homeschool and SYATP

This is how Terry's day started: 7am at the school for See You at the Pole. There were about 20 students there, most of whom Terry said we know. So proud of those students =).

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So dark eh? I was at home trying unsuccessfully to get back to sleep.

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Here I think they are almost done. Significantly brighter.

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So, we decided back in the spring that we were definitely going to home school. The next step was choosing a curriculum. There is a lot out there which was overwhelming. I talked to all of my friends who already home school to get their opinions. That was helpful. I knew I really just wanted something that wasn't a whole lot of work - making my own lessons or going to the library to find books.

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So we decided on Sonlight for at least this year. And this year is only preschool so it's not too big of a deal. Well, it's a big enough deal that I wanted to be more serious about it though. I'm an oxymoron.

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Anyway, I think it's a good one (not that I know much). It's all included though, the books and the plans and the wardrobe (he he), so that's just want I really wanted.

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We ordered two days ago and it arrived today! Here are pics. Notice Evie's super cute garage sale shirt? Love it.

As a bonus for me, I received the required home school denim jumper with the books. Pictures to come soon. Just kidding =0. How awesome would that be though. HA!

chilly days

Fall has arrived here which has made for interesting conversation with Noah. He wants it to be his birthday since we just had ours. But that's not until April. Time is a hard thing to explain though he would be happier if he knew how long he had to wait. So I've started trying to explain the seasons, pointing the changing leaves. He asked me this morning if it was summer yet. I wish. The summer went so fast and it seemed like we hardly got to enjoy it.

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Monday was overcast and really humid. Yesterday it rained all day. Today the sun has peeped out and we went to the part. I'm gonna have to get used to bundling up before we leave the house. Noah had to learn how to put on his jacket all over again. Yes, jacket weather.

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Monday felt so cold that I didn't want to go outside. Terry finally took the kids out though b/c he's awesome like that. They played in the back yard and then he took them in the wagon around the block a couple times. Good daddy.

Noah doesn't seem to mind not wearing shoes though. He took them off to climb up the slide. How cute!

brave Noah

Since Noah has had hair long enough to cut, he's always hated the whole process. We have video of that, but it's kinda noisy. The video above is the only time I took him to a salon - I've done it myself ever since. I'm getting better at it, but until Monday night, he wasn't.

When we told him he was getting a hair cut that night, he said, "No! I will cry." He insisted on crying. But, Terry had an idea of recording the process and letting him watch as I cut away. It turned out to work. Noah did not cry or whine at all. We were so pleased. And so was he. He likes to talk about how brave he was =).

The whining in the background is from Evie who was getting a bath. She was SO ready for bed.

dunk Terry

Saturday Sept. 19th was the annual Harvest Festival and parade. Terry had to go down the park early to set up for little kids games which the students helped with as a fundraiser. Then I handed out water for MOPS before the parade, which was a good one. Evie would pick up candy on the ground and throw it at her basket since she didn't quite get that it should go in the basket.

After lunch Terry had to go sit in a dunk tank for 20 minutes. The speech team recruited him for their own fundraiser. He didn't think he would get wet... He was wrong.

He had just climbed in so he's still dry. He even left his shoes on! He thought this would motivate people want to dunk him even more.

Bulls eye! He's all in except for his head!

Climbing out.

Settling in again for another drop.

Some of our youth, Dillon and Tori. Dillon got him 3x and Tori once on her first try! This shot is her second shot, which missed.

Seth got him too.

Terry and his spoils.

Afterwards Noah went in to a bouncy castle twice. He most just sat by the wall. =)

Here is the video!

MOPS video

So this year I've become more involved in our MOPS. I'm on the steering team as a discussion leader. When we were discussing how to introduce ourselves at the first MOPS meeting it was somehow decided that we would make a video b/c Terry and I enjoy that kind of thing. It's true. We certainly do, even if no one else does =).

So here is the almost 10 minute long introduction video similar to Star Wars since the theme is Planet Mom. Terry did all of it. He's awesome.

fishing round 2

After Adam and Krista left last Monday we decided we had to get out. We left in such a hurry we forgot a bunch of stuff. We were so ready to do something. It always seems like there's nothing to here I miss landscape...

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Anyway, we went to a lake. There are a lot of lakes like this next to the interstate b/c the water table is so high here. When they dug out dirt to raise the interstate, the holes just filled up with water, or so everyone says.

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I'm not sure what kind of fish there were in the lake, but they were little. Or we caught all little ones. Catch and release yo. Except for one that I played with too much...

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Terry casting.

We just hung out at this drive down dock. Those stones got slippery in the water.

As I mentioned, we didn't plan very well - didn't bring a swim suit or diaper... Evie of course wanted to play in the water. And then Noah did. And they both eventually fell down in the water and that was the end of dryness. So they got baths when we got home.

Snap dog got a bath too.

Evie is reaching for the floatie ball thing.

Noah is chewing on his finger...

...b/c he had a splinter in it. I couldn't get it out and still haven't, but he's fine.

Here comes Terry's fish out of the water.

Evie was quite excited about the fish. She was more willing to touch them than Noah was, though he came around. And Snap enjoyed them too. That's how one of them died. I was swishing it around in the water too much and I had to keep it away from Snap dog.

Crumptonians

The Crumptons came to visit us again!

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They were just here in February...or was it January? Those months all just blend together for me.

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Then we visited them in Mexico in May! We helped them move from their museum house to their sweet city house.

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So they were here again b/c they have a six month visa that needs renewing that often. Also, they had a new baby boy, Anson, that their families wanted to meet of course! Krista went like three weeks over due w/little Anson so they couldn't come to the States as early as they would have liked. At any rate, they were here Sept. 11-14 and it was great having them.

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My kids quite enjoyed Anson. Noah still says he doesn't want a new baby sister or brother b/c Evie is his baby. I guess that's what I get for still calling her a baby! .
Evie isn't quite gentle enough on a baby though...

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Adam turned 31 on September 8th so I made him a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was my third in a week. Now I have no more shortening!

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Yummy.

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That is a toy snake biting Adam. Was Alistair scared?

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No. Monkey see, monkey do.

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So, here is what happened the day before:

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Noah jumped off the back of the couch to get daddy, but missed and landed on Alistair's leg since he had just leaned over Terry to tickle him. They had been all running around and playing together. The fun stopped there.

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Dr. Dave graciously X-rayed Alistair's leg and found a spiral fracture. So he needs to wear that cast for 3-4 weeks. I think I need Mom safety classes or something. It's been a hard month!

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We broke Alistair's leg so they broke our chair...or so they say. Fair enough. Krista was pulling Alistair out of the stair and his foot stuck in it. When it came out, the chair fell crashing to the ground. And great was that crash.

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The Crumptonians are packed up to leave us.

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Terry did some kung foo to teach them never to come back again... As if they needed another lesson though. Seriously, I hope they come back!

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Krista's seat w/the kids. It's a good thing they have a sweet Cadillac to ride around in for 7200 miles (Krista's family is in upper New York so they always put on A LOT of miles). The Caddy previously belonged to Terry's grandfather.

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Is that thing loaded or what? I think they might have a body in that trunk.

XC

Since we moved here, Terry has been involved with the Cross Country team. The first summer he even ran with them in the early pre-season mornings and kept up with the seniors! Two years later he's more busy and can't keep up as easily, but he still enjoys running with them after school. Plus, we get free season passes for home games. Sweet!

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A couple week ago we went to a XC meet a country club to cheer on the students.

Noah has been doing this "attack the camera" thing lately. He's coming for it now...

Terry is visiting w/his boss, our senior pastor, Rick. His wife Shelli is next to him in the yellow. Their sons Luke, a junior, and Jon, a freshman, both run. Luke is quite good.

Dr. Dave is playing with Evie. Or she's playing with his stop watch. Dave and Kathy's daughter Emily is a junior and runs too.

Evie was attempting to stand on her head...

...b/c she saw Noah doing it.

So daddy helped her out.

Noah's attacking nose. I figure that since it's my blog I can put up whatever pics I want and this one is funny!

There's Luke. He was up in the front, in the top 10 for sure.

Evie's just cute.

Noah's like, You lookin at ME?! And then he came at me w/his nose again.

Noah "playing" w/Evie

Evie tired out and rolling in the grass.