Last days of school

SCHOOL

IS 

OUT!

Yesterday we wrapped up our home school year with Ben, Maddie, and Jon. Today was Will's last day of school. The school year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, especially home school, but all four kiddos have had a great year!

Will's school year ended with an awards ceremony. He received the top fitness award for his grade, an award for participating in regional and state Odyssey of the Mind competitions, and he was recognized for being voted into student council for next year (he will be the fifth grade class representative.)

Summer is looking like it should be a lot of fun - we have planned some scout camp outs for Allen and the boys, church camp for Will, a few overnights for Maddie, a couple weeks of swim lessons, a week of farm camp with cousins, staying with grandparents, tadpole and bug collecting, great books, art projects, blueberry picking, waterpark fun, and lots of playing with legos, games, friends, and bikes. Here's to summer! Bring it on! .... (but mama asks for a little bit of quiet each day.)

A Purr-fect Reading Nook

A blanket-tent, a big pile of books, a giant stuffed tiger to use as a pillow, a purring Tico, and an abacus.
Is there any better way for a boy to spend a cloudy afternoon inside?

Somethin's cookin'

Ben and Jon found a recipe for corn chowder in Highlights magazine. They made me a list and asked me to buy the supplies so that they could make it by themselves. Except for turning on the stove and opening a few cans, they DID make it all by themselves!

These two stinkers are getting to be so big and cooking so comfortable makes them seem even more grown up. I suppose it is because I want to hold on to just a little bit of their little-boyness that makes me really like seeing this photo -- see? They aren't so big after all!

Family Camp: Trail Life and AHG

My favorite scout leader and me

This has been an outstanding weekend! Our Trail Life (boys) and AHG (girls) troops had a combined family camp weekend that turned out SO well!

Friday night, everyone arrived and set up camp. After it got dark, the kids all got to do a flashlight scavenger hunt that they all enjoyed. It is a lot harder finding things that are fuzzy, or sticks, or alive when it is dark, but that's what made it more fun, too.

Saturday morning, everyone was on their own for breakfast. While our AHG gals broke off into units to do group devotionals, I handed my camera to some parents and asked them to help me get snapshots of the day.

Afterward, all the boys, all the girls, all the parents, and all the siblings worked really hard to rebuild and clear some of the camp trails. We also built a large fire-ring for the church camp where we were staying. The kids all worked so hard, and they were so proud to see all that we accomplished as a team of about 75 people working for about two hours.

After we finished our service projects, we stopped for lunch. The younger boys worked with Adam and created nature journals in which they did rubbings of different leaves and identified plants. Allen led the older boys as they learned some new knots, and practiced them by tying ropes to trees and building tents out of tarps. To test the effectiveness of their tent-building skills, they had water battles. Meanwhile, the girls spent the afternoon working on the Fire Safety and Fire Building badge. All three units of girls finished what was needed, and I loved watching the girls confidence soar as the learned to light a match and build a one-match fire.

We had dinner as a group, and all the kids had a task; some set up for dinner, some served, some cleaned up at the end. Since many of the kids were doing something they hadn't done before, the leaders really appreciated that so many parents were willing to help show the kids what was needed. We finished the night around the campfire -- built and managed by the older gals -- the Trailmen units each had a skit for our entertainment.

VERY determined little boys who would not let any adults help them carry this 50-pound jug of lemonade.

Sunday morning, we packed our gear, then stopped for a group chapel service at the fire ring. Afterward, we finished cleaning up after ourselves and headed home just about five miles away. The weekend could not have gone more smoothly. All the parents and kids participated cheerfully, the weather was gorgeous, we got a lot done, and we all had a blast doing it! ... but now Allen and I need a vacation to recover ;)

Her Rules

Maddie posted a few sets of rules next to her bedroom door. Here is one of the updated versions of what she has to say:

Art

Coloring Easter Eggs on Easter

We did a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt on Friday night, and I didn't feel like we needed to do another one today. Unfortunately, since the egg hunt was a flashlight hunt in the park, I didn't get any great photos. Let's just say there were LOTS and LOTS of eggs... and SO many kids (but that's one of the perks of living in our neighborhood -- lots of kids to play.)

I forgot to take picture of our family dressed up for Easter, but we did look pretty nice when we headed to early service. After church, we came back for lunch and egg dying. Later we had the Browns and Brodys over for brisket that Allen cooked.

 ... and YES, that is, in fact, my Christmas wreath STILL. ON. THE. WALL.