Happy B-day Daddy!

Nato's birthday was filled with ease and fun.  As a family we enjoyed lunch out and then a simple dinner at home.  In the evening we had a sitter come over to watch the kids while I took Nato out to see Harry Potter 6.  This was our first night out since moving here and it was a good treat for both of us.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Philip's First Haircut

It is finally time to give Philip his first hair cut. I was waiting for Nato to come home and help hold him, but my week was coming to a close and I wanted it done before Sunday, so Jacob became my official helper and he did a great job! Philip was not so cooperative. Here is the play-by-play:

"Uh, mommy what are you doing back there?"

"Hey! What are those sharp, shinny things for?"

"Excuse me! I don't think I want you doing this!"

"Leave my hair alone! It is a fashion statement and my mission is not for another 18 years! Mommy stop!"

When we were finally done i felt as though I had wrestled a couple sheep in a shearing contest. (I had to cut Benjamin's hair too.) But we got everyone cleaned up and we all took a good rest this afternoon.

Note: see Nato's B-day post for a shot of the after hair. I didn't get one today. Not enough hands.

Philip's First Steps

Philip was so excited to have Daddy home after an unexpected 2 1/2 week TDY he decided to take his very first steps today!  Welcome home Daddy!

HOW THE!!!!!!

No I am not a neglectful mother.  I promise!  I had just checked on him and he was pulling baby bibs out of the BOTTOM drawer.  Two minutes later (I promise) Jacob walked in the kitchen and exclaimed, "Hey Buddy!  How did you get way up there?"

First Day of School! First Day of School!

When it comes to school Jacob and Emma's excitement has reminded me a lot of Nemo.  "When do I get to start 2nd grade?"  Has been the constant question from Jacob ever since we ended 1st grade at the beginning of May.  Now you may be wondering why we would begin school in the second week of July.  There are actually many reasons.

1.  A new baby is coming in Aug/Sept, and a break for mommy then would be really nice.

2.  The kids want to.

3. Taking other breaks just one week at a time gives us flexibility if/when the kids start to get burned out.

4. The kids want to.

5.  This also gives us the ability to take a long weekend WHENEVER Nato has one.

5. The kids want to.

6.  A nice LONG family vacation somewhere in the middle of the year, when crowds are small at, yes you guessed it, Disney World!

7. The kids want to.

Honestly when we started homeschooling I never imagined my kids would like school THIS much.  I thought we would have fighting and complaining ALL the time.  The exact opposite has happened.  As soon as breakfast is over Jacob wants to start.  I have to remind him almost daily that I have to finish cleaning up breakfast dishes before we can start and sometimes I need to start a load of laundry, ect.  Jacob has started volunteering to do the dishes just so we can get to school faster.

I give the credit for his ambition to the curriculum we have used and the new one we are using now.  Last year we used one from a home schooling group called Maeser Academy.  It was set up so easily and taught us how to home school.  We now follow a curriculum that I put together with the help of a friend down the road and we like it just as much as Maeser's.  The best part is that it costs a lot less to pull one together yourself, compared to paying someone to do it for you.  I am very grateful for the year we had with Maeser though.  Without it I would still be doubting just about everything I am doing.  They really showed me how to teach a child/children.

So Jacob is now in 2nd grade and Emma is in Kindergarden.  Benjamin, well, he just has to be in the picture because someone is taking one!  Boy they grow fast!  And we are looking forward to an new exciting year of growing.

We won!

A couple of weeks ago Robin entered a drawing at the BX store here on base.  This last week we received a call and wouldn't you know, we won!  What did we win exactly?  Well won a brand new play house for our back yard.  After the Tornado our old one is a little worse for wear, but this one in newer and bigger and actually had a working doorbell!  Note this photo was taken prior to the doorbell installation.  We were all excited to go down and pick it up.  They took pictures of us all right there in the store with the house and then we got to try to get it home. Nato actually had to bring Robin and the kids back home first and then go back for it.  It was too big to get in the van otherwise.  It has been a lot of fun to play and share and enjoy!  We just can't believe we actually won!