Wednesday, August 27, 2014

First Day of School !

I deliberately picked the first day of our local paid co-op to be our first day of school.  Mainly for the excitement factor... you know... every one is dressed, there is an actual reason to own a bookbag, all that ;)

This year is Clyde's first year doing this co-op.  But he and Lu are only taking one class each there, the rest they're doing at home.  She's taking math and he's taking drama.  So far, they're both loving it!

So here they are!  My brand new 5th grader, 7th grader and 3rd grader!!

Six days down!  Only 174 left to go!

Apple Pie & Purple Potatoes

We always bring the desserts to the new church small group that we're involved in.  They have been very gracious about it and it allows Lu to not have to worry about being touched by buttery hands or anything.  We loooove!

This has been very exciting for Iris as well, since she has gotten to bake more!

After I helped her bake a pie ( Paula Deene's recipe- FOR GOODNESS SAKE DON'T USE 1TBSP OF NUTMEG) and it turned out terrible, I set her free on the second one and let her do it by herself.... this time with considerably less nutmeg.  The only help she got was Daddy & Clyde peeling the apples and I helped crimp the edges.




 No pictures of the final pie?!  What?!  Oh well, I did think to run in after the pie had been demolished by fond admirers and take a pic of the last piece... in her new purple pie dish ;)

Later, a friend brought us some purple potatoes.  I, for one, was crazy excited.  We decided to mash them!  They were tres yummy!!!  MMmmmmm!!

Iris thought we must be pulling her leg, and though she loves purple, kept asking, "Are you joking?"

Lu however, was totally cool with the prospect and casually snuck some before we prayed.

Here's how they turned out!


Fabulous!!  I kept one as a seed potatoe!!  Bwahahaha  :D

Some Much Needed Cooling Off

Nena went with us to a local cool-off spot a couple of times recently.  One time Papa even joined us!

It looks like Clyde is trying to convince his wary sisters to stand in the middle with him.



What happens when Clyde gets the camera...

Girls having fun...



Clyde makes friends everywhere he goes!


Papa took Clyde's bike for a spin!

Lu feeling adventurous.  :)


 Stay cool!!!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Snake

One weekend morning, Stephen and I were standing at the front door looking out and discussing the yard.  I pushed open the storm door, stepped out onto the porch, and pointed at the iris growth, when I suddenly felt myself lifted up and jerked inside.

This cannot be an easy feat.  I am NOT a small woman.

Stephen quickly set me on the inside steps letting the storm door slam.

"There's a snake," he said.

"What?!"

I saw him stretched across the the porch.  When the storm door slammed, it left his body outside the door and his head in.  He delicately pulled his head back outside.

I stood there and totally freaked out.  Stephen and I both knew he was PROBABLY non-venomous.  I mean, his head was so little and his eyes looked round and black.  But he was so big and had quite a striking pattern.  So I mentally freaked while I tried to identify him online.  Meanwhile Stephen and Clyde were keeping an eye on him until we knew if it was safe to let him go.  Here's the pic Stephen took so I could identify him.

Our resident snake is a gray rat snake.  He was pretty easy to identify.

Stephen had caught him in a bucket in case he needed to be.... you know, in case he needed to go away.   When I told him he was non-venomous, he was getting ready to release him, when I hesitantly remembered.... we're homeschoolers.  We're supposed to take advantage of this sort of thing.

So Stephen, like the good sport that he is, let him out, gingerly held his head down with a garden tool and grabbed him at the base of his head, so the kids could touch him.


They named him Dilly, and let him go :)


Weekend At Grandad's

This particular weekend, I didn't snap any pics. *gasp*

But that was okay, because my sister would randomly pick up my camera and snap.  *another gasp*

Grandmom and kids played a game.   Playing this particular game is quite a commitment!  It's rather long and involved.  So long that costume and seat changes often occur.


Lu comes over and snuggles with Grandad.

Clyde explains to Grandad how beyblades, one of the marvels of the world, work and what makes them great.

 Fun and relaxing weekend of hanging out with family.

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Day They Earned Their Wheels

I blogged previously about, due to the hilly not safe conditions we've always lived among, the kids have never learned to ride their bikes without training wheels.  Well, we told them back before the spring, that we would try our best to get them out more, and when they learned, they could each pick out a new bike.

Clyde got his early, there wasn't a single bike he could learn on, they all caused him significant problems.  Lu rides her Daddy's, and Iris rides Lucy's old one.

But recently, we took them to a local park and they blew us away.  They rode and rode and rode, with maybe one tumble the entire time.  We told them that they earned their bikes... just gotta go get them.






Stephen's 'At Home' Party

The kids have it in their heads that we (the parents) should each get an 'at home' party as well as whatever might occur with aunts/uncles/grandparents.  So...

We sent Daddy to Panera to work there for the day.

The kids totally rocked this party.  I remember when letting them "help" was so difficult.  When did they get so helpful?  Lu helped me make the cake and the icing and spaghetti and sweet tea, they all 3 decorated the kitchen, Iris iced the cake and wrote "happy birthday."  Clyde made up the equation, and Lucy wrote the equation on the cake.  It actually did equal 35, but she left out a tiny part of his equation.  She felt bad about that, but no body minded!

Here we all are, gathered to celebrate!!

Clyde helping Daddy light up all those candles!

Stephen warming his hands by the heat emitted from his old age.

Blowing them out... took a while ;)

Clean up crew...

Everyone watching the "happy birthday" stop motion videos they all worked on for Daddy!

 Happy Birthday, Stephen!!

July Birthdays :)

Sherry & David hosted us at there house for Stephen & Papa's birthdays.  They made us all dinner and had the pool out for the kids, we had a great time!

Here's Iris & her Daddy, she HAD to get him a present JUST from her, hence the M&M's...

Clyde & Daddy....

Lucy & Daddy...

Stephen & myself...

Sherry, David and Stephen...

Nena and Papa with Stephen...

Papa & Clyde...

Papa & Iris...

Papa & Lucy...

the grownups with Papa....

the new tree...

Much fun with the birthday guys at Sherry & David's house!!