A Trip to Mexico and Other Stuff

by Steph // Wednesday, October 7, 2020 // Comments off

Did that title get your attention?

We have taken a trip to Mexico the last two weeks – through books, videos, and projects in school!

It has been super fun and we have all learned a lot.

We studied deserts and the plant and animal life that lives in them!

I seriously tried to find some of the fruit from a saguaro cactus – we wanted to taste it so bad!

Last week we painted some sun faces to look like the clay ones that are sold all over Mexico!

We even had Mexican soup!

It got rave reviews!

It really is just taco soup.

We also kept up with the rest of our school schedule!

Our schedule is working smoothly this year!

I so enjoy watching the kiddos study their Bibles.

We work on Bible memory each morning.

Math finds us in all kinds of positions and places.

The Mama of this nest might have given this Math whiz a sucker at 9:30 a.m.

You might as well notice the big bag of chips over there by Lane too – ha, ha!

Read aloud happens in the master bedroom with the door shut because Chad finds it very distracting!

Speaking of Chad, he is enjoying school too!

All of our “other things” are continuing on…date night is still a favorite of mine!

It’s all about ice cream, singing hymns together to and from town, spending time connecting and having a prayer time together too!

Of course food prep continues!

They are still eating!!

Here is one of the many, many reasons I do our grocery run at the crack of dawn!

It was just me and one other crazy lady in the produce section – it’s the best way to shop!

The weather here at Twin Oaks has been all over the place!

We are having warm, Indian summer like days right now – but it has been cold, windy, rainy, and freezing!

We have had several frosts already too.

Sometimes the weather would change by the hour!

I was sitting by the sliding glass door for less than 30 minutes working on the menu plan and took both of these photos.

The frost has made the trees even more beautiful!

Our bird restaurant is open for the season!

Eliza thinks there should be a prize for the one who sees the first cardinal visiting our restaurant!

This happened to Ruby last week too.

She is SO cute!!!

With long or short hair!

Our afternoons are full of all kinds of things – being outside all that we can, but some inside things too.

I am taking a free Word Press class through our library!

Hopefully I will learn something and be able to work all the bugs out of this little blog of ours!

I am also still reading through the Bible chronologically this year.

We just started the New Testament!!

There is always a game going on somewhere before dinner!

And our favorites!!

We love to spend time with our favorites!

Speaking of those cute grand babies, this was our breakfast table Sunday morning!!

I know, I know! Pinch me!

We also had an extra student for school this week.

I love, love, love one-on-one (ish!) time with my grands!

Addie Mae bought me this shirt!

I LOVE it!

These two are not only the same size at almost five and nine years old, but they are also best friends!

Nephew and Uncle!

Don’t worry, he does not let his size deter him!

Tate is an inspiration, I tell ya!!

Look at the photo someone took at church for us on Sunday!!

Be still my heart!

They were standing on the chairs singing!!

I would say that is a great photo to end this post with!

We are headed to Canada this morning!

I will stamp their passports at 10 a.m. – would you all like to come with us?

Well then, stay tuned!

I’m sure there will be a post soon about our time spent learning about Canada!

We learned some Spanish the last two weeks, but now it’s time to learn some French.

Jusqu’à la prochaine fois!!

Afternoon Snapshots

by Steph // Thursday, October 1, 2020 // Comments off

The sky and the colors today are breath taking!

I just grabbed my big camera, headed outside, and took all of these photos in about two minutes!

I think it is incredible how the photos from the back of Twin Oaks are SO different from the front of Twin Oaks – they do not seem like they could be of the same day.

The sky is ominous out front!

Isn’t it beautiful here?

Twin Oaks is a beautiful spot!!

My kiddos are out playing some disc golf, so I grabbed a few shots of them too!

Your welcome!

It is chilly out there!

Fall is here to stay!

Tomorrow’s high is in the low 40’s!

I know the colors will just get even better this week!

Did you know Thanksgiving is eight weeks from today?

Well, now you do!

Loving the change of the seasons and we are hanging on tight!

Happy fall, everyone!

A Warm Fall Weekend

by Steph // Monday, September 28, 2020 // Comments off

We had a wonderful weekend, did you all?

It started warm here – unseasonably so!

My amazing husband took Friday off work, JUST to be with US!!

We planned on me doing my early morning grocery run still, and at the last minute Blake came with me.

I could get used to that!

An early morning date, a chauffeur, and help with the grocery run!!

We spent the rest of Friday at home doing things here and there.

Late in the afternoon I received an e-mail from our adoption agency asking for Tate’s five-year post-adoption report that was due back in July.

Oooopppssss.

I had actually thought of this report early one morning at Family Camp when I was laying awake listening the the rain!

I even typed “check on China reports” in my TO DO list on my phone right away!

Obviously I did not check on them!

Well, there was an e-mail notification glitch on our adoption agency’s end, which is why we never received the reminder to do our report.

I spend some time Friday afternoon frantically working to get that report done!

Saturday’s are for work, usually and mostly.

Saturday morning we worked fast and hard inside and outside because we had a plan for the afternoon on such a warm day!

We headed to a park about 45 minutes away for a picnic lunch and 18 holes of disc golf.

It was FUN!

Great exercise!

And VERY BUGGY.

I have the welts all over my neck still this morning to prove that!

After a couple of hours at the park, we headed for ice cream for the kiddos and Starbucks for the chauffeurs!

We had one tired girlie and a sweet brother who carried her!

When we got back home, I got after that report again and finished it!!

YAY!

After church yesterday we had our favorites over and spent the WHOLE day just BEING.

It was SO needed by this Mama and NaiNai, and it made me SO happy!!

I only took one photo, but Addie Mae took some!

We had a delicious meal and chocolate espresso cheesecake (grain-free and dairy-free!!) for dessert!

I KNOW.

In full disclosure I ate a second piece before bed last night!

I also might have been sung to as these crazy ones I call my favorites think it is okay to celebrate how old I am.

We spent the rest of the day inside and outside and sipping cider and snacking and chatting and dreaming and just BEING.

Try it!

It was life-giving!

A front came through yesterday afternoon and that warm day is long gone!

Hopefully so are those bugs!!

Now we are cold, rainy, breezy, and….cold!

LOVING IT!!

The change of seasons is the best!

I can’t wait to make more cider for read aloud this afternoon and pile under blankets too!

Someone is stingy with turning the heat on – yes, it’s me!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend wherever you are and that you are enjoying the season change too!

Blessings on your week ahead!

School Days

by Steph // Wednesday, September 23, 2020 // Comments off

I declared the day after we arrived home from Family Camp a “no school, catch up on rest” day.

Everyone but my trio headed off to work as normal, but I let the littles sleep until they woke on their own!

Pretty much this girl’s dream morning!

She is our late Kate.

I managed to wash, dry, fold and put away 13 loads of laundry that day.

Family Camp laundry wins the prize for the worst laundry of the year!

Last Tuesday we got back into our school rhythm, and added a few more things that we had not done yet in August.

It also was Chad’s first day of school!!

The giant that he is!

Chad started his junior year last week.

I sat with Chad that morning before going to teach the younger ones and we went over his books and his assignment pages.

He is doing the My Father’s World curriculum, ABeka Math, and Apologia Biology.

The 11th grade My Father’s World curriculum includes a Bible study, U.S. History to 1877, Government, and American Literature.

He was excited to get started and told me many times he was happy to be home with us.

I was happy TOOOOO!!

Chad will still be working part-time this year as well.

We start our day with a group Bible time, where we sing, memorize Bible verses, do a devotional and pray together.

Everyone has a personal Bible time as well, earlier in the morning.

My trio and I head back to the school room after that to do Math and Language.

I also add some cursive practice at that time for Tate and Eliza!

Chad works on his own, but he and I meet once a day right after lunch.

Next up for my trio is our My Father’s World study of Countries and Cultures.

This My Father’s World curriculum includes a Bible study, Geography, Science that relates to the country we are studying, art and music.

We do a lot of reading and a lot of projects!

Just what we like!

One day we read about an ichneumon wasp and had to look for a video about them.

SO interesting!!

Even though it made my stomach turn!

Lane is doing his Science on his own, but I meet with these two cuties to read their Science book to them.

Then they do an illustration and narration about what we read.

Having them do an illustration and narration over the years has been one of the biggest blessings as far as their learning, remembering and comprehension go!