2015 Family Pics

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, the weather finally cooperated enough for us to take our long-awaited family pictures.  Though it was sunny and gorgeous, it was also frigid.  Before we'd even reached our picture destination (just a short hike from our car), the kids were already complaining of being, "f-f-f-freezing cold!"

Our photographer (our good friend, Andrea) was a miracle worker, and somehow still managed to capture amazing shots, despite the chattering teeth and less-than-cooperative attitudes.  

 "We'll be quick," we promised the kids.  "When we get home you can have hot chocolate!"
 "But mom," Aubree cried, "I can't even feel my toes!"

At one point, Mark whispered, "Do you think any of these will turn out okay?"

 Group shots allowed cuddling for a tiny bit of extra warmth.  

Pretty soon, Nellie was d.o.n.e.  There's not much that works to persuade a 3 month old.  You can hardly tell that's she's screaming in the family picture below. Poor girl just needed a looooong nap. 

I love how the individual kid shots turned out.  Graham is 3 years old.

Bryce is 7 years old.  

Thane is 5 years old. He had the hardest time overcoming the cold.  "I'm trying to smile," he lamented, "but I just can't!"

Aubree is 10 years old.  

Nellie is 3 months old.

I can't wait to get all these pictures up on our walls!

I Want Candy

"I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." - Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

I just love October.  It's so gorgeous here in the PNW, plus it's Halloween time, and what's not to love about dressing up and getting candy?  

Aubree wanted to be a witch for Halloween last year, but at the last minute decided to join the rest of our merry pirate crew.  This year she was eager to return to her original plans.

Bryce missed our ward Halloween party because he was at a friend's birthday party at a Reptile Zoo.  Check out the two-headed turtle he saw...

Another great part of October this year - my mom came up to visit Katie and newborn Jordyn, and that meant we got to see her again!  

Jordyn, Gigi, and Nellie

It's always fun when we go visit Aunt Katie.  On this trip, Piper considered Graham her own personal doll.  When she was finished, she dubbed him, "Santa Ariel."  Graham didn't mind a bit.

I think Nellie looks a lot like her Gigi.

Finally, it was Halloween night.  It stormed and rained all week, and even all day, leading up to trick or treating time.  Blessedly, as we walked out the door, the rain stopped!  Our little knight, gladiator, witch, and fire fighter were eager to get out and knock doors.

I put Nellie in her costume just long enough to snap a picture before I put her in warm, going-outside-in-the-weather clothes.  She wasn't a fan of the costume anyway.

Unfortunately, the rain didn't stay completely at bay.  We had a few drowned rats, and Aubree, Graham, Nellie and I made an early return home.  Thane and Bryce were troopers and opted to hit an extra street.  

While we waited for the boys to get home, Nellie modeled her warm outfit and practiced her selfie duck lips.  

In the end I think she enjoyed her first Halloween.

Graham channeled his inner OCD, and started organizing his candy.  

When the big boys got home, they combined all their candy and did some serious sorting. 

Until next year, October!

Soccer Season

Bryce and Thane both played soccer this year.  It was Bryce's third year playing and Thane's first.  

Last fall, Thane had a little introduction to soccer as part of our preschool co-op.  He was a natural!  While his friends cried (in typical four-year old fashion), he was dribbling the ball up and down the field, and scoring goal after goal.  I was pretty excited to see what he'd do on an organized team.

Turns out, he's a darn good spectator.  Sometime in the last year he somehow managed to lose whatever drive to participate he once had in abundance.  At half time of his first game, I pulled him aside and explained, "Did you know that at the end of every game the players get snacks and treats?  But, those treats are only for players, not for watchers. So, if you want the snack, you'll have to actually try to play."

Perhaps it wasn't my finest parenting moment, but Thane is mightily motivated by food.  From then on he at least ran around and every once in a while kicked the ball.  

He insists he really likes soccer and wants to play again in the spring.  I wonder how much of that is because he really liked the snacks at the end of each game!

Thane with Coach Smith

Bryce is a different story.  He's always liked soccer just fine, but mostly because he loves being around friends and is a willing and good-natured kid.  This year we switched to a different division, and there was a BIG jump in expectations and level of play.  Half of Bryce's team played in this division last year, and there were some really quality ball players.  

Bryce wasn't nearly as skilled or experienced as the majority of boys on his team.  But.  Bryce discovered that he really loves to play soccer.  He is excellent at listening and following directions, and he always  tries really, really hard.  

Sometimes he listens and obeys a little too well.  A big emphasis in this division is learning to play positions.  It took Bryce a while to understand that he didn't have to stay exactly in his position.  

I really enjoyed watching Bryce's soccer games.  Yes, part of that is because I knew most of the boys on the team, but a larger part is because the game had progressed far enough that it was actual soccer (as opposed to bunchy-ball).

A benefit of knowing most of the kids and parents is that we were able to have a really fun end of the season party.

Bryce and Thane had the same coach, our neighbor and friend, Eric Smith.  He was fantastic.  Bryce is looking forward to playing spring soccer on his team.  We should probably get in some practice before then.

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Last week I gave Bryce the writing prompt, "Write about a leader you admire," and he picked Coach Smith:

iFly, Boys Fly, (I Don't Fly)

This morning Bryce and Thane had the opportunity to participate in a pretty spectacular field trip organized through our Parent Partnership Program - indoor skydiving!  

When the field trip option was first presented, they both said they'd be interested and promised not to back out.  Then we promptly forgot about it.  Yesterday we started talking about it again, and they both seemed willing, if not over-eager.

This morning we arrived early at iFly and learned about the physics behind the wind tunnel and the mechanics of personal wind-tunnel flying.  The boys were much more interested in getting into their flight suits.  

 When in came time to go in and wait in line for their turn to fly, neither boy seemed particularly nervous.  However, as soon as Bryce went into the air chamber, I could tell by his face that he was panicky.  Bravely, he stuck it out and tried his best (they stay in the chamber for a full minute).  

 Later he told me that he "kind of liked it," but the biggest problem was the wind made it hard to breathe, and he hadn't been expecting that.  

Thane went next.  His minute was pretty brutal.  He immediately freaked out and tried to grab onto his instructor (think drowning child).  His instructor kept trying to turn him onto his belly, and he'd immediately flip himself back over and grab onto her.  Yikes.  

He came out saying he did not like it, but maybe he'd like to try again in a few years. 

After everyone was done flying, the instructors brought different items into the wind tunnel to show the kids.  Things like, basketballs, soccer balls, water (really cool, by the way), and an enormous moose.  Then they turned the air WAY up, and flew themselves up, down, and around.  This part was the highlight of the day for my boys.  They loved watching other stuff fly.  

On their way out, each boy received a goodie bag full of snacks, which pretty much ensures they'll now have fond memories of the day.  

I did not fly, since I had a baby strapped to my body.  Next time though!

Back to School 2015 Version

We are almost three months into the school year, so I suppose this is less of our "plans" for the school year, and more of our current reality.

Aubree is now in 5th grade, and in her final year in the highly capable program (next year she will no longer attend public school).  She did get a new teacher this year, but otherwise has the same classmates and a very similar experience.  

Aubree loves school.  She's super social and really enjoys getting to see her friends every day.  She was eager for the new school year to start.  The only downside was leaving baby Nellie.  

As a side note - all summer Aubree insisted that the first day of school would be rainy. "It's always rainy on the first day, Mom!"  The forecast called for sun.  She was undeterred.  Turns out, she was right on the money.  It's like we live in Seattle or something.

Bryce is now in 2nd grade.  He is enrolled in a Parent Partnership Program (PPP) in which, in exchange for reporting what we are doing at home and "enrolling" him in their district (even though all his learning is done at home), we receive funds ($1500) to use for our schooling (curriculum, supplies, field trips, classes, and lessons).  

The curriculum choices we made last year were working quite well, so for the most part we are continuing with those same programs (I'm including links to our curriculum choices for interest only; they are not affiliate links).  

For reading and spelling, he is using All About Reading Level 3 and All About Spelling Level 3.  We will finish those in another month or two and move on to level 4 in each.  I still totally love these curriculums.  We use First Language Lessons, level 2 for grammar work, and he has a writing journal where I give him prompts and have him write a few sentences every day.  Bryce takes his writing very seriously (and includes detailed illustrations of everything he writes), so a single prompt can easily last him a week or more.

 

For math, Bryce continues to be about a year ahead of schedule, and is working his way through Math U See, Gamma.

I'm a huge fan of Story of the World for history, and this year we are doing Volume 2: The Middle Ages.  Part of the fun of Story of the World is doing the great activities that accompany each chapter.  Unfortunately, those extra, fun projects can easily get pushed to the side in the hustle and bustle of every day life.  To combat that problem, my friend Ashley and I have come up with an ingenious solution.  Every Thursday, our families get together.  One mom takes our two second graders and does a hands-on history and science project.  The other mom takes the two kindergarteners (and our two preschoolers) and does an activity with them (more on what they do in Thane's school choices section). It's the highlight of our week and makes sure we make time for the good stuff.

An edible oasis

For science, we stuck with REAL Science Odyssey and moved on to their Earth Science curriculum.  As I mentioned, we do most of our science projects with our friends.  

For scripture study, we are studying the New Testament this year and following the scripture journal format we used last year.  I will write a post specifically about our scripture journals soon.

Using some of our PPP stipend money, Bryce is taking weekly piano lessons and a gymnastics class.  I am not surprised to report that Bryce really likes piano and is a pretty dedicated student.  Although, I will admit he likes to make obnoxious noises on the piano as well!

For every day that he practices, Bryce's teacher allows him to choose a piece of candy.  Bryce has amassed quite a collection.  Why doesn't he eat it all?  Because he's saving it to give to Thane (or any other willing child) who is willing to take lessons from him!  Thane's not super interested in learning piano, but he is super motivated by candy.

Teaching Thane the names of the keys

Thane is also in the weekly gymnastics class, and both boys appreciate the opportunity to run, jump, climb, and roll.  The foam pit is the unanimous favorite activity.

Finally, Bryce and Thane (and Graham) are all in a weekly co-op.  Bryce and Thane are in the same classes (they are K-2 classes): Fairy Tales (corresponding to the SOTW Middle Ages curriculum), Magic School Bus Engineering, and a music class.  They seem to enjoy their classes, even though there are nine squirrely boys and only one girl!  Thane is pretty quiet in his classes, but participates in all the projects.  

Learning about violins in music class

Thane is now a kindergartener!  It took a while for him to grasp that he wasn't going to "go" to school once kindergarten started.  Now we have a reasonably consistent routine.  He is also enrolled in the same PPP as Bryce, so we get $1500 for him as well.
Our main curriculum choice is Five in a Row (FIAR), which I did with Aubree and (less consistently) with Bryce.  I absolutely adore Five in a Row and think it's the perfect kindergarten curriculum.  It promotes a deep love of literature, fosters questions and curiosity, is hands-on and fun!  The basic premise is that you take one picture book, read it every day for five days in a row, and do different activities with it every day (i.e. social studies on Monday, science on Tuesday, math on Wednesday, art on Thursday, etc.).  

Trying sushi when we were learning about Japan

Doing FIAR means I've been better about incorporating art and projects into our homeschool week.  Bryce gets to do them too.

Eiffel Tower (when rowing "Madeline")

My favorite art project so far is a guided giraffe drawing.  They turned out so impressive that I really want to frame them!

Bryce's on the left, Thane's on the right

I put together a schedule for the year using books from volumes 1 and 2, and our friends are doing the same schedule.  That means, when we get together on Thursdays, the mom in charge of the kindergarteners (we switch off weeks), chooses a great FIAR activity to do with Thane and Collin and the younger siblings.  So much fun!

Making a square cake (when "rowing" Mike Mulligan)

Our babies get to hang out too.

Could they be any cuter?

In addition to FIAR, Thane is working through All About Reading, Level 1 and All About Spelling Level 1.  He's a pretty good little reader!  His favorite part of All About Reading is getting to read through the stories; he hates having to wait to read future stories.  He struggles the most with mixing up b's and d's.  

For math, he is using Math U See Alpha.  He's moving along great, but since it's a first grade curriculum, I'm not over-anxious to push him ahead.  We are moving at his pace; I want to make sure he really understands and has his basic math facts mastered.  

I'm also having him do a page a day in a Handwriting Without Tears workbook, and a page a day in a Starfall writing journal.  

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Since Graham's birthday falls in September, he still has three years before he officially begins Kindergarten.  Originally, I wasn't planning to do any type of preschool with him this year.  However, in our weekly co-op, while the big boys are in their classes, Graham gets to attend preschool classes.  I volunteered to teach a 2-hour theme-based block, and he also has a yoga class.  The theme block has just about what he would be doing if I had planned a mom-run co-op.  Graham loves going to his class.  I'm glad that I'm there with him, and I think it's the perfect fit for him this year.  

One more thing.  Ashley, of "this IS school" wisdom, suggested before the school year began, "you know, we really should try to do more field trips.  That's kind of why we homeschool, right?"

Having just had a baby, I wanted to argue, but I knew she was right.  So, we've been trying to have Field Trip Fridays.  Often, we try to tie them into what we're learning in Five in a Row.  For example, we finished up a two-week study of Japan ("A Pair of Red Clogs" and "My Grandfather's Journey"), with a visit to a local Japanese Garden. 

When we rowed "Night of the Moonjellies," we visited the tide pools.

I tried to get a picture of me with my kids.  Here's the result - me with everyone who would cooperate:

Sometimes our field trips don't directly relate, but are still great, like when we visited Auntie Anne's pretzels.  Or when we went to the Compassion Experience and learned about what life is like for kids in third world countries.  

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with our choices and plans for this year.  So far, I think it's going well.  Of course, that does not mean we don't have hard moments, or hard days, or even hard weeks.  Sometimes one, or all of us, is grumpy or defiant or tired.  We have a newborn who doesn't like to be put down.  But we keep on keeping on because we believe this is the right choice for our family at this time, and there are moments when it all comes together and makes every hard moment and sacrifice worth the effort.