It has been a while....

I know I haven't posted since September, so I thought I would just say a few quick words. I will post some pictures later. We have been busy with homeschooling and we are about to complete the first quarter. I have enjoyed this first quarter alot and so have the kids. They have learned a lot of great things and so have I. I get to catch up on what I didn't learn when I was a kid. Over the weekend I was blessed enough to go on a quilting retreat. Robert was great to let me get away and it was much appreciated. I got a lot of things done and was reinspired to make some great presents for Christmas. So, that is what I have been up to. I will blog more later!

Justin and Katie. Then and Now

We have been watching some videotapes from when we first came here in Jan. 2004. Justin was a little younger than Katie is now and we were all making comments about how cute Justin was. It is amazing how soon we forget! I thought it would be neat to show the difference 2 years can make in the life of a baby and preschooler. Now Justin is five and Katie is 2 and they are still good buddies.

Brendan looses another front tooth....

Brendan was really excited about having me take a picture of his tooth right before it came out. I neglected to take a photo of him after, but it is a good thing this one came out because the new one was already growing quite far behind it. We went to the dentist on Thursday and we received the sad news that Brendan needs an ortho evaluation. sniffle. Actually, we were prepared for this, but it is going to be interesting to see the cost, wont it?

Rebecca's learning to sew!

Rebecca and I took out the sewing machine that I have been saving for her and began a sewing project. These are pictures of her the third time that she has tried it and I hardly had to give any instruction at all. She is a fast learner and takes instruction well. Also, you may be noticing a pattern with her and Brendan's smile, they have both lost front teeth! This is Rebecca's first front tooth that she has lost and she is really cute to watch when she is talking.

Katie caught in the butter...

Katie has discovered that if she uses the step stool she can reach things on the counter. In the past she has helped herself to lots of fruit, but tonight she found a plate of leftover butter that I forgot about. She hit the jackpot! Katie and Pappy might have to fight over the butter, I am not sure who loves it more.

Brendan, our future chef....

Brendan began looking through a cookbook that I borrowed from the McClennans. He really seemed quite interested in looking at all of the food and kept oohing and ahhing. Finally he found what he was looking for, the picture of the chocolate cake on the front of the book and he told me I could make it. He has such faith in my cooking abilities!

Justin is Hooked on Phonics!

Justin started Hooked on Phonics about five weeks ago and just finished the program tonight! Hurray for Justin, he can read! We are all so proud of him and just wanted to share with our family and friends this grand achievement in his life. He can really read!

Stunned Bird....

In the middle of our history lesson we heard a loud bang on the back window. At first I didn't think much of it but soon my curiousity got the better of me and we all had to look and see if a bird had hit the glass. Sure enough, there was a bird sitting there on the deck looking quite stunned. Its little beak was open and it appeared to be panting. It did this for about three minutes and then finally closed its mouth. Rebecca and Brendan and I sat and watched it for a good ten minutes before we finally went back to our lesson. A little later we went back and it was still there taking a siesta. Rebecca suggested opening the door a little, so I did and it immediately hopped over to the edge of the deck, got ready for take off and then...stayed that way for five minutes. It was really in a daze. We went back later and it was gone, so apparently it recovered enough to go home.

A Beautiful Day....

Today was such a beautiful day! We had to take advantage of this unusually warm and sunny day, so we went to Rotary Beach to play with friends. It was really hot actually, and we had to leave because Katie was overheating. We forget that Rotary Beach is so nice to play at. The kids got to wander off and play with their friends and then an organized game of kick ball magically appeared. Well, Justin, Rebecca and Brendan were as pleased as could be about that. Days like today make me really appreciate Ketchikan and being able to homeschool.

Katie's Fashion for Today's Baby

Today's baby is now sporting a flashy green headband, with a sweet teal green top. To complete the ensemble, merely add some socks and a pair of pull ups. Your little girl will be the talk of the town!

Art Class/Paper Mache....

I saw some paper mache pinatas hanging up at the rec center last week, and I thought, hey, I can do that! Wow, that was fun... They didn't like getting their hands wet with the glue, but they liked painting it this morning. I am not sure what they made, but Katie got to try painting for the first time and it was just about the cutest thing I ever saw. I already told them we wont be doing this again:)

Happy Birthday Robert!

Yesterday was Robert's birthday, hurray! He had lots fun reading the books that the kids made for them, kids make birthdays so much fun... He also received some new clothes, that were not from Walmart, and had a great dinner, indian food. It was really good, I have to say. So, here is to another year my dear! Happy Birthday Robert.

The kids are showing off their new t-shirst from Del Sol. I am sure that you all know what store that is, but for those who may not, they sell items that change color in the sun. This picture was taken when there wasn't much sun, so you can't see the total effect, but none the less, they love the t-shirts.

Discovery Center...

Some friends of ours associated with the Heidelberg Seminary in South Dakota came in yesterday on a cruise ship and we had so much fun showing them around town. We went to the Discovery Center and took them to Creek Street. We would have loved to shown them so many other places, but we didn't have enough room in our Suburban. The kids had a great time with all of the exhibits and walking around town. And of course we had to take them to Cape Fox for lunch, what a beautiful view up there! All in all it was a wonderful day with great weather, the Lord blessed us greatly.

Before school starts for so many of our friends, we had one more hurrah at Totem Bight with Laura, Karina and Hans Michael. We roasted marshmellows, Katie was very curious about the sticky marshmellow on her finger. The kids played on the trail to the clan house and Laura told them a story about one of the totems inside the clan house. It was very entertaining and they thought it was a true story...

Settler's Cove Hiking...

We went to Settler's Cove after church 2 Sundays ago. Katie was such a champion, climbing all those stairs and grunting with each step. She wouldn't give up though. The beach was a lot of fun too. On Tuesday of this week I took the kids back for a science experiment on water flow. We threw rocks, leaves, twigs, old man's beard, bark and leaves to see what would float and what would sink. The greatest part of the whole experience though, was watching the salmon run. And then we saw seals popping their heads up, we counted three of them. I have to say, I was really excited because this was my first time seeing them so close up in the wild. What a great place we live.

We found some great blocks for building at a good price at, you guessed it, Walmart! The kids had lots of fun building towers and ships and wanted me to take lots of pictures of their creations.

Another Great Day at the Park...

We had such great weather today! We all wanted to go to the park and when our friends the Axelsons called and said they were going, we were glad to join them. Justin made a huge leap today on the big climbing gym. He made lots of noise but had great courage and he did it! Robert and I also wanted to see if we could still play like kids and hang upside down too. I know these are slightly embarrassing pictures for us old folks to show, but they are fun too. Brendan finally got his own bike, a boy bike, and he is good at riding it too. Katie has gotten quite good at climbing her mountain as well. Rebecca got a piggy-back ride with her Daddy and she gave a great goofy face. If you click on the picture you can see it better. Well, tomorrow is Sunday, we are looking forward to going to church and praising the Lord! God bless you all and good night.