May - lots of photos!

May happenings.  This month always feels so very full.  So many things are winding down and this year, it was some HUGE things.  This is Rebecca's last year homeschooling.  I remember starting with her when she was so very young and doing the picture books and acting them out, doing crafts and more.  She was always such a fun student as she is eager to learn - still is.  And as this piece of the journey comes to an end, there are lots of markers along the way.  

We took some photos with her dear friend Hanna.  These beautiful young ladies will be having their graduation together.  Seems fitting as they have done a lot of learning and playing and laughing together over the years too!

May is also the end of another year of school for Christopher.  He finished his third year at NC State.  I can hardly believe that he is a rising senior!  It has gone so quickly.  We were delighted to have some of his friends over for dinner and games.  I don't have a lot of pictures of this, but here are a few.

I am so thankful to be able to have this time with these wonderful young adults!  I hope we will be able to spend time with some of Rebecca's friends in this way too.  :)

We ended our year with our Five in a Row group with field events.  This is a fun tradition.  We played games like the 3-legged race.  

 The sack race.

 Broad jump

Softball throw

50 yard dash

And the egg and spoon race.

While they are competing, there is also a lot of time for laughter and fun.

Ribbons are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each event.  (By age and gender)

We also take time to honor our seniors.  We started this a few years ago when Christopher graduated.  All four of these moms have been in this spot before.  I'm not sure that it makes it any easier.  One of our friends prayed over us and I found myself with tears slipping down my face.  It just catches you off guard sometimes.  I've been doing field trips and events with this precious daughter of mine for over 18 years now.  I'm looking forward to more in the future!

 We also celebrated with cupcakes.  I made the GF strawberry ones and they were so yummy.

 Just a cute photo of my youngest - who has many more years of field trips ahead of her, but I know that those years will go quickly too.

Joshua, Isaiah and Roger went on a Civil War field trip (extended) with Roger's work and had a fabulous time.  We had fun at home while they were away too!

Once Christopher was home from taking exams, it was time to hit the beach!  I'm never sure how much time we will have to vacation together and always want to grab the time while we can.  The beach is such a fun place for all of us!  We had a delightful week there with beautiful weather and not too many people.   We enjoy playing in the sand and the ocean.  

And swimming in the pool.

Really ... all of it.  Well, maybe not the sunburn, but the rest of it.  It was Mother's Day and I wanted a picture with all of my children.  :)  

Here is one with my girls.

A round of putt putt was a fun family night!

Rebecca and some of her friends attending a homeschool dance.  

 So beautiful!  :)

 We also went to see a local theatre performance.  The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Rebecca loves musicals and we made this a fun night out with friends.  We went out to dinner and then to the performance.  It was great and a fun evening!

Meeting some of the actors afterwards was a neat experience too.

Also in May is our state homeschool conference.  Rebecca has been attending with me for a number of years now (since I stopped being a vendor).  She really likes going to the workshops and also hanging out with her friends.  This year was no different.  Well, that part wasn't different, but there was something new.

We did not take part in the graduation at the conference, but will be having a celebration in July with family and friends.  I only have one photo of the two of us at the conference.  Its not the best one as it is at the very end and we were both worn out.  Its a photo though that captures this memory.  :)

The last event of the month was our family outing on Memorial Day.  We went to a park to hang out and have fun.  Friends met us and it was a great day.  

 Lots of games were played.  Soccer.

 Football from the Enos.

 Kan Jam

Poleish

Food of course.

 More games.  Ultimate frisbee.

 Volleyball.

 And even some fishing.  Delightful day.  It was planned at the last minute and sometimes those are the best.  :)  Thankful for this time and this day.

 Eliana continued to play soccer this month.

 They learned some basics and mostly just had fun.

 The staff and teens that worked with this program are super!  Eliana enjoyed this and I hope we will be able to do more events like this in the future.

 A month that was full in many ways ... a busy calendar, but not so full that we didn't have time to laugh, play and spend time with friends.  Those are days well spent.

Will hopefully share next about one of my favorite co-ops and a field trip to go with it!  Then it will be on to June.  I'm just about caught up now!  I hope you are having a great summer.

Blessings
Leslie

March catch-up post

So far, I'm off to a good start on my catching up with my blog, right?  I've finished February and now its time for a whirlwind tour of March.  I'll post our Five in a Row co-ops in a separate posting.

As we spent time learning about pigeons in our last Five in a Row book, Daniel began to be very interested in the birds around us.  Our next FIAR book was also about birds which helped to encourage this new interest even more.

He enjoyed spending time watching and taking photos of the birds at our feeder.  Its been fun seeing him enjoying God's creation and wanting to learn more about them.

Our FIAR group went on a field trip to a skating rink.

Its harder than it looks or seems which I think was a surprise to some of them that had never been before.

Eliana didn't even try.  After we tried roller skating last month - which she hated, I figured this would not be on her top 10 list.  We hung out in the lobby with some other young friends that weren't skating.  Daniel loved it and is hoping to go back again during the summer.

Just liked this photo of these beautiful young ladies.  :)

As part of our Robin Hood co-op, we talked about fires and then proceeded to make one.  Each person worked to gather materials, build a fire and then strike flint to get it going.

I loved seeing the looks of satisfaction on each face when they succeeded.  And each one did!

This was a huge hit.

And of course, we had to cook food over the fire too.

Eliana liked having a hot dog too!

We celebrated Christopher's birthday at the beginning of his spring break before he headed off to the mountains with friends.  Happy 21st birthday!  I love you Christopher and am proud of you.  I love seeing how God is working in your life.  I pray for you daily that you would grow in your faith and love for God and that you would have the courage to follow where He leads.

He brought home one of his roommates for the night (Joe!) which we were all excited to spend time with too!

Joe and Christopher both were invited to to join in the game of Axis and Allies.  This is no small game and it takes no small time to play it either.

We also played some medieval games during one of our co-ops with Robin Hood.  (We also did some inside work but that doesn't always make for great photos, kwim?)  One of them is jingling where the person who is it is NOT blindfolded and everyone else is.  Nice twist, huh?  "It" has bells which he jingles and the others try to catch him.

Another game we played was How Many Miles to London.

 This game begins with “It” being blindfolded. The other players then stand in a line and ask “It” for directions. “It” tells them how many steps to take forward backward, left, or right they must go. Then “It” is led to the starting point and must follow his own directions. When “It” has reached the final destination, he must try to touch another player. The other players may duck or sway to avoid being touched, but they cannot move their feet. If a player is tagged, then he is the next “It” otherwise “It” must try again. 

We always end with a delightful spread and this time was no different.  Yum!  :)

For book club this month, we read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  This book had so many ideas to explore and discuss.  It is an interesting comparison to see how things were done and handled then versus now.  There are ways in which I see great improvement and some which I see great decline.

Dinner out with two of my dearest friends.  Thankful for both of these women and all that they have poured into the lives of my family.  Thankful that God has given me such wonderful friends to hang out with.

Nature journalling.  Its a very sporadic activity around here, but we do it when Mom things about it.

And some just hang out with their siblings.

At the end of the month, Rebecca and I drove to SC with a dear friend to attend the Great Homeschool Convention.  Afterwards, some of us from the FIAR website staff hung around for a couple of days with Steve and Jane Lambert.  It was a time of  refreshment and encouragement.

I'm thankful to see God's hand at work in building friendships that span many states.  We all met through the internet and it has been a blessing indeed.

March was filled with laughter, love and adventure.  What more could I ask for?

More (hopefully tomorrow) on our next FIAR co-op... Albert.

Love
Leslie