Me Ho Ho!

They look so innocent, don't they?

It has been an exhausting month for me, and the funny thing is there's not much to show for it in the way of pictures or progress. I always think of summer as hot breezy sunshiny days being lost in a book or swimming in the pool or spending time being still in the grass watching the clouds roll by. Somehow summer feels way busier than our school year. Swim lessons, VBS, continuing piano lessons, dance lessons, soccer games, special days like Father's Days and birthdays (and yes, I know, many of you are doing this and have new babies and moves on top of that! More prayers coming your way!). Then we deal with the lack of structure, and, hence, sibling interactions and dynamics completely change. It's been one crazy and sometimes frustrating ride, and we're only one month in!

Plus I was dumb enough/blessed enough to read Kisses from Katie, which totally drained me emotionally. If there is one book you read this year, let it be that one! It is an amazing true story and well worth being shell-shocked by the end of it. I'm still asking myself the question, "What now?".

We finally celebrated Rhianwen's finish of Kindergarten at a "garden full of flowers that's not in our yard".

The ice-cream cake with balloon embellishments as requested 'though not so professional, it did please the recipient. Did you know Ben and Jerry's are Fair Trade certified? Excited about that!

This year Rhianwen has mastered reading. She's blowing through chapter books now, and I'm scrambling to find age appropriate books for her since most chapter books are geared toward slightly older kids. She's loving the American Girl books, Wizard of Oz, Trumpet of the Swan, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. She is writing well and is working on her first story with chapters called "Belle and the Witch". I am kicking myself for not teaching grammar, but even if I had, I don't think we'd have gotten to how to write using quotation marks in the first year. We'll be adding lots of those types of subjects next year. I have lots of planning to do! She did Kindergarten math even though I felt she probably could have done 1st, I just wanted to take it slowly and build a firm foundation. And of course, she LOVED God Creation and Me, which was our catch-all---science, language arts, social studies, crafts curriculum. For Bible we worked through Long Story Short, but we're not even halfway done. We'll probably work on that more this year, but we'll take a break for Young Peacemakers.

So, back to summerness:

These boys have a love-fight relationship. I'm thinking this is a brother thing, but most days I think my boys will grow up hating each other and be bitter toward me for allowing this to happen. Then I cry a little and pray a lot. (I'm hoping you wise experienced mothers are laughing at me right now, b/c that will make me hopeful that I am being silly.)

Dancing, in a tutu.

We've had a ton of wildlife here. The most noteworthy to my husband being the pesky groundhogs. I've started calling Wally Elmer Fud. B/c when he goes out to the garden he often carries his gun...

We discovered this guy in the creek behind our house. He hung out long enough for the kids to sketch him.

Oh, life is sweet...at this exact moment.

So intent.

Corwin's turtle masterpiece.

Alden's--don't you love the enormous feet?

And Rhianwen's.

We celebrated Elmer's, oh, I mean, Wally's birthday. I actually really do respect a man who can be logical enough and angry enough to take out a varmint, but I have to be a little light hearted about it b/c deep down I'm sad that something has to die just so we can have tomatoes and beans. I lobby for a fence often.

My guys on Father's Day. Aren't their ties adorable? Two Sisters Original from Etsy makes them, and another adorable thing is that for some they make matching dresses for the sissies!

We are still working on the chicken house....Not sure if Alden thinks he's constructing or demolishing.

Our baby wrens have hatched and are being fed worms and insects constantly by their mama and daddy.

Another snacker.

With all the rain we've had, our creek has become more of a stream.

The kids have had a great time with their boats.

Sadly, we've lost one to the raging currents, boat...not kid. We have hopes it will turn up at the park where I run in the mornings since we've retreived other things from our yard there.

This summer I'm doing a little Mother-Daughter Bible study with Rhianwen and another mom and daughter. We're going through Tea Party Bible Times for Mom and Me. I've enjoyed a little one-on-one special time with her each night, and then we have a tea party once a week with our friends to discuss what we learned and to enjoy being girls :)

An update on our refugee family: the older ones have jobs which will support their immediate needs. We are learning more of their story, trying to navigate guiding them vs. letting them make their own choices, and seeking ways for the rest of our church to interact with them. Please especially pray that God would capture their hearts, that we would be wise yet proactive about showing them our faith, and, more specifically, that the mother would let the children participate in some youth activities.
Jesus wants every person to come to him, II Peter 3:9b. "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." I find it comforting that my desires that my loved ones be saved are totally His desire too. I can pray with confidence.

Lastly for some funnies:
Rhianwen asked me how to spell "cheaty". I said it wasn't a word, so she could spell it however she wanted to. Then Alden piped up and said, "So just spell it I-M-H-O."

Corwin gave me a hat to wear, a normal black triangular type of hat:
Me: Why do I need a hat?
Corwin: It make you a Ho Ho. (This is/was his word for Santa Claus).
Corwin tries standing on his head: Me Ho Ho! Corna Ho Ho!

Rhiawen was looking at a map of the state of South Carolina and asked if it was Africa. I told her it wasn't and that is was the place where the Grandparents lived:
Rhianwen: "North America?"
Me: "No. Continent of North America, Country of the United States, Sate of...."
Rhianwen: "Macedonia?" (...then seeing my amused expression...) "I was just being funny."

Guess we may be traveling to Macedonia for the 4th!

Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Ah yes! We are done with school. I announced to Rhianwen sometime before we were finished that we'd be done with school soon, and she burst out in sobs and wailed, "But I loooooove school!!!".

Mission accomplished.

I did have the grace to tell her that we'd start again after a couple of months off, after I realized that perhaps she thought it was a permanent end.

And I am happy to have a break from the necessity of messes such as the one pictured above.

As an ending highlight to our year, we had the opportunity to go to DC and see Virginia, Macky and her husband Rob and to tour around the capitol. So, of course, I had to prepare the kids beforehand so they'd understand the import of it all ;0) We mostly focused on the Constitution and how our government is organized. I, of course, used the Hundred Acre Woods and the various creatures in it as an example for us to write their constitution and form a government for them. It was determined that Rabbit was too bossy and did not make good decisions, so the presidency went to Christopher Robin. Owl was part of the judicial branch, and Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger made up Congress. I know we wrote a Constitution for them, but I can't for the life of me remember anything but the government organization :)

Then it was off to DC. First stop, National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.

We of course, had to see the Natural History Museum. This was a great way to review different concepts we covered from "God Creation and Me" despite the fact that the museum clearly has a contradicting opinion on origins. 

Can you believe, the kids liked the rocks and minerals section the best! 

We ate lunch on the National Mall, and then walked to the Capitol building. 

The lines were insane, so we just walked around it, but I always forget how enormous and impressive it is. It must initially feel like a huge accomplishment and responsibility to work there.

We saw the Supreme Court building in the distance, hightailed it to the White House, and then enjoyed some frozen yogurt before taking the metro back. 

Of course, the metro and spending time with special people was a highlight for the kids, not to mention for us too. Please ignore my stare of insanity, it is, after all, the end of our first homeschool year!

Now, we're enjoying marble runs...

K'nex building...

Duke Gardens...trying to grab koi...

Or giant turtles...

Finishing up the first full year of ballet and jazz.

I never could figure out who was off on the timing, but they are so adorable!

We have wrestled with whether we really want Rhi in jazz b/c of the music selections that, though tame by the world's standards, are still what we'd consider, not ideal for anyone. The last day of class in jazz, they played "Material Girl" by Madonna (a song I have always loathed). I didn't know this, and we were talking to Rhi afterwards about her class and how it went and what songs they played. She said, "They played Cloth Girl." We were trying to wrack our brains to figure out what she was talking about. She said, "You know, You go to the cloth store and buy cloth. All the boys kiss the girls, and the girls hug the boys." Wally finally somehow connected Cloth with Material, and figured out it was Material Girl. It was hilarious and saddening all at the same time. Here we are trying to teach Rhianwen about purity and her value and worth, and she is dancing to Material Girl. Grrr. Other songs they have danced to: It's Always a Good Time, Here's My Number, and Uptown Girl (they do cut out a lot of lyrics for the dancers). Although she is young, her teachers say she "is showing serious potential for this art form", and to be serious in ballet, you have to take jazz. I know some of her teachers have strong ties to the Catholic Church, so they are not without morals, but, is there a disconnect? I've totally hesitated to even share this b/c I feel like I will get strong responses either way, but this is our life and the quandaries we face.

I keep asking myself, why can't Christians take dance back? It's not anti-biblical; think Miriam & David. It can glorify God! What should that look like? Would it work if we tried?

On a lighter note, Rhianwen was not the only one learning this year. I sat down with Corwin who picked out a body book to read, and when I got to the small and large intestines, he started yelling, "Poop! Poop!". I about fainted! Corwin is well on his way to potty training. I am not calling it that, b/c I don't want the pressure, but he is constantly asking to pee on the potty. He still mostly poops in his diaper, and Wally will say, "Phewee!". Corwin will say, "Poo-bee!". 

Corwin also learned to run like a dog.

And here we are, very obviously, celebrating the end of school for Alden. Can't you see how special he feels? He learned to write, is well along on reading, although it takes some effort still, and did K math with his sister. We have yet to really celebrate Rhianwen b/c of course, she has her own ideas about its scale and timing. She wants a picnic dinner at a garden full of flowers (our yard does not count) followed by ice-cream cake. Somehow, our evenings have been filled for the past 3 weeks such that we haven't accomplished this goal.

In the meantime, we are enjoying life in our yard and at the pool (now that the weather has finally warmed). 

Watching birds build nests. Doesn't this look like a perfect spot for a fairy? I'd like to camp in this for a night.

Hearing funniness:

Rhianwen, the mommy (in her land of make-believe): "I don't know what to do with Jack. He's torn up the nightgown, broken the lights..."

Alden, the daddy: "Send him to a giant...a bad giant."

Rhianwen (short pause): "That wouldn't be right."

Listening to Corwin learning to converse (we understand him, and, yes, it is real English language).

Enjoying the 1st popsicles of the season!