First Communion

 Lorelai and Evelyn have been studying and working toward receiving the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion.  On Friday, they did their First Reconciliation with Father Kevin and today was the big day for First Holy Communion.  We are so proud of them.  It was a lovely service and we are so happy to celebrate them.  

Carnival

It is the first official day of summer and what better way to celebrate than the local carnival.  It's in town for about 10 days.  The kids had a great time and by the time we left I don't think I've ever seen them so dirty.  

This was Scarlet's favorite ride.  The first time she was on it and her stomach got that dropped out, funny feeling she said "I don't like this....." and then as it went along she said, "ok, I like it a little bit," and by the end she was screaming with laughter.

The video of the kids going down the slide is them coming out of the Fun House.  Joseph must have gone in this house at least 30 times.  He was running laps through it.  It was a great way to entertain him when the bigger kids were on bigger rides.

Last Day of School!

 Last day of school pictures. It’s odd because this may be the very “last day of school” pictures ever!  We are so ready and excited for homeschool!

Psalmist

 Lorelai was selected for psalmist for the kids’ last Mass of the school year.  She was very nervous but practiced hard.  I’m proud of her for singing in front of everyone. You can find Lorelai’s part at 21:50 on the YouTube video.

I guess I know what it’s like given my famous 2nd grade rendition of “You Can’t Buy Friendship” which will most likely, thankfully, never resurface.

Beautiful weather

 The weather is beautiful lately and these kids are really enjoying it.  The sun is warm but there’s a wonderful, cool breeze.  Our flowers are blooming, and the kids are active outside, catching bugs, building forts, and riding bikes.

Homeschooling

 I am excited for homeschooling next year… but these kids are VERY excited!  They have only a couple more days of school before summer break but they all want to start homeschooling right away!  I decided to let them do some lessons every once in a while to get a jump start on the year.  With a move coming up this summer, we will be busy and it’ll be nice to be able to take some time away from school to move and get settled and not feel like we are starting the year off late.  

I am so grateful for this homeschooling option.  Let's face it, public school is not what it used to be and some districts are down right scary.  I am thrilled to take on this role to make sure these kids are educated correctly.  

We have our curriculum all set and the kids love the lessons!

I've been spending a good amount of time organizing all their material.  I made their binders fun!

Joseph even sometimes watches Scarlet's lessons.  Extra schooling!

They have lessons on DVD and then do worksheets that I check/grade.  If they have trouble with a concept, we watch the DVD together.

It's after dinner... kids are bathed and settling down.  I asked them, "Do you want to play for a bit before bed? Or do you want to do a lesson?"  These two wanted to do another lesson!  I love it! I hope the novelty doesn't wear off.

Every day for phonics, Scarlet starts out her lesson with a composition.  They will start off pretty easy and become longer and more involved as the year goes on.  Her first composition was simply to write her favorite color and then to draw a picture of things that are her favorite color.  Scarlet has said that she loves the color magenta because "It's pink and purple together so I don't have to chose one or the other!"  She's pretty smart! She drew herself, wearing a magenta dress, with a magenta headband, among some magenta colored flowers.

Day two of phonics... Scarlet's composition was to write a sentence about how she has helped a grandparent.  She wrote that she helps Grandma to bake cookies and drew a picture to match! I think at the end of the year I will turn all her compositions into a book.  They're adorable.

Joseph's weekly lessons each had a theme and this week's was "Family".  He used a stamp pad to make his own fingerprint family.

Papa Joe and Maddie’s

 Joe took all the kids, by himself, to visit with Papa Joe and Maddie in Colorado Springs.  The kids had an amazing time.  I stayed home with the dogs and did work on the house etc, getting it prepared for showings and moving stuff.  I've never been left alone in the house before in over a decade of being a Mom so it was a good break for me too.  Here are a couple pictures from their trip...

I even went to a movie... all by myself and it was wonderful.  I had the entire theater to myself!