Mt. Hannauea

Here is our first big science project for school. Okay, okay...technically it's not our project. It's not really our project in any way at all. The volcano was crafted by a friend at church, who invited us to watch the eruption. But we did talk about the scientific principles behind how the volcano works. So it totally counts.

What are School Days Made of?

Practicing B's (To write his name),





Eating green O's (From the color wheel game),














Dressing like the samurai (a japanese warrior),

























Hanging carp kites (or koinobori). Oh,


That's what our school days are made of.

Making Music

The newest activity around here these days is piano lessons. He's so excited that he gets to "really play," and diligently practices...everytime I remind him.

Pucker Up!

The way they tie into real life is just one of the things I love about unit studies! Last week we studied Lentil, which referenced the way that sucking on a lemon can cause another person to pucker-up. So we tried it out!

Today we had rice cakes, in honor of Ping the duck. They were a lot more popular than the lemon!

School Days

After weeks of anticipation, and Trevor asking , "When's do we get to start school, Mom??" We finally started. And I'm proud to say that we all survived. Not only did we survive, but we had a great time. We were both up early this morning, ready to do it all over again. If we can only keep this enthusiasm for the rest of the year! Braden was only slightly less excited, and was glad to be able to wander off whenever he was bored with our activities. We'll be sure to keep you updated as we go along!

Pins n Things

Why shouldn't I be making such great progress? I've got a super helper who is learning some valuable life skills this week.

Hiding God's Word

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9- 11

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

I didn't post this today to brag about my kids' amazing mental abilities. And I can't take credit for this either. They learn a verse every month in their sunday school class. If your church doesn't have a program for teaching children to memorize scripture, I encourage you to do it at home. It doesn't take much time at all- at this age they are like sponges. Trevor learned a verse every week through AWANA Cubbies. We would spend maybe 30 minutes a week learning the verse at home, then he would go to Cubbies and recite it to his teachers. He finished his entire book this year, which means that he memorized about 28 verses over the course of the year. I don't know about you, but he's way ahead of me! We're very proud of all his hard work! I believe (and know from my own childhood experience at AWANA) that if children learn scripture at a young age, it will always be there in their hearts. Many years later, as an adult, he will recall the Word of God hidden in his heart as a child, when he needs it most.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

Meanwhile, I struggled for exactly the right BB gun hint. It had to be firm, but subtle. "Flick says he saw some grizzly bears near Pulaski's candy store!"



"I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!"

- A Christmas Story








Trevor and Dad went on a special outing together and came home with this. Officially, this is Trevor's new BB gun. Imagine how much I laughed when I saw that it was a Red Ryder! Dad went through the four firearm safety rules: Treat, Never, Keep Keep. Before they took it out of the box, Trevor could recite them by heart.



Dad showed him how to line up the sight, how to operate the safety, how to cock the gun. He didn't need to show him how to pull the trigger.


Then they went outside to try it out. I'm not sure if Trevor will remember this when he's older, but I know his Dad will never forget it.

Disclaimer: I never imagined my son would own a gun while he lived in my house, but when I married a Marine, I had to make peace with them. My motto is: Guns aren't toys. This is definitely not a toy, it is a weapon. This is not for playing; it is for early firearm education and pest control. Never allow children to use a firearm unsupervised. Teach them about firearm safety.

A Walk in the Park

It's hard to believe, but the whole time we lived in CA, I never went to Balboa Park. It's beautiful, it's huge, it's amazing! We went there three times in a week, and didn't come close to doing everything.

Here we are at the San Diego Natural History Museum- Braden is opening and closing his jaw, along with the jawbone of the saber-tooth in the case. Roaaaar!!!

They have extensive gardens throughout the park. Trev and I found this giant cactus in the desert garden

This is the Spreckels Organ Pavillion. We stumbled upon a school group demonstration and were lucky enough to hear a short concert. The organ can be heard all over the park- we just followed the sound.

This little hummingbird was buzzing around us in the gardens. He's kind of hard to see, isn't he? I never thought of hummers as being camouflaged!

We also checked out the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Model Railroad Museum. The only problem is that almost everything costs money- when we go back, I'll probably try to save by getting a day pass. We'll be going back for sure!

On the Clock

Trevor has been asking for a watch for several months. I promised him that when he could read a clock, I would buy him a watch. So, of course just started asking to learn how to tell time. For Christmas we bought him these Easy Telling Time Flash Cards. They call them flash cards, becuase they definitely can be used that way, but they're more than that. On one side they show the analogue and digital time. On the other side they can use dry erase markers: it shows the analogue time and the child is supposed to write in the digital numbers. So he can practice identifying the time, and check his work on the back side. He is loving it, and doing really well. I'd better start searching for that firetruck watch he's been asking about.