Tot Boxes

 

I needed activities quick & on hand, but I also wanted to make sure I was getting a variety of activities that would benefit him as well as keep him busy.  In addition I wanted to try to tie in a few of our themes (color, letter, shape) as much as possible so here are Truman’s Tot Boxes for Letter A & the Color Red.

 

On the top shelf are a rice box to practice pouring, scooping, & just fun, a  moon sand box with the Melissa & Doug wooden play dough set, & a sand tray to encourage beginning writing skills.  *Be not mistake, the 3 boxes get mixed together in his kitchen area FREQUENTLY.  ~no big deal – either way he is using his imagination & having a good time.  The other boxes have cutting practice, shape/color sorting, an alphabet sensory box (I put letter “A” beads, foam letter, & magnet + an apple, ax & alligator, transferring practice, stamping (with an alligator stamp), & painting.  I tried to use item that were the color we were focusing on (red rice, sand, paper, pom-poms, paint).  As it is now, we are sticking to the same themes for about 2 weeks so that will be the time frame I plan to use for re-doing these.

I currently have 10 busy bags, mostly of activities I already had in our schoolroom.  I have just found that by storing them in the manner of “busy bags” has made it so much easier in our schoolroom & on the go . . .

  In his main notebook I printed pages from 1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations, & Confessions of a Homeschooler (*I did not print EVERYTHING each site had – ONLY the ones I thought he would enjoy/I liked.)  I put the printouts in page protectors so he could reuse it (otherwise, it would last 5 minutes).  The first page is his scripture (letter related from Raising Rockstars Preschool Pack) followed by letter pages, then shapes, colors, numbers, & lastly a page with his name on it (for name recognition).

I had no true intentions of beginning letters with him until August so at this point I am just following his lead.  We will work on a letter as long as he needs/wants.  I’m not doing a “letter a week” schedule.  I will lightly focus on a different shape & color each week, but his folder content is not exclusive to this. 

 

Plan of attack

I am bound & determined to get things back on track around here.  And it isn’t just schooling.  A couple weeks ago, I really started to crack down on the boys’ morning routine & chores.  Now that our mornings are going smoothly, I am ready to tackle the next obstacle – our afternoon schedule.  I have gone through seasons of very strict minute-to-minute schedules & then lived the complete opposite for way too long.  LOL  I’m ready to find some middle ground. 

Here is my plan of attack

1. Make your dream schedule (with or without time slots)
2. Set unchangeable activities that you aren’t willing to be flexible with of the day (wake-up time, meals, etc.)
3. Take into consideration special needs (beginning readers, areas there is struggling, demanding toddlers, etc.)
4. Set guidelines & create boundaries to avoid interruptions
5. Add personal quiet time for recharging. 
6. Consider an early morning or later bedtime for older kids to have uninterrupted work time.
7. Give yourself a catch up time for the things you didn’t get done during the first part of the day.
8. Rotate history & science (every-other-day, weekly, monthly, seasonally)
9. Stagger new lessons
10. Create stations & rotate (independent work, one-on-one time, educational play/electronics)

One thing that I am having to flip back & forth from is core work vs. “extras”.  I have had great school years where we started with the core, got ‘er done, & enjoyed our other studies during the afternoon.  This has worked great for us at times, but during this season, Tyler’s work just isn’t always completed by lunch, so it either doesn’t get done or we are left waiting on him.  So in my attempt to use our time best, we are going to do the opposite.  Do you start with core subjects or group studies?

My Dream Schedule

In my fantasy world, I would LOVE to start my day with a glass of OJ, some fresh fruit, & quiet time with the Lord on my front porch while the sun rises. 

Reality.  I wake up to a baby who needs a diaper change, a 3 year old who is completely recharged, & 3 others that need a little morning motivation. 

So, as I post my “dream” schedule, know that it is partially just that – a dream.  Or perhaps a goal.  This is not something I plan to implement all at once or immediately.  And as I attempt to ease our way into resembling something like this – I am sure things will change & it will continually be tweaked.

 

• Workout, Devotional, dress (like actually look cute & have my hair & make-up done), & get my morning chores done before my kids are up.

I would LOVE to wake up before the kids & have an hour to myself.  This just isn’t possible right now because I have babies in bed that have mommy sensors & if I make the slightest movement – they are up.

• Breakfast 8 a.m.
• Bible/Spanish
• Calendar time & Character
• Story time with 3 younger boys, Tyler start independent work (Devotional, Grammar, Writing)
• Preschool (about an hours of guided activities), T & T FIAR activities
• Snack & Group studies (our Winter Promise studies)

This is probably doable & my goal is to have this done by 12:30

• Lunch (tutoring/free time “catch up time”)
• Truman quiet time, Tyler Reading & Math, Tucker & Trevor rotate stations (one-on-one with mom, independent work, educational activities)
• Tucker & Trevor group work:  Generations of Virtue/Math/Writing /Language
• Tyler one-one-one

My goal is to be done with school by 4:30

• Kids outside, Me – laundry, dinner, kitchen
• Dinner 6:30
• Pick up the house
• Kids outside/inside electronics
• Bedtime 9/9:30

Each day this will look a little different.  Mondays I will devote more time to Tucker & Trevor’s schooling, Tuesdays & Wednesdays will be Preschool, Thursdays focus more on 1:1 with Tyler &  I will go over his weekly work, & Fridays will be our review & project days, along with a nature lesson.  Also, I’m not planning on doing every subject, every day.  Both our Bible & Spanish are DVD based, so we will rotate those (on the days we do Spanish I will add a character trait to our calendar time).  Other than Mondays, I will be rotating Language & Writing with T & T. 

What is your dream schedule?  Do you have any tips for homeschooling multiple ages?  Please feel free to leave a comment with any helpful tips – I am desperate!!

Dyslexia

I’m not positive, but my sweet Tucker may have a learning disability – he could possibly be dyslexic.  It runs in my family.  My grandpa (who is a retired fire chief), my dad (who is a successful printer), & my little brother (who is still in elementary school) are all dyslexic.  It would not surprise me at all if one of my children are.  This post isn’t about Tucker though.  It is a copy (names removed) of a post made in our homeschool yahoo group.   

“Sadly this question stems from an argument my mother and I got into last night where she, the former teacher, pointed out how horrible my 2nd graders handwriting, sentence structure, etc. is and also wrote my child a letter saying the same. Then when I told her ok, no complaints when I pull her and teach her next year ...and at that started stating all these reasons why I need to keep her in school.
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I have to admit I fear getting over my head. While I have it myself, I have no clue how to teach a child with dyslexia. For that matter she has never been officially tested because the school doesn't seem to think she is bad enough, she is making A's, and I don't have the funds to have her tested myself.
So if anyone has any tips, tricks, etc. , please send them my way :) “

The response to this post was so encouraging I wanted to share it . . .

“God can take what we think might be bad and use it for good. Pulling her out and homeschooling her could be the best thing you've done for both you and her, and for your family. It may turn out to be a huge blessing. :-) I'm sure it will!
The Scottish Rite Hospital tests for dyslexia, and helps with ways to accommodate. It's a visual problem, so there are overlays and glasses (they can prescribe.
God bless you!
p.s. I had horrible handwriting forever - still do! I survived. :-)”

 

“I have a special boy that looks at the world different than most of us. That being said, I laugh and smile with him more than the others in our family. Life and schooling is a journey AND a destination and that is where I see the grace and hand of God because schooling him is not easy at
all.  I would second Handwriting without Tears. He was nearly eight when hisOccupational Therapist recommended it and although he was in second grade, she was adamant that we start with the first (preschool ) book.  Fortunately it is one of the curricula that does not mark the grades on the books. Last year the State of Texas adopted HWT as its handwriting curriculum. HWT changed our life. He begged to learn cursive. He still prints in all caps most of the time but it is legible and I know there are other more important "battles" for the our family. One more suggestion would be to check with Scottish Rite. I believe that dyslexia is one of the few learning disabilities that they treat and if I remember correctly from what my sis in law said, there is a gal up this way that was just trained in a supposedly very effective program for that.
God will not call you to something that He will not equip you to do.....Sometimes in the most interesting of ways but it is an exciting journey :-) nonetheless. I have "donated" to several different curricula companies over the years when I finally accepted the fact that what I was
trying to use was not working. It was a major step for me also to switch in the middle of the year. And if there is a day (or week!!)that you just do one subject if it's going great, do it....
I don't have experience with dyslexia but I do have an atypical child, so please feel free to call me or email privately if you want....”

 

“First of all {HUGS} I can't believe a grand mother would treat her grand daughter (and daughter) like this! What a way to destroy the very soul of both of you! She is not a creator but a destroyer.  Bring your daughter home, love her, tell her how wonderful she is. Her self worth should not be based on her handwriting!!!!  We call our ADD and dyslexia a gift. My dh is dyslexic and he could read papers upside down (when he was with opposing counsel's office) so
we consider it a gift. We also see things differently and have lots of fun with the non-ADD and ADD folks in the family. We love all the folks with their different gifting and talents.  Get some Ruth Beechick books on teaching these things, and talk with Jan Bedell of Little Giant Steps, and love your daughter. I bet she has some wonderful talents that make her very special in your eyes and in God's eyes.”

 

“ ‘her self worth should not be based on her handwriting’- best advice I've seen in awhile!!!
A public school teacher will definitely see things differently. There are some school-teaches-turned-homeschool moms on this loop. Hopefully they can give you some insight.
Basically, in homeschooling, there will be challenges just as in parenting. Just do what you would normally do: research the issue, seek advice from like-minded people, and love your daughter through the process.
A note on 2nd grade sentence structure: what exactly is a 2nd grader expected to do?
Wow!”
 

“I feel so inexperienced to offer advice in this area; however, I do want to encourage you to find your confidence in God - not other peoples opinions, your teaching ability, or your daughters abilities/disabilities. If God is leading you to homeschooling He will direct your path. Remember He works for the good & has plans to prosper you & your daughter! I think there is this myth that homeschooling is always fun, easy, & 100% successful. I don't want to discourage you, but it isn't *always* fun, there are times it is very difficult, & as hard as it is to admit, there will be gaps. - Don't get me wrong, there is great joy in teaching your child & there are wonderful memories to share & learning TOGETHER. No matter what method you choose, what curriculum you buy, groups you join, etc. if you can put the love for learning in your child - you will succeed! I believe this is (one area) our public schools sometimes fail (& not for a lack of good teachers) - there is so much focus put on test scores the love for learning is lost.
With that said - I don't have a diagnosed "dyslexic" child; however 2 of my children are on the slower end in certain subjects & have areas of weaknesses that are below "normal" for their age. Sometimes a child is just slower, & sometimes there are things/subjects that our kids just aren't "good at". This doesn't mean they are dyslexic or have a disability (however it can be & there are fantastic resources for homeschooling children with dyslexia). As far as handwriting - I would suggest working on fine motor skills. Handwriting Without Tears is an awesome curriculum.
You only mentioned handwriting so I don't know if there are other subjects you are concerned with, but All About Learning is an excellent curriculum (ESPECIALLY for learning disabilities)- it is a reading/phonics & spelling program. Math U See is also a great hands-on curriculum.”

“Here is a complete curriculum designed just for dyslexic students by Calvert (trusted in the homeschool world) and Jemicy (a private school that serves only dyslexic students):  http://www.verticylearning.org/”

 

Do you have any advice for homeschooling dyslexic children?

Finding our groove.

Life is busy for us. 

I have found myself in unfamiliar territory as I wake up to a baby, unbelievably busy 3 year old, a 6 & 7 year old, & a very mature 11 year old.  Some days I feel like I need a clone.  Actually, a nanny would be fabulous!  And to be totally honest with you, I sorta have one.  For the summer at least.  (*Never be afraid to take advantage of any opportunities of help)  A couple days a week I have a high school girl coming in the mornings.  The extra hands are a big help, but even so, I still feel like there isn’t enough of me (or energy) to go around.  Life is good.  I can’t complain, but we are STILL no where near where *I* would like to be as far as homeschooling accomplishments.  In fact, I have been struggling with just getting the 3 R’s done.  History & Science (& a few other things) are on hold right now.  Schooling multiple ages is A LOT of work! 

I am easing our way back into a more productive day.  First, I’ve really been diligent with our morning routine.  We are getting up about 7:30/8ish (as much as I love the idea of being up early – I am NOT a morning person.  perhaps when I get uninterrupted sleep I will be more motivated to get up earlier.).  I have held to my guns on the “work before play” rule.  Chores are done, then breakfast.

For the past few weeks I have started doing preschool on Tue & Wed with Truman, my niece, & another little girl.  This definitely takes some time away from the other kids, but I love this age & it is so important to me that Truman gets this time with me (& not for educational purposes).  We have a lot of fun & they play so well together.  A typical preschool day for them is: circle time (songs), Bible story, ABC song, letter practice, hands-on activities, snack, outside play, lunch, then quiet time. 

While I am doing preschool with the preschoolers, my bigger boys are working on their independent work.  Then we all meet for lunch.  I also began tutoring a friends daughter from 12-1pm, Mon-Wed so after lunch I lay Tara down for a nap, the preschoolers have quiet time, & the bigger kids get a little free time. 

Once I am done with tutoring I begin spelling & reading with Tucker, then switch & work with Trevor.  This is where my energy level is plummeting & I need to get a better plan.  Obviously, each day is a little different for us, some more drastically.  We’ve successfully added some big changes to our day & are getting most of our priorities done, but I am still trying to find a balance with all the ages & needs of each child.  I realize this is a season in our homeschooling journey & we might not be able to “do it all,” but I am still hopeful we can manage our time in the most productive way possible & I realize that doesn’t necessarily mean getting it all done.  In an effort to do this, I’ve posted questions on facebook & done some surfing online.  Some of the suggestions weren’t practical for us; however, I did get some great tips!  I realize I am not the only homeschool mom that has a full house, so I will be sharing my plan of attack {soon} with you. 

Kids’ {Home}School Bags

I love my school tote sooo much I decided to get one for each of my boys.

A couple of months ago Thirty-One offered a 31% discount after every $31 you spent.  It was the perfect incentive I needed to get this project in full swing.  Once I got their bags ordered (& embroidered in “their colors”) I made a list of everything I wanted them to have in their bags.  Mostly my list consisted of basic school supplies – which we already have in our schoolroom, but I wanted them to also have them in their bags to make it easy for when we are on the go or doing school at the house for whatever reason.  It also makes it very convenient for them to pack up & head outside to do their work during these beautiful spring days we have been blessed with.  Not to mention, the times I need to completely separate them.  In addition to all the basic supplies, I also got them each their own water bottle (from Target) & included the open top file box (the medium size works the best) & file folders like mine has. 

Each week I put whatever worksheets (typically math, handwriting, map work, etc.) in their daily files.  This helps so much when we have to go somewhere at the last minute or when they are waiting on me to get to the school{barn}.  Having their own bags & file folders has geared each of them to work more independently.  They also keep books they are reading & any activities they want to work on during free time – for example Tucker has a farm activity book, Trevor has a drawing book, & Tyler has his current reading book & a couple magazines inside their bags.

They typically keep them next to or behind their desk so they are not in the way at all.  Even little Truman has a a bag (which he is very protective of).  He gets rather upset when it is time for me to update his.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the Thirty-One Products.  In fact I love their products so much I keep toying with the idea of becoming a consultant.

Our Library Area

I have looked high & low for shelving or some kind of cubbies that would fit under the windows in our library area.  Nothing would either fit or match our bookcases, until I found an IKEA hack on Pinterest.  I purchases 2 of the tall skinny Billy bookcases & turned them on their side.  Pinterest get’s major props for this one! 

This one is all geography related & is sectioned by:  World geo, basic geo, & US geo.

The other one is for some of our favorite short stories & themes.  I also have a few quiet activities for the boys to do while I read aloud.  I don’t really love the colorful bin assortments, but it keeps them organized by theme until I find something better.

All this gave me a lot more room on my other shelves – which meant I had to totally rearrange the shelves – YIKES!!  This was a bit of a challenge & very time consuming, but here is was I came up with:

 

The shelf on the left holds all our history books.  The top shelf is for Ancients (we haven’t studied them in-depth yet, so there aren’t many), the next shelf is Middle Ages & Renaissance & the rest are American History (our current study).

The middle bookcase holds all our science & nature books.  The top shelf is astronomy, airplanes, & anatomy, the next shelf is ocean, then snakes & frogs, below that is nature books & botany, then there is a bug shelf (the black thing is going to be our bug collection), then next shelf holds all our varies animal books, and the last shelf is ALL our horse books.

The corner bookcases didn’t change much.  The one on the left holds our reading books.  I organized this mainly by reading level.  I put the easies on the bottom (so the little boys could reach them) & the more difficult books on the very top.  The other bookcase holds our art & music appreciation books, then our character & Bible study books & the last 2 shelves are for Pre-K & Kindergarten specific curriculum.

I found the cute little wagon at a garage sale & it holds all our Five in a Row books (& a few other favorites).

There are also 2 new additions to this area in our schoolroom.  First – the rug.  I found this for $50 at a flea market & I debated on getting it or not (I really wanted the entire US map rug), but I am so glad Big Daddy talked me into it.  The boys LOVE it!  They set up their forts & have battles – they each have a “territory”.  It melts my heart when I overhear them playing & one says, “No, Texas & Mexico are my territory!”  LOL

Last, but certainly not least is our new easel from Lake Shore Learning.  First, I want to say – I LOVE IT.  THEY LOVE IT.  IT IS WORTH EVERY PRETTY PENNY IT COST.  *I had to sell our pocket chart stand, A LOT of books, toys, curriculum, etc. to help pay for this.  I also had a 20% off coupon – which helped quite a bit.  I surfed the internet for hours looking for a good set-up for All About Spelling.  Most of them were dry-erase boards on the ground (which is where ours has been in the past).  This is a problem with a crawling baby & a mischievous 2 year old on the loose.  I also needed storage for all their boxes & go-along materials.  So, I bit the bullet & I am so glad I did.  Originally I had our AAS set-up on the unlined side, but the boys were getting a little crazy with their BIG & small writing :)  On the other side is Truman’s set up.  The bigger boys use it every once-in-a-while for pocket chart activities & I also store their sight words at the top.

Just a little rearranging & small changes in our school{barn}. . .

Something about our school{barn} just wasn’t flowing, but I just couldn’t pin-point it.  After giving it some thought, I realized it was the “centers”/toys.  The Lego’s & building area was on one side with the play kitchen area & the other toys were on the other side of the room.  The boys were scattering all they “treasures” all over the room.  I decided to move things around & this is what I came up with:

ALL of my boys love this table I got from IKEA.  However, it just wasn’t wide enough for all of them to sit at at the same time so I purchased a second one to give them more space. 

I also decided to moved my desk & Tara’s playpen around.  I keep checking Craig’s List for a better desk, but so far I haven’t had much luck, but for now this will work. 

I thought about cleaning my desk off, but I think I’ll keep it real for ya – this is how it looks by the end of every week.  A fabulous DISASTER!

    

On a side note:  Tara loves to play in her playpen!  She is my first baby to actually stay in it without screaming fits.  Eventually, I plan to fill it with plastic balls for her to play with, but I am waiting for her to loose interest in the current toys she has in there. 

She is all over the play now – crawling & getting into everything – so I moved her play mat to the back of the schoolroom where there are more appropriate things for her to “discover”. 

Our Building Center

Since we don’t use our IKEA Trofast bins for “workboxes” anymore I decided to use them to organize our building center (mostly the Legos).  I found these cool labels at (Yellow Mums), but I need a couple colors that weren’t included in the FREE download, so I messaged Laura at her Etsy shop - she was super sweet & not only made me the extra colors, but also custom labels for the rest of our building center.  (*You gotta visit her Etsy shop!  She has some VERY cute printouts!!)

The top half is devoted completely to Legos.  Each of my boys have 2 shelves for completed projects & their own personal bin for their “work-in-progress.”  We spent an entire day sorting Legos by color!  One of my friends warned me that it would not stay this organized, but I have to tell you – they do a great job (on their own without any prompting) keeping it organized.  In addition to the color coding, we also made a bin for instructions, Lego people, & Big Legos (for Truman; however, he his very close to needing his own bin as well.)

The bottom portion of our building center includes:  gears, super structures, trains, tinker toys, wedgits, blocks, drill set, pegs, & lincoln logs. 

This center is by far their favorite & most chosen 99% of the time.  They spend hours in the floor building & creating & playing with each other.  Priceless memories!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Truman is currently learning the letter C & our theme is “caterpillars.”  I have been so excited for this theme – we just love The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I set up his little area in our school{barn} with a felt mat & some books.  He also has a few related books & activities inside his boxes.

I will be using Carissa’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar printouts, as well as several of the letter “C” printouts from Confession of a Homeschooler’s.  Not to mention the plethora of idea’s I have pinned HERE.

We will also be including the Mustangs in on this one.  For them I will be focusing more on number & color sight words, as well as the life cycle of a butterfly.  We will be collecting as many different caterpillars as we can find & observing the different types of butterflies they turn into.

In addition to the letter “C”, Truman will be learning the color green & the same of a triangle.  I have prepared a few trays & boxes for him: green rice, sand, & blubber (moon sand).  The next row is play dough, colored pasta sorting, shape sorting  transferring.  The last row is a color green activities, letter box, stamping, & painting.

Truman usually spends 2-3 weeks on a theme & I know the bigger boys will not last that long on this, so with them I plan to follow up with a bug/garden/flower unit. (more on that soon hopefully)

Calendar & Morning Board

Are you ready to see all the changes that have been going on inside our school{barn}?

I just fell in love with this set-up in the Pottery Barn Kids Catalog. 

But they were $100 . . . EACH

I really didn’t need a cork board & I have a HUGE chalkboard – It was the dry erase calendar board that caught my eye.  I loved the old barn wood look, but still – $100?!  I couldn’t do it.  I really wanted to though.

Then I went to Canton Trades Day.  And found the coolest frames! 

I knew right away what I wanted to do with them.

I measured the frames, had Home Depot cut some dry erase boards to fit, did a little begging, pleading, & bartering with Big Daddy to put the dry erase boards inside the frames (not as easy as I imagined) & then I contacted Jessica who has an Etsy vinyl lettering design shop, Say It With Style.  I sent her my ideas & a couple pictures & she did her magic.  I however, did a lousy job applying the calendars – so I have to reorder another set to try again, but I could wait to show you. 

But wait.  It gets better.  Wait for it . . . THEY OPEN!!

Inside the bigger door is our school store list on laminated poster board – fit perfectly.  I haven’t decided yet what I am going to do on the smaller door ????

I LOVE THEM!

And they were not even close to $100!!!!

One Hundred Other Things . . .

I did not purposefully abandon my poor little blog.  I have just had at least one hundred other things that have stole my time.  And I seriously have one hundred other things I should be doing right now, but my sweet girl …

… is sleeping & my boys are playing together …

This is a rare moment for me lately.  Quiet.

I have done several photoshoots lately so I should be editing pictures, but I really wanted to pop in & update my blog.  I still don’t have any intentions of completely quitting this blog, but motherhood & work on the side has taken top priority (leaving me with little options otherwise).

So what exactly have we been up to?

School.  I’m going to be totally honest.  School has been hard.  Not “schooling” but school.  Before I had Tara (ahem, 7 months ago) we were on such a fabulous routine & were really gettin’ ‘er done.  Then I had a baby.  I kept postponing our start date, holidays crept up on us, then my husband had a horrible gun accident.  And it just kept seeming like something was in the way of school.  We continued our enrichment classes & did most of our basic work, but not consistently.  Suddenly, the flow of the schoolroom wasn’t working for us & I began to work on that.  What I thought was going to be a quick update of our schoolroom turned into A LOT of work & took WAY longer than I anticipated.  At one point in life, this slow-mo of school would have freaked me out & made me feel like a failure.  I did struggle to be truthful, but I have learned to go with the flow.  We are gradually easing our way back into a routine & getting more & more done each week.  Sometimes it is a few steps forward & a couple backward – either way, we are enjoying this time together & I believe THAT is was is the most important.  I have created a learning environment all over our property, house, & school{barn} so even when we aren’t “working” I trust my kids are still learning & I have learned to accept that at times.  I have even stepped out of my type-A box & allowed a week lesson plan to take a couple weeks.  I haven’t gone total “unschooler” on ya, but definitely relaxed more than I ever thought was possible.  With that said, here is a glimpse into the last several weeks of our lives (& no, it isn’t pretty & scrapbooked).

Truman LOVES school:

My niece is Truman’s very best friend.  He loves for her to do school with him, but he is not the nicest share-er.

We organized a field trip to our local dairy for our homeschool group.

Our schoolroom floor always looks something like this:

Saint Patrick’s Day was a lot of fun:

We finished our greenhouse!

The boys couldn’t resist the bunnies at the flea market right before Easter

Easter was a blast!  We had a huge party at our house (3 egg hunts!!)

Tara’s first Easter Dress.

My brother-in-law got married & I was the wedding photographer (YIKES!)

And my handsome first born was the ring bearer.

We’ve enjoyed the sunshine at the park

My girly is getting so big & her brothers just adore her (still!)

This is life for us.