Onset of Autumn

And that makes me happy. We've had gorgeous beginning of autumn days...I've been wearing jeans (but still sometimes sandals!) for over a week!

The kids and I took my Mom to the airport yesterday...but we had a wonderful visit that went by too quickly...we even took a road trip to Texas to see my little sister and brother-in-law! (I'll post some photos from that trip later this week!) Today was a major catch-up day...laundry and planning October and picking up the house, with a little break for lunch with Brent at the park. Forgot my camera...but we really had fun playing on this beautiful day. Love seeing all three kiddos so carefree on a playground!

Here are a few other things that I've been enjoying the last couple weeks:

a stack of autumn-inspired magazines and catalogs (from left, World, Family Fun, Better Homes and Gardens, Serena & Lily, and Boden.)

a slice of Starbucks pumpkin bread and Earl Grey. (Or Espresso Truffle. Yum.)

magazine articles worth tearing out...like these from Real Simple.

crisp air and warm sunshine, perfect for reading stories outside :)

and finding a little time to work on a project long overdue, scrapbooking my summer 2000 trip to Maine with my best friend. Happy with the progress so far!

Pleased as Punch

I know I've been a slacker blogger...and I have lots in my mind (and pictures too!) to share.

But I cannot let today pass without sharing this:


Hadleigh read her first words today! My eyes filled with tears as I watched reflected in her face the moment when it finally "clicked" in her mind. Light bulb moment! She was so excited. She read some other words too because she wanted to try more. And she did great! She loves spending time with books...and I know she will love it even more as she discovers that she can read all of the story as it is written to herself!

And perfectly timed was the arrival of our Book It! Certificates today. I loved this program as a child, and so I was very excited to hear that they have a program for homeschoolers as well! I let Hadleigh open the package and explained it to her...let's just say she's really excited about earning those personal pan certificates!

p.s. Another great thing about homeschooling...you can come dressed as a princess!

Exactly two weeks later...

My baby sister was due on my birthday. None of the four of my siblings and I were born on time. None of us came early. We were all almost exactly two weeks late. Poor Mom. :)

Happy Birthday Katy!
We all hope that it was a very special day for you!

(You know how I like to stretch out my birthday celebrations as long as possible? I think that idea started when I was just six years old...because I still consider you the best birthday gift ever!)

Kindergarten

We began homeschooling "officially" this week with Kindergarten. We had a great week. Most of the tough things we struggled with last year (like immediate frustration leading to a lack of self-control) were not an issue this week.

She's writing her name all by herself (with the occasional question of what comes after the "E"?) This has been hit or miss in the past...usually accompanied with lots of frustration. But this week, it came so easily to her, and she was SO excited each time to practice writing her name.

Practicing her letters. (Only the first column are mine, with the exception of the p's.)

We're using Math-U-See, and so far we're both enjoying it. Pretty easy right now; it's mostly review, but friends have encouraged me not to speed through it.

She loves building with the blocks. And I must admit that I think they're fun too!

Lists of words she came up with that begin with each of the five sounds we've studied so far. (Some of these are review from what we started last year.) We're using the Phonics Museum from Veritas Press We started putting sounds together this week and playing with the letter puzzle pieces was a highlight for her!

Doing a great job with cutting. She'd be better at it if she had constant access to her scissors, but alas, she still enjoys playing hairdresser...so it's still a monitored activity!

We also had Classical Conversations and Community Bible Study this week. In Bible Study, she's in a primary class where the children are studying Acts just like we are in the adult class. She has daily "homework" for it...and each day last week, she taught Bible study to her animals and dolls!

We are working primarily in the morning...which is better for both my kindergartener and myself...but it is definitely a challenge to keep the little ones entertained and happy while we work. I think I'll be adding some more kid craft supplies to our stash to use during this time for Nathanael but especially Madeleine. She wants to be just like her big sister!

Next week, we will add our Bible curriculum and art to our week...