TOlater

Shortcake's version of tomorrow at 3.5 year old = TOlater.

Hot Chocolate Remembrance Picnic

I loaded up the picnic basket with some vintage Tupperware mugs, a thermos of hot chocolate, grabbed our picnic quilt and out the door we went. We set up our picnic under the big Oak, next to the weathered bench, near my mom's gravesite. The kids brought some pink daisies that grow in our garden and I brought an arrangement I ordered from my girlfriend, I wanted something pretty to decorate the iron bench.

 As the kids sipped and dunked their cookies I read to them from one of our history books, Rascal. We didn't really talk about grandma or say anything special on this two-year anniversary of her passing. We just spent time together, making a memory in a special spot.
 

The crumbs were shaken out of the blanket folds, and the nature books were pulled out of our hiking backpack. We trekked the church parking lot to the pond and discovered milkweed pods, snake grass, a caterpillar, and a leaf turned red with the coming chill.

 Sketching complete, the boys decided to test their strength and they took turns trying to carry me piggy-back across the parking lot. I was completely ungracefully draped across their small but growing backs. A couple of them collapsed under my weight but hurrahed the day they WOULD make it!

 The testosterone had been unleashed and I turned to find Agent E aiming the magnifying glass at a dried leaf, by the end of his pursuit there was less than half a leaf left.

 I still cry, and my heart still aches, yet I rejoice knowing that He loves my mom and us dearly.

Understandable only to her

 












Shortcake (at 3 years) is caught in the middle of this beautiful stage where you can carry on a conversation with her and understand each other fully and then all of a sudden she switches to a language that is perfectly understandable onlytoher.

Project Life - Week 16

Shortcake pretending to be a brunette?

Project Life - Week 15

Theme: One on One

Once or twice a week, once all the kiddies have been tucked into bed, we'll head downstairs to my husband's pride and joy of a theater for some one-on-one time or a "date night".  I love British mysteries and I love that he likes watching them with me.

Project Life - Week 14

Theme: Choose a Theme (I chose A Memory)

We've spent a number of days this last summer and winter out at my dad's place getting it ready for sale.  I'm grateful that school is portable so I can be a part of this process of packing up box after box of memories.  Here Agent H and Agent E are at the old kitchen table (that we get to inherit!) playing a dice multiplication game.  I'm holding close these last photos of my family in my "growing up" home.

Project Life - Week 13

Theme: Makes Me Laugh

Because two spoons at breakfast are better than one for a growing boy.  This is our sweet Agent L.

Project Life - Week 12

Theme: Evening

At the end of this day the boys headed to the family room so they could show off all their Lego creations to Papa.  I love all those arms working harmoniously together in one small space.  It will be a reminder to myself on the rough days to "not grow weary".

Project Life - Week 11

Theme: Morning

In the mornings we gather at the window to wave good-bye and blow kisses to Papa as he heads off to work.  Love that man.  Then off we go to breakfast, chore charts, and lessons.

Since taking this photo, the company that EH has worked at for the last 15 years closed its doors.  It was a surprise to us all.  We're in the process of sending out resume, after resume, after resume and seeking God's will for this next phase of life together.

Project Life - Week 10

Theme: Familyness

Familyness thoughts brought to you by me:

- I wish the background piles were as easily edited out as the nicks in the wall

- The duck in the bright Nike shirt is my son's birthday twin so he counts as family

- Healthy eater PSA: This was the first time in my mommy life that I've purchased Pringles.  There are some experiences necessary to childhood.

- I love family!

Project Life - Week 9

Theme: Blue

Shortcake, 3 years

Agent L lost his FIRST tooth!

I know it's been said over and over "I can't believe he's this old".  But for real!  When did my baby Agent L get to be old enough to loose his tooth?  By the looks of things there will be another one to follow shortly.

Agent L at five years 1.31.14

Feeling Loved

I think someone (ahem, Agent H) slipped out of their bed to sneak this onto our pillow one night last week after we had gone down to watch a movie.  Yes, that says we rook (AKA: rock).  I love how he taped 50 cents to it and wrote "one for each of you". Feeling loved.

Welcoming Papa Home

Papa is home!  Not from some long trip, just home from a day at the office.  He is loved.

Service Projects

Agent H's curriculum inspired us to seek out service projects this year.  We have found a couple of ways to pursue this . . .

1.) Head to church and help out with organizational projects in the children's area
2.) Make a list of people to pray for
3.) Make a batch of bars to put in the freezer at church to be used for those in need
4.) Send an encouraging card to someone

I have a few other ideas in mind:

An idea I picked up from a friend is this one about writing letters to those who have been jailed for their faith in other countries through Prisoner Alert.

And then there's working with these local missionaries and friends at cru.

I can't believe we haven't made it to Feed My Starving Children yet this year, going to need to make that happen.

Project Life - Week 8

This week's photo assignment was "everyday adventure".

I'm a homebody to the core and thankfully my kids don't seem to mind so most of our adventures take place at home in the simple things.  Here is an everyday kind of occurrence.  Agent L was happy to have his big brother (Agent H) join him for a few minutes of playing cars and dog-fighting airplanes.  Agent E (the knight/Union soldier in the background) was doing his math.  Have I blogged about how much we love our math program this year?  I could write them a love letter for how they have transformed math time at our house.  Thank you Teaching Textbooks!

This was Agent L's spot in the boys' room.  Since he moved over with Shortcake to share a room I wanted to capture a quick photo of him and the ABC train he worked so hard on last year.  It was hard to snap a shot in-between all his ninja moves!

Project Life - Week 7

It all started with Math.  Agent E likes a little head massage while he's thinking through his multiplication tables, so I obliged him.  Shortcake wanted to show some love too so she found Agent H's head while he studied his AWANA lesson.  She has such gentle hands.  And then Agent H returned the loving act.  I love how Shortcake's eyes are closed and she is just resting in his tender hands.

Valentine's 2014

A belated Valentine's Day from all of us!

Shortcake's valentines were created/printed on our computer and then stamped with the bear to be colored by her.  It's cute how she mainly just colored the feet of the bears.  Agent L's came from Simple Living Mama.  They were a free printable color-by-number.  I shrunk them so I could fit four to a piece of card stock.  Agent E's we found as a free printable at Over the Big Moon blog.  I'll warn you that they are in pink over there but we were out of color ink (again) so we just printed them in black and white and they were fine.  He actually doodled his own Mine craft pictures on a lot of them but then he had 44 to make for our co-op Valentine's party so he started just putting smiley faces on them.  Agent H spent a ton of time cutting and pasting his together.  Around number 40 of 44 he said "Mom, why didn't we just print these out on green paper?"  Yah, that would have been smart kiddo.

Valentine's day came on a Friday night which is our regular pizza and a movie night so we ordered heart shaped pizzas from Jets, drank sparkling juice, watched How They Do It on Netflix, and wrapped the fun up with a scavenger hunt and some chocolate.

Ski Trip 2014

Here's some more on that ski trip!  Most of these pictures were hijacked from Facebook, thanks ladies!

Last year, was my first year to tag along on this luxury ski trip for women planned by my SIL (EH's sister).  I love that woman!  Somehow she creates luxury out of an economy budget.  

Favorite Memories:

Piling on our bed in the loft and reading in the sunlight

Eating fabulous food that was prepared for us, no cooking for three days!

Having your eyelashes grow little ice crystals on them

Chocolate covered berries

Conversations with ladies I know and now know

Finishing an entire book (it was short)

Chair massage by the fireplace

Homeschool encouragement from some vets and my friend K

There's a certain vision in my head of a place we skied by (sunlight streaming through the trees, surrounded by forest and meadow kind of vision)

I came home with a bruise the size of my son's foot and I fell more times than I'd like to admit, but I did successfully plank a few hills and I skied about 7-8 miles.  Thanks to Christmas gifts I now own my own skis and snow pants.  Here's to hoping for more practice between now and next year's trip.