Recital time!

A rainy afternoon following a dance recital is one sure way to get some photo editing done quickly. lol  So I'm getting these photos up quickly, for a change.  Anyway, as has been the case for the last three years, it has rained on dress rehearsal day, which was Thursday.  Oh, that's so fun to get my daughter in costume and attempt to stay dry while toting around my camera bag and other children.  Anyway, I snapped a quick photo of my beautiful dancer with her new smile before heading inside.

This year's Children's Program was titled "In a World of Make Believe".  Madeline's class was Sophia the First, while the other classes were Minnie Mouse, Ariel, fairies etc.  I adored their costumes this year (which were so soft!) and the choreography for their two routines. The girls did such a fantastic job.  It's so heart warming to see their progress each year.  I thought I would share videos of her performances from the dress rehearsal.  So that is why you see a big orange bucket (due to the roof leak).  I sat up in the balcony this year, thanks to my new 80-200mm f/2.8 lens and couldn't have been happier.  And thank you to Caleb who used my phone to videotape his sister's performances.  (Madeline is second from the right in front for the first video and second from the left in front for the second video.)

As you can see from the videos and my photos, I took the liberty of adjusting the magenta colored lights shining down on the girls to achieve more natural looking skintones on them.  Sorry lighting guy.

As you can see from the last photo of Caleb with cousin Josh, my sister's family was able to make it over for the recital.  Oh, that made Madeline's day!  We only had time to grab some ice cream together before they had to head back to their neck of the woods, but we cherished their time with us, though brief.  I think my sister was tickled to be off camera duty this year, all thanks to my new lens.  Hopefully, we'll all get to see each other again next weekend, as Caleb will be playing in a tennis tournament right near their house.  Speaking of tennis, I will play catch up there soon.  After my last blog post, my wrist actually started feeling better again.  So I'm back to normal. Yay!

Summer fun

Well this summer fun has kept us extremely busy since coming back home with Havi.  Oy!  It's like we haven't skipped a beat.  These photos I'm sharing are old, like 3 weeks old...but I'm sharing them because they happen to be the start of all this hot, outdoor fun.

I had determined that, since I had no jet lag upon returning from China, we would be spending time outdoors.  So we headed to our favorite park.

Caleb is such a great big brother, pushing Havi on the swing.

That bruise on her cheek was from when she fell at the pediatrician's office many moons ago.

We ended up seeing Stefan and his little sister Belle playing tennis, and that's when Caleb was approached again about lessons.   Well, you know what happened next.

 Madeline initially did some lessons with Caleb, but her time on the court was brief.

I spend my time either courtside with the girls or playing with them on the playground.  The court is adjacent to the playground.  So I can still see Caleb practice.  Love that.  I actually managed to videotape part of a rally that Caleb had going with his coach at his second lesson.  This was only half of the rally.

He really has learned so quickly.  So now Caleb no longer practices on the small court.  He's stricktly on the full court.  He'll be practicing every day this week because his coach will soon go away to college.  I'm so proud of his work ethic and attitude.  It's really quite remarkable considering just how hot it is to play tennis in Florida in August.  Lessons are right in the middle of the morning. So our school day today went a bit longer than I would have liked.  We might have to change to afternoon lessons next week.  

Anyway, we actually just returned from a weekend of "glamping", that's a fancy word for glamorous camping.  Friends of ours have an RV.  They also have a travel trailer so friends can tag along.  We were fortunate enough to be those friends this past weekend.  I took a bunch of photos that I will share soon.  The dumplings are already telling us how much they miss camping.  Some big time fun might be on the horizon for this bunch.

Just chillin' out

The other morning I was hanging out with my precious girl, eating snacks and playing on my iPhone. I had already snapped a bunch of photos of her and the two of us together with my phone when it dawned on me that I needed to grab my big girl camera.  So I dashed around the house and grabbed it.  I was too lazy to hook up my wireless remote trigger or set up the tripod.  So I propped my camera up on the table and kept running around it to get in the shots.

I love this girl!!!!  

We've had so much fun doing school together these last few weeks.  She's really coming along with her reading and numbers.  I wish I had done K with Caleb this way- a lot less structured. 

Anyway, while I'm busy talking about Madeline, I thought I would share this video of her riding her brother's old bike...without the training wheels!  She was determined to do it, and it didn't take long.  Somehow she finds a way to keep balanced, despite having a shortened left arm.  After Patrick showed her how to keep going, I showed her how to start.  She's completely independent now.  Amazing.  

Sunday Snapshot: A little update...'cause a LOT is going on

Yep.  We have been hopping over here.  Busy.  Busy.  Busy.I always intend to update the blog regularly.  However, when life gets busy, there's just not enough time to talk about it!
So here goes the reader's digest version of the last few weeks.
For starters, I have some unfortunate news.  I have been trying to digest it myself for the last few days, delaying this post even more.
My sister's dear friend, Gina, continues to battle breast cancer.  And the latest news is not good.  The clinical trial she began in Houston has not been effective.  They are starting her on new chemotherapy drugs. This news stinks beyond stink.  I can't say much more besides that without sobbing.  So I'm moving on.
Back when we were celebrating Madeline's birthday at Disney with my sister, brother-in-law and niece, I had the chance to snap a few quick photos of my sister and nephew, Joshua.
 

Can you believe this precious munchkin is going to be 9 months old this month?
During the local school's spring break, we had a chance to head to Tampa to catch a Yankee Spring Training game against the Minnesota Twins.  My sister, Andy and kids, along with Andy's parents also made the trip.  We had a blast.  We also spent one day at Busch Gardens and another on Clearwater Beach.  A truly fantastic weekend.  I'll share those photos a little later.
Madeline continues to dance and prepare for her upcoming recital in June. 


We had a chance to observe last month.  She is regularly one step ahead of everyone.  It's quite funny to watch.





Last week, we had the opportunity to meet up with a fellow adoptive family visiting the Mouse for Spring Break. The Crebbins are an awesome crew. We had such a blast. Caleb and Kaia hit it off. Jaelyn and Madeline were unfazed that they were both missing parts of their left arms and just had fun. Now, we're just gonna have to plan a visit to the Pacific Northwest some time soon. Those photos will come later too. 
 Also last week in baseball, Caleb hit his first ever double! Not only that, he hit two of them! And I managed to get them on video. Here he is making his first double.
 
He was a bit under the weather this past week. However, he rested up all week so he would be ready to play baseball this weekend. And what did he do? He hit his first ever triple! We are so proud of him. All of his teammates played a great game today. They continue to improve each week. It's so fun to watch.
I've also been doing a little bit of sewing.  I made Madeline a cute little bubble top and shorts for Easter tomorrow and a simple little skirt.  Next up are some lounge pants for Caleb since he's outgrown the few I've already made him.  Then I plan on working through my big stash of fabrics so Madeline will have some fun, new clothes for this spring/summer.  I've had some of these fabrics sitting around for two years.  So it's about time I find the time to make some cute pieces for her.
A quick note about Havi's adoption.  We've been working on our dossier and home study documents and will finally begin our home study this month.  We'll probably be DTC some time late summer.
Well, that just about sums up the last month.  I do apologize that I have neglected the blog. I will come back some time this week with a few more photos to go along with all these fun times.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.  
And please, please pray for dear Gina- for healing and peace.

Homeschooling update: Expanding

I've been meaning to do a homeschool update for a while.  We've just been so busy that I haven't found the time.  The following principle sums up our latest happenings.

“The question is not—how much does the youth know when he has finished his education—but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”

In order to expand the number of things Caleb cares about, we have added classical music/composer study to our curriculum.  Before jumping in to the Ambleside Online composer study schedule, I thought I would first introduce the genre of classical music.  We began with listening to Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.  The kids really love it and usually ask for it right after we sing our hymn at breakfast.

We've also been listening to Carnival of the Animals composed by Camille Saint-Saens and The Nutcracker by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, additionally playing them as background music while doing copywork and such.  This has been such a delight, not only for the kidlets, but for me as well.  The kids particularly love to act out Peter and the Wolf.  It's such a joy to see.  Perhaps I'll have to get them doing so on video.

Speaking of videos....a typical narration for Caleb takes place at the computer.  He narrates as I type.  However, I have been videotaping his narrations from The Trumpet of the Swan.  Here's how Chapter 14 went.

Generally speaking, Madeline isn't this distracting. She's gotten so much better at waiting until the end of Caleb's narration before speaking to me.  The both of them were just a wee bit giddy that day.

On to nature study...

Since we do most of our schooling four days a week, we set aside Fridays for nature study, errands, doctors appointments and such.  It seems that every Friday as I drive over the causeway (across the river) to run errands, I spot a Great Blue Heron hanging out along the shore in the same area.  I am constantly scanning the shoreline as I drive now instead of just occasionally.  However, no sooner do I spot it, then we drive past, and it's too late for the kids to see.  

Yesterday was no different.  However, upon returning home, I spotted both a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret and determined that the kids were going to see one of these birds.  We parked in a recreational area, got out, and started walking along the shore.  As we turned a corner (we had walked out onto a point), we practically walked right into the Great Blue Heron.  I was so glad the kids finally got to see one.  (It had been several years since Caleb had seen one, which he has regularly reminded me about lately. lol)  Anyway, we saw it just in time because as we looked out on the river (thanks to another onlooker), a sheet of rain was coming our way.  That was pretty cool to witness.

Because we school year round, we just continue on to the next thing once we've completed the current year's work.  So we'll be starting up fourth grade math and third grade grammar next week.  This past week, Caleb finished reading Stuart Little by E. B While and has since started reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  He thoroughly enjoyed it when I read it aloud to him not too long ago, and he has the same enjoyment while reading it aloud to me!  It's precious.

So back to science/natural history...

As you can see, we have been studying birds a great deal lately.  We now have two bird feeders hanging from our oak trees, one in the front yard and one in the back.  Next thing we need to add are a few bird baths.  I've managed to capture a few birds with my camera.  So I will be putting together a little post on that.  

Anyway, what I love about learning at home is seeing Caleb question the world around him.  Last night as I put him to bed, he was thinking about Louis, the trumpeter swan and asked me how birds fly.  Thankfully, our science curriculum has a lesson on this physics principle, so I will be able to lead Caleb to his own understanding of how birds fly. Love it!

I have so much more that I want to blog about.  I surely hope to find some time in the next few weeks.  Monday Madeline will be celebrating her 4th birthday.  It's hard to believe.  She was just 19 months at referral.  Time has passed so quickly.  It really needs to slow down.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm sure I'll be back to share some birthday fun!

Have you heard the latest?

...number that is.  

Over the weekend, we attended a small party to celebrate one of our friend's 50th.  To say that he has a nice set up at his house would be an understatement.  He's a serious drummer. I can't even pretend to know a thing about drumming.  But I can tell you that the dumplings had an absolute blast.  Tony was so gracious to let them bang away and entertain themselves (and us, too!)

Here's Caleb on drums and Madeline on vocals, singing the latest chart topper "Have a great day!"

(Sorry that the video is so dark.  Tony has sound controlled lighting and fog....big hits!)

And if you think I've forgotten how to take photos of my kids, don't worry.  

I have another post coming soon with *gasp* photos!

More videos?

As if I haven't shared enough videos lately, I have more.  Yep.  I haven't had my camera in my hand much at all lately, but I always (most days, if you ask Patrick) carry my phone with me.

Once a month, Madeline's dance studio has an observation day, when parents can come back and watch the children during their lesson.  I was unsure how Madeline would handle Caleb being in the same room, and my suspicions were confirmed.  While they practiced their routine for their recital, she kept pointing her finger at her brother.  It was hilarious.  Although I videotaped that, I won't be sharing it here just yet because I don't want to spoil the actual recital performance.

However, I did get another video of her during her warm up.

And not to leave out Caleb...

We had some fun this week with science.  In addition to reading great quality, "living books" like Thornton Burgess' Bird Book and his seashore book and James Herriot's Treasury for Children, we still continue to work our way through Dr. Nebel's Building Foundations Through Scientific Understanding.  I really love his socratic approach.  I love how all the scientific disciplines are studied concurrently, so children can see how they're related, rather than seeing concepts as isolated and disjointed.

Anyway, this week's lesson was a part of our ongoing study on the particulate nature of matter.  We learned about how the air in the atmosphere is a mixture of gases: nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.  We also learned that burning requires 1.fuel (in our case wax from a candle) and 2. oxygen.  Finally, we learned how carbon dioxide is a byproduct of burning, can put out a flame, and it's role in our own breathing and photosythesis.  Phew.

Anyway, before we talked about any of this, I mixed baking soda and vinegar together, resulting in a chemical reaction that produced carbon dioxide.  I then "poured" my jar of carbon dioxide over the candle, which consequently extinguished the flame.  Naturally Caleb was floored and not only wanted to see the demonstration done again, he wanted to create the mixture and "pour" the carbon dioxide on the candle himself.  I obliged.

(And yes, you did hear him say "carbon dioxygen".  How cute!)

Unfortunately with the rain we got on Friday, we couldn't do our weekly nature study.  So I was bummed about that.  A highlight one morning this week , for me at least (as the kids were still in bed) was seeing a male and female cardinal together!  I've never before seen a female cardinal.  So I was quite tickled.

Hopefully this week my camera will see some action, and I'll actually have photos to share.

Golf anyone?

Last weekend, Patrick took the kids to our itty bitty local driving range. It is literallly down the street, about 1/2 mile, just past our baseball fields. We live on a narrow island, so real estate is hard to come by, and as such, the course is also on the smaller side (par 68 I believe.) Anyway, it was Madeline's first time, while Caleb has been a few times already. I can't wait until we can all get out there together! 
 Enjoy!

Resurfacing

Gosh, I know I'm not the best blogger in the world, but I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted.  Not too much has been going on lately, other than the typical- homeschooling, therapy, dance for Madeline, and life in general.

I previously mentioned that I would try to videotape Caleb narrating Shakespeare using his finger puppets.  In actuality, it's a bit hard because there are always several different characters involved, and I am always participating with him.  So I decided to ask him for a brief recap, after he had finished narrating one day.


 
 I just love how he says proper names he's not familiar with- just like my Gramma! It's so precious. 
 This week, I took the kids down to our local pier for a nature walk. This is something I've wanted to make a weekly occurrence out of, but unfortunately, that hasn't happened. I was thankful that, as we were preparing to head home, a snowy egret decided to make an appearance. 

The other thing we've been doing a lot of is reading.  Lots.  Caleb has recently finished Toad for Tuesday by Russell Erickson (awesome!), The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh, and The Courage of Sarah Noble also by Alice Dalgliesh.
For read alouds, we finished up Pinocchio.  Even Madeline enjoyed listening in.  I thought I might lose her because the language in the original is quite rich.  Nope, she hung in there.  There were so many lessons to be learned, too.  It was a great way to talk about how God calls us to act without sounding preachy (another Charlotte Mason nugget.)  We're now reading a great little fairytale The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin.  It was his only book for children, and boy, am I glad he wrote it!  It is a feast for the imagination.  Add it to the list of books "I wish I read this when I was kid".
And me?  In preparation for next years reading selections from Ambleside Online Year 2, I am reading Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Alongside Pilgrim's Progress I am reading Helen Taylor's Little Pilgrim's Progress.  The reason for doing so is because Ambleside spreads Pilgrim's Progress out across Years 2 and 3.  And although I love, love, LOVE the original writing, I prefer Caleb to read Helen Taylor's version for little children before I read the unabridged version to him in Year 3.  So far, I think she's done a fabulous job at staying true to the original. Really.  Amazing.  
If I'm being honest, this is my first time reading both Pilgrim's Progress AND The Wind in the Willows.  See?  I told you I suffered severely from exposure to literary masterpieces while growing up.  A Charlotte Mason education is not only a good choice for my children but for me as well.  In fact, after I read the first chapter of The Wind in the Willows, I wrote down my own narration.  Seriously, I rather enjoyed typing up my narration!
Anyway, as you can see, we've had our noses in books.  Lots of them.  And really loving it.  It just warms my heart to see Caleb reading to Madeline, as he does so almost daily.  And watching Madeline reading to her dolls, priceless.
Tomorrow we head out to celebrate the New Year with friends.  Hopefully, I'll take some photos (haven't done much of that lately) if we don't get rained out.

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

Our New Year's celebration was very low key. We thought we would begin a New Year's Eve tradition by soaking in the hot tub as a family. Between our kids and the kids next door, our backyards were quite loud. Then we toasted the New Year around 9:00pm. Here's a little video of the kids celebrating. (I apologize in advance for the low lighting and digital noise.)



Madeline thoroughly enjoyed her sparkling juice, and her brothers, and the rest of the bottle. She was a hoot!

After returning from church on New Year's Day, I thought I would snap a few photos of the kidlets. In some of the photos, they are sporting their party beads from the night before.

Caleb got in a few shots with the round ball. He is absolutely loving his new basketball hoop.

Madeline had fun writing her name with the sidewalk chalk.

The biggest hit of the afternoon was the remote control monster truck that Caleb got from his Bammy for Christmas.

Both kids had a lot of fun playing with it.

These two kidlets really love each other.

Though sometimes, they just aren't in the mood for any of mom's photo sessions.

We can't wait to see how much these precious dumplings grow in 2012, physically, emotionally, socially, academically, and most importantly, spiritually.

Hello, 2012!
Ready or not, here we come!