I Am Back

By popular demand.

Well, I don't know if that is actually true, the popular demand part. But, I did have a family member mention how they missed my blog. I miss it too.

So, my goal is to post once a week. It may be a few words or a picture or two. But somehow I want to document our life. Not because it is amazing or perfect but because it is mine and time goes by waaayy too fast!

These pictures were from a visit to a local park that decorates big time for the holidays. It was a family affair. Sissy, A and Doodle, two grandmas and us. Family Fun!

These people have my heart . . . .

Kayaking

Quite a few years ago, hubby bought a double kayak. It was a fun idea. The only problem was that it was for two people and at the time of purchase none of my little people were big enough to hold the front end down. And then paddle.

This last beach trip, the kids were finally big enough to go for a little ride. Obviously NG and LM were able to go further out in the water. Which made me super nervous because there were tons of boats zooming around. I thought I had a pictures of each kid taking a spin but I guess not. Those who were not kayaking spent their time fishing.

The kids had a great time going out. We have since sold the kayak because it spent more time sitting than actually being used. Go figure . . .

Silent Sunday - Beach Days

Sledding in GB

One of the other things I definitely wanted to do when we were in Wisconsin was take the kids sledding again. When we were in GB the last time, they had sooooo much fun. This time it was suggested we go to Baird's Creek which is where I would going snow skiing when I was in high school. I was super excited to take the kids to a place I would hang out at when I was NG and LM's age. I have so many great memories from that place.

I owned my own skis and we would go on a week night or on a Saturday. The hills weren't all that big and we would ski without poles. It had a tow rope and it was super cheap. All my friends would be there and they had a lodge or chalet you could go into and warm up. Just so many great memories.

Anyway, we got to the creek and it was just how I remembered it. Except now they had a place where you could tube sled and it was huge! We paid a couple extra bucks and we could ride the tow rope up to the top. The kids never stopped. They would come up the rope and run to go down again. Especially EG. She was not the least bit afraid. From up top of the hill, we could see her grab her tube and run for the tow rope to do it all over again. Daddy and I had a great time going down as well! Definitely thrilling!

I had a chance to walk through the chalet and head over to where the skiing use to be. That night it was mostly snowboarders. I didn't see one single skier. Things change on the slopes as well, I guess.

I think the kids would have gone up and down and up and down until they could barely walk. But the hill closed at 8 and we still had not had dinner. Gpa and NK had come out for a little while to watch us sled. But then left to gather us up some great bread and hot soup and it was waiting at their house for us. Perfect ending to a perfect night. . . .

Christmas Eve eve

A tradition that the kids have enjoyed has been spending Christmas Eve eve with Sissy. They have great fun because they watch movies and make cookies. I have great fun because it is a night I get to be Santa's helper . . . .

Geography

We are reading this great geography book called Book of Marvels The Occident. It is written by Richard Halliburton and he traveled to some really great places all over the world. Both natural and man made landmarks. The book is super old so the pictures the author took are in black and white and not the greatest quality. So, it has been really fun to google some recent pictures on the iPad.

The pictures we usually run across are fabulous. But, the following picture is the favorite of all of us by far. It is a abbey in Normandy, Mount St. Michael. And when the tide comes in it becomes an island. The pictures were breathtaking. A really great story goes along with it but you will have to read that on your own . . .

The Frozen Tundra

One of the things I wanted to do with the kids while we were in Green Bay was to take them skating. The older kids had skated before on, like, a plastic rink, which was soooo different then the actual thing! So, NK found us a great place to go real skating. And the kids loved it! And, for Florida kids, they did really well. No major spills! Hubby opted not to skate. The last time he did, he fell so hard that the ice shook! I think that was before we were even married.

I grew up skating, so that with the roller skating we have done in the past, it came back pretty quick. There were two girls at the rink who were fabulous. One of which was EG's age. I think EG was a little perplexed by that! Although, I didn't have to help her, really, at all. I just kind of hung by her in the beginning. The rest of the kids just went round and round.

I am glad we had the opportunity!

That morning we were able to go shopping at the Packer Pro Shop for the kids' Christmas gifts from Gpa and NK. And that was big fun. It is so crazy all of the things that they make and sell with the Packer logo. We went back a couple of days later just to look around a little more . . . 

Indiana Windmills

First, this is a disclaimer: I am pretty sure I took more pictures of the windmills in Indiana than I did of my kids.

The windmills just really blow my mind. I remember them from the last time we drove up through Indiana. Just looking at the miles and miles of them reminds me of some Syfy movie. They are massive! I was spinning a yarn as we were driving through them and the kids said I had quite the imagination. I envisioned them like aliens taking over the world. Sort of like transformers and if we watched them hard enough and long enough we would actually see them move. Almost like an army. Bending over to ransack a farm house.

To say I am intrigued by them would be an understatement. I really can't explain it. My pictures, with my phone, traveling at 79 miles an hour, just don't do the scene justice. I am not a big Syfy fan so my imagination is quite limited. But, I did entertain myself and the kids for the 15-20 or so minutes that we were able to see them. It definitely broke up the monotony of the Indiana farm countryside. . . .

A Love of Reading

A major theory of my homeschooling is that if I teach my children to love reading and instill a love of learning, they will be students their whole lives. I will never, ever be able to teach my kids all there is to learn. It is impossible. But, for the most part, if they love to read and enjoy learning new things, I feel I have done my job. And at this point, with a 1st grader, 4th grader, 7th grader and a 9th grader, I have done that to varying degrees.

This week I had the privilege of continuing to teach my fourth child to read. As we struggled through a sound she has heard at least a dozen times before I had, what I thought to be, a profound thought. This isn't easy. And it really isn't intuitive. It is. But it isn't. The English language is fraught with exceptions to the rules. And crazy letter combinations. And as I got a little frustrated teaching some of those rules, I really understood how frustrating it can be for a little one to learn to read. Just when they have a sound figured out, a rule comes in. And then the rule changes.

As adults, for the most part, we take reading for granted. We just do it without much thought. I want each of my children to get there and to be honest, I am amazed when any child gets there. In my humble opinion, it is nothing short of a miracle when a child learns to read.

Having taught all four to read, I understand that some will struggle more than others. But, I feel I have done my job well, if there is a desire to read. And, for the most part, I think I have done that. We continue, almost every night, to read together. We have read some amazing stories. It is even cool now that all of us can read the same books but independently and I love sharing that with my kids. I have even seen my baby, beginning reader, reading books to the dog. I call that success . . .

Didn't Make the Cut

Because we had the great family picture from my sister's wedding in April, I almost considered not having our annual pictures done by our photographer/former babysitter. But, as I was on the computer the other day, some of the old pictures popped up and I just knew we had to do it. And, of course, I am so glad we did. It is a tradition. And, I just love our photographer. 

The following are just  few of the about 60 pictures that didn't make the cut for this year's Christmas card.

I just love them . . . .