fire station visit, home school style

 One of the concerns, people express to me when they found out the kids are home schooled are they getting the experiences that kids in a formal school setting get.  And I LOVE it when I can provide my kids with experiences I know they could never get in a "classroom".
R2's new "thing" is firetrucks, OK, R2's new thing is any kind of truck.  On our last adventure to the library he found the stash of firetruck books and had to be encouraged to not check each one out.  When I found out my cousin, Jeff (Ryan and Bryan's age) was on duty the last time we were visiting Mimi, we had to make a trip to his station.  I had no idea the cool things he had planned.  R2 also has this thing for loud noises,  I really did not think it would frighten him since he loves to pull alongside any large truck and is mesmerized by them.  All Jeff did was turn on the truck to pull it out of the fire house and R2 got scared.  The tears began, but as long as he hung with Paw Paw, he was fine.  So, the girls got to do all the cool stuff, including squirting the big water hose and riding in the truck around the parking lot.  I have to admit, riding in the truck even excited me.  Every year, the fire truck would visit our class when I was teaching, it was fun, but this was cool.  Thanks Jeff and Megan for a great field trip.

wordless wednesday

strawberry fields forever

The kids and I have been traveling to the grandparents a little more frequently to give Daddy a chance to work on the movie.  Last weekend, the kids and I met Mimi, Aunt Rissa and Granny in Marble Falls to pick strawberries for our yearly supply of Mimi's jelly.  The kids had fun finding the reddest strawberries and HR and Granny enjoyed hanging in the shade.  After we gathered our berries, we met at my favorite fast food restaurant, Taco Casa.  I resisted the urge for my favorite cheesy- goodness meal, the chilada and instead scraped the "stuff" off a tostada for a salad, but I could not resist their sweet tea. It is hands down the best tea on the planet, besides the Neal Family Sweet Tea.  I have recently passed a milestone on the scales and hoping to never see a 3 in the tens' place again.

just so you know...

My picasa account is completely jacked up.  I have not been posting b/c I have not been able to access my collage maker for my pictures.  I have given up and I will just have to use photoshop to edit and post a lot more (or less) individual pictures.  So bummed...this is the 2nd time it has screwed up.  And now with google dissing Jesus, I just want to give up on the whole google joke and move on to something else.  Any preferences for email?

wordless Wednesday

I love that she still cuddles her Fluffles.

room of their own

Both boys are taking their first naps together at the same time in the same room!!  Yesterday, we put up R2's toddler bed and he slept in his big boy bed last night for the first time.  (HR has been sleeping in his crib for the past few weeks and R2 slept on the girls' trundle bed.)  Last night we put R2 down first and then HR went down later.  They both slept through the night and R2 woke me up at 7:30 this morning.
I put both of them down for a nap at 1:00 and they are both still in their own beds, ASLEEP!!  Happy Day, Happy Mama!

wordless wednesday

Jedi they are not.

Apparently we need to go back to Jedi Training Academy.

first zoo trip 2013

We recently took our first zoo trip of the year to our favorite zoo.  The day was full of some great memories.  Boo and R2 were checking out the spider monkeys, while two ROUS' were getting a little too frisky in the pond. Boo says look "they are like Mommy and Daddy on a date."  What??!?!!?  "Yeah, those two monkeys are cuddling like you and Daddy."  Oh, thank God.
While we were checking out the elephants, he decided to raise his tail and pass gas in our direction, yeah, that was funny.  Especially since R2's new word is "bo-bo toot". While we were visiting the lions, he decided to stand his ground at Boo and began to ruff and roar while staring her down.  Yeah, that was cool.  I thought I was recording it, but turns out my phone memory was full, that won't happen again.  

B.U.S.Y.

I know it has been too long and you are feeling neglected again.  I feel like the song in Veggie Tales, I'm busy, busy, terribly busy, much too busy to be friends with you (my blog of course, not you).

LE is doing great in the cast, we go Tuesday to have new x-rays, praying for healing so we can get a shorter cast.  Boo is reading up a storm, R2 is sleeping in girls' room on the trundle as we transition HR into the boys' room.  HR is sleeping through the night more regularly and finally deciding he likes bananas.  Ben is trucking along on the movie; praying for favor that the computers cooperate and he can have it off his plate by the beginning of summer.  I am teaching 6 classes a week, plus the girls' schoolwork.  I have hired a personal trainer to help get back my pre-R2 butt, I mean body.  I had to do three weeks of physical therapy on my right ankle and leg.
And the big news, we are looking for a new place to live.  Our landlord has decided she wants to sell our house and we are not interested in purchasing it.  We have some very tough decisions to make and would love prayers for the Lord's guidance.