Homeschool Means...

Homeschool means spending a day telling stories to a baby camel as it rests in your lap...

and sharing a special bond with one of God's wobbly-legged wonders .

Dream Big

Dream Big my son!

You can go anywhere your dreams can take you!

Invasion From The Pod

Usually in the summers, we find lots of praying mantises

around the backyard.

Last summer, we caught two praying mantises,

put them in the terrarium together.

And wouldn't you know it...

we had a male & female.

Let's just say they quickly got to doing their business,

and it is true that the female kills the male

when they're done.

She just darted towards him, tore off his head (!)

and ate him stem to stern.

Eeew.

So we let her go in the backyard,

and I believe that is why we are finding these.....

Lots & lots of praying mantis babies all over the back patio!

They are much cuter to hold when they're an inch long,

and we won't be catching any more pairs this year.

I felt so guilty about putting that male into the Terrarium Death Trap last summer!

Eye Spy With My Little Eye...

We've been spending lots and lots of time outside this week. The weather has been perfect, & Jeff moved our patio furniture around so that we now have a couch/table set up along with some chairs/foot rests. It makes the back patio so much more user-friendly.

Reese has been a little swimming fish and Jeff & I have enjoyed sitting on the patio, watching Reese & relaxing ourselves.

Mommy's watchful eye...

Our strawberry plants are now 2 years old and are full of blossoms...

The roly-polies ate the first round of ripe berries because they were lying on the soil in the pot.

The second batch of berries are on the longer stems & are hanging over the pot's edge,

so hopefully we won't lose all the berries!

And don't strawberries look strange so close up,

especially when they're green?

My smiling helper & entertainer...

Camera Tricks

I found a nifty feature on my camera (Canon Elph SD850) and I had to wait until Christmas to give it a shot!

Any small lights in the background can take on different shapes...

hearts....

Little x's...

Even stars!

My handsome model was in the middle of playing "zombie!"

What Makes This Mama Laugh...And What Really Bugs Me Too

Jeff took this picture while waiting for the A Bug's Life show at Disney...seriously...I cannot look at this pouty face and not laugh so hard...

Awesome Arboretum Day With Our Buds!

Monday we joined our buddies at the Arboretum for some awesome pumpkin patch activities, beautiful weather, & a fun picnic lunch!

Not to brag, but I absolutely LOVE this picture....

Reese loved playing in the hay...sneeze...

And there were GOATS! Life was good....

So very handsome...

I caught a mid-air shot of Reese in the Witch Broom Race!

There's always so many pretty photo spots at the Arboretum...

This was right before the Mommies got reprimanded for letting the kiddlets climb the trees

Another one of my favorites from our day...

This spot was destined for pictures!

Reese, holding my favorite kind of pumpkin. The Turkish Turban!

Contemplating the meaning of life...

Way too close to the water!

Thanks, Melissa, for coordinating this trip. We had a BLAST!

I Still See Baby Hands...

I still see his baby hands

The pudgy fingers almost gone

Always looking for a treasure to hold

How many times can I say

Time, please slow down...

Monday Outing: Henrietta Creek Orchard

We gathered Monday for an outing at the Henrietta Creek Orchard...wearing our spiffy new AlphaBuds shirts! Mommy got a wild hair up her b*tt and decided we should have matching shirts for outings. They turned out cute, and it was easy to keep up with our group!

We met at the barn first & listened to Farmer talk about bees, apples, insects, honey...

And skunks on the farm....

The presentation was a *little* lengthy for a five year old, so Reese & his best friend started getting silly together.... Luckily Mrs. Tammy bought pumpkin bread to share, so full mouths & tummies kept everyone happy a little longer!

We went on a tour of the orchard/farm/gardens. Every time I come here, I think that this is what I want to do when I grow up!

The pizza garden grew everything you'd need to make a pizza (wheat, tomatoes, herbs). Of course, it was missing the cow.
On our way through the vegetable garden to the greenhouse.
Always time to run in open spaces!
The pumpkin vine was very interesting. There were lots of bugs. And the vine felt prickly.

We have the plans all printed out for our worm bin. I just need to get more ambitious and put it together. Why compost with worms?

We saw red bugs...
And red bugs in a line on the pea pods...
We saw pollinators....
And destroyers...

Unfortunately, the apple orchard was hit hard with a fungus and there were NO apples to pick! So everyone searched for bugs instead. The stuffed/plastic variety, not the fleshy variety!
After our tour, Farmer let everyone grab an apple from the box. Instead of picking one from the tree, they were fresh from the farmer's market this year. I'm still amazed that Reese will eat an apple, skin & all, at the apple orchard. Every other day? MUST be peeled!

You Know It's Summer When....

We always have frogs & toads that visit in the summer. This little fellow is a frog, with slimy skin, webbed feet, & a long mouth. Reese & I caught him in the pool after he was scared out of the bushes by the dog.

We looked at his webbed feet for swimming, his tiny nostrils on the top of his nose that were opening & closing, so he could breathe or hold his breath. We talked about why he had nostrils on the top of his nose instead of anywhere else (so he could float in the water with just his head above water & still breathe). We checked out his ears (that perfect little circle behind his eyes). We talked about why his eyes were on the top of his head (so he could float and still see above the water for danger). We felt his slick skin & talked about the protection it offers. We talked about his camouflaged colors.

Then we put him back in the bushes where we found him & said goodbye. He's always out on the patio at night though, so it wasn't truly goodbye for good!

I Love My Point & Shoot

I've got some friends who swear by their SLR camera. I think that's what they're called....you know, those cameras with the big lenses? Well, I have a Canon Power Shot Elph which is small enough to fit in my pocket, easy to carry in my purse at all times...and if you play with the settings a bit, I think it takes some very high quality pictures.

For example, Reese had a playdate on Thursday, so of course I brought along my camera.

I love how it captured the water droplets on his chin....

I was across the pool, probably 30 feet away, with the camera zoomed in on Reese. It has really nice clarity & focus, considering he was moving the entire time!
The bottom-lip-out thing is exactly what Daddy does when he's thinking. Who knew genetics played a part in facial expressions? And check out the bulging vein in Reese's neck....
As a side note, these were the coolest water shooters ever. They were made out of a pool noodle type material, and you pulled the bottom 1/4 out and it drew water into the barrel. Then you pushed the bottom together with the top and the water shot out in a stream.

I swear, we fight with water guns all the time. They never last, always leak, & are hard for little hands to fill. These were AWESOME!

How Could I Forget The Fireworks?

I can't believe I didn't post the pictures of fireworks that I took on the 4th of July! I was experimenting with the "firworks" function on my camera... Reese liked the BANGs that were right next to our house & I loved the fact that I could capture these pictures from our upstairs patio!

I love the red spot at the bottom of this one...it looks like the setting sun..

This is one of my favorites because of the one, glowing orange streak among all the green ones...

This one reminds me of a sea anemone, with all it's tentacles...
This reminds me of a dandelion...