The kids had very much been looking forward to their first day of Canyon Grove Academy. Lindy was especially excited because this was her first year. I took the kids "Back to School" shopping and told them that I would bankroll them $20 (they recently had to start buying all of their own clothing, so me giving them $20 for clothes was a big deal), and anything over $20, they'd have to pay for. I was so rewarding to watch them wander through Target very carefully considering costs. They all stayed under budget! Anyway...They laid out their outfits, we took pictures that morning, drove to the school....and it was closed. I had the dates mixed up. Classic me. They were so disappointed. So to soften the blow I decided to take them to a limited time museum up in SLC called "Love Letters", that I'd been wanting to go see. It's all about how cool the written word is. Typography, stories, all that jazz. It was pricey, but well worth the cost. The kid's minds were blown and it was such a fun way to spend a day!!
The next week they actually did have their first day of Canyon Grove. I took an extra picture of Lindy because it was her very first day of Kindergarten! I was nervous for her all day, but I think having two older siblings near by, and having it be on such a small scale really helped. She is loving it so far. We also had our "Back to School" feast. We haven't done a family theme for the past couple of years, so we got back in that habit this year and chose "And Jesus Grew in Wisdom, and in Stature, and in Favor with God and Man." We're hoping to use it throughout the year to give us guidance in how and what we teach our kids; to help them grow and develop like Christ.
One of the MANY benefits to homeschooling is going to the normally crazy busy park, while all the other kids are in school. :) The kids ask to go to this specific park near our house all summer long. I always say no, because it's so chaotic! I can't handle it. So I told them as soon as the other kids were back in school, we'd go. It was a nice incentive and motivator as we got through our first week or so of school.
All on his own, Richie set up a date, DOWNTOWN SLC, for us. That's a big deal. Richie just called me from work one day, and said he had a sitter lined up and that we were going dancing in SLC that night. :) Best call ever. He hates going downtown, but I enjoy the change of pace, so he was nice to humor me. We had a lovely time dancing and people watching. I can't decide which is better!
Gwen took it upon herself to plan our FHE other night. She remembered Miles planning one (year ago) that was a scavenger hunt of sorts. So she put one together throughout our neighborhood, which ended with us finding the movie "Annie" to watch, which the kids are really into right now. We stopped at Gil and Carole's house to say hi, and found that Gil had handmade a frame, and framed 3 painted Coffee filters the kids had made and delivered to him a couple of months ago. I had no idea he had done this, so when I saw it hanging in the garage, I was blown away by his sweetness. We love those guys.
To put it nicely, Benson is precocious. To put it plainly, he can be a really cute pain in the butt. Definitely my most mischievous kid. Like a little Curious George. Gets into all sorts of trouble, but you can't help but forgive him and love him cause he's so cute! Some of his favorite lately are using dental floss, or toilet paper, or yarn etc and stringing it all throughout the house to make "nets" and "webs". Sometimes I stop him because it's a nuisance to have to traipse around all the string, but most of the time I just let him do it because it's less destructive than other options. For instance...shoving a comb down the toilet. (We got it out with a snake) Or, shoving an entire tube of toothpaste in the toilet. (We didn't get it out, and had to put in a whole new toilet. Honestly, we were thrilled that we had to replace the old toilet. It was on it's last leg and getting really annoying. But still, another "big" expense we weren't ready for.Thanks Benson. :)
With the older three at Canyon Grove all day Wednesdays, it gives me time to be with just Benson and Davy. We are all loving it so much. It really provides us with a wonderful change of pace and I get to direct most of my attention to Benson, which he needs so much. It's amazing how his behavior changes when he has more attention. He's happier, more obedient...it's all around so good. I try to plan specific activities to help him learn. His favorite thing so far is when I cut his PB&J sandwich into a teddy bear with a cookie cutter. He feels so special. :) I love remembering what it was like to have just 2 littles. Sweet and Simple.
The rest of the pictures are just everyday things or school things, all mushed together here at the end. One specific thing pictured here is our new tradition of Poetry Tea Time or "The Finer Things Club" on Fridays. It's been a fun way to sneak in a little art/music/language arts study. :)
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