Celebrating the Valentine Girls

All the birthday bashes were a success from May to July leaving us with a 7, 9 & 35 year old (that's me.) Sadly, I was the only one who didn't get rollerblades ; ) Both girls were filled with the greatest amount of excitement you can feel on your birthday when they opened packages to find new sets of wheels! We figured that these desired sets of wheels were much less expensive than those they will desire in approximately 8 years yet, I am not sure if they are safer, ha! They are professionals now & we may sign them up for a roller derby team.

Since this post is a three birthdays in a row post, there are all kids of pictures!  

I am always such an emotional mess on birthday eve & this year was no different. I replay all the events of labor & those first moments of laying eyes on a precious newborn. That precious newborn has grown into a delightful 7 year old!

GGran stopped by with cookies & Eloise showed off her new skills. Our floors are just like a rink (or bowling alley) so she did about 200 loops throughout the birth-day before she was allowed to go outside! GGran was impressed & so were the little brothers!

In April, we went out to Forney to visit my Aunt Sandy & Uncle Darrell. He had just smoked a brisket & we enjoyed some tasty nibbles. On the way home Eloise told me that all she wanted for her birthday was for Uncle Darrell to smoke a brisket just for her. She shared that idea with her dad, who has smoked many a delicious piece of meat, and he responded with, "Honey, I can cook you a brisket!" She sweetly stated, "Daddy, how about Uncle Darrell makes the brisket & you can make dessert." Oh my, I had tears rolling down my face I was laughing SO hard! What do you know, a month later, Aunt Sandy was asking when they could deliver Eloise's birthday gift. It was massive & it's deliciousness is unable to describe in words. I think we may let him know that Arlo would like that for his birthday in October. 

Uncle Darrell is not the only stand out guy during birthday week....

Instead of cake, we finished off the night with s'mores. Our plan was to have a fire in the firepit in the backyard but due to the 100+ temperature outside, Rob got creative & used a blow torch, hahaha.

We headed out to the backyard to pretend like we were around a fire. It felt like we were in one even though we could not see any flames ; ) They were just as tasty & WAY less work! No complaints from the celebrators!

My birthday was just before Lolo's & I was spoiled with my favorite rainbow chip icing, generously covering a cake. I also received another container of icing as a gift. Grammy knows me so well.

I mentioned that I was the only birthday girl that did not receive rollerblades. The girls want me to have a pair, goodness gracious that would be a horrible decision, haha! The last time I was on skates, I was around 13 & decided to disobey my parents when they told me to stay inside. I put those skates on, rolled quickly down the driveway into the cul-de-sac, immediately crashed, splitting my chin open & busting some teeth on the concrete. I skated straight back up & took a trip to the ER with my dad. It was one of those very simple examples of the common phrase used around here at the Nest. Disobedience brings pain & hurt. My parents would never say this but I imagine they were thinking "seriously Lauren, you are an idiot to do this right before vacation" and/or "what a great thing to spend our money on!" I'm just thinking as a parent now ; ) 

Rabbit trail- instead of going on vacation, I got stitches, some dental work & checked into recovery at my grandparents house while the rest of my family left for the planned trip. You would imagine that it was a sad outcome of a bad decision for me but, we have laughed about a family vacation home video shot while I reclined with two loving grandparents waiting on me hand & foot. The four vacationers were sweating as they dug for diamonds that they never found. I am sure they had some fun too but, it has always made me laugh. 

The conclusion of birthday week, at my request, was a family hike. They gifted me with a minimal amount of whining. That's hard to come by in this family. We enjoyed some Bahama Bucks shaved ice, Strawberry Cheesecake & Blue Bubblegum for me.  Here's my buddy riding "up-top" as he says. 

July 13th was there before we knew it & we had a little lady turning 9!  There were smiles all around before breakfast & gift opening. They always smile when sausage balls are in the oven!

The bubbies gave Char 3 new colorful skeins of yarn. Due to Anson's inability to keep a secret, Eloise & I shopped the night before & told him what the gift was that he was giving the birthday girl, just seconds before she opened the bag. It is RIDICULOUS! She was so excited & gave a huge bear hug to all three at the same time. Eloise was rejoicing that Charlotte was the proud new owner of rollerblades so she would have a skating buddy.

Owen & Anson have really taken off in the drawing & writing department. Anson wrote this for the birthday girl. There is a layer cake on the left & a picture of Charlotte with beautiful hair on the right.

Daddy surprised her with flowers after she spent the day skating around our indoor rink. 

Even greater than rollerblades, her number one birthday request was a fancy dinner cooked by none other than Daddy the Chef.  Osso Bucco & beef ribs hit the spot for all of us. I got the boys tucked in for the night & we had a "grown-up" dinner with the girls. It was pretty special. Robby cooked the same meal for me on Mother's Day & we joked about how we would go broke if he cooked that for every special occasion! 

As far as gifts go, it was a crafty birthday indeed. She was stocked up things to organize all her supplies, a couple gift cards to fabric/craft stores & various other things to accompany her new sewing machine! Bow Wow Meow Meow Bandanas is still in business & now a bit more self sustaining with her own bandana maker! For a couple weeks, we would barely see her. It was like a mad scientist had taken over the guest room with stuff everywhere! She has multiple projects going as I write this: a quilt, a bag, Christmas plaid doggie bandanas, crayon holders, baby blankets & knitted caps.  My mom & I are loving seeing her grow in this area & she is actually pretty good!

The day after her birthday, family came over for lunch & ice cream sandwiches.  

Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle chose a perfect uncle card. It is a chimp picking his nose to music. It made everyone laugh!

Arlo was quite entertained as were the rest of us!

There were shoulder rides on the tallest of the tall...

The conclusion of birthday week was celebrating with some of her & Eloise's friends. They came over for pizza & to watch Dolphin Tale 2. Robby had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant & saw this massive pizza. He thought it would be perfect for the girlie party & boy was he right! 

It did not disappoint!

We are not sure how that little darlin' pictured above is just around the corner from turning three but it true.  Hope he will settle for a pizza instead of Osso Bucco! The other option is to call Uncle Darrell. Phew! Birthdays are a blast & while we enjoy them to the fullest, we are always okay for birthday week to come to an end : ) 

Mutton Bustin', Llamas & Ice Cream- Rodeo 2018

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo brings a stench of livestock to my nose, aching to my feet but a smile to my face. My parents treated the kids & I to a day enjoying all things Texan. The favorite moment by a LONG shot was Eloise riding a sheep. Mutton Bustin' is a favorite event to watch for many. It is quite simple, you place a child (ages 5-6)  in protective gear, put them on a sheep, tell them to hold on to that wooly coat for dear life, then let the sheep out of the gate. Eloise was begging to sign up & I was reluctant while being out of town away from Robby. He gave the go ahead yet I still felt nervous that if she fell & broke her arm it would be my fault. I had to just get over it. Here we are just before getting in line.

Apparently you have to show up way early. I thought we were early but we didn't make it into the first slot so we waited around for this girl to have the ride of her life. Eloise is a thrill seeker so this was right up her alley! In no time at all, she was waiting to be suited up. No butterflies in her tummy yet my heart was racing! I just kept smiling for her sake.

#8 was pretty darn adorable. 

Her number one supporters had a great view & were ready to cheer her on when she was announced. We were already in stitches as they announced each sheep coming out of the gate. The names were hilarious. All were pronounced with the appropriately placed "baa" sound whether in the actual "baa" or in the word "lamb." Our favorites were- Lamb-orghini, Lamb-a-saurus rex, Lamb-chop, the serious sheep- Bob (baaaaab) from accounting, Mutton-but Trouble...many others made us chuckle. Eloise rode the best named sheep, none other than "Lady Baa Baa!" I almost lost it.

The announcer said the name of the sheep & asked "Who's my rider?" The rest that followed, in a cheerleader type voice, "This is Eloise, from Dallas! She likes corn dogs, Mutton Bustin' of course & wants to be a nurse when she grows up, Go Eloise!" WAY cheerleader. For months, Charlotte quoted this perfectly, words, inflection, everything. One day I heard the announcement coming from my room. I walked in to find her under my bed, announcing her sister in the shoot. Oh my, that was GREAT & I will save the video forever.

 Enough about the announcing & onto the rider!

Lolo tied for 3rd place out of over 20 kids with a score of 96 out of 100. She rocked it & we were screaming so loud! I couldn't help it! She had much to be proud of & that little dimpled grin, oh my. Like I said, HIGHLIGHT of the day. From that point forward, Arlo told anyone that asked about the rodeo, "Lolo ride sheep....real fast!" We watched the video at least once per hour for days, maybe not but it sure felt like that! He also called any sheep in a book or in person "Lady Baa Baa." 

While Arlo really liked "Lady Baa Baa," he was so excited about the llama at the Petting Zoo. We have read every Llama Llama book published SO many times. Seeing one in real life was a treat! He was enjoying that strange looking creature until he stood up. I will say that the one in the book is a bit cuter!

One of the goats really like Charlotte!

Our boys sure do enjoy ice cream, I am not sure which one of us they inherited it from. Maybe both? ; ) They rode a few carnival rides but were really just interested when it was going to be treat time. Totally get it. The pure delight was all over their faces, especially Anson's.

We had some tickets to blow due to some miscalculation in how much they were worth. Better to have more than enough! They all had their first experience with carnival games. I think many of us only need one of those to know they are rigged & not worth it. They, of course, were lured in with those giant stuffed animals displayed only to get a 8 inch long stuffed pill that said "chill pill." Really, who wants that? The younger siblings did better & some siblings were very frustrated & shared their feelings about how stupid the games are. I gave the child pictured below a big hug & let her know I shared her sentiment. She was cute though throwing those hacky sacks. Not sure when they got rid of the darts but talk about rigged! Throw a ball at something that looks like a ball?? Everyone's legs were tired so Eloise tried to hitch a ride on Arlo's lap.

Owen got the best seat since he is as light as a feather! Gaga & Paw Paw were the best sports through our 8 hour adventure. It was wonderful & most all of them were zonked asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot!

Just a couple days later, Paw Paw & Gaga took over full time car of my crew & sent us back to the Rodeo! An adult only trip included a leisurely walk, snacks without sharing (with children) & a few hours of watching the main Rodeo events. We were there for the closing weekend & watched the semi-finals for bull riding, bareback, barrel racing, steer wrestling & calf roping. It was lengthy & enjoyable then they immediately announced that the final competition was starting immediately after the semi-finals. Talk about long, ha! We loved catching up though & as usual, I enjoyed their comedic commentary. The only missing thing was Robby! Next year is the year!

Once the finals were over, Brad Paisley took the stage. I had flashbacks of Reba McIntire, Wynona Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson & Faith Hill. I love the Rodeo & I love these guys. There is a series of awkward group selfies & this was the winner of least awkward.

We, who are not really into the country music scene at the current time, vowed to stay for three songs then headed out to dinner. What a lovely evening!

The Valentine brood will definitely return for next year! Robby & I were laughing when looking at the qualifications to ride Lady Baa Baa or one of her friends. You have to be 5 or 6 & the low weight requirement makes us think that Owen would age out before he could ride. He's always been a skinny guy! There were some skinny cowboys though!

Teaching & Learning ~ 2016-2017 ~ a year in review

Hurry quick! The 2017-2018 is fast approaching! Hilarious really, this post was started over a year ago BUT, every year of learning with this crew is worth documenting! Here is our year in review. SO MUCH FUN! These pictures were taken in the fall & I can't believe how much the girls changed over the year, especially Charlotte with those teeth or rather without those teeth.  Charlotte was in class with Mrs. Dys & Eloise with Mrs. Nerren. We were very thankful for their care of our children & dedication to equip & work alongside us mamas as we continue down the road of homeschooling.

 The youngest class could seriously not be any cuter! We learned about Biomes with pictures on their heads & guessing what they might be with descriptions by 4 & 5 year olds. You can imagine how entertaining that is ; )

I now teach this class & almost everything I learned was from my friend Sheri. I figured if I could just be a copycat, my little students would be in excellent shape!

Fine Arts time, specifically drawing or painting has been Eloise's absolute favorite since that first year. After learning Oils, the basic shapes of drawing, we moved along to drawing upside down. She creates with ease & I have so much to learn from her!

One of our science experiments toward the end of the year was to build an egg protector with given supplies. The final prototype was dropped from about 9 feet high. The other tested project was to build a bridge with limited supplies, rubber bands & straws. Placed between two tables, it could be secured with tape (if I remember correctly). Neither of these were to be parent directed. We did help with a little of the lacking fine motor skills but they did most of the work.

We found these ladies up late at night constructing plans & even building with things they sneaked up to their room. As you may deduct, the egg protector picture below was not very protective, ha! Eloise came home each of those weeks totally stressed out, expressing how difficult it was to work with certain people. LOL, welcome to real life honey bunny! It was a great learning experience for each of the kids.

The final designs by the two youngest classes in what we call Foundations. ages Pre-K to 6th grade, did incredibly well! Eloise's class actually beat one of the much older group of kids with their egg protector. That was such a boost for the self-esteem!

Here is the ladder they were dropped from.

One of our most favorite things about Classical Conversations is the 24 weeks straight of oral presentations for each child. I WISH I would have had this! While I am happy to write, read or even sing, I am still so uncomfortable speaking in front of certain groups of people. Eloise spent almost two straight years with me sitting in close proximity while she spoke to her class about a favorite book, animal, a beautiful rock or piece of artwork. One week her dad lost his mind ; ) & let her take his drone! She felt pretty cool!

 We learned about the solar system & each kiddo got to be a planet.

We had an instrument petting zoo during our six weeks of learning about the orchestra. This table looks a little boring compared to the brass table but percussion is an important group of instruments!

It is ALWAYS insane to get out the door in the morning so pajama day is my favorite!

 

You may notice this is the first picture of the little bubbies, proof they were there! Here is the proof they were loved on each & every week. So simple...Mrs. Sue. Don't let Little Bit's smile fool you, Arlo cried all 24 weeks! I often had to rescue him. This was new for us. All four older sibling never batted an eye when handed over to loving arms. He likes me, still does! 

There were crafts, silly faces & LOTS of affection dealt out by sweet, over-bearing Arlo. It was darling & most tight hugs were welcomed.

On thing that is fantastic about homeschooling is that our schedule is our own & learning happens just about everywhere! Hiking with the Stillers….that is Arlo's friend, Marlow. The zoo, the backyard, Grammy's house, & so on & so forth. 

We learned all sorts of things at the Nest....

Just for example, how to remove books from Daddy's shelf & how to cut out an absurd amount of scissors as a lefty using right handed scissors. Ironic right? 

 Elo worked on the go during breaks from Nascar. Charlotte learned about rotary phones.

Owen & Anson had a physics lesson or two.

The girls got their own library cards & we spent lots of time learning how to walk in a straight line to get in safely. I think we even got to pay some late fees! Just showing our support for the City of Richardson! Robby loves late fees.

Charlotte read about a million All About Reading flashcards & we even got to put them back in numerical order twice after each of us dropped them on the floor. Gaga got to teach some math. It sure is nice to have a sub every now & then. The kids agree ; )

We did a lot of Geography including some people eating their sandwiches into the shape of the USA. Charlotte at age 7 worked hard to draw the all the states after spending lots of time tracing.   

Owen & Anson practiced some fine motor skills. Some assigned & some as a surprise for the teacher....Owen ; )

Every day is not full of fun & exciting learning opportunities or at least I don't take advantage of them all. I fall into feeling selfish, wanting more alone time, or I am irritable in response to the never-ending neediness. Overall though, I am often reminded of how special it is to shape these hearts and minds day each & every day. It is a difficult task but we know God is working in us & through us as we lead them.

The last day of school is always such a great feeling... Arlo looks like he is ready to jump in the car & get it over with!