Easter

Easter 2012

MK was all into drawing on her eggs this year. We tried tattoo eggs but those were just not meant to be!
Maddox carefully cared for her eggs one by one....

A happy bunch.
Take note that Maddox is less than enthusiastic in the photos included in this post. She prefers all pictures of her be made with the face below and she gets highly irritated when one mother asks her to smile pretty for the camera. Sigh.
This one was made as Ryan played games with her. I was trying to capture the curly hair. So cute!
On Saturday we visited with my parents and my brother's family to celebrate this little guy! What a cutie:)
And on Sunday we were all together for church, Easter lunch and the annual egg hunt!
Our second Easter as a family of six! Beautiful.
Pop and the boys.
Maddox is the typical two year old hunter. She finds one egg and does not move again until the one egg is opened and the treat inside is eaten. Then and only then is it time to move on and find another egg!
MK is our treasure hunter.
Pop and Gran with their fab nine.
Finally the Easter bunny surprises were found upon our arrival home. Everyone was thrilled to see that the little guy hopped over our way even in our absence!
and, lastly, we can likely assume that this girlie is going to be a fan of big girl panties :). I am thinking she had on at least eight or nine pair.

Jekyll Island 2012

Jekyll Island 4H has once again proven to be a favorite to my children. The experiences that they have shared during their trips to the island will be memories of a lifetime. Let me start with the relationships. We had 10 children on this trip ranging from 6 years old to 12 years old. The beauty of it all came together when we saw the older boys teaching the younger boys how to play Four Square or seeing a 12 year old help a 6 year old remove an organ from a shark during dissection class or the 10 year old assisting the 7 year old with his casting skills while surf fishing.....these guys are tight.

During a Jekyll 4H experience, there is little "downtime." We arrived at noon on Monday and we were deposited on the beach for our first class at 1:15. From there we traveled into the marsh, then dinner, then a campfire, then an instructor led night class to include the viewing of Mars, Venus and Jupiter along with several constellations, followed by bedtime....
By 8:00 am the following morning, we found ourselves immersed in the Maritime Forest along with many, many mosquitos and an interesting snake.....
And at 10:30 am we were all engulfed in the dissection of our shark buddies....
Last year Pryce did not make it through the dissection....this year, he was the first to cut.....
and he was all smiles as he pulled and cut and he LOVED showing off the organs when they were removed....ewww.
Following our dissection, we toured the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, then it was out to the beach for a seining class, dinner, a snakes class, salt water fishing class and, ahem,.....
Dairy Queen! After all, it had been a wonderful, fun filled, busy day so why not treat ourselves to a little sweet treat :)
After a quick, restful night, we awoke to an early morning class on the beach....this class was mainly about erosion and we were simply taken away by the beauty that was laid before us....
The children wasted no time at all exploring.....
and I managed to get a quick pic with two of my favorite boys.....
and here is a random group pic....this was a great idea yet didn't quite pan out to be what we had in mind....however, all of my pictures were taken with my phone so they all have a bit of their own flavor!
After our early morning beach class, we all grabbed a rod and reel and headed to the beach for our final adventure....surf fishing! Our catch included two sharks, two fish and.....
one stingray caught by PRYCE! He was one excited guy!
Our crew....we were all feeling a bit silly at this point:) Good times had by all! So thankful for these days with my boys!

A Week In The Life

MK caught her first caterpillar and she was more than happy to have the little critter crawling from arm to arm.....

Baseball practice is in full swing.....
Colin and Pryce participated in our local Bible drill and both passed with flying colors.....
It has been super hot here....with no funds for a personal pool, the convenient and fun slip-n-slide was brought out to cool the sweat....
MK had her school Easter egg hunt.....
She was so happy to see Maddox and me in attendance....
Have I mentioned how these two are growing closer and closer by the day???? My favorite phrase this week has been hearing Maddox say, "Thank you, Mei-Mei." She has the sweetest voice!
Painting rocks....
Cooling off....
Hanging out....
Swinging fun.....
And our final fun of the week, an adoption gathering complete with Easter egg hunting....
Maddox found that her baby fit well in her basket....the eggs were secondary.
And MK with her loot.....
Pryce leading the gang of littles on an Easter egg chat....
The crew.....

Homeschool

During the Roar of Love, each parent is asked to volunteer their time behind stage. I dutifully accepted and assisted during dress rehearsal. We were in a room full of very excited little girls, all playing happily with one another or coloring while waiting their turn to shine on stage. Every little girl was dressed and prepped for stage except one. One little girl made it through every mother as she whined and moaned over the fact that she wasn't going to go on stage. "I want mommmmy" or "I am not ready to get dressed" or "I don't want to go on stage".....those were the three statements she made over and over and over. Of course, it wasn't long before she ended up beside me. And she moaned and hung on to my leg - I don't even let my own children hang on my leg!

I was talking with another mom and I said, "What are we going to do with this little one?" And the mother rolled her eyes and replied, "I don't know. We can't find her mother." And then she said, "You know, she is homeschooled. I just don't think she gets out much." I smiled and listened to this mother as she said a few more derogatory comments towards homeschooling. Then I offered, "I homeschool and my children would never act like this!" I could tell the lady was embarrassed by her comments.

I shared with her how homeschooling was a gift to our family. It is an opportunity that some do not have. The network here is huge. The co-ops offered are fabulous and they provide a school-like environment one day a week for my children - we do co-op specifically for the socialization AND for the classroom/teacher interaction; the responsibility is all on my kiddos and if their work doesn't get done, they get a note home from their teacher (thankfully, this has never happened!). I recognize that my children need this should they go back into a school setting in the future. Aside from schooling, we have a rule (one that I am tempted to break when we have a busy week!) that our children must be involved in one activity or sport. This, too, allows them the experience to be with children their own ages and be under the direction of another adult. We recently had an experience where we did not particularly agree with the coach's direction, he was a bit on the rough side. Our child did not complain but we noticed his anxiety through the comments he would make after games and practice. The mother side of me wanted to just take my child and tell the coach we quit due to his abrupt behavior with the children. However, we took a step back and looked at this particular situation as a learning experience, one that our child would have to adapt to. I shared all of this information with my new friend, and all the while, the little "homeschooled" urchin was wrapped around my leg!

Homeschooling, for us, began as a trial run. I personally wanted to see what it was like. I did not have any expectations. I could not tell you how long it would last and I still can't - my attitude has always been that we will homeschool until it isn't working for us. Right now, it works. The children are all together, and nothing warms my heart more than watching them in the afternoons playing together outside or seeing the relationship blossom between my oldest and youngest when he takes her out to play or listening as Pryce and MK create a whole imaginary game that only the two of them understand. It works. And my children are well adjusted. Well spoken. Happy. Independent. Sheltered? Maybe. (This is the other comment I have gotten lately.) The only response I have for it is that my children are exposed to the world and the negatives it entails.

At the end of the day, homeschooling is a choice. And it is a choice that our family has made and loved. We will cherish the memories forever! Is it for every family or every child? No.

And the little "homeschooled" girl at rehearsal? Mom was found. Costume was put on. She pranced out on stage, shined and, as she was making her way back to our room, she asked, "So, do you want my picture? Did you see how well I danced? Take my picture!" Gee, if she only knew the mental picture of her that will be etched in my mind forever!

Our Sweet Firefly

Mason-Kate is our little ballerina. She loves to dance and twirl and twirl and dance some more. She began ballet at the age of 2 and hasn't missed a beat. We are so thankful for the ballet school that she attends. It is professional yet basic. Every year the school "recital" is a ballet that everyone participates in called The Roar of Love. Based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we love traveling to Narnia with our girl!

Two years ago, MK participated in the Roar as a Cherub. She was a bit nervous due to Aslan's presence on the stage. Wow, how times have changed. Not only was Aslan on stage this time, but MK had to proceed around him closely. And she wasn't scared one.little.bit.
Of course there is a dressing room for the stars of the show. I caught this shot of MK as she colored - love how she is prepping her feet for the tip-toe walk onstage!
And here she is....tip-toeing and smiles all the way!
Because she looked as if she knew exactly what to do and when to do it, I asked her, "MK, how do you know when to do your part? Do you listen to the music for your cue or do you just follow everyone?" Her response, "Well, my teacher, Ms. Rachel, told us what to do and then we knew what to do cause they told us we had to, that's it."
And so she followed her instructors and didn't miss even a beat....
I wish I knew what their attention was diverted to....I was too busy taking pictures to notice anything besides MK on stage :)
Our little Firefly - so sweet.
The fanfare was waiting outside with flowers and gifts and hugs aplenty....
We were so glad to have all four grandparents in attendance. The boys enjoyed the show too. It helps that the story is familiar to them AND that they know several of the girls in the production. And they were thrilled to see several other "brothers," who are also friends, in the audience as well.
Can't believe our little ballerina is growing up so quickly. Just two years ago she was screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!" as the show's curtain call was taking place. At the age of 5, she showed no fear and seemed to just take it all in stride. Life's a dance in her world!