Holy Road

I found I could go no more;

My basket empty,

and before me a thousand colored doors.*

 I remember the point in labor where you realize everything has just been leading up to this and now it's all really beginning.  In a few more minutes everything is going to change and you're just waiting to see what's behind the door.  What I didn't realize--at least then--is that behind that door are many more doors, and many more times that you find your basket empty.  Thankfully there is always something to fill it.

'Cause I know the soothe of a song when the trap has got me lame,
and I know the chorus of crickets singing out their nightly praise,
and I know the sound of a swelling storm just before it rains.

These are the stones of a holy road
and I pick them up and I gather them as I go. 

 Happy Mother's Day!

*Lizzie West, Holy Road 

Fun Friday: Indissoluble

Happy 19th Anniversary!

We went to a gyros place (what we did on our first date) and the kids got to go to a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Happy Friday!

Bug Out!

 Today we went to the Bug Out!

 After this happened to Jack, Alice said she wanted me to dump her ladybugs for her.

 They had face painting this year.

 

 I told them to sit together so I could take their picture and this is what I got.

 Looking a little more relaxed!  Alice was very nervous about Jack the whole time.  If he got close to any water she would grab his shirt and yell and try to pull him back.

 The weather was nice so we spent some time outside.  Jack loved racing this fountain...

 Over and over again!

 After lunch in Bricktown, we headed to the zoo.

 Jack loves this thing!

 It goes really high!

 Alice need a few more inches and even more pounds before she's big enough for the bouncer, so she rode the carousel.

 Something a little different in the fish tanks!

 Jack petting a star fish.

 We stopped back by the creek on the way out and Alice finally just got all the way in.  This is why we always bring extra clothes to the zoo!

This is supposed to be a picture of how deep the water was where Jack built his dam.  Right before I took it, though, this kid decided to relax and Jack didn't want to wait to take another one.  When I got home and looked at it on the computer I realized it looked like they had knocked this kid out.  I promise my kids are not zoo thugs!

We arrived home tired and hungry and sunburned, but we had a great day!

Fun Friday: Oh, Christmas Tree!

 Today we took a little trip to the Owasso Tree and Berry Farm.  MetroFamily will have an article soon on places you can pick your own stuff, so I'll mostly be writing about blackberries and blueberries, but today it felt more like December than May!

 We were freezing!

 Pretending to log roll on the parking lot barriers.

 Jack always asks to eat pizza at Sam's and we never have, partly because he always asks when we're checking out and I'm ready to get home as soon as possible.  Since we were going to be out for a while today we had lunch before we started the shopping and the kids thought it was great!

 This week has been crazy busy.  Tuesday and Wednesday I was gone all day to the OCHEC convention and Wednesday night Jay and I went to see Fleetwood Mac.  Thursday was full of errands and Show and Tell Day at PE--I will have to see if I can upload the video later.

Wednesday Jack went to the homeschool art class at Philbrook and they made masks!

We have a few fun things planned next week and I am hoping the weather warms up so we can actually enjoy being out.  Happy Friday!

~~~

Read about Oklahoma State Parks here--and see if you can spot Jack and Alice in the Water Zoo ad!

Learning Together: Beethoven Lives Upstairs & Zin! ZIn! Zin! A Violin!

 Earlier this month both kids spent some time learning about music, instruments, and sound.  Jack used Beethoven Lives Upstairs and Alice used Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin.  (There is a movie version of the Beethoven book and a Reading Rainbow episode of Zin! Zin! Zin!)  Jack used printables from Homeschool Share and I made some for Alice using the Type It In Lapbook Templates that are free for HSS Blog subscribers.

 Of course we used this!  Jack read through this one on his own.

 I found this one at our library.  It is not really great to just read, but it has a CD that goes along with it so you can hear the pieces they are talking about.

This is a funny book about how he changed apartments so frequently.

 We found some of Beethoven's music with words added!

 Lyrics were added to these songs, too, but they're funny ones.  Both of the kids loved this CD.

Jack did a bit of writing on Beethoven--more on this some day when I get caught up on things!

I had both of these books on our science shelf and we tried out several of the experiments.

 Alice really liked her straw flute!

The cartoon version of this book is one of the kids' favorites.

 The Story of the Orchestra is a great introduction to the instrument families.  There are selections on the CD that highlight each instrument.

Alice also used The Bremen Town Musicians and Berlioz the Bear.

 Alice made an I covered with instrument stickers!

 I picked up this music kit on clearance at Hobby Lobby and the kids enjoyed making some of their own instruments.

Alice also used this book.  It was fun to get to see a lot of these instruments in person when we went to the music festival last weekend!

Since then we've learned about weather and more, so I need to get a few more posts up soon!

Saturday in Norman

 The kids and I spent most of yesterday in Norman.  We started at Touch a Truck.

 We've been to Touch a Truck many times before, but this was the first time Alice was really excited about it.

 She loves to watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, so she was really excited about the trolley.

 Testing out the cherry picker--Jack wanted them to raise it up, but they said they couldn't.

 Jack has always loved mascots and Alice has always been a little unsure of them.  He went right to this bowling pin guy as soon as we got there and right before we left Alice asked him to go over again with her.

 After lunch we went to the Sam.  The kids loved this giant inflatable spider.

 It went along with the Bugs...Outside the Box exhibit.

 There was also a really cool macro photography exhibit 

 Obligatory canoe pic.

 

 Our last stop was the Norman Music Festival.  Somehow we had never been to this before and I happened upon an article about it Thursday night and decided it sounded fun.  We will definitely go back!

 We spent all our time in the Wild Prairie Family Park where they had all kinds of cool--and free!--things for kids, like Rockstar Hair!

 And face painting!  (That's the remnants of her brother's chocolate ice cream cone on her lips.)

 Jack asked for a custom lightning bolt.

 They had an area where you could try out all different kinds of instruments.

 We spent some time learning about the different groups of instruments a few weeks ago so it was neat for the kids to get to try them out.

 Both of the kids enjoyed the chalking area in front of the stage.

 Alice, dancing next to her name.

 Jack and his giant triangle man.

We made it home around 7:00, ate pizza, and then Jay and Jack went to Jay's sister's house while Alice and I stayed home and watched Milo & Otis.  She went to bed around 10:45 and the boys didn't get home until almost midnight.  It wasn't a relaxing weekend, but it was fun!