Thankfulness Tree

So here are some pictures of our "Thankfulness Tree" we did for November. The boys wrote things they are thankful for on the leaves and then painted them. I laminated them so the plan is to add to it each year. We'll see how that works :) Here are the quotes on some of the leaves:

J: "My friends" (he lists them all), "Ella because she likes to play with me", "Jake b/c I'm a cousin now", "My batman wii game", "Elevation b/c it's fun", "Caleb b/c he's my brother", "Daddy b/c he takes me to play golf & he gives the best hugs", "Grandpa b/c Jesus made him better" "Bandit b/c he gives me good company"

CJ: "Ella is my princess", "my lankie" (blankie), "God is mumber one, God is mumber one!", "Daddy goes to work", "Mommy is so pretty!" (he's turning into our master manipulator with that last one. I mean c'mon, look at him!)

He's pointing to his "Baby Jake" leaf. I think that's the one he's most proud of!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Homeschool Humor

So as every Mom knows, kids are always saying funny things. And for me in particular, every time it happens I always hear my sister in my head saying, "write that down!". But usually I never do. This week, however, there were a few things said during school that I just couldn't allow to be forgotten:

subject #1: History
Me: "So, Joshua, do you remember where the pilgrims landed?"
J: "Ummm...I remember it starts with a P...Pinata?

subject #2 Math
I was reading him a word problem:
"Bobby bought 8 goldfish..."
J (interrupting): "Wait! Did you say goldfish?"
"Yes, and a friend gave him 4 more..."
J: "Ugh! Doesn't Bobby know he's going to have to clean that tank every day? Goldfish are disgusting!"

subject #3 Science
We were discussing static electricity & demonstrating it by sticking a balloon to the wall.
Me: "See Josh, static electricity!"
J: "Actually Mom, that wasn't static electricity. I was using the force"

I cannot even begin to imagine how boring my days would be without them! Thanks for making me laugh, J! I love being your teacher...& your Mom!

Aw Shucks

So we went to Aw Shucks corn maze yesterday with our homeschool group. Actually it is SO much more than just a corn maze! They started off jumping on hay, as you can see in the picture below. Then we were all taken on a hay ride around the corn field. After the hay ride, we were given a lesson on the planting, growing, and harvesting of corn , got to see how all the old farm equipment worked, and basically learned all there is to know about corn! Joshua's take home point for Dad at dinner was that people used to use the corn cobbs for toilet paper. :) There was a kid sized fort and cabins they played in after our picnic lunch, then we took a walk through the nature trail to hunt for bird houses (the answer to how many there were was hidden at the end of the trail). After a quick game of duck racing, and a climb in the tree house, we headed to the the barn where we fed the sheep and goats, saw a new baby goat, turkeys, a pig & a horse. By this time the kids were fading fast, but we couldn't leave without doing the corn maze...oh wait...we also stopped to milk a wooden cow. So a few steps into the corn maze, a few of us moms began to panic about the thought of not making it out. The kids were exhausted and Joshua ended up pushing Ella's stroller through it so I could hold Caleb who refused to walk any further. It was definitely a fun filled day! We tried to get our school work done when we got home, but Joshua ended up falling asleep on the futon. Here are a few pictures and you can see the rest here.

Sayonara old friend...

So I put the little ones down for a nap today & before I knew it, out of my mouth came, "So ya want to go outside & take the training wheels off your bike, Josh?" I completely expected the same answer we've received the last 50 times we asked him the same question. But much to my surprise I got, "Sure, Mom!"
"Uhhhhhhh....what?"
"I said, sure! Let's go."
"Uhhhh....I meant take your training wheels off and learn to ride your bike without them"
"I know. Let's go!"
"Uhhhh...ok." (thinking to myself - Do I know how to take the training wheels off?)
Fortunately I was able to rummage through the tools to find what I needed to remove them. Then came the running behind him, bent over, holding on to his seat, up and down the street...Now I know why my dad did this! Just about the time I thought my back would give out (after about 2 laps...I obviously need more excercise) Joshua says, "I'm ready for you to let go!"
"What? Are you sure!" (I did not think he was ready)
"Yes, I'm sure!"
...and off he went....

Riverbanks Zoo

Well yesterday morning we woke the kids early and piled them in the van for a surprise trip to the zoo. They were so excited to discover their surprise & especially to find out we were meeting friends there too! Joshua's favorite was the lions (they were feeding them pumpkins). And Caleb said his favorite was the crocodile. Ella enjoyed seeing the animals as well, and especially enjoyed having a stroller buddy. We got asked several times if she & Eli were twins. "No, but they were born on the same day". We got some confused looks with that one. :-) It was a beautiful fall day for the zoo! I also got to try out my new camera while we were there (thank you family for my early Christmas present!!!!!). It's going to take a lot of practice to learn how to use it well, but here are a few of the pictures we got. Enjoy!

Princess ladybug & her storm trooper cavalier

Well, the last post was a month late, & this one is only a week late. So hopefully I'll be catching up soon. I was a little under the weather last week, so these were the best pictures I was able to capture in the condition I was in. (Well, I stole one - thanks Al) Enjoy!