Thursday, March 22, 2012

Our Little Farm...

Since we have moved in, we are trying to take advantage of our backyard...
First step- an orchard.

Well, at least the start of some fruit trees. Mitch ordered trees online, they came in a box, we plotted their places, and bam- an orchard...




Hopefully in about ten years (really hoping for three) we will have English Walnuts, Georgia Peaches, Cherries, Kiwi, and Grapes added to our enormous collection of Persimmons and, maybe even the Pecan Trees will fruit, too! 

Second Step-....fresh eggs arriving soon:)
Mitch and Jett picked up our baby chicks a couple of weeks ago. They are so cute! so fuzzy and quite the little eaters! One chick has even been sleeping in the food bowl. We love to watch them run around, drink water, and cuddle together...it is amazing how fast they grow, too! It literally seems as though each time you look at them they are bigger...

 I took these yesterday- see how they have grown!





Seven Years Old


Jett turned seven on February 17. We had a couple of small family celebrations and just enjoyed a wonderful weekend together. 
I still can't believe he is seven. He is a boy- not a little boy anymore. And, definitely all boy at that. We can't keep him inside. He is always climbing trees, fighting dragons, or building on his fort...
Jett is still very creative, quite the artist, loves math, could live without reading- at least reading to me...Jett has a very sweet and loving heart. 
He really likes pizza, dipping bread in balsamic vinegar, avocados, "dark red" apples, home-cooking, Panda Express, Star Wars, and Scooby, and AWANA is awesome:)

A couple of things I want to remember:
Jett used his Bible Safari money to buy me a big heart-shaped ring. He said it was a late valentine's and that he wanted to get it for me because he knew I would love it. He said he almost got some candy he had never tried, but this ring would last forever...
Jett told me that baby Ben needed something special. Oscar was really special to him and he thought he would give Ben Oscar so he would have something really special, too. The little boy in him came out after a couple of days of thinking this over, though and Jett felt that Oscar was his first and most special stuffed animal and maybe he could get Ben his own first and most special stuffed animal, instead:)
Happy Birthday Jettie! We love you. 











Sweet Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!
We shared yummy donuts- even Jones snuck one off the table and 
enjoyed his sweet own valentine. 
 Mitch and Jett showered me with love and chocolates, Mimi got a sweet lesson on Star Wars, and GG stopped in for a hug...

Snow Day

Our only snow day of 2012. Mitch and Jett spent this wintry Monday together building a snowman- complete with a carrot for his nose...

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Three Amigos

Be Afraid. Be. Very. Afraid. 
My camera has been in retirement, well stuck in the closet since Christmas for the most part and probably a while before then. I just wasn't in the mood. I have been consumed with decorating, homeschooling, Kourtney and Kloe taking New York (not really) but you get my point. I just wasn't in the picture taking mood. Wednesday afternoon the boys came over and I watched them play from the comfy couch in the den while Kourtney and Kloe made something ridiculous and morally lacking entertaining, but not really. And I noticed something- there were three boys growing up before my eyes- seemingly a million years older than they were just two weeks ago. They were sweet. They were loud. They were having fun running with sticks- don't tell Gloria or the Kinneys:) and playing in the dirt. I ran so fast for my camera and tried my little heart out to snap a few precious photos of passing time....
and I love them all. 

  this guys is too cool for school. so serious here. he must be planning my attack. every time I would try to sneak out and catch these three, Cole would heroically warn the brood, "Jeee, uur mooom is coing." and they would run off. I mean really- look at that face! Jack has something up his sleeve or someone just said poop. 
  
how did this happen? no, I didn't necesarily mean the cockatoo hair- but well that's a good question, too. I meant the last 6.9 years- because I refuse to believe that in two weeks that big-eyed baby with the squishy round cheeks
 is going to be seven...

Cole was determined not to look at me. I tried to be sneaky. He's too smart for that. I tried to bribe him with candy- but my pockets could not hold enough. So it's very fortunate my favorite shots are side glances at sweet squishy smiling cheeks. I love sweet squishy cheeks. I love them so much when that when I say sweet squishy cheeks my face crinkles and I pucker my lips. I might even make kissy sounds.

I love the story Jett is telling. I do not have a clue what it was about. I was not privy to this classified spy knight ninja cowboy secret agent file explanation. Boys only. No Moms. and definitely no cameras.

I am serious. Really, Really, Really Serious.
 Maybe.




Homeschool: January

Starting back has been great. Jett and I agreed to longer school days, more rigorous math and reading, and more fun... So for January, I think we have set a great precedent for the rest of the year. I don't want these month wrap-ups to seem like every day is the best ever, or like I've got it all figured out, or that Jett is the perfect kid, or that this whole experience is just dreamy:) We don't always want to do school. We don't always have good attitudes. We don't always do school. We don't always have order or a lesson plan. But we have a few goals to guide us and lots of forgiveness and lots of recess and I,  of course take pictures on our best days:) Homeschooling is a learning process for all of us. And a major focus of our curriculum is to instill a love of learning into Jett. By learning ourselves and growing as needed and sometimes forced the rest of Kindergarten is sure to be just peaches....or all recess. 

The Dirty Dozen
#1 SPARKS is awesome! 
#2 Area: rectangle and square
3# Money, Money, Money, Money- MONEY!
#4 John 1:1-2 in English AND Latin
#5 Atoms and what the heck is an Atomic Number?
#6 Grandma Moses lived to 101 and didn't start painting until she was 80!
#7 Georgia O'Keefe painted how she wanted- not what her art instructors told her to paint. Thank goodness!
#8 The 14th Ammendment and the Industrial Revolution, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Swift can be sung in such a way that 
Bob Dylan could not compete.
#9 The Rocky Mountains are more massive than we realized. Colorado has more than just Pikes Peak to be proud of. We really want to go to Washington and see the Cascade Mountains. 
#10 Phonics is a snap. Book 5- here we come!
#9 Laura Ingalls read from a McGuffey Primer in Little House- and we have seen it with our own eyes- therefore it must be cool and read daily. 
#11 Measuring and Graphing don't necessarily need excel or even a ruler!


#12 It takes a village to learn to tie your shoes-
 or at least some helpful cousins and 

We also went to the library and did some stocking up and some rediscovering...
Books:
Puff the Magic Dragon
The Magic Boots- my personal favorite
Magic Tree House- Ghost Town at Sundown
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
Grandma Essie's Covered Wagon
A Picture Book of Abe Lincoln
A Picture Book of Robert E Lee
Francis Scott Key and "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Lewis and Clark, Explorers of the American West
Bumble-Ardy- a definite must read!
The Coin Counting Book- really cool- Jett poured out his piggy bank and lined up all of his coins with the pictures in the books to count all of his booty- a whopping $20+ in change!
Bob Books (set 1 and 2)
McGuffey Primer (Lessons 1-10)

American Poems and Folk Tales: 
Yankee Doodle
Davy Crocket Meets His Match
Buffalo Gal
Billy Boy- my Grandpa used to sing this!
Clementine- he also sang this!
Good or Bad?

Winter Poems:
Something Told the Wild Geese
Oregon Winter
I Heard a Bird Sing
Moon
A Merry Note

***Oh and some of the more fun of our new year plan:
farm exploring!


 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
   I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule,   which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked,  but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds  
            the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; 
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 32:8-11


Great Wolf 2012

Great Wolf 2012 was another Great adventure! We headed out on Sunday, January 8 and spent two days slidin' away...
(You must revisit Great Wolf 2011.
it is a most amazing and completely earth-shattering event.)


The excitement of my first slide, which is to happen in no less than 4 hours is so strong, its blinding, and I must close my eyes. Really. 

 Mel, Bryan, and the kids headed north to the lodge this year. So, we met Mom and Dad at their house and then headed south, with a quick stop at Chili's in Gainesville....this Chili's is really good. I don't know why, but seriously it tastes better than any Chili's close to home. seriously.

 In typical Bradford Family Vacation tradition- we were early....so we went to downtown Grapevine and did some window shopping and Jett and Grandpop had some frozen yogurt...
Grandopop had never been to one of the fancy new fill your own cup yogurt shops- he ended up with over eight ounces of ice cream and toppings in his little cup...if a little is good- a lot is better, right!? 

Once we met up and checked in-
 we were dressed and ready for a swimmy good time in no time flat...The excitement of this group was uncontainable, immeasurable, and it had been building for a year....

Uncle Bryan zippin' up the younguns...Mel and I were already on our way to the slide...not really. I took this one, maybe...

Mel and me before our run, or race to the top, without a kiddo in site.
Who said this place was for kids?
but- sorry about the crazy eyes, I know they are very scary. Like I said- I was really excited about this trip- the kind of excitement that can only bear eyes such as this...

Let me explain the following- It was so fun Mel was automatically dreaming of our next run or maybe she just swallowed a bunch of water after we tipped over, violently and unexpectedly. And, I had more fun than is legal except at the Great Wolf and I am giddy...and doing the ugly and quite possibly honking giggle that is only reserved for very rare occasions in which no one has a camera. Except, my mom brought hers to the swimmin' hole...how unfortunate...

 Jett's first toilet bowl- this is not the slides actual name- but none of us know the real name. it is absolutely the funnest slide. pretty sure I went down this no less than 100 times each day.  I might dream of this slide at night. I wish Mitch could attach one to the hot tub deck...

and this is run one-hundred twenty five, at least...

the wavy pool. the kids spent hours in the wavy pool. they begged to stay in a little longer...with or without waves.
 
Love this pic. My Dad always has the greatest faces- can't you see all the mischief and all the trauma his toddler self must have caused his Mother or teenage self to his high school English teacher? 
Emma is so focused with her next move, I can't even stand on my head while shaking maracas with my feet to get her attention. Mckaylea wants to strangle me or the camera or both, so she can get her sweet tush on a slide-Stat!

Jett was over the moon that he was tall enough to ride everything. I wish I had a picture of his face when he shot out of the Tornado. It was one of shear terror, even his toes were tense, his eyes were nearly spilling over with tears- except for that one little telling twinkle...
His exact words were,
"Mom, that was so scary, but also so fun.
It. WAS. AWESOME."
 He still needed a little reassurance from Grandpop,
 that they did, in fact, have a good time.

Mischief is genetic and non-stop when the grands are together.
These two yahoos are trying to drag Grandmom to the Tornado. She said no. Yes- NO to her very persuasive and very adorable grandsons. This was day two. 
One day of the Tornado was all Grandmom needed to meet 
her water slide quota for this year boys.  

Lily pads are tough....really tough. Trust me. 

and Jett and Emma and My Dad:)

The Parting Shot
not really, we ate here for breakfast in the middle of sleeping and sliding. not only did we eat, we also went shopping and quite possibly took a nap. 
This is the only photo, however of all of us dressed...and dry, 
so we'll just pretend it really is our parting shot. 
Here's to another great year full of unforgettable memories 
and to Great Wolf 2013...here we come!
.