Great America!

We went to Great America on Thursday. It was crowded and the lines were long (what's new?), but we had a blast. Lisa and her three older kids joined us. We had all gotten free tickets from Great America's reading program. Her kids ages all match my kids ages which is soooo nice!

Caleb and Noah riding the Whizzer

Lisa and Susanna

Noah's favorite ride... the tea cups.

Seth and Elijah

Noah and Elizabeth

Caleb and Susanna

I managed to go on the rides without a problem (even though every ride has a sign with a big "NO" sign through a pregnant woman. I did get a few looks at my belly and then at my face by the ride operator while entering or exiting the ride. (I DID ask my midwife about the safety factor and she Ok'd me) I came to terms with how pregnant I am and how long it's been since I was a teenager, that after a few hours of swirly, spinning rides, and a couple hours at the waterpark, I was ready to spend my time on the benches waiting for the kids and watching all the interesting people. I was also completely useless the next day! I think I could've slept the day away (if it weren't for the three kids that DIDN'T go with or stay up until midnight).

On the other hand, the kids had TONS of fun (so did I), and for the following days, they didn't stop talking about what rides they were going to go on NEXT year...

Jackhammer's game

Our Girlfriend group got together at the Joliet Jackhammer's game with our families. There were 6 families and it was bunches of fun! I don't think I watched a single batter hit a ball (although a foul ball every once in a while will wake you up). All 49 of us got in free because of the Jackhammer's Book Buddies reading program (yay for FREE)!

Back to school

We created a clay Desert Shadowbox this week, complete with camels, snakes, lizards and an oasis!

The Larson Family is getting back to their school routine. We are starting a month or so earlier so that we can take a month (or so) off after the baby is born. Last year, we started a combined curriculum for geography, science and history called My Father's World www.mfwbooks.com. This particular curriculum fits our family well because all the different ages are learning the same thing. It's sort of like teaching a "one-room schoolhouse". The older kids get a bit more detailed worksheets and the younger ones stick to the fun stuff like coloring sheets. We are working our way through the different continents (we just finished North America and starting on South America next week). As a group, we read and learn about the different cultures, landscapes, plants, animals and other interesting points of the larger countries on the continent. There are regional craft projects and recipes for food that we incorporate into our learning. We also read a book about a missionary from the same region. The kids especially enjoy getting their realistic passports "stamped" when they enter each country, and are becoming "world travelers" without leaving the living room. :)

Seth and Caleb are doing Rod and Staff (www.rodandstaffbooks.com) for English, which I was pleased with last year. It is put out by a Mennenite company and is very conservative. They are taught grammar and reading comprehension skills through Bible passages and stories with valuable lessons (yay!). For Math, they are working through Singapore Math (www.singaporemath.com) . I've tried several Math curriculums in the past and found that many of them have too much repeat work before they move on to the next lesson. Both Seth and Caleb catch on quickly and tire of problem after problem of the same thing. Singapore has solved the problem. As it's name suggests, it's based on the math program that is used in Singapore and was brought to American schools and homeschools by a couple that lived in Singapore. After arriving back in the states, they were dissapointed by the math programs and supplemented their daughter's schooling with the math program that she was already following. It moves a bit faster than most programs and the boys (and I) like it much better than the other ones we've tried.

All of the kids are excited to get back onto our schooling routine. Grace has been begging me to do school with her for a month now, so she'll be joining in with the rest of us. Both of the girls are doing well with their letters, so I'll be starting some basic reading skills with them. We'll see how far we get. Noah, on the other hand, has decided that he just "CAN'T" read. If asked to read something, he'll claim that he doesn't know how, but if it's his turn to read during devotions, he can sound out most of the words. Noah would not fit well in that public school "box", and, as his teacher, I don't mind him learning at his own rate. As I think through each of my children and their personalities, I realize there are different reasons for each one that makes me glad I am homeschooling them.

It's a Hay Day.

Paul drove an hour away and got a wagon full of good-looking, fresh hay for our goats. He bought 144 bales and we had to get them put up in the barn as soon as possible to avoid getting them wet from rain or dew. Ugh, 144 bales at 50 pounds each adds up to ALOT of work.

We worked together as a family... Paul threw the bales up into the barn and Caleb and I stacked them. Seth, the lucky dog, was spending the night at grandma's.

Ahhh, the empty wagon!!

Wait, I missed Grandma!

I just realized that I posted bunches of pictures of our lake house trip and missed Grandma!!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, you make GREAT hosts!!!!!

Weekend at the Lakehouse

We went down to Grandma and Grandpa Larson's lakehouse in Missouri for the 4th of July weekend. As always, we had tons of fun (after the 8 hour drive, of course)!

Nathan singing happy birthday to Grandpa

We've reached the ODD years...

The ODD years... the years that it get hard to rattle off how old every kid is. Instead of the usual "they're 2, 4,6 8,..." It's turned into "ummm, let me think. 1... 4... 5, 7... 9... and 10". It won't stay those numbers for long, but I just hope no one asks their ages until I can get used to them :)

Seth is nine now! He had grown so much, in so many ways, in the last couple years. There was a stage (from about 1 to 7!) that I wasn't sure if he'd ever outgrow. It was an uncanny ability to do things (things that cause damage) without thinking. He still has his moments every now and then (and maybe I'm getting accustomed to the idea of "that's just the way he's wired"), but he has matured a lot.

I've heard a philosophy on child-rearing that goes something like this... from birth to 3, the child is all work for you; between 5 and 8, they should be able to hold their own (they are still work for you, but can shoulder their fair share); and after 9, they should actually be an asset to the family. Both Caleb and Seth are in that last stage. I notice how much more I have to do myself and miss them when they're gone.

Noah is 7 now and is in that stage that Seth just grew out of. The stage is a little different (his weakness is laziness), but the idea is still the same. Noah could care less if he wears the same outfit for 10 days in a row (socks, underwear and all) because he doesn't want to bring his laundry down and has no clean clothes. Most of the time, I'll catch him after 2 or 3 days of the same outfit, and to be honest, I don't care if they wear the same clothes 2 days in a row, minus socks and undies, of course.

On the positive side, Noah has a special knack for babies and little kids. He's great with Nathan and loves to care for him. Though he may not admit it, Noah's still a cuddly little sweetheart.

Because their birthdays are within a week of each other, they usually have their party together. This year, they had two parties (together). One at our house with the Pembles, and one at Grandma and Grandpa Larson's on Father's Day with the Larson crew.

The 3 fathers on Father's Day...

Seth and Grandpa Les

Daddy and Noah

We also went to meet Daddy for lunch at a park near his work on Seth's Bday. Noah's birthday was on a Sunday this year, so he got jipped out of this tradition...

Each of the kids give gifts to the birthday boy (or girl). It's been convenient this summer because the week before their birthdays, we went out garage sailing with birthday presents in mind. Each of the kids brought a buck (or so) and could buy the birthday boy whatever they though he'd like. Caleb got a Sox Monopoly Game for Seth... the only Sox lover in the family. Noah is not so big into competition (or conflict) and has chosen to become neutral He is now a St. Louis Cardinal's fan (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Larson buying him a jersey).

This park in Romeoville works out nice because the little kids play on the swings, while the bigger kids (and dad) take turns pitching to each other in the baseball diamond near the playground.

Ally and Mikayla's Graduation!

Both of Mark's girls graduated this year. Mikayla graduated from Jr. High...

And Ally graduated from high school.

They had a fun party with lots of family and friends. A few of the guys had a tug of war with...

...ALL of the KIDS!! FUN and FUNNY!!