Family Pictures

Our friend, Stephanie, took our family pictures this year.  

Her budding business can be found here.

We managed to get a foggy day with lots of ice and snow... and behold the result!

Status Symbol

As our family was driving down the freeway a few weeks ago, Shane and I notice a conversation in the back seat that involves bowel movement.  Somehow a very interesting topic to the young generation.  And Aidan pipes up in his loud, yet squeaky voice:

"My poop is curly!  Sometimes it makes a C... or even a G!"

I suppose as the youngest, you will try anything to improve your status.

At least we were all together as a family making memories, right?

Julia Turns 8!

Happy Birthday, Julia!

A little late to posting, but it was a special day!  We were snowed in.

Although Julia's birthday is not always on Thanksgiving, she is still our little "thanksgiving girl"!  She was born on Thanksgiving in 2005.

This year, her dream was to get the Kaya doll and her extended family surprised her with a few accessories.  She listened to the books on CD the month before her birthday, and became even more excited about getting the doll.  Of course, she wasn't certain that Kaya was among the presents, but I think she felt fairly confident!

                                         
Her Grandma made her a lovely Indian costume, and her Nana made her a bearskin for Kaya to sleep on.  She got some winter clothes and a doll hairbrush from her brothers.

She wanted a Kaya doll cake, and as usual when I'm at a loss, I asked her to draw the cake she wanted for me, so I'd know just what she wanted.  This way, it helps her keep it simple and ensures that I don't disappoint her!

This is Kaya and her horse.

Julia and her brothers:

And Julia's birthday weather:

Bone Family Reunion 2013

Just a few shots from our family reunion this year:

We were determined to get a family photo, even if the weather would not cooperate!

We rented a house on the Olympic Peninsula, and it was rainy as promised!  We were missing one sister, but were able to meet up with her and the ever popular nephews and get a few hugs and pictures of them, too.  So here's a few shots of us as the generations keep on coming!

Time with Gma Jeanne at the Island

By the river with Brynna, Nana and Tyler.

Susan and Shane in the Ho Rain Forest.

The Hollands snuggle Kylie Rose.

The grandkids with their Bone shirts!

A couple siblings shots, minus Gina:

A quick stop at a burger joint to see Gina!

Kyle and Kane, the rest of the grandkids.

A Little Halloween Fun

This year, our Fall Celebration/Halloween went really well!

Julia and Aidan knew that they wanted to be Native Americans (inspired by the American Girl doll, Kaya, which is Julia's fav.).    Lucas wasn't sure.  But Papa came to the rescue in good time.  And I quickly got some fabric and a pattern and went to work.

The Indian costumes were pretty cool, because after I was done, the kids did some beadwork on their garments.  It allowed them to feel a bit invested, as well as give them some hand/eye coordination practice.  Inevitably, their desires are far, FAR beyond my abilities, but in this case, I could just say "Sure! Go ahead and bead a herd of horses onto the front of your shirt, Aidan!"  And after encouraging him to bead the first one in the center, I left him to realize that he just wanted one horse after all.

Lucas had the funny factor going on with his costume, and we all enjoyed both the pictures and the videos.  It was fun to walk around our country road (no street lights, and porch lights only sometimes) and see how effective his costume was.

We only got two or three batches of kids the whole night, so we had our hoard of candy to enjoy the following week.  Turned out great!

Balloon Fiesta of 2013

Finally!  This year we went to the Balloon Fiesta for the first time.  We moved here right around Balloon Fiesta season FIVE warm years ago, and only now have we attended on site.  It was pretty cool!

We arose at 4am... left at 4:15.  Headed into Abq and took a park n' ride.  The kids loved riding a bus; a rare treat for this homeschool family.  The bus was all decked out in lights and decorations which added to the sense of fun.

We arrived in the freezing cold dark (who says Abq is warmer than the east mtns?) and walked around looking at the vendors.  Finally braved the "long" lines and got hot chocolate and Breakfast Burritos.  I'm going to capitalize them, because they sent me into spasms of joy.  Apparently, they are a popular staple in this town and I've NEVER had one before!  But I certainly will be having them again, I assure you.

We moseyed around and discovered that the Balloon Fiesta is like everything else in New Mexico: relaxed and not on a schedule.  Our early arrival was all for naught.  However, we had time to get our bearings and eat these delicious burritos.  Before dawn, the balloons began to fill up, and pretty soon the action got hot and heavy!  No lie.

It seems that they like the feel of filling up all the balloons in one tiny area of the field.  It certainly adds drama!  One of my favorite balloons had some truly lovely artwork on it... I thought it was an olive oil company.  Nope, it was gin.  Oh well.  Just a few special shapes that morning; a pink elephant and the fish, Flounder, from The Little Mermaid.  Rainbow Riders are available for giving rides, but they are a sweet fortune.  So we watched the rich out-of-towners enjoy themselves.  Maybe someday, but then maybe not.  People have died...

It was a really great experience, and it even included funnel cake.  The worst part was the freezing temps.  It was so cold that moving your lips to talk was difficult.  The kids whined about going home, and eventually the lines we thought had been long quadrupled.  There is a ton of humanity cramped together.  But it was all very exciting!  And the kids loved the memory, which is often how it goes.

Hiya!

Chillin' to King of the Bongo... thought I'd catch things up.

We've been gone a lot this summer... up to Washington to visit my side of the family... over to CA to visit the old hometown of Bakerspatch.  Managed to see a few more loved ones along the way.  I guess the more you visit, the more people you get to see. =)  Total of two two-week trips with kids, a week of convention, and 6 days by myself to visit my latest sweet niece, Susan's second child and first girlie.

School got finished(in spite of vacation)... and got started just this week.  Best year yet!  I love the feeling of getting things a little more under control.   Life is so much easier when organized, and that is advice that other people keep trying to tell me!  When it comes to school, I do manage to organize somehow.(I mean I organize better than my own usual. No comparing.)  Not quite sure why, but it does let me know this might be something I'm decent at. ;) Forgive the ending preposition.

Chickens: No originals left of the first seven.  Bye, girls!  Two girls left from the second round, Red and White.  (Rhodie and Delaware)  Two chicks survived our first summer batch of seven; two barred rocks, one named floppy because she has a very huge and floppy comb.  But she isn't a rooster!  She lays!  Our latest mixed batch of 10 chicks has five survivors; two australorps and 3 buff orpingtons.  We just moved the last babies, so all girls are in the same enclosure together.  Another 4 weeks and we'll get eggs from the "babies".  So nine chickens once again, 5 varieties.  No easter eggers this time, with the green eggs.  I would get rid of the white delaware, she's a total meanie, but I couldn't catch her this summer for the chicken swap meets.  Oh well!

So I'll be posting Picasa pictures eventually, and I've got a few cute things from the kids to post.  I'm around!

12 Years of Sheer Bliss

This month, we celebrated our 12th year of marriage.

A little B&B, an expensive restaurant and a movie.  We are so creative!

It's fun to think of the ways we are similar, and the ways we are different.

Like toast, for example.

We both like the french bread toasted with butter.

But!

Shane likes it sweet and fruity.

I like it with heavily salted avocado. 

According to the kids, here are some ways we are alike and different.

SAME:

L: You are both married.  Your fingers both turn white when you get angry.  

A: You're both adults.  You are both parents.  You are both humans. You both speak the same language. You both quiver when you are cold. You both go on errands.(I'm glad we both speak the same language.  Could be a real downer in a marriage not to.)

J: You both have the same color of eyes. You both have red lips.  You both spank us when you are annoyed.  You both like to sleep in. You both smooch when you are happy.(I guess we spank based on how we feel; not on how the kids behave...)

DIFFERENT:

J: You are loud and noisy and Papa is quiet.  And you don't look the same. I think Mom's huggier. You cook and Papa doesn't.  And you make strawberry shortcake and water the plants.  Papa's funnier than Mama.  Papa treats us calm, Mama treats us grouchy.  Papa has a goatee, you don't.(well, I guess there are points there for both of us)

A: The way you look.  Dad's hairy, Mom's not. (thanks, son) And mom has longer hair than Dad. Your voices are different.  How about your mind? Dad's smarter than you, Mom.(indeed)

L: For one thing, you are not a man and a man, and you are not a woman and a woman.  Papa does necessary work and you don't.  just kidding!  (hardee har har) 

Colorful Chickens

Well.  I guess I have to confess to some chickenly dabbling.

I've been dabbling in chickens again.

I continually tired of finding eggs broken and eaten, so got rid of most of my chickens.  Out of pity, I kept Red, she's such a good little girl.  And simply because Shane and I couldn't catch her, we kept Marshmallow.  Or Freckles.  Not sure which one she is.

Then we stopped by the feed store and checked out some baby chicks.

Ack!  Never stop to check out baby chicks!  Especially if you have a baby chick yard all ready for them!

We bought seven little ladies: 

2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Australorps and 3 Barred Rocks

Swiftly glossing over most details, ravens got all but two Barred Rocks.

Tears were shed, entrails were buried.
(this is part of the reason so many tears were shed; bonding)

A month later after trips and such, we lucked out and our feed store shaman stocked his last batch of chicks: Buffs and Australorps!  Yay!
(incidentally, less bonding has taken place)

We now have 4 Buffs and 4 Australorp babies that just moved from the bathtub (pee yew!) to the fully enclosed chick yard outside.  They are so cute!

We have two teenage Barred Rock survivors that just moved from the fully enclosed chick yard (we quickly learned after 4 deaths to put a roof on) and are now with the "old" two chickens.

And two old ladies in the big pen; a Rhodie and a Delaware.

A grand total of 12 Chickens!

And I said my limit was 9.

Time for a new coop!

I have tried to get rid of my old coop, but I can't give the silly thing away.

I have big plans for a new one.

Shane's going to weld me a frame, the walls will slide off and on for easy cleaning and access, I will use an antiqued picture frame to make a screened in window 'cause it's cute, and it will be OFF THE GROUND!  So many amazing things about this new, not-yet-made coop.

My current crop in moving pictures:
(baby talk required)

School is a Learning Process!

As we very slowly, very painfully and very LATEly wrap up the school year, I have a few things on my mind for planning the coming school year.

#1:

Start before the last week of October.

Last year, I was making my new school room, and as I had to travel out of state to get to Ikea, it just held up the process... and we started abysmally late!  And then took our share of vacation, too.  Yes, we can count our extra curricular activities as this or that subject, but we still have the actual school materials to finish.  And finish them we shall!

#2:

Take one week off each month.

Yay! Such a great idea in my head.  I'll let you know if it goes all wrong.  But the math is so friendly! 52 weeks in a year, 36 weeks of school, 16 weeks of no school.

That's 12 weeks for the months and 4 more to beef up the summer fun.

The truth is that we don't have to take 36 weeks, either.  This year, almost all the schoolwork will be done by week 33.  Most subjects are not "five days a week" type things.  More like 3 or 4.  Especially with subjects that are 3 x per week, we can throw in an extra lesson every other week and really whittle down the time spent, without harm to learning.  I refuse to do multiple lessons per day for the core subjects, though, just defeats the purpose.

#3:

Change the History/Science Schedule.

We do History MWF, Science TTh.  Instead, I want to do whole weeks with each.  A week with one, a week with the other.  Maybe a few more weeks with History than Science, since the workload is heavier.  But both subjects have a lot of FUN activities that go along with them.  And if I take a week, we can do the reading, questions and narrative thread at the beginning (least fav. part) and then spend the rest of the 2 or three days reinforcing with the games, experiments, activities, etc. and finish with the chapter test. =)  Sounds great to me!  I'm tired of trying to rush through the chapters, let the kids read the activities and then not have time to do them.

#4:

Time management.

I always need to work on this one.  The particulars aren't set in stone yet, but I've been thinking about what time we get going in the morning (way too late), streamlining chores, and juggling my 2nd and 3rd graders (soon to be 3rd and 4th!) with their subjects.  They have both independent work and instructional time with me.  I have two great tools that have worked well this year; a dry erase board with their daily work to be crossed off (which is then deposited in my correcting bin) and allotting 2 hours to Lucas, then 2 hours to Julia and Aidan for instructional time, while they complete independent work in the other time frame.  Group work of Science and History are done after that.  So I've got part of the battle won, just needs a little more fine tuning.

The New Toothless

Our third child experienced a first: losing his first tooth.  Sometimes, when a first happens for the third time, it isn't as new or exciting, and I have to pep up the enthusiasm for it.

Not so losing teeth!

We have been enjoying the cute evenness of Aidan's baby teeth, as we are surrounded by huge honkers and big gaps on the other two.  But true to our weird family, his bottom two adult teeth showed up behind the babies.  And not too long after, the babies started to come loose.  We quickly prepped by sewing him a "tooth pillow" and it was none too soon.  It came out the next day.

Aidan's story is a little... odd.  The routine runs thiswise:  The tooth fairy grants your wish on the fist tooth, then gives a dollar for all teeth following.  In the past, I have suggested that the kiddo write a private note to the tooth fairy with their wish on it.  True to form, we forgot to take care of it and Aidan woke up the next morning without a visit from the tooth fairy.  Luckily, it was Saturday morning and he was more interested in his computer time and forgot about it too.  So Shane snuck in his room and retrieved the note.  And this is what he showed me:

What do you DO with THIS????  No biggie, Mom, just a simple request to make all my dreams come true.  HA!  Shane reaches for his wallet and says, how about a $5?  In the end, Shane used a trip to town to snag a nano bug (look it up) and we stuck that in Aidan's tooth pillow pocket.  Later, after the booty had been found, we hear this conversation between Aidan and Julia where she gives him an education.

Julia: What did you wish, Aidan?

Aidan: I wanted the tooth fairy to make the things I dream about at night to happen in real life!  I have really cool dreams and I want them to come true!

Julia:  Oh, that's too big of a wish for the tooth fairy! (She had wished for a horse on her first tooth.)  You have to wish a tooth-sized wish!

So, Aidan was happy with his nano, and he played with it for awhile.  Later in the day, they got their allowance.  It was kind of a lot, since I had skipped a few weeks.  With his wad of cash in hand, he ran into his room, and ran out again telling me: I gave the tooth fairy two dollars, Mom!  She is so nice that I wanted to tell her thank-you and I hope she will accept it! (italics, mine)

What in the WORLD am I to do with this kid?  With a kicker line like that, how can I not take that money out of the pocket?  So I did, but I think I'll just smuggle it back into his wallet.  I certainly don't want it!  =)  Any ideas?  Maybe a note from the tooth fairy?  

I should have just stuck to a simple quarter per tooth.  I could have made sure it was a state or national park quarter, since they are collecting those.  KISS!  (keep it simple, stupid)