The Proposal

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the time I get to spend with Andrew each day.  I love that I am the one who gets to hear his funnies and his frustrations, his laughs and his cries, his jokes and his stories.  We occasionally finish school early enough to go out to lunch together.  Just the two of us.  Last Friday, we chose Chick-fil-A as our lunch spot. 

We ordered and found a table and as we were eating, the following conversation unfolded.  I am recording it here as I think there is a young lady who someday will get quite a kick out of it. 

A (with his mouth FULL of chicken):  Hey Mom!
M :  Andrew.  Finish your mouthful, then talk.

A (a moment later):  Hey Mom!  I know how I'm gonna propose!
M:  Propose?  To who?
A:  The girl I'm gonna marry!
M:  Oh really?
A:  Yeah.  See, after we've been dating a while, I'll take her to a restaurant where we both like to eat a lot.  And we'll eat and then I'll get down on one knee and ask her and PRESTO!  Done!

So dear daughter -in-law, whoever and wherever you are, please know that you are already in his thoughts and our prayers.  We can't wait to meet you!  In about thirty more years.

Center for Puppetry Arts

 Our first field trip of the year was to the Center for Puppetry Arts.  Nana and Pop-O have a membership, so they treated us to a show.  The boys LOVED it and talked about it for days.  Jonathan especially asked the entire next week if we could go to a puppet show each day.  We will be going back for sure. 

Here are Andrew and Coleman with Nana, Pop-O and Big Bird.  Jonathan would not stop for a photo.

 Coleman and Jonathan had lots of fun before the show making puppet faces in this center area.

 We also got to see a Muppet exhibit.  Coleman wanted his picture made with the Swedish Chef.

Andrew chose to pose with Kermit.

 Here we are in our seats before the performance.  Can you tell how excited Jon Jon was?

Our show was "Aesop's Fables."  Two puppeteers performed five stories based on the fables.  We studied fables very briefly the week before the show, and Andrew was quick to recognize the differences in the actual tales and the adaptations at the theatre.  There was lots of audience participation, and at the end, the puppeteers showed how they created the puppets and put on the show.  Then we each got to take home a kit to make our own stick puppet.  We made these cute mice in art the following week.

And of course, we ended the morning with a trip down the street to The Varsity.  It was a great field trip.  We are all looking forward to our next visit. 

August Recap

Sometimes, it seems like things have been quiet, calm and stable for a long time.  Everyone just goes along and does the same old things they always do.  Other times, it seems like things are changing faster than I can process.  August was that way this year.  Every time I turned around, someone was learning something else new.  Now, all these new skills might not mean much to a grown person, but to a five year old and a six-and-a-half year old they were huge developments!

In the span of about a week, Andrew lost his second top front tooth, learned to tie his shoes in double knots, and learned to snap his fingers!  Not to be outdone, Coleman learned to ride his bicycle with no training wheels and to whistle!  And then, since Coleman's small bike with training wheels was available, Jon Jon figured out how to ride it!  He looks super cute with his Mickey Mouse helmet pedaling around the driveway.

Here are some photos from our other activities in August that we haven't posted about yet.  Last year, we did not do much artwork in school.  Andrew didn't enjoy it at all and it was easier to skip it most weeks than fight the good fight.  This year, we are making it a priority and he is really enjoying it!  Here are some pictures of them using watercolors a few different days.

 We are using Apologia science curriculum this year, and I am super impressed and excited.  This year we will be studying Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.  We started off learning about zoology and classification.  For one activity, Andrew classified all the stuffed animals.  Then, we labeled them by class.  He's posing with the class Mammalia since he is a mammal.

 There are lots of great hands-on experiments and activities included in our books.  Here he is completing an experiment on wing design.  We build two gliders and then tested using the scientific method to see which type of wing would fly the best.

 Coleman was super proud of learning the Pledge of Allegiance in preschool.  Ms. Stephanie gave trophies once the students had memorized it.

 And here's Jon Jon wanting his picture made too.

It was a really busy month on many levels.  Based on how behind I am in blogging, September seems to be pretty busy too! 

Coleman Learns to Ride

 Coleman learned to ride without training wheels in August.  It only took him one good practice session and he was balancing like a pro.  After a few days, he was riding like he'd never even heard of training wheels!  Here are a few pics of him in the early days.  This was before his birthday, so you'll see he's on the Cars bike which is really little for him.  He was so proud of himself.  Every time he went outside, he'd come find me and say, "Hey Mom!  Wanna come make some pictures of me ridin' my bike?!"  How could I refuse?!

And here's a little video of him riding.  Getting started was a little tricky, but you can see he does well dodging various obstacles.  We are perfecting the art of the "Near Miss."

Touch a Truck 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Slip Slidin' Away