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Remember that new gang in town?

Apparently some of them are Wonted .

We SAW one!!!!!

aWhile visiting new friends, we went for a walk to a lake close by their house. Nine kids in tow, riding bikes, walking, riding in wagons. After dipping our toes in Skeleton Lake (that's the name), we headed back in a scattered fashion. Aria, Shai, and I, with the other Mama were the last ones. As we came close to their house we heard rustling in the woods. We happened to look up the road in the opposite direction and sitting at the side of the road was ....... A BABY BEAR! I swear I squealed in delight! It was the cutest little thing I have ever seen. It sat down like a dog, ears pricked up, head titled, looking at us from about fifty feet away. WOW! I wanted to yell for the other kids who had zoomed by.....but then I heard a branch snap in the woods.
Oh yeah....the mama! We decided it was best for us to now walk quietly, yet quickly to the house.
I know, I know- the camera was left at the house in the van. The boys and Chris aren't letting me live that one down!

Mutant Tadpoles?

I don't think they really are, more likely bull frog tadpoles. They have been huge! I haven't gotten a lot of great photos, I just haven't been having it in tow as much. This is one, not as big as others, but it is Shai who is holding it and his hands are pretty small. Some of them have been four-six inches long and others super fat. The kids are itching to see them as frogs.

A New look to Frolicking

We have a spring tradition of enjoying and immersing ourselves in the amazing wonders of spring peepers. In the past we have done this with a group at our then local conservation area or with a group of friends. While frog catching is something we always love to do, there is something about going out at night, following the sounds of their mating call to find them, under the cover of dark.

As I have mentioned we have a pond on our property and it has frogs. I never expected us to hear the spring peepers here, silly me. Not only can we hear them, we can hear them in the house with all the windows closed! The high pitched noise really is incredible.

We have had a few nights of frolicking among the frogs. As the six of us head over, nets in hand, in the quiet way that six people do, the frogs stop calling each other when we first arrive. Elias has being spending so much time sitting and listening that he has mastered the call as a whistle. He is able to start making the noise and very quickly they call him back. (brings tears to a nature loving mama! LOL) Very cool. We have caught a few, some very tiny ones.

Ben caught a very small bull frog, while he was holding it, it puffed his sac in and out. Again very cool. Shai is right in there, in the thick of things. While he hasn't caught any yet, one he was gently holding got away and landed on his head! Something he has been talking a lot about.

Are you sure you guys don't want to move up here????

The making of a car

For the KubKar races, the kids are each given a kit. Each one contains a block of wood, four wheels and four nails to hold the wheels on. That is it. From this block of wood, they choose designs, helped carve out the shape using carpentry tools, sanding it down. They then painted, choose accessories, varnished, added the details. They worked really hard and they were really pleased with their finished products.

The Finish Line

Elias and Ben joined the local cubs group in January. They had both been in Beavers a few years ago, and while they enjoyed parts of it, they weren't thrilled enough to return the following year. Since we moved, they decided to attend the group (cubs)here as guests before making the commitment to joining. After the first evening, they both knew this was something they wanted to be a part of. It is a small group, made up of five kids and three leaders. Each week they have done a combination of really cool things. They have crafted leather bracelets, turkey bone scarf ornaments for their uniform, played lots of games, visited a taxidermist, woodworking, hiking, etc. They enjoy leading the other cubs in the opening ceremony and take pride in knowing they memorized it all by heart. They work hard in their spare time towards badges.

Today Chris and the boys headed to an area event, KubKar racing. For the past two weeks the boys have been designing, carving, sanding, painting, decorating their cars. Lots of time and energy has been put into them until now. Having been their first time they were sure what to expect from the day. I am told it was very well organized, the kids moving smoothly through the days events. They were divided into age groups and raced each other on different tracks. The kids loved taking their cars over to the pit stop to grease up their wheels and give it the once over.
There was also a vote on the design of the cars, done by everyone present. Both Ben and Elias came in first for their age category. They both realized what a great honour that was to have the recognition of their peers for their work.

Before the end of the day there were also races against the leaders who had worked side by side with the kids on cars of their own. My guys all commented on the high calibre of the cars everyone designed. There was an ice cream truck, a raised up monster truck, hot rods, racers, space ships, fancy designs, drivers who were people, frogs, lego, superheros, all types of paint and designs.

The kids have requested a shelf to display their cars and trophies. And the plans for next year have already started.

Building day

About two weeks ago we put out a 'call' to local homeschoolers to join us for an afternoon or building projects. One of our goals for the day was to get to know some fellow homeschoolers. We have come from a very organized and active homeschooling group, to a group which is spread out by great distance and are not as active as we have been used to. Meeting other homeschoolers hasn't been as easy as just joining in the activities. So we decided that making our own activities might be the way to do it. Our other goal was to have fun and share something we really enjoy doing.
We had four challenges planned, all of them from this great blog. I had set them up in different areas of the main floor, with the intention that if the kids needed to spread out they had that option. There were fourteen kids from three families that joined us, and very quickly the building began. They decided to tackle the same challenges at the same time. The first was spaghetti cantilevers, for which the kids self separated themselves by gender.
Observing how the kids tackled the problem solving was particularly interesting for me. The boys did very little discussing or preplanning, they just dove in. Each child in the group adding what they thought would be beneficial, without approval. It worked for them, they were quick and efficient.
The girls group chatted to create well laid plans, they measured and discussed, organized and discussed, put together and discussed. They took much longer (there were no time constraints), more interactive and equally as successful. It worked for them.
The paper bridges to hold money were done by larger groups, and became a fun game of competition. The marshmallow towers and arches were done side by side as individuals (which the kids decided) and as the comfort ability level rose among them, marshmallows became consumed and the play went outside.
It was nice to chat a little bit with new families, make connections and future plans. The building was fun. It is always great watching my kids overcome their uncomfortable feelings of being the new kids (in such a big way) and reaching out to make friends. They welcomed everyone into their home, suggested games to play, took leadership roles at times and were able to stand back and observe at others. Not that expect any different, it just warms my heart to see them navigate so gracefully and successfully.

Quack!

A toddler and ducks in your pond. They are so naturally drawn to each other. Its one of the few times he can sit for 30 mins just watching and quacking back. We have big hopes they will lay eggs and there might be ducklings.

There is lots of singing and reading of this going on!

How do you spell....

I am constantly amazed at the different ways in which my children learn. Struggling with different concepts, and breezing through others. I have one child who has had a hard time learning to read, struggling each step of the way, still not in a place of confidence or enjoyment. Another child curses the invention of all writing tools and would rather clean his room than write something down.
Aria is currently celebrating everything that involves sounding out words, writing, reading, workbooks, spelling. Where ever we go (visiting, the car, around the campfire, the pond) she is working out words in her head, or writing them down in a notebook). It brings her great joy and satisfaction to sound out and write down a word. Its very much like solving a puzzle for her, one that comes naturally and with ease. It makes sense for her.
It is so exciting to watch this passion bloom and take off. My job is to explain the odd rule of phonics or what a letter looks like in cursive writing. There is no sign of slowing down, she is off.

Flying Through

We were back for a fly through visit. Dinner with my sister and the cousins. A popcorn party with treasured friends. A quick afternoon sword fight with their pal who appreciates the art. Catching up and plan making over pizza with cousins in laws. A new baby to cuddle, hugs on the side walk, popping into the second hand store we like, appointments to make. We left with many plans and more people to see - until next time. It was busy, a roller coaster of excitement in the moment and sadness when leaving. It will always be a special place.

The Gym

We put up a tire swing! the first of many outdoor play equipment being added, and enjoyed!

This awesome spring weather has meant bare feet appearing, shorts coming out, rosy sun touched cheeks, a filthy bathtub, sound sleepers. Being in the land of lakes, we have been planning trips to the beach throughout the winter. We couldn't wait any longer- high of 18- meant first official beach trip of the year was first on the agenda. The wind was cool, there were still some ice flows- but it was glorious to sink our toes into the sand.

There is a new Gang in Town!

A Perk

For the past 6 years Chris has driven between 3 and 6 hours a day communting to and from work. Most of the time this driving was done in crazy traffic, not providing the calm de-stressing time he could of used. He currently leaves just before 9, and is almost always home by 5 (if not earlier). Since he works downtown, we often meet him for a coffee, ice cream or as we did today, met for lunch. Spontaneously I picked up some pizza, and we all walked over to the picnic tables beside the lake to share lunch. It was so amazing to share this beautiful weather together, but to have the opportunity for him to be part of our day with such ease. As we walked him to his office, hand in hand, surrounded by our 'guys' we looked at each other thinking the same thing- how great that was.

The Cherry on the Cake

To end a fabulous day outside......a campfire of course.

A breath of fresh air

This week has been incredible. The weather has been so fabulous, clear skies, warm and sunny. I find myself saying numerous times a day, breathing in deeply and feeling so thankful for such beautiful days. Shaking off the layers of clothes, bringing out the bikes, taking the skateboards to the skate park, climbing at the park, finding green growing, has been so rejuvenating for all of us. Everyone is covered in dirt at the end of the day, too exhausted to do more than have a quick wash and fall into bed, asleep before the audio book as really begun.

Every Day Is a Concert Kind of a Day

These two love to entertain. A song, a poem, a dance, a joke. You name the time and place, they will be there. I am a fan, so I get front row seats.

Family Time

It was a joy to have my family over for Easter. Shared cooking, relaxed eating, yummy food, great company, cousins playing, long chats. Sunshine, time outside, archery, ATV rides, visits from deer. It was nice to be together.

Very friendly friends

When we moved here at the beginning of November we created a wildlife spotting book. We have been recording the animals and birds we have been sighting. This past week and weekend we have sighted deer on our property 21 separate times. One night we had two babies and four adults a few feet away from our front porch. Today we sat on the grass and quietly watched a young adult nibble on some grass and spilt bird food a few feet away. The baby with its mama in the picture above was very comical. It would jump and trip over its own feet trying to get away from the leaves blowing in the wind. There are a few we think we may recognize from return visits. Names are being tossed around for a few of them.

A sign pointing home

For his birthday, Elias got a wood burning tool kit. He has great enjoyment making and gifting signs. He placed this one at the end of the driveway the other day- it's these special touches that is making me feel more at home.

Hop Little Bunny, Hop, Hop, Hop!

Carrying a basket, finding eggs, and jelly beans or chocolate inside! Needless to say, this bunny was loving the Easter morning hunt!

Hunting in the Woods!

We have always had our egg hunt outside. This year there was the special treat of hunting in our little wooded area. It was a big hit.