Children's Museum and Other Fun Stuff

Last week we had the opportunity of visiting the Children's Museum in Stockton. It was a bit of a drive, but so much fun!

They had several simulations of real-life professions. Here are the girls at the "sandwich shop."
Kaitlyn really liked ringing the bell on this diagram of a cow. I learned that on a farm, they feed baby cows small magnets to keep any scrap metal that is accidentally ingested from entering their intestines.
Kaitlyn loading her basket up with produce- guess she's learned a thing or two from all those trips with me down to the farmer's market!
...and shopping for dry goods...
Here's Ashlee checking her out. The kids really liked the grocery scanner.
Rachel's turn to make a sandwich!
This was the front half of a real helicopter, complete with lights and sounds.
Jacob said he "may" be a police officer when he grows up =)
The free face-painting station was a hit.
I had put a butterfly on Kaitlyn's cheek, but she wiped it off in favor of one of Katie's full-face creations.

It turned out nice, don't you think?
Jacob was in heaven when he discovered this Lego table.
It had better be the only time I see this girl in the back of a police car!!
After a couple hours of playing we discovered this nice outdoor play yard where we could eat our lunch. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. The kids had fun playing on the playground and meeting other kids. Here are the girls being "butterflies and angels" on their way back into the museum.
After lunch we ventured into the art room, where they had tons of art supplies and craft tables for the kids. This was our last activity as we were winding down. This was a great homeschool field trip!
This week Anthony discovered finger puffs... and loves them! Would we expect anything less?
Some of them kind of dribble down his chin, but he still gets the flavor.
I am absolutely loving this time with two babies. I think Rachel is discovering that Anthony is blossoming into a fun playmate!
We were given one of these fun Flinstones cars the other day, and my kids have been having a blast with it.
Rachel pretty much claimed it as hers from the get-go. She was hilarious and would scream when anyone tried to touch it or come near it on the first day.
The kids have been spending LOTS of time up in the field (a.k.a. mud) collecting things and making a mess. The other day they came in the house with 2 snakes, a frog, and a lizard. I thought it was cute that they each had their own "pet."
Yes, they are definitely enjoying spring. Sometimes my inner voice wants to shout, "Get out of the mud!" But, I'd much rather have them playing in mud than inside playing video games. Dirt is healthy for kids.
Ashlee's obsession this past week has been The Hunger Games. I took her to see it on Friday night, and here she is with her Katniss braid. She also made herself a tee-shirt with the Mockingjay logo on it.
Mmmmm... a pear and goat cheese pizza I made the other night... one for me and one for a friend!
Kaitlyn being a sweet girl with the marble run. She thought I was taking a video so she kept doing these silly faces.

New Curriculum!

Our new curriculum arrived on Friday, and as always, I'm tickled!! I had heard about a new place called Lakeshore Learning from a couple of friends who recommended it for their "hands-on" items. One of the things we ordered was this ladybug house; our live ladybug larvae are on their way! I am really looking forward to doing this one with the kids.
I also had the brilliant idea to order book bins for the many wonderful books that, until now, have been hiding on our shelf unread. I find this is a much more functional way of displaying the books and getting use out of them. It has the feel of a personal homeschool library right in our dining room!
For geography, we ordered this United States floor puzzle. Jacob and I had fun putting it together, and it reminded me of the old days (when I had fewer kids) and we used to sit down and do his rainforest floor puzzle all the time. I had fun quizzing him afterwards.
And, thanks to Naomi's suggestion, to go along with math we now have a play cash register! We spent a good couple of hours playing store, buying "merchandise" from around the house, and making change. I can honestly say this was the most enjoyable school day we've had in a long time.
These guys are happy to have some new toys too. =)

Happiness

The freedom of homeschooling, new sod in the backyard, and sunny 70 degree weather equals a recipe for happiness. That is what I saw in my kids today. On days like this I can't even bring myself to pull them in for school work... so we consider it P.E.

Nevermind the mattress perched on the picnic table; adventures in night time potty training (did you know sunshine is the best antibacterial?) And as you can see by the blue streak on Rachel's nose, they've been enjoying some face paint. Shall we call it art?

Pick-Up Sticks

Look who grabbed the spaghetti off the counter by the wrong end! It seemed like an easy enough dinner, until this happened. Now we have one giant game of pick-up sticks =)

I love Having Two Babies...

... I really do. If I had it to do over again, I would in a heartbeat. Little displays of affection like this just melt my heart.

Anthony's First Cereal and Rachel Cuteness

On Sunday night I got the impression that Anthony is ready for baby food, and decided that this would be the week. So, last night I mixed him up the thinnest concoction of rice cereal and formula and gave it a go. The boy was READY for it! With his first bite he looked me straight in the eyes and gave me a look that said, "Mom, you get it!" He grabbed my hand and helped me bring the spoon to his mouth every time. I was sensin' your vibes buddy.
He knew exactly what he was going for. I'm sure it was a little bland, and next time I think I'll add bananas. My kids go monkeys for bananas.
Nice and messy. I would've put a bib on him, but the only ones I had were pink and undoubtedly girly, and I didn't want those going in the scrapbook. Poor boy would never live it down with his brothers and sisters.
He's nearly 8 months old and has no desire to sit on his own or even remotely think about crawling. I guess I've done a good job of keeping him my in-arms baby. He's totally chill, which is fine with me. We've worked out a deal that he will stay my baby for a very long time. ;)
He has no reservations about being a cheeser for the camera though.
"Can I just get those in my mouth please?" I love the way he so effortlessly folds over in half. Looks like the stretch I try to do after running.
And Rachel. Ooooh, Rachel. This girl is my compulsive helper. She likes to anticipate my move and be one step ahead. For example, if she sees that I am about to throw something away she will run over to the trash can just so she can open the lid. With her, there's a place for everything and everything's in its place. There is a laundry detergent cup that has been sitting on the garage stairs for about a week, and I can tell it's been bugging her. Every time we walk down the stairs to switch over a load of laundry she pauses, picks it up, contemplates walking it down to the detergent shelf, then sets it back down and comes inside at my beckoning. She just can't stand it. I love her for it.
The other thing she loves doing as of late is DISHES. She loves to stand at the sink and play in the water, and will wash any surrounding dishes. After posting this picture I looked closely and gasped- - she's drinking out of a peri-bottle!! I've accumulated a number of those with my homebirths and I PROMISE it's sanitary!! I always run them through the dishwasher and put them under the sink for my kids to play with. They make great bath toys.

January Birthdays Round 1 and Random Cuteness

On Saturday Kaitlyn turned 4. I am so blessed this time of year to have the opportunity to re-live so many of my births... let the birthday celebrations begin!!

Ashlee's creation: she spent all week watching Youtube videos and created this beautiful cake all on her own.
The one thing Kaitlyn really wanted this year was a doll and stroller.

She managed to blow out all the candles (in a few breaths.)
Daddy and all his kids!!