The First Week of Summer Vacation

Our first week of summer break was busy--and this week will be even busier! Here are a few highlights from last week, starting with Jack's seventh lost tooth! (It's the hole on the bottom, just in case you couldn't distinguish it from all the other spaces.)

We spent a morning playing with friends and Jack was convinced they had the coolest yard he'd ever seen.

Alice enjoyed herself, too!

After gymnastics we went to the splash pad and playground.

Jack built a hidey-hole in the living room and the kids (and Boris) spent quite a bit of time in there!

Jack also started swim lessons with his Aunt Shannon.

Sister couldn't stand to be left out. She stood on the step and yelled, "Watch this! 1...2...1!" and then threw herself in with her noodle.

We'll be back later this week with pictures of birthday fun!

Happy Birthday, Alice!

She may be acting like a baby in this picture, but she's just trying to humor me. I cannot believe Alice is two years old already! (That high chair is waiting for an upcoming consignment sale. Not sleeping through the night is pretty much the only baby habit she can't give up. Well, that and hanging on to me for dear life if she thinks I'm leaving.)

She loves her brother--and his hand-me-downs. She also talks about as much as her brother, which seems funny since when Jack was this age, he was only beginning to talk.

She loves Boris. I am thankful that even at ten years old, he is patient enough to endure about 250 kisses a day without biting her once.

She loves to help out. She sets the forks on the table each night for dinner and sometimes helps me fold laundry. (She was taking a picture of her pile because she saw me doing it.)

Yesterday she pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and said, "Yike Mom!" Yes, she calls me Mom quite often now, which definitely makes her seem older.

Though she can be a little manlike, she loves dainty things like dancing--I think she got this pose from Angelina. (That would be Angelina Ballerina, not Angelina Jolie. Just in case you hadn't heard of the dancing mouse.)

She really is starting to remind me of pictures of me when I was this age. Here she is dancing in her diaper while eating a nutty buddy. Pure bliss.

Happy birthday, Alice June!

It's Birthday Month!

Please pardon my absence for a few days as June is a crazy month for our family. If you want to leave me your children if you die, I would be happy to help you out, unless they are born in June. This month is full. See you in a while!

Summer Adventure Box: Mysteries

It's that time of year again! And this year, I actually had our Summer Adventure Box ready for the first day of summer vacation. This summer's theme is mysteries. (The big mystery is why I decided to write the name in sharpie before making sure it would fit.)

This is my favorite side!

Footprints and a fingerprint. The last side is a question mark, which looks okay, but not exciting enough to merit its own picture.

Today Jack got to go get The Kidnapped King, which was the lone missing book in our A to Z Mysteries collection.

I've got several items already. I know he'll have fun with this costume, but I'm not sure he's going to want to share it with Alice, who will definitely want to use it, too.

We also got a couple of games!

This (mysteriously sideways) science kit should be fun, too! We also have some math mystery puzzles we'll do from time to time for a little review. He really enjoys these!

We'll throw in a history mystery with this book, which is very interesting.

I requested this from the library for me to read--in addition to finishing up the Scumble River series.

A little something for Alice, too!

Jack loves a good mystery, so I think we'll have a good time with this one! What fun things do you have planned for the summer?

Summer Plans

Summer is on its way! We have a lot planned for the next three months and I'm hoping that by writing these plans down (and doing it much earlier than I did last year), I will actually accomplish many of the things that need to be done. So, in no particular order, here's what's going to happen:

1. Birthday parties: Both the kids will have birthdays in the next couple of weeks and I have nary a cake plan or a goodie bag made. I probably need to tackle this one first. We also have Father's Day, our wedding anniversary, and my birthday coming up in June.
   
2. Activities for the kids: Vacation Bible School, play groups, library programs, swim lessons, science camp...We will be out and about much more than we are during the school year!
3. Reading: I have lots of books I want to read for fun, several I want to read for school, and my wonderful friend, Rachel, coordinated a book group for us on The Ministry of Motherhood through Good Morning Girls.
4. House stuff: I've got lots of kids' clothes to get ready for the next consignment sale and plenty still to do in the school room. And in about every other room in the house, too.
5. Visits with friends: Amber is already on her way! A friend I haven't seen since high school will be in town soon, and we're hoping to visit friends in our old town, too.
6. Summer Adventure Box: This year we're doing mysteries! Jack is excited, and I am, too. Now I need to get the box finished!
7. Planning: I am hoping to get much of the school year planned and many things printed and ready to go. We may not end up using everything exactly as planned, but it is so helpful to already have the legwork done! I'm also going to a seminar in June that I hope will be really good.
   

I think that will keep us busy until school starts up again!

Catching Up

I had every intention of keeping current with blogging what we did through the school year, but it didn't work out. I think it might have something to do with keeping up with a certain almost 2 year old, but she's not entirely to blame. Here are a few highlights of the winter and spring!

Madeline craft

Playing the weather telling game from A Pair of Red Clogs

Learning the continents (Grandfather's Journey)

Fruit Roll-Up Sushi (after A Pair of Red Clogs and Grandfather's Journey)

Bear claw cookies (Another Celebrated Dancing Bear)

Tricks on the "high wire" (Mirette on the High Wire)

Sister joins in!

Carrot patch dessert (Peter Rabbit)

Visiting a hometown hero (Lentil)

Learning about patriotism (Lentil)

Acids and bases experiment (Lentil)

Harmonica! (Lentil)

We had a lot of fun with math this year, too! We are using Math on the Level and enjoying it.

We recently did some work with fractions.

We used this Fraction Action unit, which had lots of games and hands-on activities.

And, of course, there has been lots of reading going on!

I really am hoping to be better about blogging our school adventures as we go next year!

The Last Day of First Grade

Today was Jack's last day of first grade. Ending the year is a little bit different as a homeschooler, because even though I'm glad to be done for the summer, it means my baby is going to be in second grade! He has grown up so much this year. He says that his favorite thing in first grade was rowing The Salamander Room. (We still haven't gotten our pet!)

When the kids got up this morning, they had some fruit. I made him his end of the year sign last night.

I had the foresight to make one for Alice, too, and she was delighted.

After that (my kids get up way too early for kids that don't have to be anywhere by a certain time), Jack spent some time reading the last book in one of his favorite series.

(This morning we also stopped by a used curriculum and book sale and he found ten of the Boxcar Children books for $2. He was very excited!)

Before we left the house, though, we stopped for our end of the year pictures. I didn't think to make Alice her own sign for this and she was distraught. We quickly remedied the situation and she carried her sign around all morning.

We stopped for breakfast at IHOP.

Later, we went to Gilcrease where we spent about an hour in the new children's room (you can't take pictures there) and then went outside to explore some of the gardens.

I am thinking we need to have an area like this in our yard. How about it, honey?

Well, maybe without the fountain. We were lucky to all leave dry.

Happy summer!