Is That a God Bird?

     "Is that a God bird?" asked my 6-year-old this morning as we worked through his Phonics pages. Here's what he saw:

To his credit, the Seton dove and gull do look a lot alike! 

    My biggest two boys followed a Betty Crocker recipe for apple pie the other day. Everyone always loves to help peel apples with this fun toy, and I'm glad my kids are getting more experience in the kitchen. It's fun working together on projects like this!

    This has been a great fall, honestly, and it's just really cool to see where each of my kids shine. The oldest is a 6th grader and he loves to read and sketch. The 4th grader is happiest cooking in the kitchen or sitting with the dog and reading. He's also a perfectionist. The 3rd grader has to be moving all day long. He's currently racing a wheelie car as fast as he can in the loop in our unfinished basement. He comes up the stairs dripping sweat. He is not a perfectionist and schoolwork is not his favorite part of the day. Our 1st grader loves to draw and create with trash he finds in the recycle bin. He recently lost his two front teeth and just today he learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels!

I'm constantly finding random creations like this.

It took him a long time, but the 4th grader did a beautiful job!

Not a bad way for either of them to spend a morning.

    Our Monday was rough this week, so I decided to shake things up and move out of the school room for a few days. We've been doing the bulk of our school work from couches and chairs in our living room, and it's been relaxed and great. I'm so glad because I really do want our boys to have good memories of our homeschooling this year. I sit between the 3rd and 1st grader, and this position has helped the 3rd grader's mood exponentially. I love it. What a gift this year has been. 

    I should also note that my oldest is better at math than me. It's a humbling situation to be in, but I'm not too proud to admit it. We sit and do his Saxon math together every day; I work on my paper and he works in his notebook. When we get different answers, we double check to see who was correct, and more often than not, H is right and I'm pretend-yelling at him for laughing at me. I figure I'm just increasing his confidence in mathematics. You're welcome, buddy.

    May God bless each of you and may you be as happy as our dog with this huge stick.