Quick Update

Here's just a quick update on everything going on around here. I've been having problems with my computer for a couple of months. I finally took it in to the Apple Store last week, and they have it there now. I'm really hoping it gets fixed soon! Thankfully, it's still under warranty since we bought the extended warranty when we purchased it a couple of years ago. So, that's why I haven't been posting much. It just kept crashing on me. Not good! Last update was that the part it needs has been received and it's in the queue. I should have it back early this week. Yay!!!

Brad is still searching for employment. He seems to have phone calls and interviews nearly every week, but nothing more than that. I'm really proud of how he has stayed persistant with sending out resumes and following up on interviews, etc. It's been incredibly stressful, but we're hanging in there. We've had such generous gifts from friends and from people in our church who we have never even met. It's definitely been a humbling experience.

The kids have been doing well. B has been reading like crazy lately. I plan on posting reviews of some of the books over the next couple of months. I finally had to make a deal with him that he had to read some "school" books every day before his fiction. Right now he's in the middle of The Eldest written by Christopher Paolini (who was homeschooled by the way.) He's finished the first five books in the Harry Potter series, the first two books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the first two Leven Thumps books, the first three books in the 39 Clues series (all that's out so far) and the first Paolini book, Eragon. All of this over the last couple of months. I've been trying to pre-read the books (he is only 8 years old), but am having a really hard time keeping ahead of him.

Reading and sounding out words is starting to really click with C. I don't really push academics much for Kindergarten, preferring to wait until the First Grade to start formal work. However, we've been working through some phonics teaching and occasionally some math, mostly through games. I was shocked when C went shopping with me a few weeks ago. I was telling him how much I wanted to spend and how much a couple of items cost when he, without hardly even thinking about it, told me how much money I would have in change. I was shocked because I didn't know where in the world he learned how to do that. I knew I didn't teach it to him. ;-)

We have finally convinced A that she is in preschool and doesn't need to keep up with the boys. She loves to have her own school work. She really cracks me up. Lately, she's taken to sitting next to Daddy with one of her workbooks every morning. Apparently, he's much more attentive than I am. Last week, she saw that one of her friends could write her own name without help. She was very put out by that (a little competitive I think.) So I gave her an index card with her name printed on it in Sharpie. She kept practicing her name until the whole family room seemed to be covered in papers with her name on them.

Well, this update sure didn't end up being quick! Hopefully, I can post some photos of a recent knitting project this week. I also want to post how we made the coffee filter butterflies soon too since I think they came out so cute and are perfect for spring. Aaahhh, it all depends on when my Mac is back home. Is it unhealthy to miss a computer???

Beautiful Butterfly Birthday

My sweet girl turned 4 years old this past week. We celebrated by having a butterfly birthday party at our house for her with all of her friends. We had 10 little girls here plus some siblings and mommies and daddies. It turned out to be quite the party. 

I proposed the idea of a butterfly theme birthday about a month ago. I was trying to find a cost effective way to throw a party. I had this cute butterfly cake pan from her first birthday and thought it would be fun (and inexpensive) to use it again. Here's how the conversation went:

Me - "I thought it would be fun to have a butterfly birthday this year!"

A - "Hmm, I was thinking that I want a princess birthday."

Me - "But, you've had princess parties for the last two years. Wouldn't a butterfly birthday be fun?"

A - " Yeah, I was thinking princess..."

I finally convinced her. ;) You know fairies and butterflies both have wings. She ended up loving it and I got to use the cake pan again!

We played a "cocoon" game where the kids wrapped each other up in toilet paper and then broke free from their cocoon. Here's my oldest being wrapped up by his friend who had his birthday just a few days later.

The girls made coffee filter butterflies...

...and decorated foam butterfly wings.

She blew out her candles (with a little help from one of her brothers.)

And she opened up gifts. She received so many great presents from her friends. There's a lot more princess, fairy, craft and butterfly things in our house now!

And she even got a brand new pair of Crocs from Grandma Rose, complete with light-up Fairy Jibbitz. She loves them! I think she had a great birthday! (And thanks Cindy for taking pictures for me!!!) 

Poor Leo the Lion

This made me laugh really hard today. My daughter came in crying that she couldn't get Leo the Lion down from her closet. I assumed that one of her big brothers had thrown the stuffed animal on the shelf in her closet. Instead, one of them (the oldest) decided to get all "Jack Bauer" on the poor lion. LOL He handcuffed the lion's leg to the closet rod. Thankfully, they were play handcuffs and the situation was easily resolved. The lion is now safe. ;)