That's a wrap!

 

The faces of kids who finished their school year.  2nd, 6th and 8th are wrapped up.  We'll have a bit of a different schedule during these warm spring days, but keep the school parts we like the best. Once it gets uncomfortably hot in July, we'll gear back up with another year of homeschooling. 

We also wrapped up our homeschool co-op.  I taught Little House to Anna-Kate's class and she had music and movement.  Audra had Etiquette, Police Academy and Viral Science.  Adrian had Leatherwork, Geography baking and Spirobot robot building.   We coordinated an end of the year art show and had a rocking good time. 

Now the gardens are beckoning us! 

Alice in Wonderland

I was a guest reader for the fancy library fundraiser tea party. 

I wore the cape I made for Audra when she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

And I made myself a new costume for the base layer.

It was a nice change doing something for me! 

Anna-Kate is EIGHT

 Anna-Kate, you are EIGHT! 

You are ready to throw your booster seat away now that you're no longer required under Maine law to have it.  You are ready! 

You are a non stop talker and a non stop toucher of all things.  You love friends of all ages, an audience and something to fiddle with. If we don't give you something positive to fiddle with, you will absolutely grab something you aren't supposed to have.  

You love talking, play mobil, coloring with acrylic markers, kittens, talking, baking, crafting, white out, talking, picking flowers, snuggling, talking and talking.  

You talk a big talk of not liking things, when in fact you will eat whatever is put in front of you. You will try anything and eat anything, even if it's gross.  You also talk about how you don't really do work. In fact, you do help quite a bit once you decide. You especially love wiping everything (with LOTS of spray or soap).  

You're a fan of swimming and riding your bike.  You aren't a fan of fetching anything that dropped to the ground.  You enjoy doing gymnastic shows with Audra.  You are currently playing wiffle ball, but your hope in joining that was 0% sport and 100% make friends. 

This will be remembered as the year you cut your own bangs, the year you rocked second grade and the year you read everything by Beverly Cleary, on repeat.  The year you picked steak, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and fried dough for your birthday meal.  

We are celebrating another year of you and thankful for the constant entertainment and laughs you offer. 

Love you, Anna-Kate! 

Love, Mama

Seven and a HALF

SEVEN

Six and a Half

Six

 Five and a HALF! 

Five

Four and a HALF

Four

 three and a HALF.

Here she's three

Two and a HALF

Two

18 months
She's One
9 months
6 months
(Here's 3 months, newborn.)

Happy Easter 2025

 

A regular day

 This morning was a normal school morning, which we all look forward to.  I read, the kids created.

At bedtime tonight, I asked the kids what I should read tonight. 

The consensus was that anything I read today for school would be a good choice for night time reading. I even got complimented that I choose really interesting books.  

This feels like the best type of high five. 

Belt

 Adrian made himself a new belt!  It's now his everyday belt.  

This is the cooperation I got when I tried to get him to pose.  Oh well. The belt is really awesome. 

4-H Bee hives

 We had such a good time building bee hives in 4H (Thank you C and E!) 

Kitty lover

 Just a kitty lover and his BFF> 

Maple

 I took no pictures of the 4H meeting that Adrian led, but did take a pic of the set up. Adrian shared his sugaring experience and had the kids play hot and cold to find all the trees he tapped to collect sap.  We had some boiling down they could experience.  Then they made pancake mix to take home and he made pancakes on the blackstone at the meeting for all to enjoy with syrup.  Love seeing him blossom as a leader. 

Dried flower art

My dear friend Melissa knocked it out of the park with our extension homemakers meeting for March.  She dried all these flowers and let us create with them. Thank you, Melissa! 

Signs of Spring

 The sweet smell of maple sugar, barefoot outside kids, sun in the windows, plants growing, crocuses, mergansers at the river close to us, geese and woodcock sounds.  It's been an icy mess all weekend, but spring is still here. 

Game School

 Last week, I canceled all of our individual work and announced we'd instead play monopoly. Bonus was cocoa out of Maine mugs.  I think these are the days we will all remember. 

More bags

Did a wee bit of stitching at my dad's.  I keep making more natural fiber shopping bags and donating the plastic reusable ones we keep acquiring.  Felt good to get something completed. 

 

Almanzo Wilder's Farm

 

Anna-Kate is doing Little House on the Prairie for her co-op class (A class I have taught for years, she finally gets a turn.)  She doesn't remember Almanzo's House, even though she's been several times before.  We popped in to take some pics and will bring her back when it's weather to tour.

14 and a HALF

 Happy 14 and a HALF, Adrian! 

Happy 14 and a HALF, Adrain!  

What a neat kid you are!  You like to get up early, to use as much daylight as possible, including your morning waving routine.  You put yourself to bed. What a breeze you are.

You're helpful, responsible, dependable and consistent.  You volunteer to step up and are a great help in the community. You have a ridiculous sense of humor and are hilarious.  I enjoy embarrassing you. 

You eat a lot.  I feel like that's not A LOT enough. You eat A LOT, A LOT, A LOT.  You are always wondering what we are going to eat next. 

You have so many hobbies.  Woodworking.  Cutting and splitting wood. Collecting model cars. Building model cars. Making dioramas. Auto mechanic work and research. Drawing. Cooking on the blackstone. Your new ones are leathermaking, collecting carhart apparel and tapping trees to make maple syrup.  

If you had all the money in the world or no money, you would still not drive a Ford.

What a joy you are, even in that ridiculous mullet, I'm still proud of you.  I love you so much, BUBBA!  Love, Mom  

Your little token gifts below...carhart, leatherworking book and blackstone grill attachments.  Plus a big old cake that you ate and ate.

Presentations 2025

 So proud of my kids for rocking their public presentations. 

Oil Changing 

Adopting animals. 

Fostering Cats