Frog Unit Study

tadpoles from our very own kiddie pool! And a toad from our local city's drainage. The girls are going to observe and document the toad and tadpoles then release them back into their homes.

This free lapbook is great you find it on homeschoolshare.

This is all we could fit on our lapbooks but there is more!

teaching my girls to use the library catalog we looked up frogs and found some great resources!

Cathy the Cat

Annaleigh was so proud of her little letter C craft!

So you want to sew?

Here we are with some beginner stitching!

The Right Brain Method

Teaching the Right Brain by Dianne Craft is my reading curriculum this year. I found my daughter exhibits many signs of dyslexia. When I read Dianne Crafts blog and list of symptoms my mouth dropped open, she fit the bill to the T. I was both shocked and relieved to find a name for our problem and solution all at once. We have really hit the spelling words right brain strategies hard so far and the results have been amazing! We are also using the Brain Integration Therapy as well. 

Surprise Birthday Box!

I had friends and family add birthday cards to our box!

we took some sweet little pictures for Gary's birthday!

Oh Spring Ballet...

Being on the stage, wearing make-up, receiving applause and flowers is something these girls will never pass up on!

Sandy Summer

Every Summer have to make a trip to the beach! This year is no different. While shelling we found 3 intact sand dollars and tons of other gorgeous shells. I had to depend on the kindness of a stranger to pull my van out of the sand. It was certainly memorable!

Everyone found some amazing shells!

Completely intact

We found lots of jelly fish had washed up. This is a Portuguese man o' war.

Exploring what has washed up between the rocks.

The girls LOVED taking old time photos downtown.

We adore the time in the sand and sun!

Back To School

I am 6 years old. My favorite color is pink. I love candy. A word that describes me is silly. One thing I don't like is Annaleigh bothering me. I want to be a teacher when I grow up. 

I am 8 years old. My favorite color is purple. I love animals. A word that describes me is responsible. One thing I don't like is my sisters bothering me. I want to be a zookeeper when I grow up.

I am 3 years old. My favorite color is red. I love butterflies. A word that describes me is funny. One thing I don't like is sausage. I want to be like Zoe (big sister) when I grow up.

I used Pamela Hyer's free download: all about me

Enjoying this day!

4th of July

Being apart from the one you love during any day is hard but on nearly every holiday and weekend the gaping hole where your spouse is supposed to be can not be ignored. I found missing my husband while in he is in Afghanistan can not be the fore front of my everyday, even on holidays. While I was hurting on this Independence Day, I also was able to enjoy these children! Living in a constant state of grief will dry up your soul. Finding joy in your everyday life will give you strength. 

Sad Sayonara

When it was time for Gary go leave I was desperate! I tried to negotiate solutions for his staying home. In the end, we still have to say goodbye. It hurts to let go. It hurts to go against your own will. I respect my husband for making this difficult decision and will support his all the way!

happy homecoming

To much relief, Gary was able to come home to for a short visit we naturally we enjoyed our family time together!

I went by myself to pick Gary up and we spent two nights together!

We celebrated with lots of food!

We surprised our sweet babies who had no idea that daddy was coming home!

Gifts all the way from Afghanistan!

Eggy Easter

Camping

Lake Chicot State Park, Arkansas

Who doesn't love a roaring fire with smores?

So square.

Collaborative Art 

 I was asked to put together an interactive collaborative  painting for a women's conference this Spring. The request was specifically for about 300 women being able to participate in the art two days in a row and have it go up for auction to raise money for One Touch Awakening (http://onetouchawakening.org/2013/02/sending-pillows-to-the-troops/ )pillows sent to a children's home in Thailand our church supports (https://lwmi.org/lwmi_childrenshome.html).

While this painting was truly collaborative work it took a great deal of preparation from me. I work through lots of nights with my nearly 1800 squares!

Family Trip to Memphis zoo