Eskimo Joes!

We went to Eskimo Joe's with the Anderson's a couple of weeks ago.

 It was our first food road trip post kids...that's sad. 

Jett and Tatum are seven... 

Before kids we took several Food Road Trips...

the best was by far Eskimo Joes', so we decided we would start there with the kiddos. 

Who doesn't love some good cheese fries?

The kids had a blast and so did the grown-ups. 

It was even Joe's Birthday Celebration and the kids got to go to Buffy's Party!

Jett keeps asking me when we can go back to Sloppy Joes:)

Couldn't be soon enough...

More Summer Days...

  Farm Finds and Grammy's hugs...

We went to the farm for a few days in July. Grammy made me a peach pie- it was amazing. She actually made me two. Company stopped by, however and so the first pie was eaten up. Hence, Grammy made a second pie for me... It was even warm when she dropped it by before we headed home. Yummy! 

Rope Swing!

so much fun- really,  I know from personal experience...just hang on, tight.

Mitch and Jett had been talking up the Tarzan thing for a while now. Mitch finally figured out the best limb and the best rope, and had some help from Uncle Jon to the get the swing in full gear. This swing has provided hours and hours of fun in its short little life for dozens and dozens of kiddos, big kiddos not excluded:)

The first test swing! We have a winner!

 Breakfast Picnic in the Backyard...

Jett and I spent a beautiful and still not too hot yet summer morning enjoying Eggos and coffee on a comfy quilt, listening to the birds chirp, admiring the backyard, and dreaming of a pool:)

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most

 beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James

July Fourth

We celebrated July Fourth with a big party: lots of food, lots of friends, lots of fun! MItch and I have always wanted to have people over- but until we moved last fall our house was way too small for anything like this...we had a blast cooking, playing, and just spending time with old friends. 

We played in the sprinkler, swang on the rope swing, slid on the slipping slide, had water balloon explosions, water gun shoot outs, made bubble trumpets, and wrapped the evening up with a walk to the carnival and a backyard view of the Bethany fireworks- complete with glow stick fireworks of Jett's creation:) 

We can't wait until next year!

Gettin' Our Craft On!

Pinterest has to be one of the best. things. ever. 

We have had a blast finding new crafts online and then trying them out. 

Here are a few I managed to get pics of:

First up--

Homemade Lava Lamps

vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and alka seltzer

simple, cheap, loads of bubbling fun --

 for as long as you have alka seltzer:)

Bubble Trumpets

Also, easy and inexpensive: 

water bottle, sock, rubberband, and dish soap:

hours of messy fun. 

Note to self, if making these, remember to put the food coloring away 

AND put the bubbles up when leaving your child alone outside to

make dinner, otherwise, expect a certain active and creative seven year old 

to add these components to the hot tub...

now a big blue bubbled tub. 

Summer Days

Just a few pics of our summer adventures so far...

Farm Days:

Sports Camp Days:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? 

Run in such a way as to get the prize. 

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. 

They do it to get a crown that will not last 

but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Slippin' Slide Days:

 Movie Days:

Rock Climbing Days:

  

School's Out for Summer!

We have been out of school for about a month or so now. And, I started out pretty dedicated to documenting our homeschooling. I fell behind in the blog world, for lots of reasons...

none of which could be I just didn't want to. 

Anyway, I am so glad our first year is behind us:

 We had ups, we had downs, we had not gonna do it days, don't want to stop days, days I wanted to pull my hair out and scream (I probably did scream), and days Jett wanted to pull his hair out and scream- and I think I remember a few times he did scream, too. We had lots of help from our families- which we couldn't have made it without. So thankful for their support and for friends that also homeschool. 

It's not easy. Sometimes it's not fun. 

 But, all in all I am glad we homeschooled this year. 

I loved the connections it created in our home, the amazing amount of information Jett, Mitch, and myself learned about one another, about this world, about our country, and about the God that created it.

We are even going to do it again. 

Classical Conversations is starting a campus in Yukon- such a blessing.
Jett will be a student, I am going to tutor.
Our church is even starting a PE class for homeschoolers. 

It is going to be a great year.

But before we think any more on the fall, I want to wrap up HS 2011-2012 with a few notes...

We did our own memory testing at the end of the year- 

Jett was able to recite all 24 weeks of History- starting with Columbus and ending in 2001, including the Preamble and the Bill of Rights. He knows 50 states and their capitals, 

can skip count 2's-12's, knows lots of anatomy, knows some chemistry, 

and can recite definitions of lots of parts of speech. 

We also learned a lot about telling time, money, measuring, inches, centimeters, addition, and subtraction. 

We read lots of books, Jett is reading better every day. 

He likes to sound out every single letter in a word- but somehow even with the letters that don't sound like we have learned he figures the word out- and each day is better. 

We found an online phonics program that correlates with our books and Jett loves it- 

we don't have to fight too much over phonics anymore! yeah! 

Our favorite book we read this year is too hard to pick. 

We loved Little House, Charlotte's Web, and we have just started The Boxcar Children- and it is great, too!

 I love that Jett likes to read - well likes for me to read to him. 

And the other day, he said, "I can't wait until I can read like a grown-up." me, too buddy:) 

We have come a long way in a year and

 I hope this summer is full of refreshing, relaxing, and wonderful memories...

Preamble Playtime

I caught Jett screaming out the Preamble as he was playing legos the other day. 

Made me smile. Made me proud. Had to post. 

Happy Fourth!