Apple Pie Day

What a fun day!  This was our first time attending the homeschool Apple Pie Day.  Apple Pie Day is an opportunity for homeschool families to learn about state government and positively influence legislators.  We enjoyed a tour of the capital, visited with other wonderful families, and listened to a great choir. Jared and Jesse spent a good amount of the time in choir practice.

Unfortunately it started raining and hailing shortly after the choir started singing.  They were all real troopers continuing on through the unpleasant weather. 

The twins were tuckered out!

Botany outdoors...

First Week of School

School has been going strong for a while now....but here are our "first week of school" pictures. :)  After the first two days the boys picked their favorite subject to be in the picture.  For the most part they are still enjoying their favorites. :) 

Jared Matthew ~ 11 years

Jesse Michael ~ 9 years

Justin David ~ 6 years (so close to turning 7)

John Russel ~ 5 years

New Curriculum is here!

I love how excited our household becomes when the boxes start arriving!  If only that excitement could last longer than the first two weeks days of the school year.  :)

OCEAN 2012

We love the homeschool conference!  I am always a little surprised at how excited the boys are to go...even with the sessions.  This year was especially fun to see new friends and recognize more faces.  Attending an event like this is a huge undertaking with all the children in tow, but the encouragement is well worth it. :)  

We came prepared this year with our platform hand cart.  It came in handy for toting our food, curriculum purchases and busy Judson Lee. :)

During our lunch break on Friday I met Alysun.  I have reading her blog for a few years now. It is so weird to meet someone for the first time and feel like you already know them. :)  My hubby gives me a hard time about checking strangers' blogs, but now I can say we've met   :)

Schooling cowboys

Can you tell where we were going after a few hours of school? I love to see how boys play "dress-up!"

Jared prefers comfort over snug Wranglers!

Jesse is at it again....

Another fun surprise for mommy-the-teacher!

Mummification

Scary, I know.

We read about early Egypt in our Mystery of History lesson and this was the suggested activity. We are really enjoying our history this year...I am learning so much!

Justin...the scariest mummy of all!

Icecream with Mr. Freeman

The boys redeemed their Freeman Center points for a ride and icecream. This car made quite an impression...on both the little and big boys!

Swim lessons

Here are a couple of shots of the boys at swimming lessons. I love how goggles change their look! They really did well this year. Thank you Corwins. :)

Homeschool Conference 2010

A few weekends back, BJ and I (and Jud) were able to attend the Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference. It was great! Not only did I enjoy an all day date with BJ, but we were both so encouraged by being around such wonderful families. If you have never been, you will be amazed at how many 15 passenger vans are in the parking lot! :) One of the keynote speakers this year was Kevin Swanson. And although we didn't go to the sessions (we heard him speak in Oregon last summer), my husband was thrilled to be in the same building as him. Probably BJ's highlight was running into him in the vendor hall. After they chatted, Kevin prayed for our family and future. This guy is passionate about the Lord, raising Godly children, and speaking the truth. Plus, he is very entertaining.....listen to his radio broadcast and you will understand why. :) We bought some great books for the next school year...and felt encouraged to keep plugging away.
(A big thank you to the Duncans for watching our boys. )

A few of my favorites.....

Jesse has been fun to teach. I never know what to expect when I check his work. I especially enjoy his extra reading workbook. His sentences make me smile. :)

Jesse did not understand why I let out a little giggle after reading this one. It is true, daddy does climb a few high ladders. :)

Thumb appreciation.

At least I know he is learning the appropriate times to be quiet.

Cedar Creek Grist Mill

A few weekends back we took the boys to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill near Woodland. This is an old grist mill (circa 1876) powered by water alone. It was fun and so interesting to see the wheat milled....lots of belts and pulleys turning.

Baby Jud was very sad for this little field trip. :)

The surroundings of the mill are beautiful, including an old wooden covered bridge.

After the volunteer millers demonstrate the process and answer your questions, you can take a bag full of freshly milled flour. That evening we used it to make pancakes....delicious!

The Pumpkin Patch

Our day at the pumpkin patch.....

These adorable hats were made by Erica Engle for my boys. Tiny hat #5 is waiting.... :)

Life has been so busy lately. I feel like I haven't blogged in soooo long. Kind of a lame post, but here are a few pics of some of the things we have been up to....

School! We started on the 9th...and have been going strong since. Having a schedule has really helped our mornings go more smoothly. It also has been a relief for mommy because I know we are not leaving anything important out. :) I even start the school day, after breakfast and chores, with a "quick clean." (It is hard for me to function when everything is a mess!)

Getting our wiggles out. I love how J.R. thinks he is a big boy now!

Peppers from our garden.

I only canned 14 quarts of pears this year.... and that even felt like such a huge task for me. I know I am in a busy season of life right now.
My littlest bean snapper. After he lost interest, Jesse and I had to re-sort his pile. :)

We also made as many trips as we could to OHSU to visit my mom. She is out of the hospital now and staying in Wilsonville for two weeks before she can finally go back home. Although this was a difficult and painful time, we are all very encouraged by how well she is doing. My boys are excited to finally visit Grandma since they were not allowed on her floor in the hospital. Thank you to all of you that are praying for her during this time.

Now I am off to tackle my "nesting" to-do list.....