Cursive, Typing... Oh My!

Emily has been pushing herself lately, inspite of Mommy's laid back approach to 'not rush anything.' She has insisted on learning cursive writing and now makes sure it is included daily in her schooling and free time. She has also started typing lessons. This past week she talked Mommy into letting her try a lesson. Next thing Mommy realized was that Emily had completed half of all of the lessons. With ease, Mommy was able to convince Emily to save some of the lessons for another day. :-) Sure enough, the next few days were filled with begging to continue the lessons. We've got one eager little girl on our hands.

Luke... oh Luke... he has decided he wants to practice handwriting too. So, Emily began teaching him how to write his letters. With some pure determination he went from pure scribbles to writing A's, B's, and C's in minutes. He is now practicing on scratch paper and a handwriting workbook. Mommy finds this simply incredible and loves how schooling comes naturally with interest AND the older sibling is quick to jump in and instruct the younger one. It's beautiful to watch.

Have a blessed day everyone!

Visit with missionary friend, Dr. Carman

We were blessed to host a friend for a few days during his US visit. He's currently serving in Bogota, Colombia. Needless to say, the kids LOVED his company and are missing him dearly.

Oh Luke!!!

Our little guy just keeps finding trouble, or should I say... he's diving into the world of being a boy!

1st up... on Tuesday, he was crawling/climbing on a tipped over chair and just happened to catapalt himself into another chair and slice his head open. Mommy panicked a bit until she realized the bleeding would stop easily. Emily responded well to Mommy's panic to help Luke. She turned to God and began praying for help, healing and all of the good stuff. She's amazing! She felt so terrible that he got hurt, especially because she had just been told to pick the chair up. Sweet girl. Thank goodness the doctor did not feel he needed stitches and we did not have to visit the ER! (Luke slept through the entire doctor visit and still denies he ever went.) Shortly after the doctor visit Mommy had a terrible time keeping Luke in a settled state. He would try to show off his Hand Stands or leap from one couch to another, run sprints around the house or drive way. The kid is all boy! Later that night Luke asked if I could take his boo boo off because didn't want to take it to bed. He was upset to realize it wasn't that easy to fix. Six days later he realized his boo boo was black! He was very upset and concerned until he realized it would go away when it's completely healed. -Mommy's hoping this will never happen again! (She can hope, right?)

2nd in line... Luke got a bit creative during school time on Thursday. He was caught doing a little art project all over his arms and hands! Mommy quickly addressed the situation, informed him of his wrong actions (which he was very aware of) and without giggling, snapped this photo! He then spent at least 20 minutes trying to get it off. Some day he'll understand why Mommy just had to take the photo and hide her inner laughter. Cute kid!!

3rd... This is a sweet one. During a playdate with a neighbor and friends, Luke had his first violin lesson using a 1/16 size violin. He LOVED it! Mommy was impressed with his gentleness and how well he listened to instructions.

Bonding and Funny Moments

1. First things first... Bonding:

Luke and Keith have this special little world they play in where they both retend they are puppies. It's really, really cute!

The kids are enjoying the virtual world with Daddy by playing Free Realms. They have a character that they created for their adventures and now have a virtual dog too. I guess this is the next best thing to having a real one. ;-)

Luke and Emily are so nurtutring with one another. Its very sweet to watch them comfort each other.

2. Now... for the funny moments:

Just the other day Luke asked Keith, "Daddy, why doesn't mommy toot like us?" Keith had a hard time responding to this question. All he could really say was that mommy is just made different and isn't quite like the two of them. I guess the boys have found more ways to bond!

There's a special part of the day when the kids seem to hear a silent announcement of 'Hey kids... it's fort building time!' Unfortunately, mommy doesn't hear this announcement and has to hold back all frustration and anxiety of the inevitable late night clean up! The kids are so distraught and disappointed about their forts coming down that she waits until they are asleep to put the house back together.

Watch the veggies disappear...

Well, we sure are enjoying the kids as they sample many new veggies... including Luke. When we decided to switch back to a vegetarian diet (and now leaning toward a vegan, whole plant foods diet), we were a little concerned as to what Luke might actually eat. Deep down I assumed the general rule of 'if they're hungry, they'll eventually eat' and it seems to be working exactly as hoped. Just the other day Luke inhaled a full plate of lo mein and rice... with lots of veggies. He willingly wanted to sample the snow peas and broccoli. After trying them he agreed that they were really good. (Mom and Dad are thrilled to pieces!!) For some time now his main veggie was a whole raw carrot. Now he has ventured into cooked veggies too. And, even better, he's been asking to sample my veggie sandwiches (loaded with fresh veggies). And, like very other veggie, he decides he likes them. Yeah!! This has opened a whole new door for Luke at the dinner table. He loves most soups that are presented, delights in most of our whole grain breads and is sure to thank our Heavenly Father for each and every dish! If he's not sure about something, Emily jumps right in and shows him how much she enjoys it. She's the best!!

More to come.

And... now I've started an organic produce co-op. As the coordinator of this co-op, all orders from friends and neighbors are delivered to our house. The kids and I sort the produce and make everyone's box. They then stop by during pickup time and claim their box. Our benefit in this is a free box of produce which is wonderful since we're primarily eating fruits, veggies, whole grains and fresh home-baked breads. :-) Delish!!

We have a new smile in our home

Emily lost her 2nd top front tooth on the 16th! She has a whole new smile now.

This poor tooth was holding on for dear life for far too long. She was twisting it around like an owl can spin it's neck. It was so hard to watch, but she was loving every moment. She even tried to get Luke to help her knock it out with various bribes and bargaining tools. (Very clever and cute.) Of course daddy offered to pull it out with pliers, which always sent everyone into a tizzy.

The loss of this tooth was non-dramatic. It simply fell out when she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. We'll post a pix very soon.

Time sure flies...