2014-2015 school year: here we come!

I'm always a bit eager to start the school year.  The minute I get the school desks cleared of last years papers and projects I want to jump into this year.  That might be because I tend to leave to mess during summer break.

Last week I started prepping for the new year.  I started by setting up a bulletin board.  Next year we will be studying animals from around the world and finding out how habitats differ from place to place.  We are going to be working on our geography skills so I thought that would be a good place to start.

Adding the dolls immediately had the effect I was hoping for.  The girls started searching for what counties they were from and which continents.

We also went through our new school books.  Rather than let them see everything at once we have been going through one subject per day, it gives me a chance to see which subjects will need more mom time and which they will be able to do independently.

They are eager to start the "fun" subjects, like science, and easing into the routine seems to work better for us that ending summer break cold turkey.  

    

"Insta"-repay #46, homebody

This week we were home!  Well mostly home.

Monday morning a cute kitten showed up out of no where.  It seems to like us so we are letting it stay.  Living in the country cats coming and going isn't that unusual.

We did go out one day, the plan was to see a play but I had gotten the time wrong so instead we had coffee and colored with cousins.

The girls had dance camp each morning.   They loved dancing with their dolls and making small crafts!

The last day of camp was a mom and me tea party.  Their teacher, Zoe, was nice enough to let the cousins join the fun.

This weekend we went to the Steam-up in Brooks.  I hadn't been in the last few years so I was surprised how child friendly the event was.  I recommend it to anyone in the area, I also recommend the steam powered ice cream.

It was a fun week with nice relaxing evenings!

"Insta"-replay #45, what a week!

This week we managed to do something every single day!

It started with a trip to the Enchanted Forest, a local theme park! We went with my sister and her two boys. I have been going since I was a kid and I love sharing the memories with my kids!

Next we went to OMSI, Oregon's science museum. This time it was my brother's family that we spent the day with.  It is another place that brings back lots of memories.  I love how hands on most of the exhibits are.

Then we had are weekly library trip, along with my nephews.  This week was a juggler, I keep hoping one of my kids will be inspired to learn juggle.  So far they just really enjoy watching other people juggle.

Then we met our California cousins at our local Children's museum. The nephews got to tag along again.   It was fun seeing them and playing together.  

Next day we joined my mom and sister along with her kids for a children's parade followed by an afternoon at the Salem Art Fair.  We didn't look at much art but we did watch the performers.

Saturday was a day without cousins, but instead of sitting at home and enjoying the quiet, the girls went to the Home Depot for a building workshop.  They came home with little planes and huge smiles.

And finally we went back to the art fair.  This time to watch my mom preform with her clogging class.  She is still a beginner but she does fabulous!

I was a bit surprised by how busy our schedule seems to be. We are enjoying every minute of summer and spending as much time with family as we can!

"Insta"-replay #45, summer routine

We've managed to get into a summer routine of non-routine.

Our week started with a trip.  This time it was to an aquarium.  I was as excited as the girls!  Ok, I might have been more excited, especially when we saw the sharks!

The most exciting day for the girls was later.  Merry got her American Girl doll and we spent the day at my mom's because of a power outage.

I discovered blank books in the dollar section at Target.  I let the kids make leaf rubbing then write about their leafs.  It was a great way to keep them busy and books are easier to keep than a pile of loose papers.

We are in the middle of a heat wave so spending lunch at an air conditioned store is becoming normal.

A free icee from 7/11 was a perfect summer treat.  And I had a great time hanging out with my youngest sister.

Jon took the girls to the county fair. They saw animals, made bug cages, and enjoyed ice cream!

The week ended with a quiet day at my inlaws.  Aunt Katie painted nails and we watched tv.

"Insta"-replay #44, happy Independence Day

Last week was hot, at least by Oregon standards.  So we spent a lot of time just trying to stay cool.

We did manage to head over to the library to see a magician.  Even though we weren't allowed to take photos during the show he was nice enough to take one with us afterwards.

We also managed to get out to a park and enjoy fresh air and shade trees.

The highlight of the week was the weekend! A Fourth of July parade began the festivities!

We had a great family croquette game, Aunt Abbie  was up for the weekend so it was extra fun!

We set off some fireworks in the backyard.  Merry made sure she had some ear protection. The rest of us wished we had some too after the first whistler.  

Merry enjoyed being the "big" girl and explaining how to play tea party to a sweet family friend.

The weekend ended with a trip to the blueberry fields.  It reminded me of my high school days as a berry picker.  At least this time I'll get some sweet treats for my hard work!

"Insta"-replay #43, cousins and caring

Last week flew by.  I had to look at my photos so I could remember what happened, which is of course why I'm blogging.  Having a record to look back on can be a good thing.

Aunt Kimi bought fairy wings for the girl cousins and we had a park play day.  Hannah's mustache cracked me up.

We had some quiet reading time.

Yet another park day, this time we had lunch with my grandma, their great-grandma!

Lego learning, I mean fun, graphing then building.  It was hard to get then to make a two dimensional shape. 

S'mores with grandma Kelly and Grandpa Bill were a pleasant way to wrap up the cousin time!  And thanks to them taking the girls for a night I got to go to a movie!  It was a win win.

The weekend had a quieter type of fun.  Merry had a tea party with her dolls, they are watching golf.

And the girls had fun cooking with Aunt Katie (she is the best.) 

Now you might have noticed my older daughter's hair is a bit shorter this week. She was excited to donate 13 inches to locks of love!  She is also very excited to not have nearly as many tangles!