Saturday in the Park

We were supposed to go to the science museum today, but the boys had a really hard morning. After the third tantrum in less than two hours (we won't name names) Erik and I decided it would be best to forego large indoor crowds. Sadly, I had already informed the dudes about our intentions for the day's activity. (I know better!) That was a tough moment. Kudos to the Daddy-Man for breaking it to the boys and being the one to primarily deal with the fall-out. Oh, the tough lessons of parenting.

In order to help the boys deal with their grief AND provide us with some sort of family outing, we headed over to their favorite park. Just what the doctor ordered! Time running around outside with lots of space and very few social requirements. Love it.

While we were there, each boy discovered a new piece of playground equipment. Luke made friends with the tire swing while Paul enjoyed that thing you hold onto and slide back and forth with. (Bad grammar alert!) Here are the pics to prove it and please the fans. :-)

Yes, he actually spun around on it. It was hilarious to see him stand up afterward. I thought it was rather ingenious of him to discover that by standing in the middle of the tire, he could have some modicum of control, stopping easily by placing his feet down.

So sweet.

You can't see it very well, but Paul's grin is HUGE.

There's a better shot of the grin. Ready to go again, looking up at that bar.

Why I Home School

It's not the glamorous lifestyle. (Play dough or finger paints, anyone?) It's not the fabulous looks I get from folks who think I'm nuts. (My favorites are from absolute strangers.) It's not even the never-ending questions I get about socialization. (Again sometimes from absolute strangers.) No. That's not why I do it.

Here's just one of the many reasons I home school:

That's the big brother reading "One Fish, Two Fish" to the little brother. This was unassigned reading. In fact, I didn't realize Luke could read this book. I'm sure parts are memorized, but I also heard him sounding out words. It was so cool.

Eventually they became so engrossed in the book that they had to be closer to it. These two dudes are best buddies. I'm so thankful to God.

I am sure moments like this would happen even if we didn't home school, but I'm not sure I would notice them. Home schooling actually slows the pace of our lives. The mornings home without the rush to get kids out the door allow moments like this one to happen. I love it.

Sabbath

I have to start this post with a confession. I am not at home. I am sitting in an over-stuffed chair beside a stone fireplace looking out over an immaculate golf course. Erik and I are at the Sunriver Resort. This was not a planned trip. Well, Erik had planned to come alone to work a convention, but yesterday around 11am that felt really silly. So we called my mom. She was willing and able to come hang with the boys for thirty-six hours. What a huge blessing. We left home around 4:30pm and drove straight through without any problems. This morning Erik had to be up and out by 6:30 am. I was a bit more leisurely in my morning routine. I turned on the fire. I made coffee. I enjoyed my Bible Study and prayer time. I sang hymns of praise. It has been a beautiful Sabbath. We prayed hard yesterday about my making this trip. I just wasn't sure if God wanted me to stay home and be with my dudes or get away with my husband. After praying we had unity about prepping for me to go, but being flexible if it fell through. It turns out, God brought me on the trip to be with Him. Erik is really working the bulk of the day today, so I have time alone for prayer, study, and meditation. It's just one day, but it's been such an encouragement to me already. For some reason I really struggle with resting when I am at home. And God wants me to rest. I'm thankful for the reminder.

And now a few pics to update y'all on how the peeps are doing.

We learned about magnets this past week. Luke had a great time testing the strength of the magnet on his Thomas.

Paul also got into the magnet fun.

Luke is reading a book entitled "Splat" to Paul. If you are in the neighborhood, drop by and he will read it for you, too. Every word. All by himself. :-)

It's done! I'll devote my next post to the process, but here is the end result. I'm so happy!

Construction Zone and Consignment Sale

We've done it again. We took a perfectly dust-free room and transformed it into a construction zone, all in the name of home improvement. Our bedroom is covered in bits of plaster and the closet looks like this:

You might be wondering why we would do such a thing. It's simple, really. When our house was built around 1955 there were firmly held beliefs that excess closet space caused cancer, destroyed marriages and was communistic in nature. Hence builders were careful to include only ONE closet in the master bedroom, a room that holds approximately seventeen more square inches than the other bedrooms, despite being the abode of two adult human beings. Sixty years later, the result of such antiquated thinking resulted in this:


Not pretty. Something had to be done. IKEA to the rescue! We are mid-project right now, but we've only been at it since yesterday morning, so I'm feeling optimistic. There have been a few hiccups, not the least of which was the presence of lath and plaster rather than sheet rock. Bleck. But, we are pressing on. Translation: Erik is working hard and I'm cheering from the sidelines. He is actually at a stopping point, realizing that he needs some sheet rock and can get it for free from a friend at church tomorrow. We also have Erik's parents coming over for lunch and possible slave labor, I mean volunteer help. :-)

In completely unrelated news, I went to the coolest consignment sale this morning. Wee-Cycle is a homegrown Portland business, started by a good friend of mine. I was amazed at the quantity and quality of goods. I managed to snag some pretty sweet deals. See below!

$2.50 shirt!

$1 shirt!

Both boys LOVE their new shirts. I'm fairly certain that Luke intends to wear his to bed tonight. Who wouldn't want to sleep with a T-Rex AND a monster truck plastered to your chest? The anachronism doesn't seem to bother him. He's so very happy!

Pinwheels

I love to herald the beginning of spring by gifting each boy with a pinwheel. I realize many moms would turn this into a craft opportunity. I bought mine at Kmart. I don't craft and neither do my dudes. They would much rather jump and shout and run about. And I would much rather watch them! I digress. Yesterday was Pinwheel Day here. The weather was perfect and I had them in my closet, waiting. The boys were uber delighted. Hours of play commenced and have continued today. Yet another absolute advantage to having largely media deprived kids: they are so easily entertained.

This face accurately conveys how we all feel about pinwheels and spring - magic!

Running!

More running!

Posing

Funny faces and pinwheels. Life is good!