Hearts the Butterfly

The boys named our butterfly soon after he emerged from his chrysalis. It was unanimous - His name would be Hearts ♥♥ We knew he would soon emerge as his chrysalis had turned black overnight so we set our container on the breakfast table. He actually came out during breakfast and we witnessed it. It happens so fast and this is the first butterfly that we had that we actually got to witness it emerge. It was beautiful!
We enjoyed him for a short time before releasing him. I had saved our study on butterflies waiting for his arrival. It was really nice doing schoolwork and diagramming a butterfly on paper with a real specimen to study.
Carson describing to Cameron about our chrysalis, "First it starts as an egg, then turns into the pupa which is the caterpillar, then it goes into the chrysalis and finally the adult butterfly comes out...not a kid butterfly, but an adult!"

Owls

We spent most of the morning outside and found a family of 4 owls in one of our oak trees. Aren't they supposed to be nocturnal? Wish I had gotten some pictures. They were beautiful.

Later in the afternoon, I took the boys swimming and had a lot of fun at the HS swim at the Allen Natatorium. Pretty soon, the outdoor pools will be open for summer!

Cole's Anniversary

I am so fortunate to have the most awesome children ♥ Thinking of my sweet firstborn son, Cole. Tomorrow marks 10 years without him beside me. What a long road.

Camping - Mineral Wells, TX

We took the boys camping to Mineral Wells. They loved having my brother's family come too. They ADORE their Uncle Chuckie! Mark's brother stopped by with his family and took the boys rapelling for the first time. They both thought that was a blast. Hope they get more chances to learn to climb with him.


Cameron with his Aunt Sloanie (Luvs!) ♥

Oklahoma Land Run Reenactment

The boys and I participated in a reenactment of the Oklahoma land run of 1889. The boys dressed up as cowboys with tools ready to build a log cabin and we also created a period wagon. At the sound of a gun, we ran to stake our claim to the 'Unassigned Territory' by putting down a blanket and claiming our land at the Land Office. We then spent several hours selling our homemade cookies and bartering with our 'neighbors' for their goods. One clever boy set up a 'County Fair' and charged to play games. It was really fun and Cameron loved participating too!

This event was the finish to a study we did on American History including the land run and what led up to the land run. Carson was pretty mad at our government when he learned what happened to the Native American population. Although, he still chose to participate in this event.

A little appreciation is good

I love Carson trying to dress and shoe Cameron.
Carson, "You sure have to go through a lot to take care of kids, Mom!"

Bullies

Homeschoolers are not immune to bullies. There is a bully that recently joined Carson's martial arts class. His mom pulled him out of school because of 'behavioral issues'. My witty and charming 6 year old turned him around today!
When I asked him how he finally made friends with him, he simply said, "I had to ignore his bad behavior for a LONG time and when he talked regular, I paid attention to him. He just started to act kinder more often until he wasn't mean all the time anymore. But I still don't like him, Mom!"

New van & Great friends

We spent the entire day van shopping. We found exactly what were were looking for and after an exhaustive wait, we were on our way home with our new purchase!

That evening, my family loved having some great friends over for dinner. It was so relaxing to sit and chat. The children were so adorable when they put on a show for us and dressed in costumes. After the show, they came around to the audience and gave us their autograph by signing their names and outlining their hand on the paper. It was so sweet! I have much to be thankful for ♥

Jr. Robotics - Bridges

This week, the boys learned about different types of bridges at Engineering. Once they had their discussion/lesson, they used various materials to build any kind of bridge they wanted. Carson built a suspension bridge and Cameron built a truss bridge. I love this class!

Ladybugs in our garden

The boys released ladybugs into our garden this evening.  They are beneficial insects that eat aphids. 

Great Wolf Lodge

Had a great time with the family at Great Wolf Lodge.  In addition to the water play, the boys really love the Magicquest game.

Carson cooked dinner

Carson is so proud! He made homemade spaghetti and salad for dinner. It turned out great. YUMMY! Not too long and he'll be in there solo.

He used the food processer to chop the onions, peppers and garlic and browned them along with the meat in the electric pressure cooker. Once he added the canned tomatoes, paste and seasonings, he put the lid on and turned it on for 20 minutes. It was THE BEST sauce I ever had and tasted like it had simmered all day long.

Rangers Game

Went to the Texas Rangers Baseball game and although it was really cold, we had so much fun! We also drove by the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. You can't put into words the gigantic size! Wow.

Carson's journal

Is it possible??!! Carson is writing in his journal for pleasure - Without prompting! Pigs are flying over here :o)

Easter 2010

Easter basket toys strewn all over the house...check. Fancy Easter brunch eaten...check. Eggs colored...check. In a while, the boys are going to help me frost our homemade carrot cake. YUM!

Bubble Fun

Host Curriculum Night

I loved having a houseful of mom friends over yesterday. They inspire me.
I hosted a curriculum/mom's day so we could chat and do a sort of 'show and tell' with some of our favorite curriculum. We had a great turnout and there was SO much information. I was a bit overwhelmed, but I learned a lot.

Nature Hike

I took the boys on a nature hike at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve.  We had a lot of fun and found a ton of 'treasures'!  After a couple of hours of exploring and hiking, our homeschool group met at the park's playground and the boys had fun with some good friends.

Medieval Times

With Mark working so many hours, the boys have been missing him terribly so I wanted to do something special over spring break.  I decided to take them to Medieval Times. I was a little worried that Cameron might not be able to stay in his seat and enjoy the show, but that wasn't a problem at all. The boys LOVED it! After the show, we had a blast with some of the other guests.  I had a glass of wine while the boys had a battle with 2 other brothers.  They battled for a long time while I chatted with their parents.  We called a truce, but I think my boys could have taken them!

Bike Path

We had a great bike ride to Natural Grocers with the boys. I love having the bike trail out back! It is so convenient and easy to get around the neighborhood.

Hockey Game

The boys and I went to the Allen Americans Hockey game tonight. I have never been to a hockey game before and was surprised how much I liked it. The energy level of the fans is off the charts!

My friend took this photo with her IPhone

St.Patrick's Day preparations

My husband and I just finished putting the shamrock scavenger hunt together for the boys int he morning. They must find the leprechaun's gold!!

Fort Worth Zoo HS Day

We are hanging out at my parent's house in Fort Worth after an amazing day at the Fort Worth Zoo with my family. The weather was perfect.

Sleepy boy

I am sitting in the van at the park with a sleepy 2 year old while other homeschool mommies watch my 6 year old. Have I mentioned that I ♥ my mommy friends? It does take a village...

♪♫ Hey good lookin....

Whatcha got a cookin! ♪♫

HS Rollerskating

I finally got a chance to take Cameron's Christmas skates to the rink when I took the boys to the homeschool friday skate day.  Cameron went around the rink with me a few times, but preferred to roll on the carpet (which he did really well for a 1st time skater).  Carson is doing great on his rollerblades.  I actually have already bought him the next size from the thrift store for a couple of dollars.  I just love a deal!

Really?!

How is it that my husband and boys can completely destroy EVERY room in the house when I left everything clean only 2 hours ago?

Movie Night!

We hardly ever turn on the TV, but about 2 times a month we have a special movie night. The boys are very excited about movie night tonight. Carson is going to make muffins. The boys have informed me that we are watching Popular Mechanics for Kids (again).

The reason for it all...

6 year old Carson, "Mom, you have such a nice face. Everytime I look at you, it makes me feel so good inside." ♥♥Awwwwww♥♥

Neighborhood friends

We had some friends in the neighborhood that were home from school for 'snow day' come over for a few hours to play in the snow.  I made some hot chocolate and cookies.  The boys had so much fun!

Texas Snow

It is quite a year for snow in Texas!  Today, we enjoyed the southern snow by making a snow cannon out of pvc pipe and an air compressor (doesn't everybody do that?!). We also tried to repair the snowman that the boys and I made a couple of days ago.  The roads were sheets of ice, so we were able to enjoy some of this snow day with Mark until he went to work late morning.  I spent the rest of the day with the boys getting cold in the snow and coming in for warm herbal tea over and over again.  What a fun and special day ♥

RMS Titanic

The boys are facsinated with the Titanic and they have so much fun creating the ocean liner out of paper, wood, bristle blocks and just about anything they can get their hands on.  Today their Titanic creation was made of Cranium Mega Fort.  Captain Smith looks ready for launch - hope they have enough life boats

Superbowl Sunday XLIV

We took fabric markers to decorate our own football jerseys for Superbowl Sunday.  Carson decorated the back of his shirt with Manning.  I made ribs, salad and corn on the cob.  I also made a cute football cake made with coconut flour. I love the watching the season's final NFL games!

Slidey's Birthday

Carson really wanted to have a birthday party for his Webkinz horse, Slidey.  I came up with the idea to cut out paper cupcakes and decorate them with markers and glitter.  Of course, all of Slidey's animal friends were invited!

5 little monkey in my tub

We had 3 siblings spend the night and had so much fun playing!

A day of the arts

I took the boys to the Meyerson Symphony Center today. It was a great program they had prepared for the children to learn about the symphony. I was really impressed with the organ and facinated with what they had to go through just to get the pipes in the center! Wow.

While in downtown Dallas, I took the boys to the Museum of Art. I can't believe the self control 2 year old Cameron has! Sitting through the symphony and not touching or running at the museum. He's more mature than me! We walked throughout while Carson read about various pieces to us.

Bubbles the Dolphin

I finally broke down and bought myself a Webkinz so I can play online with Carson and design my own room. I bought a dolphin and named him Bubbles. I am just a little too excited for a woman my age!