Speeding Past

I am amazed at how fast time goes by....my Baby Blessing is 8 months old, almost 9 months old. We bought a 3 in 1 carseat today so the infant carrier carseat is going away, this just doesn't seem possible. I think before I know it he will be a student here at our little school house.

This is our last week of summer vacation, I have a few odds and ends to do but nothing that is urgent or must be done before school starts. We had a really good week this week, we have been dealing with some issues and I am beginning to see some pleasant changes but we have a ways to go yet.  I really need to get out the Charlotte Mason book that covers habit training and I really think I should order the book from one of the Charlotte Mason websites about laying down rails, we are greatly derailed right now......

 

 

May the Lord find us faithful.

August so far

We gathered from our garden: green beans, snap peas, and some of the potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Baby Blessing learned to crawl

 

 

We went to the fair

 

I do not know these performers but I took this picture because this lady is wearing the Alaska state summer shoe wear choice of many. The Xtra tuff, only in Alaska and yes I own a pair!

 

This turkey was just walking around in the small animal barn. Not that that pig is small or anything.

Watching some sort of equestrian event.

 

We picked lowbush cranberries and a very few blueberries

 

Returning home.

 

We went to Creamer's Field for a nature walk with friends, the Candanian Geese and Sandhill Cranes were feeding furiously!! Look out lower 48 friends, they are coming!!!!!

 

I took this picture of these three handsome men outside of church last Sunday. The suit that Baby Blessing is wearing was Blessing #1's suit.  I love, love, love the face that Baby is making!

 

 

Some mornings when we wake up there are birds feasting all over our yard. A snowshoe hair (we named him Peter) has been visiting the garden in the evenings, but he doesn't like his picture taken.

 

The older blessings are enjoying the baby and yesterday while I was making all this

 

 

they did this with the baby, obviously he doesn't mind, they even gave him some treasure.

We are enjoying the last few days of no school...today is the warmest and sunniest day we have had in a while. We took a walk before baby's afternoon nap and we visited the local beaver lodge, they have been busy, next time we will take the camera. And, I should have bought an all terrain stroller!

May the Lord find us faithful.

What we are planning for school this year

I have the curriculum all planned out and are almost ready to go. I think waiting the extra couple of weeks will actually help me out. The next two weeks will keep us busy with habit training (much needed around here) and routine establishing. The baby is actually on a good schedule for now so that is helping me with routine and schedules. For the first time ever we are going to have a morning wake time. I have generally had blessings that get up earlyish and it hasn't been a problem but this summer has changed all that. I am going to have to be scheduled as I set the pace for everyone else, I began last night by getting things ready for Monday morning. We will spend the next two weeks getting bedrooms and other such areas in order for quick work most days. On to the fun stuff:

We are using Winter Promise Quest for the Middle Ages 4/6 and Blessing #3 will continue on with Hideaways in History.

Math U See for math

Spelling Power for some and Phonetic Zoo Spelling for others

English for the Thoughtful Child and Language Mechanic and other Critical Thinking Products as needed.

Science -finishing up Flying Creatures and not sure which one we will chose next; various and sundry earth and physical science studies as well

Beyond Five in  a Row because I love it so much. (And I will get to do it all over again with another little fella in a few years!!!! I am already thinking about all the fun preschool stuff we will be able to do again)

I know I am leaving things out because there is a ton of stuff that I sorted through so I will have to add some later when we actually sit down and go through a school day.

I honestly am not thrilled with the customer service at Winter Promise and don't think I will use them again after this year. I am seriously looking into My Father's World especially since I can include all Blessings together. A real life friend ordered it here and from first glance it looks good and doable, so I may have to switch next year.

 

May the Lord find us faithful.

Part Three

Daddy was only with us at the beach for one night so after his class was finished we drove to pick him up for the rest of our trip. On the way we stopped at the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, NC.  I saw this big Battleship on our way to the beach and I knew we had to stop there when we left. What an awesome opportunity for the Blessings (homeschool mom ya' know!!!) I climbed up and down ladder like stairs with my Blessings and my niece all over this battleship, in the hot, humid NC weather! I am thankful for Grandparents who stayed on the main deck with my baby Blessing and my 2 year old nephew.

 

 

After the Battleship we headed to pick up Daddy and we were off to meet up with more family and meet more cousins!!!!!

 

On the lake! I got a little sun that day, fun stuff ya'll!  I love this man!

 

OH, and this baby! I am so thankful for this Baby Blessing, he is a real special little guy!

Blessing #3 and Pop, this is the first time they had met. Family is family from the start.

Arriving in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Blessing #1 had a birthday while we were traveling and he requested a trip to Dollywood, so we went.

Being as we were near our hometown again we had Pa-Pa, K, and Pa-Pa's neices, and my husband's aunt and cousin and her blessings come meet us for a day of fun. Arriving at the park.

 

My blessings, a cousin and K, we were thrilled to get to see K, we hadn't seen her in such a long time!

Baby Blessing and Pa-Pa

 

The old schoolhouse at Dollywood!

 

Winning a football, Tennessee, of course!

 

We had to stop at Bass Pro!

 

 

 

After this we headed to our home town to spend leisurely days by the pool at the Grandparent's house. We had planned to go to the Creation Museum but we just decided to stay put and do that on our next trip. We had a wonderful cookout one day, to which many friends and family came to spend the day with us. It was fantastic to see all those people. If you are one of those people thank you so much for coming to see us so we didn't have to do anymore traveling.  And Pa-Pa, please email me any pics you have I don't have the class of '88 from the cookout!

We were glad to get  home and get back to our norm.

Now that this monkey is off of my back I can finish getting things ready for school. We begin September 8th!

 

 

 

 

 May the Lord find us faithful.

Lower 48 Part 2

I have finally found time to post more lower 48 pictures. We visited a friend of the grandparents who had horses.

Poppa getting kissed

Blessing #3 feeding the horse a mint.

Riding the golf cart around the property after visiting the horses.

 

After a few days in Mom and Dad's hometown we went to meet Daddy at his class location and then it was off to the beach for a few days with some other  Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and Cousins!

First time walking on the beach and stepping foot in the Atlantic Ocean. They had seen it but not been in it. We prefer to travel outside of Alaska in the winter to give us a break from the winter weather.

Baby Blessing and I on the beach. We were tired that evening from driving and other travel related tirednesses.

 

Daddy and Baby Blessing on the beach.

Our family enjoying the ocean. I really forgot how much I enjoy the ocean, the sounds and smells and sights of the beach! Also, we kept all the Blessings from getting sunburns but Daddy got a little burn on the shoulders after a day in the pool with the Blessings and I got a little pink on the legs near the end of our trip.

A beach creation.

I love this picture of my Dad and the three older Blessings.

Our time at the beach was short but most of our little visits with family were short, three or four days here and two or three days there.

 

May the Lord find us faithful.

Wouldn't this be nice...well for me anyway!

I have a moby wrap which I love....BUT, I have been recently introduced to the Ergobaby carrier and this would be grand for my little fellow as he gets a little older and for carrying on the back. I didn't use a carrier with my other little blessings except for a couple of times attempting to use a sling (didn't work for me). But with older blessings to keep up with we need a carrier more than ever that is why I am entering to win an Ergobaby over at  dealectiblemommies. I hope I win one as I don't think I will be purchasing one any time soon.

May the Lord find us faithful.

Reprieve

The smoke has cleared....Yahoo!! Seeing blue skies yesterday morning was wonderful even though I had to stay home from church with a sick child. She is fine, just a little headache and low grade fever and very exhausted, it is Blessing #2, she even took naps which she hasn't done in many a year.

I am preparing school work hopeful to begin next week depending upon weather...oh, the joyful freedoms of homeschool. Our weather has been quite cool getting down to a low of high 30's last night. The garden still looks good though. I may pick green beans today, we have quite a few. I may even be able to can a few quarts for winter.

May the Lord find us faithful.

Less is More

We had a little less smoke last night and this morning, for which I am most thankful. I am going to enjoy a day of cleaning and homeschool organizing (when I am not cooking, feeding or rocking a baby)!

Our garage door opener died on Thursday so my sweet husband is gone now to get a replacement. We have lived here for 14 years and the opener was new when we bought our house, so I guess 14 years is a fairly good life span for a opener.?

 

 

May the Lord find us faithful.

Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It rained last night and most of today, it could be raining still for all I know. I have been making zucchini bread and cleaning the kitchen from dinner and rocking a baby to sleepy bye land. He is there now and I am going to join in.  It is still smokey but not as bad as last night.

May the Lord find us faithful.

Smoking and I don't mean the Salmon

Smoke, smoke everywhere and no good air to breathe! The smoke has been here since we returned from the lower 48 but it hasn't been too bad until today. Today it rolled in thick and has gotten thicker as the evening as gone on. This news article tells a little about our smokey summer, it hasn't been this bad in about 5 years! I just returned home from church and I smell as though I have  either smoked a few packs of cigarettes while sitting in closed suitcase or spent a few days next to a campfire! Last weekend we went to Valdez to escape the smoke, we might be heading back this weekend for another escape.

I will try to get more vacation pictures posted. I have been busy cleaning and going through school materials in prep for school to start.

 

 

May the Lord find us faithful.