My Favorite Kid Products

I see results of surveys in various parenting magazines of what the most popular and hottest baby products are.  It gets me thinking about the various products that have helped Ryan and I through our kids' infanthood and what is now getting us through their childhood--consumables we buy again and again and other baby items we have used and just can't get rid of thinking the good Lord is not done expanding our family.  ;)

1. The Beginner's Bible

I distinctly remember having this when I was a kid--or maybe it was one of my siblings.  No matter.  I believe I got this as a baby shower gift and it has stood the test of time, having been taped up many times due to pages falling out and the cover separating.  While you always want your Bible intact, it's good to know that when it's falling apart you know it's been put to good use. 

2. Aveeno Lotion and Sunscreen

Autumn had pretty funky eczema before she was a year old and this helped (along with Zyrtec and steroid cream :-p).  I still use it and am more than happy to pay $5 for it.  When you know something works for you and your family you are willing to pay the price for it.  The sunscreen on the other hand is $9 for a small tube, but it's not greasy or heavily scented.  I believe I used it for Hannah the first summer after she was born.  Even with two fair-skinned girls, I was still stunned by the amount of sunscreen we went through this year.

3. Quaker Chewy Granola bars

This has been a perfect go-to snack for years.  Hannah used to call them "yellow bars".  She still says that sometimes. :) Autumn now enjoys them as well, even if she does pick off the chocolate chips before actually eating it.

4. Little People

Back in the day we had the old school Little People (the old farm is almost guaranteed to be found in almost any church nursery since that's where all retro toys seem to accumulate), but I think the current ones are much cuter.  Hannah got the farm for her 1st birthday and we've collected various sets ever since, to include a zoo, school bus, SUV, Noah's Ark, Nativity, and grocery store.  We don't have the plane which is surprising.  The sets never stay together which is fine because both girls love playing with them and they're actually pretty easy to keep up with.

5. Saucers and Bouncers

We had two of them--one was Leap Frog and the other was Fisher Price  We got the Leap Frog saucer when Hannah was a baby.  It was about $80 and I believe my mom and my aunt got it for us.  It was great when Hannah was more sturdy on her legs, but she was so short we had to put pillows under her feet! Aside from that, she bounced like a crazy fool!!! I was sorry when she outgrew it, but beyond thrilled we held onto it for Autumn because she was also a psycho jumper.  Autumn also enjoyed the bouncer at church (pictured on the left), and Ryan found one at a consignment shop for $25! We snatched it up, and Autumn all but wore that out as well.  It was more like a Johnny Jump-Up if anyone happens to remember those (I know my mom does).  You would think our kids have legs of steel! 

6. Portable DVD Players

21st century parents--can I get an amen?!? It's twice as nice when your vehicle comes with one built-in.  We first got one when we moved to KS and made that 12-hour drive.  After 3 years, it went kaput.  We got some good mileage from it. :) Lots and lots of The Backyardigans and Clifford the Big Red Dog were played on that thing. We haven't been on any long road trips in a while, but it's still nice on even just 30-minute drives to have the kids focused on something other than making you crazy. :)

7.  Hug 'N Learn Baby Tad

Tad is that well-known frog adorning the packaging of many LeapFrog products.  I got this for Christmas 2004, while Hannah was still in utero.  It is currently in her room, no doubt snuggled in her bed.  I'm startled if I see a brand new one on the shelf in a store--startled to see how green and clean it looks!

8.  My Pal Violet

Another fabulous LeapFrog product.  This time it's a purple puppy.  You can hook it up with the included USB cord to the LeapFrog website and personalize it with different songs and your child's name.  Autumn's Violet is very loved, I guess you could say.  She got it last Christmas from her Nonna Jonna (if I'm wrong on that feel free to correct me).  Since it's electronic, it cannot be tossed in the washer so we have had to come up with creative ways to ensure her cleanliness.  When we tell Autumn it's time for bed or a nap, she immediately asks "Where's Bi-let?" :)

What are some of your favorite kid products?

Lefty!

It was bound to happen...me having a child who is left-handed.  I believe I have that in Autumn who eats and colors with her left hand. :-D Other lefties in our family include me, my sister (the girls' "Moo Moo"), and my grandma.  When she is officially home-schooling in a few years I can see it already--the constant painting of pencil lead covering the side of her hand from dragging it across the paper as she writes.  People being astounded by how your hand looks when you write.  Always being asked if anyone else in your family is left-handed.  To which I say "Yeah! Is anyone else in your family annoying? Because you really take the cake!" LOL Okay, so I've never said that but I did think it was a silly thing to ask. It simply means Autumn maybe be smarter than most. ;)

Not to say anything against her "righty" sister.  Hannah is super smart and it is beyond a pleasure to homeschool. :) And it may be another explanation as to why the girls are so different.  Even though Autumn is 2 years old, are still floored by how different our girls are.  Several times we've said, "Whoa, Hannah never did/said that!" But I can safely say that both my kids are super smart and super awesome in their own ways. :)

Rotary Park

We all first went to the library for storytime, and Ryan had the great idea to pack a lunch and eat at Rotary Park.  The weather was gorgeous, and we all had a great time together. :) Autumn ended up doing a face plant on a slide but got right back up again.   Such resilience...not something us Caulfields are generally known for. :-p

Week in Review #5

This is how the girls help with baking ;)

Math - Hannah is started to grasp counting by tens and the very beginning of counting money.  Just one of those things we had to keep at until it clicked, I guess.  When we were all in the car the other day (this is when it becomes SUV-schooling) and Ryan just blurts out, "Hannah, how many cents does two dimes make?" and so on and so forth.  Lots of addition this week also. 
Early Learner - We started the second of four workbooks.  I graded Hannah's first workbook.  In the back of each one they have a chart and instructions on how to grade.  On each page Hannah has to have correctly completed 75-80%.  Overall she did very well, and I felt very confident she was ready to move on to the next book.  The one thing she does need to work on is sequence, which I mentioned last week.  Over all Hannah looooooves these workbooks.  I usually have her do 2-3 pages a day and on Thursday she did 7! When I have her choose a subject she picks the Early Learner. :)

Reading - More words and longer sentences. It's bound to happen. :) Back in the second week of school I had a great idea to make flash cards of all the words she's learning (or as many as I can do since with each lesson there are more words).  I put the cards on the laundry room doors so she will see them every day.  (If I'm ever repititive about various areas of our homeschool please excuse me) After a while I take down the cards so I can replace them with new ones.  I use the cards I've taken down as review and for spelling tests.  Each spelling test was five words, but I moved up to ten words since the five didn't seem much to her.  I'm hoping to hold on to the cards for when Autumn starts school. 

Language - We did a whole 2 lessons this week.  We talked about a painting of King Henry of England.  The lesson just asked Hannah to talk about it and what she observed.  She said she thought he was dressed like a ballerina which made me seriously LOL. Even though we only did 2 lessons this week we are ahead in the workbook so all is good.

Science - We were thrilled to learn this week that the owner of our house finally paid to put in a paved driveway.  My mom suggested that it would make a great experiment in showing Hannah what happens when you write in cement and then it dries.  I figured the owner would not appreciate it that.  Otherwise, we kinda slacked here as well.  Yeah, no, we're not slacking off on school.  Science is one of those bi-weekly things that is easily overlooked as opposed to something we do every single day.

Geography - We learned about map symbols and what they do, and there was a page where Hannah got to draw her own map symbols.  Maybe soon we can drop her in the middle of the jungle and she can find her way out. ;)

Handwriting - I have noticed a distinct improvement in her penmanship.  She's taking her time and her writing is a lot neater and I haven't seen her write any letters backwards in quite a while.  She had a spelling test on Monday and she missed a word because she got the 'e' sound (as in 'met') and the 'i' sound (as in 'sit') mixed up. Understandable. 

Art - Hannah got a new drawing book at the library and she didn't even bother hiding her excitement, so much so the lady behind the desk couldn't help but smile back at her.  The book she got this week was drawing pets, like cats, dogs, bunnies, etc. I really, really need to get her a sketch pad so I don't have all these stray papers floating about.

Extras - More library trips. :-D I went to my limit of check outs on my card, so I swiped Ryan's.  Kinda of like exceeding your limit on a credit card, but in this case it's actually a good thing.  As you can see by my previous post, we had ourselves a field trip.  I am pleasantly surprised to see that there was not one day this week where we were at home all day.  Even if it was just errands, we got out of the house.  Pretty cool.  

Tonight Hannah is going to spend the night at her Papaw's (my dad) house.  My dad was visiting my grandparents in CA for two weeks so it's been a while since Hannah has stayed over there.  It's been a few weeks since Hannah's stayed the night with any of her grandparents come to think of it.  Autumn didn't take a nap today so she went to bed early, Ryan is at work, so it's just been me this evening.  Very nice.  Even though we are "homebodies" I welcome Friday as much as anyone else. :)

Fire Station Field Trip

Today Hannah and I met some other homeschoolers for a field trip to the fire station (for you Clarksvillians we went to the one on Maxwell Drive next to Hilldale Baptist).  It was coordinated through the local online homeschool group, Hope@Home.  There were about 9 kids, 5 parents.  A pretty good turnout.  I swear during training they must teach firefighters about giving tours to kids or they just do so many a week that it's second nature. :) We were shown all the basic things--the rescue truck, fire truck and one of the guys got all suited up in all his firefighter glory. Hannah loved it all.  That's actually one thing she has said she wants to be when she grows up..."a firefighter and a mom." :)

Showing the fire truck

Looking at the rescue truck

Different parts of the firefighter's suit

The kids liked to stomp on his steel toe boots :)

At the end of the tour all the kids got fire safety coloring books and fire badge stickers.  Hannah even picked up extras for Autumn, since they recommended those younger than Kindergarten not attend the trip.  We even managed to finish all our school work and had an overall pleasant day.

Being Two Will Be Au-some!

I made the butterflies with mini pretzels, gummy
worms and cut up twizzlers.

At 7:58 AM today Autumn turned 2 years old! :D Can't believe she's already 2...even though she's already showing symptoms of being a stereotypical terrible two-er. :) That aside, she is truly a delight and could not have been a more perfect fit into our little family. She certainly has a devious side (just asked her Grendy! ;D). 

We celebrated Autumn's birthday with a party with family. She got some cute pjs, a huge multipack of Play-Doh (thank Papaw!), and various toys.  My mom got her some "big girl panties" which I suppose means we need to start potty training sometime soon. She has started showing interest in the potty anyway.  A classic sign of being ready to potty train, according to the experts. :) The other day Autumn decided one of her bears needed to go potty so she dunked it in the toilet.  Into the washer it went.  Either later that day or the day after that, she decided her monkey wanted some coffee and dunked its head into her daddy's mug.  It quickly joined the bear in the washer.  This is a great example of that devious side I previously made mention of.

Now enjoy a photo chronology for a few seconds:

The day she came home from the hospital



First birthday



Last weekend at her cousin, Emma's, birthday

 Speaking of Emma's birthday, last weekend we had two birthday parties to attend.  Autumn is part of a group known of the "Girls of September".  Emma's birthday is Sept. 3 and my mom's BFF's granddaughter, Marianne's, birthday is September 8. 


The theme might be obvious :)



Marianne's party was a princess theme!

 Last year the four of us drove up from GA for one big party for the three of them.  Of course we're not going to do that every year since the girls are individuals with their own interests and so forth, even though that might make things a bit easier. :-p Needless to say I think we are all officially partied out!

Week in Review #4

I'll go by subjects this time, rather than days.  If I went by days, you would probably hear more about my frustrations than anything. ;) It's all good, really.  I'm sure I'll have many more of "those days". 

Reading - We are almost to lesson 5 (each lesson has 15-20 pages).  Our current lesson teaches sounding out "th", which makes Hannah stick half her tongue out. Kinda funny. All is going well.  While going through a page, Hannah will stop in the middle of it, turn to me with a big grin and say "I can read!" Love it!

Language - Most of the lessons are repeating what we learn in Reading, which is fine.  At this age, you can never review too much.  I enjoy the narration (looking at a picture and making up a story as to what's going on) and poetry appreciation.  It's just for Hannah to express her thoughts...I just wish there was more of that. I guess I could create the "more of that" myself.

Math - Ordinal numbers has finally clicked with her! I am so glad! Hannah is also learning addition and doing very well, so much so she can do her addition problems without me constantly hanging over her shoulder.  I guess I don't have to anyway. She does the 5 problems and I look over them and have her correct any that are wrong. Simple.

Art - No solid curriculum here.  Whenever we go to the library to get another big load of a books, Hannah picks out a drawing book showing simple steps of drawing animals, insects, or whatever.  I think she's drawing lizards right now. :) I already had a folder full of drawing and painting both girls have done since we started school.

Bible - We talked about Samuel a few times this week and Hannah remembered who his mother was right away (the answer is right in front of you ;D).  I was quite impressed since it was at least a week ago that I mentioned Hannah was his mother. The book we are using is God and Me, which is wonderful and beyond perfect for her age.  I actually bought it when she was a year old because I knew I would use it eventually. I was in Book A Million the other day and they have gobs of them on the shelf.  I even saw it at the library. 

Handwriting - She writes all her letters very well so far. We are still on lowercase letters. She will sometimes write 'd' and 'b' backwards, but I guess that's to be expected.

Developing the Early Learner - Four workbooks are in this package and this week we are finishing up the first one.  I am starting to notice the work getting slightly more difficult, which is fine. Hannah really enjoys it. She likes the memory part, where I set out 4 items and she covers her eyes, I take an item away and then she tries to guess which one is missing.  She's aced every one of those. One part she has trouble with is sequence, like what came first...the cow or the steak, the trees or pile of chopped wood.  We talked through it today, but I wasn't sure if I was feeding her the answers or not. :/ I tried not to. I just asked her what the pictures were and what came first. Hm.

Geography - We touched a little more on North America.  I read to Hannah about Canada and the United States from her atlas while she colored Canadian and American flags. The next continent we will be learning about is South America, which we will probably do the week after next.  We've slacked off a little bit on her workbook, but I'm hoping we will work in it more often than once or twice a week.

Science - We did out second experiment this week--creating a homemade weather station which measures air pressure (more or less a barometer).  I think we did it right. :-p Hannah likes to check it every day and inform me if the air pressure is high or low. She was intrigued when I told her that it was a good indicator as to weather or not it will rain.

Extras - We went to the library twice this week.  Once was just to play and the second time was for the homeschool story time which include at least two stories and a craft.  The whole thing lasts about an hour. I am very excited this is every week. Autumn was particularly behaved but I blame myself for not having the stroller and she did not sit very still, so Thursdays will be special Autumn and Daddy time. :) There is a program for toddlers at the library every Tuesday called Busy Bees, so Autumn will not be left out of the library program loop.

This morning an unexpected field trip came up.  My mom is only going to work for a few hours today so she asked if Hannah could go with her.  She works at the Nashville Bar Association. Hannah was beyond excited.  My mom just sent me a comment on Facebook only a few minutes ago and said that on the way to Nashville they talked about Johnny Cash being in Heaven and that Jesus loves everyone even if they don't love him.  Yes, very educational. :D

Caulfields By the Numbers

Just a little silly post, I suppose you can say.  Maybe this will help people to get to know our family in a different way...our likes, dislikes, and just how crazy we all are! :) These are not in any particular order:

8 - number of years we've been married as of October 25

9 - years Ryan has served in the military, including Reserves and National Guard

2 - children that have been brought forth through our union

3 - states we have live in (Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia)

10 - gallons of milk we go through in a month (we are a cereal-loving bunch so that's how that happens)

8 - addresses we have resided (3 were before the kids)

11 - cars we have had since we have been married (this is the part that shows you how nuts we are).  I blame a great portion of this on Ryan (who I love dearly!).  A couple we have owned outright, but Ryan has a problem sticking with one for a long period of time.  He likes change, but I wish he would just change his haircolor or something.  Might be cheaper. :-p

4 - "first day of prek" pics I have taken of Hannah (she was in an early intervention program in KS and then another one in GA, then regular prek in GA, and then prek in TN)

16 - months Ryan has been in Iraq combining his two deployments

75 - pounds gained between the two of us since being married.  Ryan was kind enough to put on the lbs along with me while pregnant with the girls. :)

6 - weeks we have currently been homeschooling

3 - (at least) number of pairs of shoes Autumn has in the car since she always takes them off. She might be one of those barefoot runners :-p

30 - panda items Hannah owns that I am able to count in my head

2 - days under Autumn's 2nd birthday!! :D

More Changes

She wasn't asleep...I think I just caught her blinking

My kids' shifts from baby and toddlerhood to being actual people (ha!) seem to happen in the blink of an eye.  I was telling Ryan the other day how toddler beds at Walmart are only $57, which was what I wanted to get for Autumn for her 2nd birthday (Saturday!) along with a cute toddler bedding set.  Ryan practically bounds to his feet and says he has the greatest idea that will save us that $57 and also help Autumn in the transition.  He simply took the side off Autumn's crib, automatically turning it into a "big girl bed".  I have to say that was an ingenius idea since Autumn is already used to sleeping there, and it will be an easy transition in another year or so when we get Autumn her own twin bed.  Hannah was about 3 and a half when she went from a toddler bed to a twin.

Ryan's other idea did not work out so well, while it was a good one...just something the kids weren't ready for.  After our lease is up in December we are more than likely going to move to a smaller place to save money (more on that later), so the kids will probably end up sharing a room.  We wanted to test that idea.  Both kids were excited at first, but then Hannah fell asleep and Autumn still wanted to party.  She kept getting into Hannah's bed, and I heard on the baby monitor "Autumn, stop bothering me!"  So upstairs I would go (Ryan was lucky...he was at work :p), and I put Autumn back in her own bed.  By the time 11 PM rolled around we put Autumn back in her own room.  All has been well since...Autumn sleeps just fine and even if she did get out of bed there's nothing within her reach that poses any safety issues.  I'm sure once Autumn gets used to her "new bed" sharing a room won't be a problem.

Week in Review #3

Monday (Labor Day) - Hannah hasn't quite grasped the concept of weekends and holidays, which is perfectly okay with me considering how little time it takes us to do school.  So while everyone else had the day off we "labored" away. Har har.  Like any seasoned homeschooler will say, your kids are always learning and you need to take advantage of teachable moments through the most mundane tasks. 

Tuesday - I had to run some errands so Ryan did a couple of subjects with Hannah while I was gone.  I can never say enough how important it is that the other parent, or even another relative, steps in once in a while because it's just refreshing because no two people will teach a subject exactly the same. It's great when Ryan does geography with Hannah because he's had some much training with maps and direction through the Army, so he is able to get more creative.  Ryan and the girls also got down and dirty with finger painting so much so that he had to give them both a bath.  When I came home there was at least 10 pictures taped to the door.

Wednesday - I developed another nasty headache.  I'm not one to get headaches very often but over the past week I've had 3 which make me just want to crawl into bed in a dark and silent room.  It's pretty awful.  At first I thought it was from too much caffeine so I'm trying to cut back.  I had one cup of coffee this morning and then 45 minutes later the pain just crept up on me.  Ryan was so fantastic and insisted I take a nap while he got the girls lunch.  I slept for 2 hours. Wow. When I got up he and Hannah were just finishing the rest of her school work.  I had hoped to make it to the library today but no such luck.  I did, praise the Lord, make it to church.  Just what I needed.  Something I must always remember...whenever I don't feel like going to church that is probably when I need it the most.  The kids had fun in their respective classes and I received great encouragement at the homeschool support group.  I will most likely end up going to the doctor regarding this headache thing...stay tuned...

Thursday - It used to be after the kids go to bed, my night would then be filled with relaxation--surfing the internet, watching TV, but not this week.  I find myself spending that time preparing for school! I made chore charts for both girls one evening, I created (very simple) chore charts for both girls which age-appropriate tasks and they receive a sticker after completion.  I love that stickers are still a good incentive with Hannah...just like when she was potty training. :) Last night I created some (again, very simple) lesson plan sheets to keep track of the schoolwork, but to also write in little extra things we do throughout the day.  There are plenty of learning moments that are unplanned so I decided to start keeping track--an idea I got from the homeschool group at church. I even made a set for Autumn, even though she's not officially homeschooling yet.  I want to see on paper the different things we do which help in her development.  There are some days when I feel like we have accomplished nothing, so this will really help.

We finally made it to the library and spent almost 2 hours there playing and picking out books.  While I check out books Hannah likes to put change in the large donation bin the library keeps by the front door.  It makes me wonder how much we've actually donated with all the change put together. :)

Friday - We woke up to rain and thunder which we declared a "stay at home day".  Ryan was off work, so I could not think of a more fantastic idea.  We got a bit behind in reading but caught up quickly.  I wrote out lesson plans for next week.  I love seeing on paper all that we are going to do in the coming days. Addition seemed to really be clicking with Hannah today.  We use Horizons for math and the pace is great.  The first several lessons have been review of numbers and then the slows down as addition comes to play.  The Inchimals really help since Hannah enjoys playing with them and figuring out which animal is what number. 

Another great week here at Caulfield Academy. ;D 

What are you reading?

I'd like to start talking about books I've recently read on occasion.  What's so hilarious is since I started homeschooling I feel like I have time to read.  When Hannah was in preschool, I would start reading a book but then it would be time to pick her up and then the rest of the day would jam packed with other things.  But I digress....

The Outsider by Ann Gabhart

This is a Christian historical novel about a young women in 1812 who is a member of the Shakers and falls in love with a doctor who has come to treat a burn victim in their group.  The Shakers oppose marriage and basically believed anyone in the outside world is of the devil.  I knew nothing about Shakers prior to reading this, so I was a bit intrigued.  While the violent details of the War of 1812 were a bit shocking, I enjoyed the story.  I did find the end a bit unsatisfying--something that definitely calls for a sequel.

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

The author shadowed several high school student during their junior and senior years--those types of students who are involved in every possible activity that would look good on a college application while stressing themselves silly over getting nothing less than a 4.0 GPA.  These kids are suffering physically, mentally, and spiritually--shakes, depression, losing hair, suicidal tendencies, taking diet pills to stay awake--and for what? The author also talks about different cultures' takes on education and the No Child Left Behind Act.  I am only a fourth through this book and I'm already recommending it to anyone whose kids are high school and younger.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar

This is obviously for those of us who are big Duggar fans (like me!).  A lot of the info throughout the book has already been mentioned on their show, but there's a lot of new stuff--great suggestions about getting your kids to sit still and how to keep better organized in your household.  There are also a few family photos that I have never seen prior on TV.  I also enjoyed reading about the many business ventures they went through in the first years of their marriage. Wow! I am truly impressed by their diligence and their vow to never carry debt, not matter how small.  Their testimonies how God has blessed them in situations where anyone would assume there was no hope has really encouraged me. 

Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb

You might remember two of Wally Lamb's novels (She's Come Undone and This Much I Know is True) as being chosen for Oprah's book club.  His books are amazing, but the subject matter can be a bit heavy.  I'm usually a bit emotionally distressed for a day or so after finishing one of his books. :p This book, I am happy to say, is very light reading and will provide quite a few hearty chuckles.  A good coming of age story about a 10-year old boy and the in's and out's of pre-pubescent life such as a dirty-mouthed best friend, the intriguing foreign exchange student, and being related to certain Mouseketeer.  I read this in only a few days after the kids went to bed.  Two thumbs up! :)

The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole

I read this a couple months ago, and I consider this the go-to book for anyone who is considering homeschooling.  If homeschool has crossed your mind, then you need to buy this book.  Now.  Reading this book made me feel so silly to ever question the lack of socialization and, as a matter of fact, it made me wish I was homeschooled! Something that is touched on throughout the book is being homeschooled, your child actually has time to be a child rather than stuck in a building for 8 hours a day.  Kids have time to pursue their interests and actually prepare for the real world.  I could go on and on about this book, but I'll let you read it and decide. :)

Now tell me what you're reading! I'm always up for recommendations! :D

Missing Out?

On our last trip to the library, the kids at the school across the street (Moore Magnet School) were outside for recess. Hannah sees a group of kids playing anywhere and she wants immediately to jump in and join them. I could just read the look on her face...how much she wanted to be among those kids playing. I remember the fun days of recess, and I could not help but feel horribly guilty in that aspect. Hearing all the kids shouting and chattering with excitement, she asks me what they were doing.  I told her that they were having recess.  She said something to the fact that she wanted to have recess, too.  I said to her, "Well, you get to have recess whenever you want!" She shrugs, somewhat agreeing.  I don't think this is something she thinks about every single day (as far as I know :/).  Just a few days ago she asked me when she was going to her new school and meet her new friends. I guess she thought everything we've been doing has been practice before "real" school.  Hm. I know she loves homeschooling, but I think it might all just be starting to hit her that we're going against the grain here.  I hope she grows to love it so much that she wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend my oldest friend, Jamie, her husband Shaun, and three boys came to visit us! They said they were antsy to get out of town and decided to TN! :D Jamie and I have known each other since we were 2 years old.  We were in the same class K-2nd grade.  Both our dads were in the Navy and after 2nd grade her dad was discharged and they moved to Indiana.  We kept in touch all these years with the occasional summer visit. :) Now we were old married women with crazy offspring of our own--five all together.  What's funny is she has all boys and I have all girls.  The kids all got along very well and probably would have played outside all night long if we let them. :) Before they went back home, we made the trip to the Nashville Zoo.  All kids love the zoo, of course, and I haven't been there in years. Here are some more pictures from the afternoon:

Could they look any more alike? ;)

Griffin and Autumn enjoying the ride

Wow, four kids 6 and under willing to sit and take a picture!

Why are the animals always so far away? :/

On the homeschool front, Hannah and I did our first GeoPuzzle which was of North America.  Almost 70 pieces, felt like a lot more. :P It was a lot of fun though, pointing out different states we've lived in and where we were all born.  I never thought about it before, but the four of us were all born in different states (Me - California, Ryan - Oregon, Hannah - Tennessee, Autumn - Kansas).  Pretty cool.  When we went to the library last week I picked up some kids' books about Canada.  I'm going to look into doing some type of craft even if I just have her make US and Canada flags. Super easy! ;)

Even though today was Labor Day and most everyone has the day off from school and work, we still "labored" away at school work.  Don't look at me--Hannah is the one who asks to do school work! :) We did our first science experiment today which talked about germination.  We watered some cress seeds and will watch as they sprout over the next few days, so everyone hold onto your hats! It's going to be a wild scientific adventure! :D