Pumpkin Lapbook

We have entered the world of lapbooks. What is that? Well, basically it's a child-created portfolio/work/text on a particular subject. They can be used for all ages and all topics and range from simple to complex. We stumbled upon a great link for printables, links, and discussions here
I never knew their were so many great free resources out there! As a homeschooling mom, the internet is like Christmas. Everyone eagerly shares their resources and ideas and everything is just a google and a click away. Anyway, Ms. Kim did a great little pumpkin pocket with the kids at preschool, so we expanded on the idea and made our first lapbook- Pumpkins.
All you need to get started is a file folder and some clear packing tape. We put two folders together to make more pages and create a pocket in the middle to store worksheets and little books.

Carter is very proud of his work and I was impressed by the activities he was able to complete himself. I continually wonder, "where did you learn that?" He is such a sponge for facts. This is our first of many, I'm sure.

Fabulous Fall!

I love fall!! It just makes you feel so alive, which is ironic as the world is preparing for the sleep of winter. Every year I wonder when it will really feel like it's here to stay. Living in NC, we definitely have four seasons, but we kind of do them all at the same time. It is an almost weekly occurrence to have a 40* temperature shift from one day to the next. We are never done with a season of clothing which can be frustrating at times because you have to find room to keep it all out at once. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that fall is here....

• the leaves are changing into bright shades of yellow and red
• the sky is crystal blue and the air is so clear, it makes everything sparkle and feels so good to breathe it in
  
• there are pumpkins and bright bushy mums everywhere you look
• there's football on, all the time
• the October race to the World Series is in full tilt (Go Phillies!!)
• opening the windows fills the air with cool clean air
• it's comfortable outside with long sleeves all day- without sweating
• footie pajamas
  
• the fall flavors of coffee creamer are here
  
• and there's warm, bubbly apple pie on my kitchen counter!
  

...happily sharing space with all its holiday flavor friends :)
I love these little shin guards that live in my laundry room...
It seems there are fall festivals going on all the time. Carter loves to play carnival games! And we love free festivals :)Julia was so excited her first night back in footie pajamas. She said, "Mommy, I love my flipper jammies. They make me warm and cuddly!"

A New Twist

It's been an interesting past few weeks.....

(Sorry for the absence from the blog. I've actually caught up with a bunch of entries, so if you just stopped by be sure to keep reading down.)

I've had lots of checkup appointments this month with a variety of doctors. Most pretty uneventful, which I was thankful for. At one appt I asked for a thyroid check. It's been a while since they checked it. I was followed pretty closely after Julia was born for postpartum hyperthyroidism, but things were okay at last check. I've been feeling out of sorts for the past 8 months and thought maybe that was it. A nurse called several days later and said my counts were all out of whack, but left it at that. I took matters into my own hands and called my endocrinologist. At the appointment, they took one look at my labs and pronounced, "You have Grave's disease". I heard that term once before, but they were convinced my issues after having Julia were pregnancy-induced and not chronic. Guess we were wrong. I was left with a scheduled iodine study and contrast scan. (That was last week.) Tomorrow I meet with the doctor to discuss my options- I have the choice between immunosuppresants, radioactive therapy, and surgery to remove my thyroid.

It was a lot to process at first, but I've gotten used to it now. We've done a lot of research and talked to people who've experienced it. At this point I am leaning toward having surgery. As much as I was overwhelmed at first, a sense of relief has set in. I have had seemingly unrelated medical issues for the past almost 20 years. My thyroid was always considered as a possible problem, but never conclusively identified. I've had problems with migraines, my heart, my liver, ulcers, night sweats, ovarian cysts, insomnia, losing hair, anxiety, irritability, etc. and all of this is likely related to this condition. It brings such relief to finally have answers and to not be left to wonder what could be wrong or to feel I just have to accept this as normal. As much as I am not looking forward to possibly having surgery, I am giddy at the thought of feeling good again! I never thought this would happen. I was beginning to think this was what getting older felt like and I just needed to get used to it. I have felt trapped in my own skin lately and frustrated by my own disposition. It just wasn't me and I felt bad for my husband and kids having to put up with it.

I have faith that we have finally found a real answer and we can start moving forward from here. It has been really neat to see how God has put all the pieces together. I have had no less than 2o people share their personal experiences with me- seems almost everyone's family has someone with this condition. I've also had great support from my medical friends and received some great advice. We'll see tomorrow what the plan will be. God has been so good through it all and I have felt really good this past week. Thanks for all the prayers everyone!!

Bath Paints

Do you ever have those days (hours, weeks) when bath time is essential to everyone's sanity and survival? This was one of those days. Julia is getting her top molars and has no patience for life... at all. At the top of that "life" list would be her brother and he is apparently a glutton for punishment because he just keeps going back for more.

Does this look like a face you want to mess with? She's ready to bite the doll's head off- and she likes the doll!
I was running out of loving, compassionate words for the day so a bath was definitely in order. In a moment of mommy inspiration I remembered a recipe I had seen online for bath paints and decided to give it a try.

Stop, stop, stop. Now before you roll your eyes and think, "okay, maybe you, but not me!" This is insanely easy! Stir together 1/2 c. dish soap (use a pure and gentle formula) and 4T cornstarch. Divide into little cups and add one drop of food coloring to each and stir. I used empty applesauce containers (I keep a stack in my cabinet for art projects.) or a muffin pan works, too.

Then let them loose to paint the bathtub with paintbrushes (or fingers work great, too) :)They had an absolute blast and got along smashingly for 30 whole minutes!! The cool part is it then makes bubbles in your bathtub (which is a big treat in our house because we don't use bubble bath). Another 15 min of peaceful play :)
The homemade paints worked better than any bath art products we've used so far and they come off SO easily. AND being made of soap they are also cleaning your tub- YAY! Next we moved on to coloring- we are fans of Crayola bathtub crayons. We have some cheap craft foam books to color, though you could make your own with a piece of craft foam. (If you want, draw a coloring picture on it with Sharpie markers.)
And apparently our remedy worked because they were back to being buddies after bath.....
Water works wonders (especially if it contains colored bubbles!).

Happy Birthday Giselle!!

How could it be that you are already 3?!!We had a great time at your princess birthday...

Out of the Mouths of Babes....

We've been recording the baseball playoff games for Carter since he goes to bed at 7:30pm. One thing we've learned about sporting events- watch out for the commercials. The male audience they target leads to some interesting commercials. He's really good at controlling the Tivo and knows to use the fast forward. Well, one got away...

He was watching a game while I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast. He came in and said, "Mom, I think you should ask the doctor if we need Cialis." I about fell over! I tried not to show my surprise and said, "That's okay Carter we don't need that." But he insisted, "But mom they said we have to ask the doctor!"

Oh boy here we go. I pray we have at least 10 years before we have to discuss ED over breakfast! Please?!

Homeschool

Today was a great homeschooling day. No, they aren't all this way. Not even close! We were on a regular schedule all summer of working while Julia napped. As fall activities picked up that kind of went out the window. So, I resigned myself to the fact they we were going to have to find a way to do school with Julia in the mornings. This was our first attempt and it definitely encouraged me- we can do this! We started with the calendar and then moved onto Bible. Carter and I read his story for Awana and practiced his weekly scriptures. Then we moved onto our church take-home pages from this past Sunday. It is neat having them both in the preschool dept together learning the same lessons. This month is Noah's ark, so we finished those and read some Noah books of our own. Then we worked on math and writing. They did really well working simultaneously. I would give each an activity and then move to the other one. When Julia got bored she would go play trains or dollhouse and come back when she wanted to do more. As you can see Carter likes to teach her, too :)

...and then we made rainbows. Carter cut the strips into little squares. I told Julia what colors we were putting on each arch. I was so impressed she knows her colors! She has been getting them mixed up for many months and I was starting to wonder if I should be doing something else with her. But she got it! Notice her one yellow in the orange row? It made her brother nuts not to move it and that makes a little sister very happy :)Carter was really motivated today, so we made the most of it. He worked for two hours this morning and another two hours in the afternoon. This makes up for all of last week! i love the flexibility of school this way.

Carter has gotten into chapter books now. Last time we went to the library, he discovered the spinning racks of books and was immediately drawn to the boys' sports books. He picked out two and added them to the pile. I let him know they had no pictures, just words- did he really want them? He said yes, so we brought them home. Sure enough he listens to 4 chapters at a time. I really enjoy the Matt Christopher series- they were written in the 60s and are very wholesome. After reading we were practicing his writing as dinnertime approached. Carter announced that he and Daddy were making me dinner and I shouldn't do a thing. So sweet :) Then he said he wanted to make menus. He did a really good job. I helped with the spelling and drew the drinks (it was getting late), but he did the rest...
Then he and Julia donned their chef's hats and made dinner. The hats were a great Target dollar bin find- as you can see Julia's is getting quite snug already! It was so precious to watch them. They were so excited to do it all themselves :) and dinner was yummy! It tastes even better when you didn't prepare it, set the table, or clean it up! Daddy was a great sport and facilitated there creating. They are so fortunate to have such a good Daddy. Carter is turning into quite the gentlemen and he learns it all from his Dad.
Thanks guys!!!!

Bonfire

Some of our friends have an annual fall Backyard Birthday Bonfire party that is always good fun. The kids really got into it this year. It was a warm evening and the food was divine, the fellowship was heartwarming, and the bonfire was crackling. The kids ran around and played for hours- their laughter shining in the dark.


At one point they were playing ambulance/doctor. Carter was using the lights as his x-ray machine. He announced to Lily, "I'm very sorry to tell you, but both your knee bones ar broken. Here let me help you up."

In God We Still Trust.

We do. Do you?

Listen and decide.

This is an awesome song, that I pray we all believe in.

GO PHILLIES!!!

From some lifelong diehard fans.........Let's go Phillies, we've loved you no matter what, no it' s your turn to go all the way!It's been a wild ride and we're ready for more! It could only get better if the Red Sox join you in the race for a champion :) Ya gotta love October!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It was really quiet in the car after soccer. Julia started making up songs and singing to herself.....

"Daddy is won-erful, Mommy is won-erful, Ju-Ju is won-erful, Carter is bein' okay!"

Surprise!

What a great way to finish our busy day to the farm with the preschoolers......

.........all the girls got together to surprise Becky with a baby shower dinner. She's having her second little boy next week and we can't wait to meet him!

It is such an awesome treat to be able to all get together for some good old girl time. She was so surprised and that made the night even sweeter :)
Don't ever succumb to society's pressure to only have showers for the first baby. Our class of friends at church has had over 100 babies in the past 5 years and we have had many showers. (Trust me, if a game exists we have played it.) Every baby deserves to be celebrated and welcomed into the fold. We feel so blessed for each life God gives us and hope to never take that for granted for a second. So start a crusade and throw a party! Don't let any baby, or mother for that matter, go unnoticed. Be creative- go to dinner at a fav restaurant, visit a spa, have a dessert night, a potluck lunch, get a pedicure, go out for sundaes, whatever. Just grab your girlfriends and celebrate why God made us different. As moms we spend our time lovin' on everyone else, we can never miss an excuse to love on each other!

Baa Moo Farm

This week's field trip took us to another farm. It was a great experience for everyone and the weather couldn't have been better. We took 16- 2, 3, and 4 year olds. The kids were all so well-behaved and loved the experience.
Giselle, Julia, Will, Matthew, Olivia, Meghan, Michaela, Lizzie, Marlane, Reid, Rachel, Leah, Rachel, Carter, and Ginny (Brandon in the back)

The first station was the baby boy cows, 1-2 weeks old. All 10 of them were mooing loudly asking for their bottles. Julia cracked me up, every time they mooed, she mooed right back :) We learned that this is the destination for the males born at dairy farms- never thought about that before. The kids did an excellent job answering all the questions they were asked. I guess their dairy farm trip and preschool lesson sunk in :) The lady was quite impressed. Then they each had a chance to feed Joe his breakfast bottle.
Then it was on to the pigs- nice big, pink ones. The kids enjoyed seeing them so close up.
The lambs were the next pen. Each child got to feed them a piece of bread. Carter fed Rocket- the lone brown one in the herd.
Then we went into the chicken coop with all the chickens. Each child found an egg to put in the gathering basket, then fed them their corn.Next we milked Buttercup, the dairy cow. Carter chose to just watch this time. I was surprised how well the kids did it- especially the young ones. I tried and hardly got anything. Then it was onto the tractor ride to see the animals in the pasture- check out the horns on those steer!
The kids had fun riding in the wagon.
Julia and Will were particularly giddy. It's so cute to watch their friendship grow :)
After a picnic lunch, we were off to the pumpkin patch. Each of us got to pick our favorite pumpkin to take home. It was cute seeing them all run off squealing....
Pumpkin-head.....
There were baby animals galore on the farm. Here are the puppies....
And they were all so friendly. There are half a dozen identical cats on the farm. They call them all, Snoopy. They let all the kids pet and hold them. I must say part of their pleasant demeanor probably has to do with the steady supply of milk they are given- fresh from the cow. As the kids milked, the bucket was dumped in a pan for the cats to drink!
We had a great day full of so many memories. We will definitely go back again. The kids were great for the ride, too. Though we discovered Julia's affection for markers continues. Quiet still means trouble.......
....and she has her 2 year pictures tomorrow!

Cookie

Tuesday night it started. Cookie's chrysalis is turning black. The green sparkly perfection disappears. It appears dead- devoid of life.Then in a display of one of life's miracles- the entire thing turns clear and we are given a glimpse into the work of perfection that has been occurring inside. You can't help but stare. Have you ever seen anything so amazing? That fat yellow, black, and white caterpillar encased itself, its body turned completely to liquid, then formed a perfect new butterfly inside this tiny little sac! So neatly folded and ready for life anew. It is the perfect display of God's glory, symbolic of Christ's death and resurrection, and an example of how we too, can be completely transformed if we put out trust and faith in Him- just like this!
Now here begins the part of the story where you will begin to think we're nuts- we are, it's okay.

Carter had a follow-up appt at the pediatrician. We knew Cookie would be emerging soon because all butterflies emerge somewhere between 10 and 11 am the morning after the chrysalis gets dark- how cool is that! Even if they are kept indoors, they know what time it is! Amazing! So with a 10:15 appt, Cookie is coming along. So if you saw a lady driving a minivan while balancing a bug house in the air, so as not to disturb the dangling chrysalis- that was me. Then we got to explain to every person in the doctor's office why we were carrying it around. I think they spent as much time examining Carter as they did Cookie- but don't worry they don't bill for insects :) Nothing happened while we were there and they tried to talk us into staying until it happened, but we had things to do, so we left. Nothing happened at first.
Then we stopped at the store to run in and get 2 things. I wanted to spare Cookie the bumpy shopping cart, so we left her in the car. When we came back a few minutes later........
She was there to great us! (We know she's a girl because there are no black spots on her wings.) The kids were fascinated and admiring their new butterfly.
We took her home and put her in the window so she could be in the sun while her wings dried completely. After about an hour she began to flutter around the bug house. Carter opened the lid and she climbed right out and into his hands!
We held her for awhile and fed her some sugar water then it was time to take her outside. I was a little nervous because the sun kept disappearing, there was a cool breeze, and the temperature was only around 60*. Monarchs need 70* weather to fly. Carter took her to the mashed banana we keep out as butterfly food, but she didn't want down. We put her on it by hand, but every time we got close to watch, she'd climb back onto our arms.
So we tried the flowers, but the same thing happened. Every time we'd put her down, she'd climb back up. It was like she just wanted to be held.

Now this is where I just get too motherly. I'm getting worried she's cold and feeling really guilty about taking her outside. In my mind I'm thinking up ways to keep her in our house until it's warmer and provide flowers for food. Could I put her bug house outside to keep her warmer? Do they make sweaters for butterflies? Maybe booties? I know I'm off my rocker!!
She climbed back on Carter's belly several more times. She really seemed to like him :)
We finally decided to put her on the tree. That way she would be sheltered from the wind and could sit until she was ready to fly. We checked on her out the window and she sat there for a couple hours. Then she was gone. Bye Cookie. We'll miss you. I must admit I thought about her several times during the night when the 70* days gave way to 40* nights, but you know what? God knows exactly what he's doing and he cares for even the butterflies. He made Cookie with everything she needs to live and we have to just rest in that fact.

Thanks for letting us watch your miracle Cookie! There will always be a soft spot in our hearts for butterflies now. We hope you're vacationing in some warm climate now and soaking in the sunshine. (late season monarchs actually live for 7 months, so they can make the trip south to Mexico and still lay eggs in the warm climate) Thanks for reminding us of how amazing God's creation is and how much he cares for even the tiniest creatures.