Homestyle Halloween

Halloween of 2020, the weirdest year EVER, happened to be just wonderful!  We were six weeks into having our most favorite neighbors down the street. It might have been the biggest surprise of our lives minus the twin pregnancy when Gaga & Paw Paw bought a house across the street & four doors down in September! There are too many things about it to count that bring a smile to each of our faces every single day.  Halloween was the perfect opportunity to consider our "jack-pot" situation & plan a big bash! Everyone received an invitation and then lined up one by one to call Gaga & RSVP. It was funny when one person would hang up then the next would call immediately.  In preparation, she decked out the backyard with spider webs & the back windows were decorated by the kids with bats & spiders. So festive for our SPOOK-TACULAR party!

After not spending much time with my brothers this year, they came into town & it was so fun!  My mom has saved many of our childhood costumes including a number of ones that she made. I was Jessie from Toy Story my senior year in high school so I figured it might be fun to dress up! The waist did not quite fit the way it used to before four pregnancies but a clip fixed it up until I moved & it popped off. Robby threw on the old Captain Hook wig Eloise wore in 2014.  

The line up this year included a fireman for the second year in a row, but he had an addition the he received for his birthday a couple weeks prior. It was a backpack sprayer. For weeks, he kept our flower beds, Paw Paw & Gaga's flower beds & his siblings well watered! 

I mentioned old costumes earlier. Charlotte happened upon a dress I wore in 8th grade & it fit her perfectly. I reminded her that I was unusually small & she is normal sized. We paired it with Gaga's heels, cat ears, a painted nose & some glittery eye shadow. She looked like the prettiest cat I had ever seen. 

Eloise, oh Eloise. She was set on the idea of being a pirate. Here she is decked out in the costume she designed and Gaga made. All I contributed was the thing on her head. Fine by me! Leave it to the professionals! She insisted on the tiniest of gold triangles that they worked together to attach. Gaga also spent more time than she should have making felt boots to go over her shoes. She was adorable though & out of everyone, has worn her costume the most since Halloween. She has a great imagination! 

She told Uncle Scott her plan & he looked up the names of some female pirates. He called her one afternoon and told her that she could call herself Sadie the Goat. She is said to be an American legend. 

Some facts about Sadie the Goat:

• she was a vicious street mugger in New York
• her "move" was to get a running start & headbutt her victim in the belly 
• she eventually had her ear bit off in a bar fight
• it was given back to her & she wore it in a locket around her neck

Hmm....thanks Uncle Scott! She was not aware of the details but took on the attack method & chased her brothers down to headbutt them. She also loudly declared when told to do the dishes, "Sadie the Goat doesn't do the dishes!"

The twins, hahaha.  There has been this pair of glasses at my parents house for years. Arlo used to be so terrified of them that they were hidden up in the closet & he would ask before we even traveled to Kingwood if Gaga put them away. He's not scared anymore & he thought his big bros were pretty funny. They opted to dress identically & we were thinking about them adding white hair spray then decided against it because they were going to take a dip in the hot tub that night. 

Gaga really did herself up nice too! Paw Paw hasn't had that much hair in years....or ever I guess!

It has been pretty wonderful to have my own mother just a few houses down. We don't dress like this everyday but wouldn't that be fun? She wore her costume in a tap dancing performance, minus the wig of course, ha!

Notice the skeleton hands Kyle and I replaced ours with. I got them at the dollar store, they were great for a game of don't drop the egg & then Arlo scratched the guinea pigs with them for weeks after. They would flatten out like pancakes and relax. Who wouldn't like that? 

We had yummy snacks....

and played an abundance of games including a scavenger hunt where they collected bones, assembled them & cracked the riddle to enter the door to the closet where they found a bucket full of candy. This fall for school we have focused on human anatomy & Arlo memorized the parts of the axial skeleton. He could point & name them on our model: skull, vertebrae, ribs & sternum. Too cute with his little voice! 

We had a team competition to build bridges with "bones" Q-tips, popsicle sticks, and pipe cleaners that had to hold candy pumpkins. Scott showed off some skills with weaving pipe cleaners while Kyle the engineer couldn't help but build something I could have stood on ; ) Robby & Owen worked together & were able to support lots of pumpkins.  Anson didn't like being my teammate so we didn't take a picture of our bridge that fell apart. I have other talents....not creative construction. 

I didn't get any pictures of the swimming that followed for the little party animals. The hot tub was hot & the pool was sooooo cold! Once the fall rolled around & the pool got chilly, the lifeguard (Paw Paw), his wife, and all the kids started calling the dip in the pool a "Polar Bear Swim." There is a white float called "the iceberg" & every now & then someone yells "POLAR BEAR SWIM!" and everyone jumps in. I would hate that & be considered the party pooper but that's okay ; ) 

Bottom line, this Halloween was one of my very favorite! I think we might do it again next year! 

Camping 2020

After a fun celebration of Darling Arlo turning 5, we headed north to Eisenhower State Park. The boys piled into the Jeeper Beeper with Dad & we had a girl party with music and car dancing in Trusty Rusty, our old Expedition. He makes lots of noises like he might not survive another drive but he keeps going! He ate all my cds a couple years ago and sounds like he is continuing to chew & digest one every 6 minutes. He also exhibits a loud click from the back row near the window. We always tell the kids to stop rhythmically banging even though we know it's Rusty doing his death roll. 

That's all beside the point though. We were en route to camp but had to make a stop at Buc-ee's. Since my parents moved to our street in September, we will likely not drive south on 45 & have the pleasure of stopping at Buc-ee's in Madisonville. So, there we were, walking around collecting all the good snacks, trying to be "fun parents," and resisting buying all the cute Texas shirts and home decor. 

It had been almost a year to the day since our last campout. We had made a reservation for March 2020 but we all know what happened that month so, it was postponed until it wasn't like a furnace outside. We did hope for something between a sauna & a freezer. Last time it was in the mid-thirties over night. The kids were dressed in multiple layers, 3 pairs of socks, wrapped in towels & shoved in their sleeping bags. Robby woke up every two hours and ran the gas heater in the tent to warm us up. He decided against risking our lives by leaving it on all night. He also was the midnight driver to the bathroom, bless his soul. He said he didn't mind since the Jeep has heated seats. Why didn't think of sleeping in there?! 

This time God gifted us with a warm first day, hurricane force winds the next day, then too chilly weather for this girl. The kids never seem to mind what the weather is when they have the option to run free & as parents, we are delighted to explore the great outdoors during COVID year. 

Last year they could see this cave from a distance & this time we were able to scramble up some giant rocks & go inside! 

There is a beach area that was mostly ours. Definitely warm enough to be in the water on Day 1.

Our campsite last year was two over from this one. I remembered the number & we were able to book it for this trip. It was big enough to throw the baseball & could have accommodated 7 hammocks between all of those trees! 

Once the cooler air blew in, our Florida babies still wore their flip flops, but I guess the fire kept their tootsies toasty. 

Arlo & I are best buds. He is constantly telling me that he just likes to be with me. He is always up for a snuggle. Of course his chair was permanently planted next to mine : ) 

Speaking of the cold air blowing in....the kids could lean backward and not fall over. The videos we have still make me giggle! The waves were bigger than the ones we played in on the gulf coast of Florida!  We could walk (or accidentally tumble as some did) down a steep hill that backed up to our campsite then climb over lots of rocks & fallen branches to get to the water. When the wind was howling, we could scream & the kids couldn't hear us...that's nice for trying to keep kids safe ; )  

Here is Arlo testing out his powers over the winds & waves & writing his name. 

They were begging to get in the water when it was maybe 55-60 degrees outside. Robby said let them do it...isn't he fun. I was worried we would be visiting with CPS for child endangerment. They were frozen and enjoyed a hot shower. They only liked the hot water, they hated the spiders, the fire hose strength water pressure, the possibility of peeping people & trying to dry off without stepping on the disgusting ground. I might agree with those things but it always feels great to get the campfire smell out of my hair! 

We enjoyed some hiking after the winds died down a bit. 

We couldn't seem to stay away from the rocks. We climbed while chasing the nimble children so much that our old ankles were sore for days. 

I would never deface a rock (or even think it was worth it to carve for that long) but I did like what was in the heart. 

Owen especially liked this rock because it looked like a giant boat. 

Arlo especially liked smores and spooky campfire stories. I am awful at making them up so I usually read one, memorize then re-tell. This campout was probably the least favorite of all the stories. I don't actually remember that much of it but what I do remember is everyone's disappointed looks, ha! Oh well, at least we had hot chocolate! 

The girls have grown so much in the past year. Char wears so many of my shirts now & I just couldn't help but order myself a pair of matching, cozy, camo pants! They did their best to keep me warm at night but I just HATE being cold! My air mattress lost its air both nights and I ended up on the ground. That was nice. At least our kids did a great job sleeping! 

The kids love the trip to the bathroom because they get to go sans seatbelt AND ride in the front seat! 

Robby attempted some fishing one afternoon but it was extremely windy so we gave it another go before heading home. It can be stressful with 5+ poles & hooks flying everywhere, yikes! We did not plan ahead and decided to use some mozzarella cheese sticks (monster-ella as we call it).  It was pretty funny as we arrived at the same time as another family who had night crawlers for bait & we had to report what we were using. Guess who caught the first fish? Yes, it was us! Sadly, Eloise caught one while Robby had to deal with someone's tangled line so by default I had to get it un-hoooked. It's been awhile since I've fished and I can't say that I have ever been all that skilled. Long story short, it was hooked through it's gill, I did my best, we threw him back in & minutes later there was a dead fish floating. Eloise Doolittle was incredibly sad and trying to not be angry with me. She called me a fish killer once we were in the car. So, the trip ended on a sad note for her but we have fished multiple times since then & I have not assisted with that part. Safe way to stay on her good side ; )

Here is our last pic before leaving our rocky playground. 

We will keep our eye on the weather & get out there again! 

Learning and Teaching 2019-2020

Well, the official school year has come to a close & it was a good one, quite possibly the best we have ever had!  I think this is due to the addition of converting the home office to a school room, the age of my little students & of course, God's grace in building a special bond through learning together. 

In the past I have divided Classical Conversations and our actual school at the Nest but over the years they have become so intertwined it makes sense to keep them together. That's the beauty of learning overflowing into all areas. That being said, it's just a long post. 

We will begin with the last day of school. Once Covid-19 started, weeks 19-24 of our Classical Conversations year was completed via Zoom & it went surprisingly well. The kids adapted to a completely different experience, some struggled more than others.....like three brothers ; ) We have a different family presentation each week on community day & that continued through Zoom. 

Our family was the final week & while Robby didn't get to join us due to a meeting, he sported his jersey in honor of our Australia themed presentation. We started with saying "G'day mates," which my children thought was so funny. I shared our family history of Australia beginning 17 years ago when Robby moved there, my visit & our engagement & our special friends we miss dearly. The kids picked facts to share. Charlotte spoke about the didgeridoo and attempted playing it, Eloise talked about Rugby, Owen was all about the AU Zoo & some animals native to the country while Anson showed a boomerang. Little Arlo, oh my. It's a good thing he's cute! The entire time others were talking, he was sticking his face in view of the camera & holding things up next to the presenter yet when it was his turn he crawled under the table as fast as possible and refused to play the drum he promised he would play. It made us laugh AND is a great family video. 

Let's move along through the year in no chronological order. The kiddos favorite part of our day other than recess is piling in the school room snuggled with blankets & ready to listen to a read-aloud. We enjoyed a new CC book that was published last year called Old World Echoes. It lined up with our weekly memory work with History & Geography & was filled with stories from all around the world. Some were fairy tales, some set in Medieval times & each week contained a poem. I think we enjoyed Robin Hood & Rumpelstiltskin the most although they did have more than a few giggles about the birthday suits in The Elves & the Shoemaker....eye roll. They usually had a piece of paper to draw or write down what they heard. That is a win-win for everyone just about every time I read- aloud. Here they are minus Charlotte who likes a little personal space.

This was year SEVEN of CC which is hard to believe! My sweet friend Courtney taught Owen's and Anson's class. They had a lot of energy ; )

After two years with the 4-5 year olds, I jumped up to the 8 year old class and LOVED my time with Eloise & her buddies! It was really fun to have kids that could read and follow simple directions like "sit in your chair and don't touch your neighbor."

Charlotte was with another friend named Leslie. I would have enjoyed spending time watching her model teaching through all of our segments each Monday. She is creative & intelligent. Minus the fact that there were only two girls in the class, Charlotte had a great year.

Arlo has come a LONG way from the first two years when he cried so much that I strapped him into a stroller, rolled him into my classroom & that little dear sucked his thumb while rubbing his belly button for two hours. Jones is his best bud ever & belongs to Courtney. They are happy as can be when together & we can't believe that they will start Foundations class in the fall!

Here is Courtney, mama to the blondie pictured above. This was crazy sock day : ) 

We have a map challenge each year where every student has the opportunity to turn in 4 maps per week. They can be traced or hand drawn with older kids labeling countries within continents. Our goal this year was 2,020 maps to represent our year. Our class total was 459! My class has won three years in a row which means that the 4-5 year olds beat the big kids the past 2 years! We won the semester total with 302 & got a donut party. We also award the top kid in each class at the end of the year. Charlotte won for her class & Eloise tied for top in hers.

Geography is a favorite at the Nest. We draw maps everyday & have begun a lot more hand drawn rather than traced. I am blown away at their precision. Owen & Anson mastered drawing and labeling the Circles of Latitude, the Prime Meridian, continents & oceans. Can't wait to see what they can accomplish next year.  For Challenge A which is the equivalent of 7th grade, the students finish off the year by drawing the entire world & labeling countries and capitals. They should be able to do it from memory. These two girls are well on their way. Here are Charlotte's maps followed by one of Eloise's.

Even Arlo learned his continents this year! He knows a song that includes "Kangaroos hopping in Australia, Penguins waddling in Anarctica." It took us quite some time to wean him off the song & just say the continent name, ha! I laminated this one & put Velcro sticky tabs on it. At the end of the year, I switched him over to looking at a few other maps to correlate continent shapes without the colors he is used to. Next year my goal is to have him trace a blob map then draw by himself. It's always amazing what they can do! Like that bump on his noggin? 

A week in Science that we all enjoyed was learning about vibration, pitch and frequency with our very own bottle organ. The kids got to take turns blowing across the opening and playing with the spoons. They were so funny with their rhythms and dancing. 

Charlotte completed year two of Essentials which is an English Grammar & writing course. I SO enjoy each week of being in class with her! I have learned more than I expected to & sure love watching her interact with her teacher and classmates. They write and read a paper to their class each week and for the final week, they present in a Faces of History day. We studied World Wars I & II during the second semester and she read about Anne Frank. She was the perfect character for Charlotte and we learned much about life over the course of those years for a young Jewish girl. I found it very helpful to lead into conversations about the time period through the story Anne told. It was a cheap costume with my sweater and earrings, a printed Star of David taped on & a journal wrapped in some fabric we had. She was overjoyed to be presenting on Zoom from the waist up so she didn't have to wear dress shoes, haha! That's my girl! Her paper was incredible and we were so proud of her.

Speaking of Zoom, here was a morning and afternoon....

One of the first weeks, kids could present on their pets & Anson talked about his new Sea Monkeys....oh my, it made me giggle! Prior to the crippling Coronavirus, there were a variety of topics including Ireland for Owen, Spain for Anson & the Redwood Tree for Eloise. She prepped with Dad on that one and her drawings were beautiful & detailed as usual as she compared height with the Statue of Liberty and a Blue Whale. Charlotte was the master of reading, jotting down & reciting to near perfections. 

While Charlotte & I were in class Monday afternoons the other four were in an art class where they focused on the techniques of artists in the Middle Ages. During the week where they studied the Italian painter, Giotto, they created quite the masterpieces! He lived in the 1300s and one thing he was famous for was painting halos around the subject's heads. They were painted and/or made of gold leaf. In order from left to right, Eloise, Owen, Anson & Arlo. Anson painted Robby with a beard (picture number 3) & it might be a favorite for a LONG time, ha! 

Charlotte was a blast to teach this year. I am always apprehensive of a new year with an older kid thinking about how I don't know anything about teaching that age. I am always learning something new to teach her and to help her mature.  I think we were working on some math in the picture below. I love how there is a picture of some animal with the word "poop" next to it. The joy of un monitored markers & gross kids ; ) 

Speaking of un-monitored markers, after a spelling lesson about how the vowel directly before an "r" often follows the sound of the "bossy r," someone had added on a picture and my name calling me bossy. I always remind them that I am supposed to be bossy, since I'm the mama right? 

There was a conversion of an awful green office to a lovely gray school room complete with new chairs, boards & decor, a built out closet to house supplies collected over the years and even a little corner for Arlo. It has been SO wonderful! I am thankful that Robby was willing to give up the little space that was his. It is a joke now that the garage is all he has left and we all dump junk in there all the time ; ) 

Here is Arlo's little corner where he gets to learn about the calendar and all sorts of other things. Those letter magnets were an Ellis family original from the 80s. They are well loved around here! I told Robby that I'm sure he had no idea how cute his safe could be with all the magnetic additions! It sure is convenient & he doesn't seem to mind.

Science experiments for the last six weeks were super fun including constructing towers, bridges, catapults, paper airplanes and our very favorite, egg protectors. Eloise and all three boys made their own which we tested from the top of the playground. It has been absolutely wonderful to have Robby home especially when he gets to come participate. All the eggs survived! I think the secret was a blown up ziploc bag & duct tape underneath. I would not have survived catapult week without Robby's assistance!

Everything is more fun with food so we learned about the phases of the moon with Oreo cookies...I'm not sure if anyone actually learned anything but they were happy ; )

These goofy boys have grown so much this year & their reading really took off even with their surfing shenanigans during a lesson one afternoon.

Anson needs a little more work with his spelling. "Stoopid is as stoopid does sir" said a nice man with the last name Gump.

Charlotte can be found helping others whether they like it or not. She is actually a huge help to me as she reads to or plays with Arlo or sits on Eloise so she can't run away during a lesson ; ) 

Charlotte also plays photographer & snapped this picture of us reading one afternoon. It's not a surprise that our best days are days when we read the most. Even the girls still enjoy a good picture book & the boys have finally become accustomed to chapter books with no pictures. It's fantastic to be in a place that I never thought we would reach! 

That picture looks so peaceful and the things we have photographed over the last year of learning make it look delightful.  In a grumpy mess this afternoon, following an awful math lesson and a sibling brawl of ugly words, everyone was put in solitary confinement for an hour while I took a breather. 

I had lost my temper and thought about how hard it is to do this all day long everyday. I grabbed my computer and began this post and the Lord used it to refresh my soul. He used it to remind me that there are more enjoyable days than stinky ones, that we are capable of having fun, that I'm not a grump all the time and this opportunity is priceless. They are still so young and I am thankful for the years ahead! There are many a conversation to be had and likely many more tears shed on my part as I strive to lead them well and fight feeling like a failure. God knows my deepest desires and my deepest struggles. He doesn't leave me and I know he will sustain me in the coming days, weeks, months, years of this homeschooling journey.