sundry doings. Cody totally spoiled Harrison. Now the baby wants to be held at any and every opportunity. His fake cry is hilarious.

Here is one picture of the kids eating supper after belting out "Amarillo by Morning".

Their Uniqueness

One of my favorite discoveries on this Charlotte Mason homeschooling journey has been the individuality of my children. There are so many subjects or areas that are covered ~ a generous curriculum it's been called ~ that the kids easily find different areas that they enjoy and excel at.

Elizabeth loves fairy tales and fables and mythology. She spontaneously translates words into Latin throughout the day. And two of the subjects I thought would be hardest have captured her interest and enjoyment: Shakespeare and Plutarch's Lives. I love to see her written narrations because they usually include a picture or some other creative aspect.

Jonathan is very interested in hearing stories read to him. He is a literal thinker and wants to know why characters in the story didn't do what made sense. Or he's glad for what they did do. Or he certainly knows how HE would have done it ~ the right way, of course. We have wonderful "grand conversations" at any rate. He likes to do his copywork just right. He will soon surpass Older Sister in Math.

Phoebe Loves school and doesn't understand why her siblings think it's boring. They point out that what she really likes are the activity bags. She does like to work on those activities with intense concentration. And she is careful to put everything back in its place when she's done.

Harrison seems to be a natural CMer. He loves music ~ he sings and dances. He would croon himself to sleep as a baby. Except for a short 1 or 2 day stint with Mimi, he would not take a bottle. When he turned one, I figured out that he would take the bottle if I sat outside with him. He would sit on my lap facing out to watch the wide world. Right after nap-time when he's at his fussiest, the great outdoors soothes him then also. He copies bird songs. He sits on my lap while I read and listens closely. It seems like he really understands. Maybe he does.

With such a feast, it's certain each child will find their sweet spot. And I love watching their beaming soul when they do.

Another Zoo Trip

For Mom and Dad Who Asked for a Picture of Phoebe with Her Mustache

Trying to Get a Good Picture of All of Them

New Schedule

We start back to school tomorrow! Term 1 down, two more to go. I redid the format for the kids' schedules. Now the whole term is done and printed out. I used to spend Wednesday afternoons working on their weekly schedules, but this new way should free up an hour or more each Wednesday which is always a great thing. You can see the first page of Jonathan's Term 2.

By the way, this format comes from other homeschoolers at the AmblesideOnline.org Yahoo group ~ not from me. :-)