Happy Halloweenies

Our yearly tradition of attending the Richards' birthday dinner/Halloween was interrupted this year by the sell of their home.  We were really disappointed, but decided to host our own party.  We invited our friends from our legacy group over and we passed out hot dogs instead of candy to the neighbors.

The kids picked their own costumes again this year.  LE wanted an elf costume to assist PawPaw Claus, so when we found this one yesterday she changed her plans to be a wolf to a jester.  Boo was Foxy Loxy, R2 was a dinosaur and this past weekend at church HR "borrowed" this costume, i.e. would not take it off when church was over so we borrowed the jacket to match his firemen hat and rain boots.
We passed out 60 hot dogs and water bottles. I made a pot of red beans and rice for the adults in attendance.  It was a nice cool evening as a cool front blew in last night and a great night of memories.

touch a truck

This past weekend, we took advantage of one of the free events in the area, Round Rock Touch a Truck at Old Settler's Park.  There were firetrucks, hummers, army transport trucks, buses, semi-trucks, garbage trucks, tow trucks, lawn mowers, excavators, a drone, and many others for the kids to climb in and on.  The kids (and I) got to operate the back hoe and move some dirt.  It was an absolute blast.  Every where we go now, Hank grunts and points to trucks and R2 informs us which type of machinery it is and what it does.  Hands on homeschooling for boys.

Happy 80th birthday Granny!!

This year, I turned 40, my mom turns 60 and my Granny turns 80.  Happy Birthday to an amazing lady, my Granny.  We love you.

#lovetherock

Several churches in the RR area participated in Love the Rock this past weekend.  They did many community service outreaches including cleaning up flower beds in parks and trails, doing handy man services for elderly, preparing Old Settlers for the Trail of Lights, beautifying the Community Service Center and Texas Baptist Children's Home.  By the time, I got to sign up all of the opportunities that involved young children were filled.  We decided we would bake cookies for the trash guys, recycle guy and mailman.  As we were wrapping up our delivery to the mailbox, LE told me doing things for other's made her feel good.  She said this is very much like love the rock, just not as big, but just as important b/c we got to serve those who help us every day.

gross motor memory work

Each month (or week depending on the scripture) we have been memorizing scripture.  We have learned John 3:16, Psalm 23, and  I Corinthians 13:4-7.  We use the New International Readers' Version for reading and memorizing.  The Love is scripture took us FOREVER and I knew we needed more ways to commit the scripture to memory than just reading, writing and reciting.  This week our scripture is Genesis 1:1 so we created a hopscotch to help commit it to heart.  Needless to say after all of work for Love is patient, Love is kind, this was one a breeze to learn.
The girls are also working their way through the New Testament.  They have already read Matthew and Mark and are presently reading Luke.  Each day they journal or illustrate what they have read.   We use this website as a resource for scripture ideas.

Train up a child in the way the should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  

co-op happenings

We are absolutely LOVING co-op this year.  It is one of the best decisions we have made for our home school.  Both girls participated in a feast this past week where they sampled foods from the countries we have been studying.  We made Native American hasty pudding and green and oolong teas (Japan).  They also sampled Swedish Apple Cake, Wild Rice and corn bread (North America), seaweed (Japan), Danish cookies, pottage soup (Great Britian), potstickers, English Parkin, pompion and shortbread cookies and baklava.  The girls both tried everything and discovered some new things I would have never thought they'd enjoy.  Boo loved the seaweed, LE loved the green tea.
They are both participating in theater and getting ready to perform for the co-op in December.  They have made so many new friends and we started participating in park days on Wednesday afternoons after the boys nap.

Fall Fest '14

This past weekend, we went to an area fall fest at a  church for the kickoff to Halloween season for our kiddos.  Of course,we don't have costumes ready or even decided upon at this point, but the kids did a good job of creating ones out of the dress up closet.  R2 does have his costume, the dinosaur.  HR decided to be a crossover costume and stole the head when R2 became too hot to wear it.  He looked like a creature right out of the cantina scene in Star Wars.

belated birthday present

Yes, that's a motorcycle and yes, it's a beemer.  Ben got his dream motorcycle this week.  He has been drooling over one for years and he found his dream bike this week in my hometown.  Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Nursing Home Outreach

Our Legacy Group (life group) has adopted a nursing home that we plan to visit once a month to host a game night.  It is part of a study that we have been using called the Barefoot Church Primer.  We wanted to do a meaningful outreach and one the kids could participate in, as the kids outnumber the adults in our group.  I was told the gentleman playing with HR NEVER talks, but he started talking to Hank and participated in the evening.  It was a great night for our family and I am pretty sure the residents of the assisted living facility enjoyed themselves too.

big boy beds

The day came today, and we no longer have a baby bed in the house.  HR has been sleeping on R2's toddler bed and R2 has been camping in his sleeping bag on the floor for weeks.  I found Cargo beds on CL that are very similar to the girls with a trundle bed.  We spent this weekend swapping out Ben's office and the boys' rooms (office was bigger) and are in the process of creating a Star Wars rooms for two padawans.  HR looks so tiny in his big bed, and R2 thinks his room is "not cool" b/c it is not complete.  The furniture purchase put us over budget for the month, so painting and decorating will be budgeted next month.  They do love their beds and their freedom.  HR has started waking up with R2 at 6 am, that part I could live without.

Community service project #1

Our church  has been inspiring us to be more intentional and being aware of needs around us, which has inspired us to help others more.  My hope is when we see a need that the kids will step up to help fill that need.  This past month, we heard of a young boy in the area who had been a patient at Dell Children's Hospital and wanted to collect crayons, coloring and activity books in honor his birthday to donate to the hospital.  We were able to collect five bags of crayons and books to donate from my fitness classes and friends.  The kids were invited to deliver them to the PFL police department.  The kids were rewarded with an opportunity to sit in the patrol cars and get a tour of the police department.
Hopefully it will be the last time they are in the back part of a police car.

Pumpkin Patch field trip

This month, we went on our first field trip for the school year with RRHOME, our home school group.  We ventured to Elgin Christmas Tree Farms on a Monday morning.  We spent the morning decorating pumpkins, a hayride, petting baby animals, running through mazes, creating scarecrows and playing with friends.
The gym recently hired two new instructors that gave me the freedom and peace of mind (along with Ben's new pay raise) to give up classes and be able to secure a substitute when opportunities such as these arise.  I am so grateful for the job I had the past three years, but I am even more grateful that I get to focus on the most important role God has given me in raising and teaching our children.  We have been able to get all of our school work done by Thursday afternoon piano lessons for the past two weeks, which has given us off all day on Fridays to attend co-op and rest before our weekends.  The first time that has happened since August.

Mommy/Daughter Date

Daddy suggested Boo and I get out of the house and take a Mommy/Daughter date to get pedicures.  Before our planned trip, I had discovered gel manicures and mine was in need of an update.  I decided to just get a pedicure, as the spa only had time to do mani or pedi, and I wanted to make sure Boo could get her choice too.  She had so much fun, as did I, but I think she was in heaven.   My cousin Anna had recommend Plum, which was a little more than I can afford on a regular basis, but it was a great relaxing time for Boo and I.  We also had a quick bite and a trip to Toys R Us to cash in a gift card that has been burning a whole in her purse.  

more Epoch weekend photos

big man on campus

Congrats to my amazing husband, an awesome daddy and apparently really loyal, hard worker for his team.  Yesterday, he received a promotion and a 20% pay increase.    We are so proud of you, Daddy.