August Fields

time to ski

living in a state that brings a lot of snow you have one of two choices.  embrace it or hate it.  since we won’t be moving anytime soon (or ever), we choose to embrace it.
a couple of weeks ago we decided to hit the slopes, with five children in tow.
we want to instill in them a love for winter and the changing seasons.  open their eyes to the opportunities available when the snow is thick.  plus… the mom in me prays they will love home so much that one day all my children will end up living right around the corner! 🙂 🙂
we went during the least busy week of the ski season.  perfect, less crowds. 

we signed the four big kids up for a few hours of private lessons.  believe it or not, that’s all it took!  they had never been skiing before and by the end of the three days the three big kids were riding the chair lifts  and skiing moderate slopes and hank was a pro at the bunny hill!

retrieving our skis from the valet.

deanie is ready to go!  she is almost 10 and learning to ski and being able to do it well was such a thrill for her.

dancy just turned 8 and LOVED everything about skiing.  the chairlifts, the ski boots, the hot chocolate…. 🙂

on day two we put hank with his own instructor.  the three big kids were making progress and this little man (he’s 4) needed to master a few more techniques. 🙂  

these ski instructors were so great with our children!

super patient, encouraging, and funny.

i was with dubs (short for G.W.) most of the time.  which was totally fine.  i took him down the bunny hill a few times, chilled in the room while he napped, took him to get a snack in the lodge, perused the ski shop…..

mr. daddy was super dad for sure.  he took the three big kids down the slopes all day and survived a tumbling pile up off the chair lift (two times).

we all had so much fun and this will definitely become a yearly tradition!

ice storm

we had a thunder storm, hail, rain and snow all at once last night.

the power lines are down.  we’re hunkering down over at my inlaw’s, who live two miles away, but have power.

this part is pretty.

this….not so much.  our power pole has found a new home.

power should be back thursday or friday.   we’re hopeful it may be sooner though!

volcanoes: homeschool style

a couple of weeks ago, i mustered up the enthusiasm for a little science experiment. 

i used the volcano kit from usborne books.  since science isn’t my forte, i have no problem purchasing kits to make it more enjoyable for me. 🙂

we looked up several various websites listed in the book for additional reading and information about volcanoes.

we mixed the baking soda, vinegar, dish soap and waited…..

the anticipation!

the funny thing is…..it took a LONG time for anything to happen.  and it was, well…not super exciting.  kind of like fizz bubbling over.  i think the ranch dressing bottle we used was too big.
next time we’ll use a little jar and a LOT of vinegar/baking soda mix!
the kids want to do it again though. 🙂

show a little love

keeping my promise to myself to get the master bedroom furnished and decorated first.  this is our place to retreat and relax.
its important to me that the kiddos see and know that mom and dad love each other.  having these large canvas’, of just the two of us, printed and hanging in our bedroom is one way to do that.
these pictures were taken for our 10 year anniversary.  love.

love birds and love quote.  (prints from etsy. frames from michael’s)
*edited to add*  these prints are from this shop

i have my own quiet time here (devotions, reading, journaling, blogging….).

this is the other canvas which is hanging over his dresser.