Look what I found today...

Hmm...Sophia is being so quiet...what in the world could she be doing?
And then I found her. She was painting the floor!
As upset as I was, I had to take a picture...she was too darn cute.

Some random summer pictures

Here are a few pictures of things we have been doing, as well as some of our garden and some fresh wild blackberries we picked!

Some more...

Learning about Volcanoes

Something I love about homeschooling is that we are able to find moments in which to learn, at every turn of life. We are going to be visiting Oregon very soon and driving around much of the state. We are going to visit Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, and the mountain formally known as Mt Mazama. For those who don't know, it is also called Crater Lake. We are trying to pick up some information about volcanoes before we start our trip. The other day we made a salt dough volcano, formed around a plastic water bottle. Then, with the magic of vinegar and baking soda, along with some red food coloring, we had an erupting volcano. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed...I was expecting more of an explosion, but I suppose we should be happy with what we get.
It was a fun afternoon!

Joey and baseball

Joey had a great baseball season. He made new friends and really had a great average. Here are some pictures. We all had great times at the baseball parks too. Most of them have playgrounds nearby, so it was a wonderful way to spend a summer evening. The smaller kids played on the slide and swings, while the older ones played and watched. There is something really wonderful and pure about summer little league, and watching your oldest son play his heart out!

Our Trip to Dayton

Like I said in the previous post...it has been WAY too long, but hopefully after I catch up, I will be able to keep it up.
Anyway, a few months ago we made the trip to Dayton to visit my in-laws. We had a great time. Paul and I actually got to go on a date to a wonderful musical, Shenandoah. It really was outstanding and we both laughed a cried during the show.
Also while we were there, we walked around downtown Dayton to view all the City Life Statues.
They are very clever and lifelike statues of people doing various things around the downtown area. It really forced us to walk around the city and it was a lot of fun. Joey especially had a great time checking them all off the map, and he and Grandma and Grandpa actually stayed downtown to find a few more, while I took everyone else home for a nap. I've been trying to post pictures from them, but for some reason they aren't working. I will try again later.
Also that week we took in a Dayton Dragons Baseball game, visited Boonshoft Kids Museum, and went to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Museum.
All in all, it was a great trip. I am sure I am forgetting something, since it was three months ago, but it was a lot of fun!

It's been way too long...

It seems like I go for longer and longer between posts. Since I have last written, we have visiting Paul's Mom and Step-father in Dayton, OH, we have made it through baseball season, and we have had a fairly joyful summer. Paulie turned 6 a few weeks ago, and in a couple months, Anna will be 4. It is so hard to believe how big they are getting. Sophia is only just starting to walk (she is 16 months), but we haven't been concerned...she just loves to be carried around!
We have been going to our local farmer's market almost every weekend. It is so nice for the children to see what food is really in season at any given moment and actually meet the people who grow it. I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and although we obviously wouldn't see eye to eye on many political or moral issues, the author really drives home a great argument for eating locally, as well as providing helpful information to help you do just that. It was an enjoyable book and actually was fairly humorous at many points. Here is a link to the website for the book.

Here is a favorite picture of mine, for the time being. The kids all had an afternoon popsicle, and Paulie went out with a book in his hand (as usual!). When I finally looked out after a minute or so, they all had arranged themselves to look at the book with him. It really was a nice moment.

Piano Recital

Last night, the boys had their first piano recital. Paul was worried that they weren't going to be able to get up in front of everyone to play, but they did just fine! There were about 18 students there, as well as all their families, so there were quite a few people.
Their teacher is named Millie (they call her Miss Millie), and she is wonderful with the kids. They really like her and enjoy going to lessons. They actually have only had 10 lessons each, and I think they are doing really well for that short of a time!
And now, presenting, Joey and Paulie at the piano!