Posted in Family Life
|
This is the whole crew, all 9 cousins from 11yrs (tomorrow 11-11) all the way down to 6 mo (almost 7 mo). They had a blast at the beach! I love that we can still enjoy the beach in October, now November!
This is Esther, isn't she beautiful? I might be a little biased though!
Ever since Katy learned to walk/run this is how most of her pictures have turned out. She was chasing a gull, he did not want to be caught!
Happy Birthday Ruby & Locksley! This was our trip to the Gulfarium, the kids were all amazed at how close they were to the dolphins. For most of their trip they feigned slight boredom but when they were next to the dolphins you could see how their eyes lit up with excitement. Worth every penny!
Another shot of Katy running away from me!
Isn't this a great picture? Abby took this (9yr) and the trainer does have a raw fish in her mouth that the dolphin took without a hitch. I love sushi but this is kind-of gross, cool but gross!
More dolphin shots, I think Abby took this one also.
The end of the day, tired, excited, and dolphin'd out (well not really but they were closing so we had to leave). I love homeschooling, these cousins would have never had this visit if either family had been in school and also an extra bonus, we almost had the whole Gulfarium to ourselves. I just realized the babies are missing from this picture because Christina had Esther in her wrap and I had Katy in the backpack. |
Posted in Family Life
|
Katy is 1 today! Boy did this year fly by, last year at this time I was chomping at the bit to meet her, she was born at home around 9:00 pm. She had an irregular heartbeat so we were anxious to get her here. What a joy she is, I am just estatic at how amazing God is, he has chosen the perfect children for us. They are all just amazing. They all love their little sister so much and we have been looking forward to today to help her celebrate her first completed year with us.
Saturday was such a fun day! Eric had a deep sea fishing trip (we will be eating Red Snapper for weeks, YUM!) & the kids & I had planned to do a thorough cleaning of the house. We are also going to cut processed sugar out of our diet on Tuesday (after Katy's b-day, she had to have cake & ice cream for her b-day) so I thought we would go get doughnuts for breakfast & I would work them hard while they were on a sugar high. Well, apparently there is not a Dunkin Donuts or a Krispy Kreme anywhere in Baldwin Co. Alabama but I found one in Pensacola, FL. I have not been to Pensacola since we moved here, actually, I haven't been since I was a teenager (let's just say it was a looooong time ago). I used to live there when I was younger. We moved back & forth from Pensacola to Milton a bit. Anyway, the way people talk about Pensacola I imagined it being like NYC or Atlanta to drive around in (I do NOT drive in NYC & I will but do not like driving around Atlanta) so I was a little apprehensive. And then I decided that if we were going to make the trip over for doughnuts we were going to go to Navarre Beach. I used to go there as a kid & I have wanted to take the kids there. So anyway, I map quested our destinations & off we went. It was such an easy drive & not nearly as intimidating as I had imagined. I was really surprised at how much I recognized. My dad was a police officer & I recognized the police station (it is not a police station any more). I also recognized Seville Square (not sure if I am spelling that correctly). We found Krispy Kreme very close to the old police station (wonder if my dad ever hung out there
We are going to work on potty training Seth this week. He is very ready but I had been holding him off until we got a little more settled from our move. So now is the time. Other than going to pick out some gifts for Katy we will be home all week to give him undivided attention. Cross your fingers & say a prayer (or just say a prayer) I could be down to just one in diapers by this weekend. |
). So after that we headed to Navarre Beach. I found it without any problems but the area of the beach we had gone to when I was a kid had been washed away in one of the hurricanes. That was a let down & very sad. But we did discover a fun playground right on the water w/ a splash pad & a butterfly house. So we grabbed a picnic lunch & hung out there for a while. Needless to say, we did not clean the house but we had such a FUN day. We just forgot that daddy couldn't be with us (which would have been a focus of our day if we were home cleaning) & enjoyed the day ourselves. The kids were rejuvenated & so excited to see daddy & tell him all about their day. They now refer to Navarre as "mommy's beach", it's very cute. I am so excited to take Eric & now I have to get directions to our old house in Pen & Milton. I would love to drive by & see them. My elem school in Milton is no longer an Elem school but I think the building is still there. I will have to plan a trip to do that one day but for now we really enjoyed our spur of the moment trip. It was a lot of fun & I can clean the house this week.Posted in Family Life
|
Today is Eric's b-day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY POOKEY! He never reads my blog but for that one time that he looks through here, there it is. He is 38 today, I can't believe the end of the 30's is upon us. Where did it go? I had planned on getting him a fishing pole & some fishing stuff but our DVD player broke & since we do not get television this was going to put a big kink in movie & game night at the Cashen household so he got a DVD player. He was not surprised at all, oh well. We also got some new games & a few books on audio from the Titus2 website. We had to brave Walmart today to get his cake & other b-day stuff (The boys thought Daddy needed a Pirates of the Carribean theme) I had hoped to go early in the day but Katy (12 mo on Monday) started throwing up. We went to the beach last night & she ate so much sand, I really hope that is what caused her to be sick. So we did not get to Walmart until late. I really support Walmart in allowing the Salvation Army to be there over the holidays & I know they have done other worthwhile things but I REALLY dislike shopping there. It never feels clean, it is always so crowded, & the quality of the merchandise is poor at best. I am embarrassed to admit it but I am looking forward to the new Super Target opening. I may still have the crowds to contend with but they have much cuter stuff. It really boils down to a preference of Stuffmart (Madame Blueberry-Veggietales). Maybe I'm spineless but I have chosen my battles carefully & this is one I just want to throw in the white flag and pick out some cute clothes for my baby without the guilt.... |
Posted in Family Life
|
Life... The girls have been begging to make cornhusk dolls for quite a while. We bought cornhusks from Walmart over a month ago and have been carrying them around with us. We just never seem to find the time for the handicrafts. Finally, last night we did it. It was so much fun, making the dolls was fine but just sharing this new experience with the kids was priceless. Why does it take so long to find the time for these sort of experiences? The girls each made their own pilgrim doll, they are so cute, and I made Indian dolls for the boys. They hung over my shoulder giving directions & making requests for their Indians. They were just as excited as the girls. They played with their dolls most of the day. We followed (sort of) the directions from The American Girls Handy Book by Lina and Adelia Beard.
A friend and I have started a Christian hs support group and we are going to offer Keepers Of The Faith groups so we can try out many new handicrafts, sports, character qualities and life skills. Finally, built-in time to do these things w/ my kiddos. Our group site is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JOYFULLYhomeschoolinginbaldwinco
...and Death! Yesterday, the neighbor kids found some ducklings in a parking lot and brought them over for my kids to see. (Nature study!) Jack was a little apprehensive about touching them but finally came around and was actually holding the cute, fuzzy, little thing. The duck did not want to be held and jumped out his hand and landed on the ground, breaking his neck. Jack was so upset. He thought he killed the duck. His cry was so sad and mournful that it broke my heart. I tried to explain that it is ok to be sad when one of God's creatures dies but that he did nothing wrong. This was a boo-boo I couldn't heal with a kiss. I felt so helpless. He is over it today, kids are so resilient.
I think tomorrow is a beach day, we need a fun outing.
Gotta run, my babies need me! |
Posted in Family Life
|
I want to list some of the books we are reading in our free time so the kids can look back over time & see the great literature they have read. Some of it is twaddle (I love that word, thank you Charlotte Mason) but most of it is valuable.
Abby (9yr): Science in Ancient Greece by Kathlyn Gay Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled by Milton Meltzer Math Talk by Theoni Pappas (These are math poems that 2 to 3 people read simultaneously. I thought they looked cute but not very beneficial until we read & learned what fibonacci meant. Now I am much more impressed w/ the living math books I purchased) Mathematicians Are People, Too by Luetta Reimer & Wilbert Reimer Viking Tales by Jennie Hall The Light Princess by George MacDonald Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare (We are reading the play & taking turns with the different characters, we actually doing this one together) Science in Ancient Mesopotamia by Carol Moss Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill Little Britches by Ralph Moody (This is actually one I am reading aloud to her b/c I wanted to read it also.)
Erin (7yr): The Waterbabies by Charles Kingsley (Avoid the movie at ALL costs but the book is great) The Pied Piper of Hamlin by robert Browning The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang ...she also reads lots of the books aloud to the little ones, see list below...
Read alouds to Jack (4.5yr), Seth (3yr), and Katy (11mo): * these are favorites that we always keep around, we read these a lot. All the other books we will rotate out in a week or so but this is what we are reading (over & over) right now.
From Zero To Ten: the story of numbers by Vivian French & Ross Collins The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman Missing Mittens by Stuart J Murphy *The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and Kurt Wiese *Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send For The Doctor Quick Quick Quick by Remy Charlip *Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown *Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Ahlberg *On Mother's Lap by Ann Herbert Scott Kon-Tiki and I by Erik Hesselberg Winnie-the-Pooh by AA Milne Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young *Curious George by HA Rey What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin David and Goliath by Heather Amery *Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney *I Love You The Purplest (This is Seth's favorite but I can't remember who wrote it & I am not going to search for it right now, maybe later) Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton *Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
Me (34yr): Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Managers of Their Home by Steven and Teri Maxwell Managers of Their Chores by Steven and Teri Maxwell For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Birthing God's Mighty Warriors by Rachel Giove Scott Home Education by Charlotte Mason How Should We Then Live? by Francis A Schaeffer
This seems like a ton of books but we keep them scattered throughout the house and read as the mood strikes. Personally, I like to have something to read while I nurse the baby (maybe that's why I nurse them for so long, so I will have an excuse to sit & read!) The Managers of Their... books I read in the morning after my bible study & I hope to be finished w/ those soon. Abby will read a chapter from a few different books at one sitting & then move on to something else so she really benefits from the short incremental readings/lessons recommended by Charlotte Mason. I really need to reduce my book list so I can finish books faster, or maybe not...
.....so many books so little time.
Gotta run, my babies need me!
|