First catch!

This past Memorial Day weekend we got a chance to go camping with some friends from church. The highlight of our boys was going fishing for the very first time (dad included).

The boys were very patient and surprisingly spend all morning fishing!! Now I know how to get some uninterrupted summer reading done this year! Just gotta find a fishing place near us! LOL!

Caleb's first catch didn't take long.

Noah happily waiting for his.

It paid off...he also caught a little perch. :)

The biggest catch of the day goes to Caleb who caught this 13 inch long catfish! Well done, boys!

Blessed beyond measure

After four months, we finally have in our hands a decent picture of all of us. I was looking at this picture and remembering all the goodness of the Lord in our lives so far this year. We truly are blessed beyond measure by our Great and Awesome God. He has been faithful even through difficult trials. My heart is overhwhelmed right now by His love for us and the blessing of family. I pray our family will always be a living sacrifice to the praise and glory of His name. Hallelujah!

You did it, Caleb!

Caleb has completed his first writing book and I am very proud of him He worked very hard and always gave mom his "best letters". I am very pleased with Handwriting Without Tears. The program is so easy to use, it's gentle for little learners and look at that clear and neat writing of my boy! What else can I ask for? He learned to write all his upper and lowercase letters and numbers and was very confident every time.

I'm looking forward to start now copywork the Charlotte Mason way.

Sweet Sarah

Some recent shots of our little princess. She is now 4 months old and growing and changing a lot. She is a very happy and sweet baby and we are all enjoying her very much. Last week it was her baby dedication at church (pictures to follow). We pray this will be the first of many spiritual milestones in her life.

Noah turns 4!

Today is Noah's birthday! He is now 4 years old!!

Mom and Dad are very proud of you, Noah. We thank God for your life. You are a very fun kid to be around. We love your sense of humor, your cheerful and tender heart, your hugs and kisses for us, your silly dances, your big thoughts, your helpful hands, your super fast and bouncy feet, your face full of smiles, your devotion to Caleb and Sarah and above all...your love for God's Word.

Dinosaur Lapbook

Back in the fall we enjoyed learning all about Dinosaurs, using a unit study from HomeschoolShare. We never got around working on the lapbook until now! It was great to wait to do this because it gave us a chance to review what we have learned. Here are some picture of the lapbook. We did not use all of the printouts.

You can find the lesson plan and printouts here.

Noah decorated the cover with dinosaur foam stickers.

Knights Lapbook

Homeschoolshare also has a great lapbook to learn all about Knights. The boys loved preparing this lapbook and had fun with the suggested reading.

The boys designed their own coat of arms for the cover.

Sir Noah, label a castle and castle dot to dot

Sir Caleb, label a knight's armor, life of a knight, weapons, words with "kn" and where on earth mini book.

Bird's Nest

A pair of mockingbirds have been busy this past week building a nest in one of our backyard trees! I have not had a chance to take a picture of them "at work" but here's a shot of the nest. What a treat for my boys and especially for Caleb. He is the one who told me "Mom, there are two mockingbirds, who keep flying back and forth to that tree. We need to find out what they are doing". I love that! It fills my heart to see how both Caleb and Noah are so aware and observant of the nature around them. They are, at their tender age, aware of the hand of God in creation.

I love how they spot an animal and take the time to study it. Just today, we went to the pond near our home and they spotted some egrets. It's so neat to hear them say, " I saw a tall egret. His legs and beak were yellow and his neck was long and skinny. He walked slow but flew away really fast" (instead of just saying "I saw a bird").

Now that Caleb is writing on his own, we are definitely starting a nature journal and I can't wait! Caleb will be able to write on his own and Noah can dictate his sentences to mom. I'm thankful to "know" so many wonderful FIAR blogging moms that already do nature journaling, and I will be gathering inspirations from their blogs.

Back to blogging!

I've been busy with my little ones but I've missed blogging so I'm back to share our adventures.

Does your living room ever look like mine?? (Please, say yes!) This is how mine is looking lately. Since we have hardwood floor Brad bought a floor mat so that Sarah can practice some supervised tummy time every day. Well, the boys LOVE the mat. They just can't resist joining their baby sister! They think her mat is too "plain looking" and so as good big brothers, they are constantly on a mission to bring some life to her play area.

Do you know what I see on this picture? Hmm, let's see...3 pillows from my bed, two from the guest room, two blankets from the boys room, lots of little toys for Sarah and a red toy bin (that was full of toys before being carried to the living room). All the items will hopefully make it back to their place some time in the afternoon. Of course, my first thought is "Aahh, what a mess!"

But then, do you know what else I see? I see two very happy boys and a deeply loved sister. I am pleased to inform, I will not be trading this for a very organized living room any time soon. ;-)