And that's a wrap...almost

I thought it would be fun to participate in Darcy's weekly Sweet Shots linkup.

There's no theme to the linkup.

However, this week she's celebrating her 100th Sweet Shot

and encouraged those linking up to participate in the 100 theme.

So I tried.

Congratulations, Darcy!

So what's my contribution to the 100 theme?

A "100 flat" from our base 10 math manipulatives.

Next week, we will be finishing up our core homeschooling year.
Hip hip hooray!

We have thoroughly enjoyed using Ambleside Online.

Last fall, we got our feet wet by incorporating some Charlotte Mason principles

and a few of the suggested readings for Year 1.

By the beginning of this year, however, we dug in deeper.
And I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've learned quite a bit this year as a result.

We spent a fair amount of time watching birds.

We set up two bird feeders and a bird bath for our viewing pleasure.

We see blue jays, cardinals, and mockingbirds every day, plus grackles, doves, and red bellied woodpeckers.

We placed the bird bath right outside our living room window.
These shots were taken from inside the house (through the window and screen.)

As I've mentioned in a previous homeschooling post, Caleb has wanted to learn to type.

So he's using Typing Instructor For Kids.

Because of his brachial plexus injury, he types one-handed.

Although the typing program is intended for two-handed typists, 

he's doing very well.  He uses a child-size keyboard, which is necessary
due to the added reaching required to type one-handed for anyone.
Really, I find myself typing one-handed at times, and it's a stretch.
Try it.

Anyway, now that summer is here (at least, here in Florida, it's felt like summer for a while now!),

we will be transitioning to our "light school" schedule.

We will regularly do math and reading, while

throwing in some nature study, writing and whatever else interests us.

We keep this schedule because I believe it is important to teach that learning can happen

anywhere and anytime, not just fall through spring, or Monday through Friday, for that matter.

In the fall, we will begin Ambleside Online's Year 2.

However, we have already been enjoying the free readings suggested for the year 

because we just couldn't wait.

So there you have it...

a readers digest version of our year in review.

I'm sure I'll be sharing some of our summer schedule highlights 

as we move into the real summer months.

And after three years on this homeschooling journey, I have to say 

that we wouldn't have it any other way!

We love it!

Sunday Snapshot: A little time for play

I had so much fun chasing the kids around with my camera yesterday 

that it's hard for me to pick a favorite from the bunch.

But if I have to, I'll say it's this one of Madeline

showing off her glittery chapstick.

Saturday mornings can sometimes be a bit lazy,

if Caleb has the "late game" for baseball that week.

Such was the case yesterday.

Baba went in to work early so he could be back in time for the game.

This meant two precious kiddos were anxiously awaiting his return.

Being a bit melodramatic, they boo hooed a bit.

After some breakfast of croissants and apple juice,

they thought a tickle fight was in order.

We have a galley kitchen, which doubles as a playroom.

This is where the kids do floor puzzles and play "puppy," among other games.

Madeline decided it was time to play prince and princess.

So she grabbed one of her princess dresses 

and applied some glittery chapstick.

Then she started looking for trouble.

No really, she just got bored with my camera.

{Just ignore the clutter on our school table...and the toys spilling out of the closet.}

Eventually Baba came home from work, and he and Caleb scooted off to the game.

Madeline danced around in her princess dress a bit longer, 

and then we joined the boys.

Caleb played a great game.  Three great hits for the little man.

And he did a great job at catcher.

We came home, had lunch, and hung out.

Madeline wanted to draw in her sketch book.

Complete with her princess pen

She's sporting a new top I made her.

Once I make the skirt to go with it, I'll have to convince her to model it.

So as you can see, these photos are bit different than what I normally post.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I wanted to work on a few things photographically speaking.

No sooner did I write that, I then added to the list two more items:

1. Capturing daily life.

2. Capturing ME in our daily life.

So today's Sunday Snapshot was my effort at #1.

You'll be seeing some of #2 later in the week.

Be sure to check out Stefanie's blog for some more Sunday Snapshots!

My little pink fish

This week Madeline had swim lessons with Ms. Carmen.

Last summer, she spent seven weeks learning how to swim and float, how to rescue herself or wait to be rescued.

This year, she simply needed a refresher.

Only it seems I waited "too long" to schedule it because 

my little fish was already using all the skills she learned last summer before 

her first refresher lesson this week.  Oops.

It's been fun, though, seeing Ms. Carmen again.

She's a great instructor.

She adores the kids, and they adore her.

And I adore her, too!

And it's reassuring to hear it from somebody else that

Madeline still has "it," the ability to swim and be safe in the water.

And not only that, she's playing with her brother under water 

and trying to dive for toys at the bottom of the pool.

She's amazing.

I recently picked up some cute new swimsuits for Madeline that I "thought" she might want to model.

But as you can see from the images above, I was mistaken. lol

After enough pleading, I managed to convince her to strike a pose or two before jumping in the pool.

This pose was actually Caleb's idea.

"Hey Madeline, put your hand on your head like this."

So so funny.

I do love how she puckered her lips though.

  

Gina's Tournament

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was too preoccupied with the tournament to stop and take photos.

I had taken these photos of Caleb to contribute to the tournament photos.

But as I said, I took just a few (like 2!)...and they were blech.

Gina's friend, Debbie, was named tourney photographer.

She managed to zip around and get some fun photos.

Here I am with Andy, my brother-in-law, and Gina.

And here is a shot of our foursome.

That's Andy's father, Phil, on the right and Phil's friend, Jack, on the left.

The morning was not without a hiccup.

There was an oversight with our team's registration.

But after a few conversations, we got everything straightened out.

Although we weren't a top finisher, we had a LOT of fun...and lots of laughs.

We went "above capacity" on the number of participants and had over 30 volunteers.  

After the tournament, there was a lot of food and some raffles.

I had to skip out as soon as I finished the last hole because I had to get back to my sister's place to meet our social worker.  Our last hole was the 18th, so Deb brought Madeline and Leah over to the green to watch us putt.  The girls were so precious.  I felt like Phil Mickelson after a win, with his kids running out to green. lol.

Anyway, we are so grateful for the opportunity to support such a great cause.

Our hearts are so full of love for Gina and her dear family.

Please continue to pray for her.

Sunday Snapshot: 9 months old

Gina's golf tournament was an amazing success!

Unfortunately, I was so "caught up" in playing and having fun that I hardly took a photo and none blog worthy.

Since I do want to talk about it, though, I will leave that for a separate post.

After the tournament was over, as well as our home study visit with our social worker,

my sister asked me to take some 9 month old photos of my nephew, Joshua.

So I obliged.

He was a little bit big for this teacup prop.

But oh well.

Still cute as can be.

I love how he's grabbing his leg in this shot.

He really paid no attention to me or my sister, Deb.

He was more interested in the guy mowing his lawn and his sister and cousins.

And if he wasn't looking around at them...

well, he was trying to eat the grass.

This next photo makes me laugh.

I've titled it,"Who wants to eat grass and not look at the camera? Ooo, ooo....me!!!"

Just last month when I last saw Joshua, he wasn't crawling.

Now, we have to chase him down.

This little guy is such a blessing. He's such an easygoing baby. 

Truly, he is.

We love you, Josh!

These were shot with my Nikon D700, 85mm 1.4 around 6:30pm.
Settings f/1.6, ISO 400, shutter speed 1/3200- 1/6400.

For more Sunday Snapshots, stop on by Stefanie's blog.

Favorite Photo Friday: His new smile

As promised, I'm sharing a few photos I took of Caleb shortly after he lost his first tooth.

See?

It's been a long time coming.

Caleb turned 7 in January and, just last week, lost his first tooth.

As we anxiously awaited the day in which he would lose his first tooth, 

I have often thought about his early years.

You know, when he was a precious little infant,

still waiting in the orphanage for his mama and baba.

In all likelihood, he didn't get much comfort when he was teething.

And that idea just breaks my heart.

Now that he's added a gap to his smile,

he just looks so much older!

And still as handsome as can be!
Well, this weekend will prove to be a busy one for all of us.Madeline and I will head over to Orlando today, as Gina's big golf tournament has an 8:30am shotgun Saturday morning.Patrick and Caleb have a baseball game in the morning and will then head over to Orlandobecause we will be meeting our social worker at my sister's place for our second home study visit!
I know I should probably be focusing on my golf game during the tournament.  However, the photographer in me can't help myself.So I will be toting my camera around, too.I just have to ensure that I protect my gear. Hmm.
Have a great weekend, everyone!

On the mend

The little princess has been under the weather for a little while.

Last week, she had to miss dance and therapy.

Although she's not 100%, she's definitely better.

And that's a good thing because she has swim lessons next week.

This year, she'll be doing a week or two of refresher lessons.

She's already doing all the skills she needs to.  So I don't think she'll need many lessons.

I'm impressed with how much she remembers; she's quite comfortable in the water, too.

Yesterday at dance, the girls tried on their costumes and did a run through for their ballet number.

Oh my!  They were so stinkin' cute!

It seems I'll have to let Madeline wear her costume a bit, so it won't be such a distraction during the recital. lol.  

Just over a month away.  We're so excited.