Picture Day - Christmas 2007

Today, we had the every joyful task of getting 5 kids, bathed, dressed in Sunday clothes, hair done, etc. to drag off to the park and get pictures done! We were so blessed with the talent of my sister, who truly shot some amazing photos! I'll post some of my favorite candid shots! They turned out so well!

I am grateful for great friends!!

I have been pondering over the last day or two, how blessed my life is with such wonderful friends! I think that life would be very boring, were it not for the gift of friendship. I love the close friendship I share with my sisters, that has become a great blessing in my life. I'm thankful for Jodi and the years of friendship we have shared as we have watched our children grow up together. I am thankful for friends we have met along the way, that we might not see often, but they are always close to our hearts. And I'm very thankful for the friends I have made through the wonderful avenue of the Internet! There is a wonderful group of ladies who I met when we all shared pregnancies together, two years ago. They are very dear to me, and I look forward to the day when I meet all of them in person. It has been so fun, getting to see Bethany on a weekly basis, and I hope that continues! What a small world, when you meet someone on the Internet, to find out that they live very close, share your same religious beliefs and have so many other things in common! It is so much fun!

I am NOT grateful for kickboxing!!!

Okay, I just have to say that the kickboxing class I took this morning, was one of the hardest things I've done in awhile! Well, next to the spinning class I tried a few weeks ago! LOL!

But, in all seriousness, today I am grateful for this homeschooling journey we are on. There are days that are very tough and I wonder why we made this choice, but other days, like today, help me remember why! It is really fun to experience the learning process with my kids. I learn so much every day. Today, we were reading a book about Squanto and it mentioned how he thought the first horse he saw in London was a deer. This started a discussion of where did horses come from? Were there horses on the American continent, just not in the New England States in the early 1600's? It was fun to look up this information on the Internet and learn that there is actually much controversy on whether or not the horse actually originated on the American Continent.

I think what I have learned most through this journey, is that it is not my job to merely teach my children. If that were the case, then I would need to be a lot smarter than I am! But, rather, it is my job to serve as a guide and learn along with them. Children are so curious and interested in so many things, and I love to follow the educational paths they pick for us!

I'm thankful that I have this opportunity and I love every minute of it, even when I'm ready to pull my hair out in the middle of the craziness!

"Silent Gratitude isn't much use to anyone"

I always realize at this time of year how guilty I am of this! So, throughout this month, as I take the time to reflect each day, I am going to express all the things I'm grateful for.

Today, I am grateful for health. Even with all of us suffering with minor colds and with illnesses we've dealt with in the past, we are very blessed. Challenges are a part of life and help us appreciate the little things of every day. I am grateful that no one is in the hospital, no one is dealing with an undiagnosed illness and as always, these colds will pass by quickly!

A Spooky Jack-O-Lantern written by Mitchell Brown

There's a spooky Jack-o-Lantern sitting on my house front porch

And it's flame shining oh so bright is like a burning torch.

And when I look right at it, I feel a sort of fright,

And it's a good thing we're taking it down now,

Because tonight is Halloween night!

Halloween 2007

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! The kids came up with their own ideas for their costumes and we made them. I think the funnest project was our paper mache'd pumpkin head! We went trick-or-treating and then to the carnival at the high school! It was a very fun evening!

"Their" grocery list

Several weeks ago, I asked the kids to write things down on the fridge, so that I could remember to pick up things we needed the next time I went grocery shopping. With five, it's sometimes hard to remember who needs the new toothbrushes or who used the last band aid. So, I figured this would be a great way for them to help me out! This is what they came up with...

Soy milk
Halloween Decorations
Wii
Raviolis
Hot Dogs
goolash
Toothbrush for Abby
toothbrush (tooth tunes)
wart cream
oatmeal
real mayo
bananas
apples for Abby
bananas
Meat
Pears
gum
flashlight
bananas

Quite the list! I guess they really wanted the bananas! Not like I don't buy several bunches a week, but I guess the babies eat them so quick, the kids wanted their own! And I really love how they just "snuck" in that Wii!

How to know when work comes home too often?

We've been listening to the kids as they play, and it's very obvious what their father does for a living. Here are a few examples of things we've overheard...

"You owe me $3200 in legal fees"
"I'm the judge, you can be the jury"
"I'm the judge, so your conviction stands"
"Well, if you hadn't taken my dollar, then I wouldn't have had to sue you, now you have to pay my attorney fees too"

I think John and I need to find some new things to discuss while driving in the car, at the dinner table, etc!

Well, due to rain and lightening storms, we didn't make it to the mountain on Monday. We were bummed, but we tried to make the most of it. Instead, we went to lunch at McDonald's and then to the theatre to see "Underdog". It was fun having the theatre to ourselves! It was quite the cheesy movie, but the kids had fun, so it was worth it!

Today, was Sam's IEP meeting with the school district and it went smoother than I imagined. He qualified for services and begins school the morning after his birthday! I can't believe that in less than a week (9/04) he will be going to school! I'm excited for him, but a bit sad at sending my baby boy out into the world! He will be attending the elementary school across the street from us and will be going to the a.m. session, so everything is truly falling into place for us! We feel blessed at how well things are working out. We have met so many amazing people on this journey with Sam and feel truly blessed by all of them.

Today was also the last day of his time with NEIS, which has had me quite sad over the last few weeks. Jude and Angie have become part of the family and they will never know how much they have meant to me in their great care of our little boy! They are wonderful women, who spend their days enriching the lives of many children! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday that Sam was 18 months and we were having our first evaluation done.

Well, that sums up today! I'm sure I will have lots more info over the next few days as we celebrate Sam's birthday and send him off to preschool!

NOT back to school day!

Here in Las Vegas, most the kiddo's are headed back to the classroom, starting another school year! I am excited to be spending the day, not having to rush or stress or worry about schedules, special clothes, school supplies, etc.

We're headed up to Mt. Charleston this morning for a fun day and picnic with other homeschooling families. It poured rain last night, so I'm hoping that it doesn't interfere with our plans! I'm hoping to take lots of fun pictures and post them here soon!

I hope everyone has a great week, this week!

Ramona

Yoga today by Chipper Brown

Well have you heard the word "yoga". You'd think it would mean relaxing and chilling out with stretching and getting energized. so we asked Mitchell on what he thought.
"Normal excersizing sizing that you would do every day" he said.
we also asked on what he thought of it.
"Very hard, tough, oh and don't forget boring."were his excact words.
we alo asked him wy he gave in at the end but came back to relax
"I was very hungry and tired,and what you guys were doing was very girly, but when i saw you guys relaxing i coudn't resist." Mitchell says.
Chicken what i have to say to you Mitchell.
well thats all for today folks.
check in tommorow.

A few days have passed since I've written, but we had a nice weekend that was very relaxing.

Currently, we are up in Alamo for most of the week. It is nice to get away and just enjoy the quiet of it here, as well as a little cooler weather.

I finally have pictures from our New York trip, so I will post a few. Also, Abby got her hair cut and it looks so cute. I took some pics, but it may take me a few days to get them downloaded.

That is about all for us. We're enjoying the summer, but looking forward to starting back with school in a few weeks.

Today was a busy and tiring day! But then again, aren't they all! LOL!

Abby is still up in Alamo with John, so me and the other kids spent the morning rearranging the family room, putting together a new bookshelf and getting sattelite internet set up.

Chipper had his art class today, and he is doing so well. He not only loves it, but his pictures look so nice. I need to take some pictures and post them. He's very talented!

Then we made the two hour trek through traffic to the scout office! Fun, fun! But tonight was Mitchell's first pack meeting and Chipper's first as a Webelos scout, so it was fun to see them both all decked out in the uniforms. I need to get a picture.

At scouts they launched bottle rockets and Sam wanted to be in on the action. More than once I had to pull him back and he wasn't happy. Then, towards the end, I found him in line with the big boys, holding a water bottle he had found. He was so certain he was going to get a turn! How disappointed he was when I pulled him away!

John comes home tomorrow and I will be excited to have him back. It's amazing how much work it is to handle everything without him. It completely wears me out!

July 2007

Welcome to our new blog! We are so excited to have a way to share news and pictures online of our family! As you can tell from our title, we are very big Harry Potter fans, so with the recent release of book 7, we were inspired for our name!