Creepy AND Cool~

EK went out to walk Macy after dinner and ran in to say there was a big black snake on the driveway.
We walked outside to see it, and I could tell EK wanted to see it closer~

She began picking it up with a stick, then with her hands~

I could have made a big deal about how creepy this was or how terrified I was for her to hold it,

BUT what if I snuffed out her passion for animals with my attitude?

SO I encouraged her to pick it up if she was sure~

I think you can tell by her face how she feels about her bravery!
Everyone was amazed by the snake AND their sister!!!
Getting ready for a little gecko she will be adding to our family soon.

Diligence~

EK is working hard on her horse study every spare minute because she earns $1
for every completed lesson which she is planning to buy her gecko with~

 And look at this amazing dragon drawn by SJ~

Diligence for sure!

A Tree Frog~

EK's wish came true this morning as she rescued a tree frog from the skimmer~

It became our focus of the day and now we can't wait to hear them sing tonight!!!

Warm Weather~

The week of Rosie's spring break could not have been more perfect~

 Shorts and tshirts, long days in our yard, and walks in the evenings~

EK was especially happy for the time with her big sister!!!
Evie wanted me to take a photo of her 'natural' gun OR drill depending on what she's playing that day.
Yay for early Spring!!!!!

Weekend Memories~

We saw a beautiful rainbow Saturday night. and it just so happened I shot this pic with daddy under it~

Amelia was gone for the weekend so her dog assistant took care of Cabot. :)
Afternoons and evenings are spent outside around our house,
and I had the kiddos line up so I could freeze this moment forever.
{Look at SJ on tiptoes not wanting the boys to be taller than her since it was her idea to line up in age order:}

Meet Martin~

We have another pet found out in our backyard.
Meet Martin~

 Isn't he the coolest?

EK certainly thinks so!!!

Kids and Hobbies~

I wrote a new post for A Beautiful Symphony today after a weekend of sewing with EK.
I made boutique bottoms for the bitty three to wear for the consulate appointment
and she made an adorable bird~

Kids and Hobbies~

How do kids decide what they are interested in and drawn to? How much responsibility do we take in the decision or allow the child to decide the path?

I think as parents we take the role of leading our children to a myriad of interests and watch to see which bloom or bomb. Most times our job will be to help them try again or say it’s okay to try something new.

In our family we have watched lots of interests bloom then fall by the wayside while others developed into lifelong pursuits.

Click HERE to continue reading.

EK's Art Projects~

EK has been sketching and watercoloring our pets this week~

I think she takes after her big sis Mill!
Sadie and Macy

More Birthday Happiness~

EK was surprised by memommy and pop with her very own Kindle~

 The big girls gave her a kavu bag plus Rosie came home for the evening~

 EK decided she wanted to make her own birthday cake with little figures from her room.
We were SO happy to have Sissy and Sam here for the weekend~

 It was a great project and turned out cute~

 Today we celebrated with extended family~

There were more gifts: horses to paint, horse sheets, horse drawing books, chapter books to read, and money.
I think we can say this was a great birthday for our girl!!!

Sick Girl

We have a sick girl and took her to the dr~

Ear infection, wheezing, and coughing non stop.
Hoping the meds kick in before her birthday Thursday!

New Pets~

It never fails... a fish dies every time we are gone to China,
and EK's fish, Oliver was looking a little 'sick' so he went to lake heaven Monday.
Yesterday Rosie took EK & SJ to Petsmart to choose a new one,
and they came home with TWO~

 SJ said it was the best day of her life! :)

Meet EK's dumbo betta, Finley, and SJ's regular betta, Aqua Marine.
Beautiful New Pets!!!

Lizard Love~

Warm afternoons make getting outside so wonderful.

Today EK and SJ took a Cosco apple container and made a reptile habitat~

They scooped up 7 lizards, named them, and everyone loved watching them.

SJ was so proud of herself for picking one up for the very first time.

(She even took pics with her IPod so she could write about it in her journal!)

Once it was dusk, they were all released back into our yard.

Lizards are very loved at our house!!!

A Beautiful Weekend~

Friday afternoon we headed to Sherrie Brooke's wedding with Aunt Susan~

 Rosie and Hayden met us there and we had a ball~

 Saturday I picked up Walmart toy catalogs for everyone and were perfect for an afternoon of Christmas dreaming~

 Sunday we loaded the new KidSpring app with songs and videos from our church, NewSpring... 

Evie was pretty happy about it~

 And as I watched the game with Scott I looked over to see EK and Macy playing horses near the tree~

It reminded me just what Simple Sundays are all about!

A Beautiful Weekend!!!

The Keeper of the Dogs~

EK is number one Keeper of the Dogs~

She bathes them all by herself, walks them many times a day, brushes them,

and plays with them any part of the day she is able~

 Macy is beginning to get the family thing down and enjoying her kids~

When they are out and she is in... 

she is watching them out the window constantly.

Love our doodle Macy and lab Sadie!

{Need to get some pics of Sadie too. :)

EK's Story about Cabot~

Home!~

Haven't seen this big of a smile since we left for our vacation~

I think Macy is even smiling!!!

 Best friends back together!

More Lost Teeth~

Both PC & EK have lost teeth this week~

{Payne's first}

With dad being the family extractor and me the photographer.

The tooth bank is officially closed and no more pulling allowed this week. :)

Happy Tooth Day kids!!!

Macy~

 Was allowed in the schoolroom today and did pretty well!!! :)

Good girl Macy!!!

A Tree Frog~ {Nature Study}

Of course just when I get our routine nailed down on paper

I realize it doesn't exactly gel with my kiddos so I made some changes again.

{Science}

EK always takes care of the pets after breakfast and loves to check the skimmer.

Today she found a tiny little tree frog, named him Tubby, and created him a home~

 She immediately went into research mode and decided Tubby was a Gray Treefrog.

Her spelling assignment was writing a story so I had her record some of the things she had learned~

 The research continued into her reading time and then~

 EK really wanted to go back to our previous Science curriculum so we did~

and our place left off was frogs... I think it was meant to be!!!

Nature study and Science curriculum colliding perfectly!

The Tree Lady Row~ {Along with Blueberries for Sal and A Tree is Nice}

We have continued to row The Tree Lady and today we designed the perfect park

we would like to be built in our small town~

For Blueberries for Sal I made up a game using a big die, a silver pail, and our Tenzi dice (blueberries)~

 The girls rolled the dice, identified the number pattern, then dropped their dice~

 in search of the same number pattern to drop into their pail.

Fun way to strengthen visual discrimination, fine motor, number patterns,

number recognition, matching, and so much more.

They have played this game over and over

so it was definitely a hit.

I have also watched them teach the bigger kids how to play

so that is even a bigger bonus.

Math at its finest!!!

AND because it can be tiring to read the BFIAR and FIAR books every single day~

I get help from my super reader EK!!!

SO thankful!