What I Got Done in 2014

I was thinking today about the massive number of quilts I was able to finish this year.... then I started considering my reading goal that I met, even though I set my goal higher this year..... and I did homeschool Nate , and I gardened... and my flowers were so pretty this year... and I really got a lot done!  So I made photographic proof that I was busy!

In the new year I'm hoping for a more successful garden.... Far fewer quilts to be made.... And I'll try for the same number of books.  I've also decided to journal next year in an attempt to keep the everyday memories safe from the stress and countdowns of the deployment we will get through in '15.   

The Torture Ends

Today was cold and snowy.... yesterday was cold and snowy.... tomorrow is supposed to be cold.  In other news we fly to Florida in 33 days!

We opened presents from our parents today.... Nate was really excited because G & G McMath's box arrived on Saturday, but we made him wait until G & G Brinker's boxes arrived today.   We were spoiled.... Nate got lots of cool toys, Dave got cool tools, and I love the sheets and picture I got.  Nate got a set of sheets too, and he was almost excited, but then when I opened a set of sheets, he looked at me like what is happening?!  It was funny.  He looked worried that Christmas might end up totally practical.  Then he opened legos, transformers and an rc helicopter and was reassured that Christmas still brings new toys.  

I took a video of Nate opening his gift from Grandma because she was so looking forward to watching him open El Toro Loco........ 

He is really excited!  

Thanks to everyone for making our Christmas special!  

This Year

This year has passed in a whirlwind for me.   My year felt sad and stressful, but I love that looking back Nate had a great year!  I'm so happy about that.

January-our 100th day of kindergarten

February- a science experiment he loved.

March- losing his first tooth

April- this was a craft at church.... he was so cute I could hardly wait to get to the car to snap a photo.

May- a practice camp out in the backyard.  We tested our homemade fire-starters and realized this tent was too small for Dave.

June-Pond watching, part of our summer school pond study.(we never went back, a couple days later they found a dead body in this particular pond)

July- hiking a trail in Yellowstone. 

August- Start of 1st grade!

September- This was taken in Dayton, Ohio at the Wright Brother's Museum.

October- Dave made his Raphael costume this year.  It was a huge success.

November- a day or two before snow and freezing temps hit I rushed Nate outside before school to take his 'school' photo for the year.  If you get our Christmas card you probably got a copy.

 December- Nate was a great help with cookies this year, he took it very seriously because apparently he thinks he was 'kicked out of the kitchen' last year. 

I'm glad our happy boy is such a kind, thoughtful kid with a great faith in God and hilarious sense of humor.  He makes things easier to deal with....

 ....like when he decides to teach his little cousin a lesson by singing her  "You can't always get what you waaaannnnt" by the Rolling Stones......

.....or when I have to go tell him that another loved one has passed away and his reply, "Did he/she know God?" I answer yes. He nods his head and says, "okay we will see them in heaven someday."

Next year will surely be full of bumps and tough moments as our family will be apart for half of the year.  I am praying that this sweet boy is able to keep smiling during those months, and that Dave will be safe, and that I won't be stricken with anxiety this time, and our family will come back together unscathed. 

Merry Christmas

 

From our family...

 

 

to yours...

 

 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas.

 

 

Then Our Snow Melted

Inside our house is very Christmas-y.

Thankfully outside the snow is mostly gone and the temps are mild.  

I think this is a great situation.  I was worried there, in the beginning of November, when we were shut in.... it felt very end of January-ish.  

That Holiday Spirit

We've been getting things ready around here. 

Mr. Piggy has returned.

And Lucy has no idea what is going on, but she thinks it's fun.

PE when it's Zero Degrees

I usually don't worry about Nate's "PE".  He has hockey and karate once a week and in general just runs around a lot.

This week however we are stuck inside with bitter freezing temps outside.  Since Monday, a long five days ago, we have been home bound.  Besides hockey our poor family hasn't even been taking the dogs for walks.

Today I thought we should move around a little.... So I fired up the Wii.    Jackie is down with the flu so I thought these would cheer her up.... and anyone that is stuck inside. 

I know they are long but I think they are all equally entertaining.

There are two others.  Here are links  Enjoy

http://youtu.be/ntqCrBkvE7s

http://youtu.be/JZhTipXCz38

Moment of the Week

 

We taught Nate how to play Monopoly.

 

 

He won. 

He reminds us several times a day.



Moment of the Week

Trick

or treat.

Moment of the Week

 

A great week of school!

 

8 weeks down!

Moment of the Week

 

A very nice Fall Break!

Fall Break

The way I have our homeschool year scheduled we have four-one week breaks planned throughout the year.  

This week happens to be our first break.  After seven weeks I am grateful for a breather, and the weather this week is going to be amazing!  I could definitely take advantage of this time off to get my fall cleaning done too, but mostly I just want to relax.  

Monday we made the drive to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs.  

It is still an active dig site.  I think it is really awesome to have something so amazing so close to where we live.  

There are lots of mammoth skeletons in this site.

This site is actually a 26,000 year old sink hole.  So I've stood in a prehistoric sink hole, I can check that off the to do list of life.

It was a great field trip!

I am so looking forward to enjoying this week.

Lucy the Pup

 This is Lucy.  

Our puppy.  

Why would we get a third dog?  Who cares.  She is part of our family now, and she is sweet and adorable.

Lucy is a schnoodle.  Her dad 'Snoopy' was a toy poodle and her mom 'Oreo' was a miniature schnauzer.   She has been a wonderful addition to our household in so many ways.

  Nate is completely in love.  He is taking the job of feeding, watching, and playing with her very seriously.  We send her out probably ten times a day and most of the time I send Nate out with her, to keep her out of the garden and to report if she has done her business.

She:

 has puppy breath, 

loves eating leaves and grass,

cries to get up on the sofa to cuddle, 

wants to eat the big dogs' food, 

barks like she means it to defend the yard against neighbor dogs, 

weighs almost 4 pounds,

cuddles with Bonnie then two seconds later riles her up to play hard,

prefers Bonnie's large toys to the little toys we bought her,

is successfully crate trained,

sleeps through the night,

had a great time on her first leashed walk,

rarely has accidents in the house,

barks to go out to play-but not to go out to do her business,

LOVES Bonnie and follows her everywhere,

Loves Anna when Anna tolerates her.

Speaking of Anna.  This old gal has been having trouble with her eye over the past few months.  We took her in and after lots of tests found out she has really bad dry eyes that has damaged her left eye pretty badly.  She has drops now that will hopefully keep her from loosing any more sight in that eye, and keep her other eye healthy.  For a nearly twelve year old dog she is in good health otherwise. 

These canines are members of our family. 

Moment of the Week

These girls have become fast friends.

 

 

 

Where you find one you are likely to find the other.

One Year Ago

A year ago today our neighborhood looked like this.

The Atlas blizzard hit us hard.  Knocking out power, downing trees, leaving behind 41 inches of wind blown snow.  It was epic on our street.  Trapped in our neighborhood for days moving the snow, chainsawing the tree branches, sharing grilled cheese sandwiches.... was a real bonding experience.

   

This past summer our neighborhood had it's first block party.  The main topic of conversation was the blizzard.  Also it was a ton of fun!  The kids (and grownups) had a water balloon toss, the potluck food was good, and we had an impromptu garden tour of all of our backyards.   

We declared we needed to do it again before winter hits and we are all trapped inside.

So our Chili cook-off was planned for the anniversary of the Atlas storm.  

A proper fall get together! 

 I am going to make spiced cider.

And since I'm in charge of fun, I have apples for bobbing, and donuts to eat, hands-free, off string.

 This is part of the reason we love living here in South Dakota.  We hit the neighborhood jackpot. 

In other news: The living room carpet is being cleaned(it's been WAY too long) in preparation for something new being delivered tomorrow!