Box Day {Take Two}.......Letting in the Sonlight

So, sometimes trying something new doesn't quite work out the way we think it will :-) After giving our Heart of Dakota program a fair shot, we decided to switch back to Sonlight! This was a tough decision to make, mid-year- but we're happy we did! The "issues" I struggled with last year using Core B (the Instructor Guide) has been redesigned and is so much more user friendly- way to go Sonlight!! Colton is so advanced that he just wasn't challenged with HOD the way he is with Sonlight. That's enough of a reason to switch back for me ;-) So, we're moving on to Core C and can't wait to get started!! Pictures to follow........

Recess Time!

She might be a bit confused about what types of sports equipment go together- but she sure is a cutie!!

Making Me A Proud Momma!!

This handsome young man makes me one proud Momma! For the past two years, Mikey has been singing in his high school's Men's Choir. They earned a second place gold at the Heritage Festival this year! During this year's Spring Choral Concert, Men's Choir sang "Fire and Rain" which made me tear up of course (I guess that was their intention- to make all the sappy moms in the audience cry). It's so wonderful yet bittersweet to watch your little ones growing up to be young adults.

Mother's Day 2012

Getting everyone together for a family picture is a big deal these days! It was so nice to be able to have all my "little chicks" in the nest this Mother's Day! We had a BBQ with Nana Joan and Papa Mike- lots of good food and fun! I'm kicking myself, though, for not getting a picture of me and my mom while we had the camera out!!

Box Day!!!!!

One of our favorite days of the year!! We should start our next school year in July! I wanted plenty of time to read my teachers guide for Beyond Little Hearts For His Glory as well as the guide for Drawn Into The Heart Of Reading. We are beginning a new adventure with Heart of Dakota. Matthew and Anna just started using the preschool program, Little Hands To Heaven from Heart of Dakota too. I went back and forth so many times trying to decide what to buy for next year (like many homeschooling mamas!). But, we are very excited about being close to finishing Sonlight Core B (which has been great) and moving on to second grade :-)

Ready to dive into "Dolphin Adventure"!!

 Could you say no to that cute little face when he says, "Awww, can't I read this one BEFORE we start school!"?

Colton is feeling the braille on the back of the "Helen Keller" book. 



Swimming in a sea of books! What could be better :-)



Wordless Wednesday

                                                  Okay, one word.......ADORABLE!!!

Josie Turns One!!!

 Our sweet baby Josie is now a big one year old! She is the most precious blessing to our family. Colton keeps asking when we are going to "get another baby". He loves his baby sister so much!

                                                                Daddy's little girl!

Auntie Beth helps Josie take her first little nibble of cake frosting! Yummy!

Making Progress

Matty just learned how to paint with watercolors. This is a huge step for him since he is usually opposed to holding anything that resembles a writing implement. I'm encouraging him to do lots of activities that will strengthen his grasp since he has issues with low muscle tone. It will likely be a long road to writing for him- but we'll get there eventually. His other HUGE accomplishment was going up and down a step without holding onto anything. Way to go Matty!!!

Happy New Year!

Look who's crawling! Josie turned 8 months on Christmas Eve and started crawling on New Year's Eve! Time to baby proof the house even more. One thing I refuse to do is crisis management all day, every day. Something that has saved my sanity (and I use that phrase very loosly) is doing a thorough job on baby-proofing. This entails the use of lots of baby gates, cabinet locks, outlet covers, etc... You can tell by the pics of my little cutie pie that she's quite proud of her new found skill!

Daddy Time

What could be better than some reading time with Daddy?! The funny endings to the Uncle Wiggily stories are loved by all (especially Daddy). Sometimes we make up our own silly endings!

Finding Time for Sewing

Anna, 2yrs old and so cute!

I started this little lavendar dress for Anna quite a while ago and have been having trouble "finding time" to finish it. When I revamped our schedule using Managers of Their Homes and Schedule Breeze by Teri Maxwell, I knew needed to carve out some time to sew! I had to cut back on the "extras" like mindlessly surfing the internet and chatting with friends on facebook but now Anna has a cute little dress to show for it! Next up, finishing the Amish wallhanging that's been hanging out in the closet rather than on the wall since I need to finish hand quilting it. And, making a pinafore to go with Anna's dress!

Little Miss Josie

At 3mo., Josie grows sweeter each day! She just started rolling from her tummy to her back and is trying to roll from her back to tummy. She is growing up way too fast! I'm enjoying her more than I could've imagined. Honestly, I was a bit freaked about the logistics of juggling another baby, not to mention 3 in diapers- but God is good and has blessed me abundantly with the grace I need to get through each day. It sure helps that little miss Josie sleeps 9hrs at night already, Praise the Lord!!!

Future Award Winning Author/Illustrator

Colton's dream is to become an award winning author and illustrator. He makes these "books" ALL....DAY! When we're not doing school or cooking or chores, he's writing books made with a construction paper cover and plain paper on the inside. Usually they have some sort of award or medal on them- Newberry, Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, you name it! This book, "Lucy", is about a girl named Jane, her horse Lucy, and her father who is a pastor (and pictured on the top of the cover- giving a sermon). In the book, Jane and Lucy must save Jane's family. We do get outside to play basketball and go for walks as well- but I'm sure he'd prefer to sit at the table and write :-) How fascinating it must be to live inside Colton's mind!

In The Kitchen

We needed something yummy for snacks so Colton and I got to work in the kitchen. Our yellow squash is finally producing so we made use of that. I found a great recipe for Zucchini muffins on allrecipes.com. It was supposed to have chocolate chips in it but we had just baked chocolate chip cookies for Daddy yesterday so we skipped that ingredient. They turned out delicious anyway! I figure if I put the time into teaching Colton how to cook and bake now, he'll be whipping up dinners for the family in no time (and I can have the night off of cooking once in a while)!

Getting Down To Business

Colton, working on his handwriting. This year he is using A Reason For Handwriting, book T. I think we may skip the first section and go straight for cursive. Colton is NOT the typical six year old boy when it comes to handwriting. He adores handwriting and has been begging to learn cursive! Sometimes he can struggle with wanting everything to be just right on the first try. I'm trying to encourage him not to worry if it's not perfect, reminding him that everyone needs to practice before "getting it right".

Matty really enjoys working on puzzles. I try to offer him ones that are of varying degrees of difficulty- some I know he'll get all the pieces in right away and some that are a little challenging. He needs the confidence booster of feeling like "yeah, I can do this, no problem!" If something is too difficult, he just won't even try. I've heard that this is a typical trait in children with Down syndrome, though I don't like generalizing in that way.

And then there's sweet (and sassy) Anna! I love the puzzle she is working on for preschoolers just starting out with puzzles. All the pieces are interchangable so they can put the puzzle together even if they don't get the pieces matched up quite right.

School in a Box

No, I'm not referring to our curriculum but rather the method of our read-alouds for today! Colton colored a box that the FedEx guy left us today and decided to read some books to Matty and Anna. Matty had to make use of an empty laundry basket since there wasn't enough room in the *school bus*. Okay, so "How Do Dinasours Say Goodnight" is not part of the P3/4 program but it IS a family favorite. Colton also read "Tikki Tikki Tembo" to the littles while I made lunch for everyone. I LOVE having a helpful six year old around!

Menu Plans

We (okay, I) usually plan meals weekly and sometimes bi-weekly to make the best use of what we have on hand as well as whatever is on sale. There are a couple of meals we tend to eat every week such as burritos (or tacos or haystacks), pasta in various forms, and pizza. We like to BBQ a lot during the summer because we don't have central A/C and it's just too hot in the kitchen to cook. Plus, it's just yummy! Here's our menu plan for the week:

Sunday- Tortellini, Garlic Bread, Salad
Monday- Hamburgers, French Fries, and Carrot Sticks
Tuesday- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese and Salad
Wednesday- BBQ Beef Ribs, Corn on the Cob, & Fruit Salad
Thursday- Homemade "Snack Wraps" (Tortillas, Chicken Nuggets, Lettuce, Cheese, Dressing)
Friday- Tuna Sandwiches, Chips, and Fruit Salad
Saturday- Homemade Pizzas

I love reading other peoples blogs that share menu plans for new ideas!

Happy 4th of July!

Anna, Colton, & Papa Mike.

Colton and Nana Joan.

Matty and Nana Joan.

We had a pretty laid back holiday- daddy had to work. Yesterday we bbq'd and had Nana and Papa over to visit in celebration of our country's (and spiritual) freedom. We are so grateful to all the service men and women who risk their lives to continue to provide us with the blessing of freedom! Today, Colton learned how to make fruit salad with mommy. He loves being in the kitchen and getting his hands "dirty".

Box Day!

All of our books from Sonlight Core B and Science B. Colton is already asking "are we going to get to do school today?"

Colton, checking out "The Wheel on the School."

Our box day was so much fun! We were hoping the FedEx guy would come before we had to leave for church. Sure enough he did! He effortlessly ran down our driveway carrying the 50lb box of books. Patrick graciously lugged the heavy box into the house and we began unpacking. It's like Christmas!

Nap Time

Matty fell asleep in the stroller while we were on our afternoon walk. Daddy laid him on the guest bed in the living room to finish his nap. Of course, Anna had to join her brother for a little rest time. They are so cute together!