American Red Cross Swimming

Michael just finished a swimming class at our local pool.
His teachers challenged him to swim in the 15 ft. deep pool, jump off the diving board, and dive from the side of the pool. On the last day his treat was to go down the 200 foot slide.
Swimming is one of his favorite activities and he had a great time!

Trouble

Tessa emptied the cornstarch baby powder and bucket of diapers....

This is the age for messes and a strong will.
At least this time around we have a better perspective that "this too shall pass" --and hopefully it will sooner than later.

Homeschool and Field Trips

It is a bit of a challenge for me to write a post on our homeschool experiences.
Perhaps because it is much like the rest of my efforts as a mom. We have good days and bad days. There is always more I could do and always more than I am capable of. But I know it is the best path for our family and I'm very grateful to be able to do it.
I have enjoyed having school at home. I have become a learner again, finding more wonder and excitement in little moments. I felt more invested in my children.
Several families have inspired and guided us as we started our journey this year. The strengths of others truly lift us.

Here are some of the things we have taken photos of..

Searching for shells


Ranger Rick shows a gopher tortoise guarding her den.


Jordan's banana was really cute. (That kid has so many fun ideas!)


We went with a few other families to a local animal preserve.
The animals were incredible and the guide had lots of good information.
The area was set up much like a farm, in a remote residential area.
Ever since that visit (and with some influence from our Little House on the Prairie reading) Michael says he wants to have animals to take care of and he wants to "be a farmer."
He made a chart about what all the different animals eat and wore his cowboy boots and overalls every day for a week. He is an avid learner in whatever strikes his interest.

Amy, do you recognize the animal in the top right? It is the largest rodent in the world from Patagonia.


This is Jack the billygoat. Jill was his companion. The names of all the animals were so fun!



Tessa cracks me up in this picture. She is in the middle of everything....

Cute People

The neighborhood was together a few weeks ago for a birthday party and I took a few photos. We are really lucky to have so many wonderful neighbors! The boys love to have friends all around when we go out to play and I enjoy gleaning ideas from other moms.

Running through the sprinklers at Mariela's party


This is kind of a goofy picture.. but everyone was standing still watching the pinata festivities and I could get most of the group together.


cake and ice cream --pretty cute kids!

St. Patricks Day!

St. Patrick's Day can be a really fun holiday to celebrate.
This year we learned a little about the history of the holiday. Basically that St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland around 400 A.D..
Mainly though, I think March 17th is a day to enjoy Irish culture, and music is one of the best parts of Irish tradition. Earlier in the year I heard a law school friend, Jenilyn, play some Irish fiddle music and the idea was sparked to have a concert/night-of-music or "jam session" as she calls it.
It was one of the funnest nights I've had in a long time! The kids grabbed toy instruments and the adults dusted off real ones. There was a storm of music in our little apartment. Jenilyn brought some really fun music for us to sing and play. She fiddled so hard that she had to sit down and wait for her (third trimester) uterine contractions to subside.


We tried some tasty bread, cabbage, potatoes, and corned beef. Then Jenilyn shared her own (green) mint ice cream birthday cake. mmm... It would be great to make this a tradition!
Thanks Jenilyn!

BSA

Last month Jared took us along to help with a scout Eagle project. The young man was building habitats for animals in a sanctuary on the outskirts of our city. We ended up helping assemble a hammock for a fox. It was made out of a retired fire hose. The boys got to handle drills and power screwdrivers. And they learned what nuts, bolts and washers are... :) They especially loved seeing the scouts in uniforms. Michael reads the Scout Handbook every day lately and tells everyone that he will be a scout in the fall!

We love the beach!

In February after Renee left we decided to try to hit the beach more often. The reasoning went something like this.
Our days in Florida are numbered and we need to appreciate what we have got before it's gone!
Also it seems that when the rest of the world is groaning over the last months of winter, we especially appreciate our clear warm days.
It has been a wonderful "winter" full of running out the door in flip-flops and shorts to take a walk or bike ride around the block or to the park.
Only now the highs are climbing into the high 80's (with the humidity) and I remember that Florida isn't perpetually comfortable.


Friends at the beach made a "habitat" by collecting pieces of the beach and adding them to a big Sterilite storage container.


I have really enjoyed going to the beach with other moms and the kids' friends. (Jared isn't always as free as we would like him to be...)