Another Round of What We've Done in Pictures

Maybe after this week I can get somewhat back to normal and then go back to updating the blog weekly in a more organized fashion.  But for now, here is another quick round of what we've done in pictures with a quick update. It's SPRING, and we've been enjoying it.

Animal Wildlife...

Red-bellied woodpecker

Liv with a ladybug

Another ladybug at the edge of our driveway

Nuthatch

Another shot of the nuthatch

Gray squirrel (toward left, in front of tree)

The squirrel in the flowes

Squirrel after climbing in the redbud tree with its prize

The lovely red-bellied woodpecker on a different day and a different tree

Cardinal

To hear this cardinal sing (from another tree), visit this Youtube video.

Vulture in flight

 
Flowers...

Dandelion!

We love dandelions!  Look at these gorgeous yellow jewels!

Petals from henbit and/or dead nettle.  These are a new flower snack for the kids.  They have a sweet nectar (just not as good as honeysuckle). 

Feast of Unleavened Bread...

Unleavened peach muffins...not as puffy and light, but good nonetheless and a good reminder of our need to constantly work on purging sin from our lives

I fixed chocolate mousse as our dessert on one of the two holy days during the UB week.  We had a good Passover and UB week. 

Physical and spiritual food with friends (listened to a sermon on spiritual deleavening)

Jaden's Doings...

During a walk one day, Jaden spotted something down in the valley, so I let him go down to investigate.  He'd just so happened to ride his bike that day, so I suggested he ride back to the house to get a bag so that he could gather the entire remaining skeleton of the deer.  He then worked on reassembling it.

He got clay from our property, shaped it, baked it, and painted it, and then he gave it to his Daddy as a birthday gift.

Jade using my mini food chopper for grass to make green ink, following a recipe he found using his iPod

Assembling the deer skeleton while Trusten watches

Trusten...

Trusten, after catching me taking the below pictures of him playing Mario on the Wii (please overlook the mess...one of those days I did NOT CARE)

This boy ACTIVELY plays...when I say ACTIVELY, that's what I mean.  Whenever Mario is going in a pipe or something, he takes off running, skipping, jumping on the couch, whatever.  He jumps along with Mario, kicks, etc. 

Sweet boy in my redbud tree (get out of my redbud tree!!!!)  LOL

Drawing Art...

We all drew a rhino.  I hurried mine so that I could then help Trust and Liv.  Nathan used sense from the beginning and flipped the page landscape.  His is the one at the lower right with no name...AND it's the best (but he denies it being good).  Uh...not sure what Jade scribbled out the bottom.  I'm thinking he was putting his name in different languages...knowing him, probably.  LOL

History...

Lesson on Hosea from Mystery of History. The story of Hosea is an amazing one.  God taught through Hosea's personal marital circumstances his love for Israel who broke their covenant with him by fornicating with other gods.

Israel (and Judah) will be punished yet again...soon...but God still loves Israel and will show his mercy in the end. 

If Hosea's story is amazing, Manasseh's is astonishing.  One of the most evil kings of Judah, Manasseh delved deeply into the dark side with sorcery, witchcraft, and even sacrifice of his son in the fire.  Yet when punished and dragged away to prison by the enemy, he humbled himself greatly, was released, and then dedicated the remainder of his life ridding the land of the idols and worshiping God in truth.  YES!  There is hope for even those with evil deeds as bad as Manasseh (who may have also been the one who had Isaiah the prophet killed [body sawed in half]).

Miscellaneous...

Enjoying the outdoors on Sabbath (rock-throwing at its finest)

My lilac budding!

Do you see the tiny fuzzy caterpillar at the bottom of that cocoon thing (sorry, don't know the technical term in this case)?  On a previous day I happened to see a bunch hatch/crawl out of another one, which is something I've wanted to see for a couple years, after seeing such things on trees.

Another Sabbath afternoon of enjoying creation

A morning where Trusten dove right into his workbook work (which is a common occurence), and Liz decided to "help" after visiting her looking window and hanging out with Sister.  She likes to let go while standing, but she hasn't taken steps alone, yet.

Daddy and Livi washing dishes

Yeah, we had a bit of snow again.  Had quite a bit of back and forth 70s weather and then cold and snowy.  We never had a lot of snow the winter just past, though.

We are seriously considering moving out of the U.S.  YES, we've discussed this off and on for over seven years or more now.  NO, we've never [yet] gone through with it.  BUT, we're more serious now as we've ever been.  Actually, it's clear that every time we've gone back to considering it, we get more serious, so I guess it's only been a matter of time.  We've always focused mostly on somewhere in South America, like Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, or Belize.  We were planning to go to Ecuador a few weeks from now, but so many things hindered our plans, making it obvious that was not the answer (we prayed it would play out exactly that way, with lots of hindrances, if it was not in God's will).  At first I considered it might be the enemy trying to hinder things, but then the way things were stacking and stacking, we think that's not the answer.

Nathan is also looking at changing professions, possibly doing school again for something else, selling his business, etc.  We'll see.

Jaden is constantly researching on his iPod about a wide variety of things: geography and languages, metals and other minerals, parrots and other animals, how-to's, technology news, things the idiotic wealthy people waste all their wealth on (which he agrees is absolutely idiotic and sad), etc.  When he's not researching (and sometimes writing about what he's learned), he's usually outside working or exploring.

Trusten is enthusiastic about his ever-improving reading abilities, and he's often up and working on his school work before any of the rest of us is up.  He loves the Wii (see above), and that's all the motivation he needs to do his work (he is limited to his playtime, and I make sure he goes outside, even when he doesn't want).

Liv is very big into imaginative play.  She's now got several imaginary friends.

Elizabeth is still not walking but is doing fine overall.

That's it for now.

Until next time...

What We've Done in Pictures

Obviously I'm behind.  There is too much going on in life right now.  I was planning to post my "What We've Been Doing..." post on the new month/moon day.  Then I had another regular post and then a super long post that I had started working on (and is a saved draft) that was a "travel-back-in-time and journey-forward" post, but ironically enough recent events have caused complications to that...and well, I may do something else with a much shorter version.

This is going to be my "What We've Been Doing..." monthly post with more than normal picture volume, and I'll be caught up.  There have honestly been a lot of days lately where things have been chaotic or at the very least disorganized, even several days in a row where I didn't even read to the kids...not even their daily Proverbs chapter nor any other bible teaching.

So here goes...

What We've Been Reading...

Jaden William's periodicals, plenty to discuss

Trusten's periodicals and more little readers

Liv's periodicals (she was missing a month's worth of stuff)

What We've Been Doing...

Jaden trying to light up a new bulb (an even smaller one that he took out of his flash light), but I think it was unsuccessful.

We went bowling since Jade has been persistently asking for awhile

This is what was going on behind me (without prior permission, so indoors will NOT happen again) when I last updated this blog.  The big fireball flame went quite high.  Jaden (to his credit, he researched the safety beforehand) placed isopropyl alcohol and olive oil in an empty bb or pellet can and set it on fire.  It also started sparking like fireworks, which slightly panicked this momma.  He said something like, "It's no big deal; don't worry," then tossed the lid on top of it, extinguishing it.

Elizabeth, about a month ago at 14 months, sitting to watch a learning video that was started for Trusten and/or Liv, NOT for Elizabeth.  I'm not really big on my babies under two watching anything on a screen, but it was amazing to me that she found herself a place to sit and watch.

Two sweet girls--Liv and Liz--playing and watching the hail outside (Feb. 25)

The day's weather: hail

Liz at the looking window (Feb. 26)

Snow!

Happy girl

Passover and the Week of Unleavened Bread are coming up, and I've been using up my yeast on making pizza crusts, so we've had plenty of pizza lately.  Mmmm...black olives and pepperoncini peppers

See the deer?  In this picture, there are two in the road, one in the yard (right).  I am REALLY getting ready to stop using my iPhone for all my pictures and go back to using my digital camera.  The phone sometimes takes really good pictures, but other times it is truly sub par.  Anyway, we've been watching deer a lot lately, too.  They are frequently in our yard and across the yard, down the road, etc.

Jaden took this picture.  I LOVE this!  I'm able to sit with Elizabeth and look at books with her...just like I did with Jade.  That never worked with either Trust or Liv.

Alphabet magnet book with Liv.  This was the first, maybe second (but it's been a long time) time I did this with her, and she did very well.  She knows all her letters, very rarely getting anything wrong (and when she does, it's like a 'd' instead of a 'p' or 'b' or something).  

The older three are watching an Amazon Prime video about Ecuador, and "Happy" is up there with them to snuggle.

I pull up the blinds in our bedroom, shut the bathroom door, and often gate our doorway so that Elizabeth has a safe place to crawl and play when I'm busy.  Sometimes our bedroom becomes a kids' hangout, though.  LOL

There she goes...Elizabeth is on her way to the window.

Elizabeth watches out our front storm door as Sylvester the cat swipes at the handle, wanting inside.

Liv, who was scooping water out of her and Elizabeth's wagon

Trusten excitedly running to get a picture with me

Trusten and I on a beautiful day

Sweet E and her momma

Trusten playing with Elizabeth who enjoyed crawling all over the yard that day (Mar. 11)

Jaden has been busy doing science experiments, reading about metals and other minerals, studying geography, and studying and learning languages.  He got it approved with me a couple months (I guess) ago to download a language translator app on his iPod.  So between these three things he was about to drive me up the wall telling me me stuff all day long.  I LOVE that he loves to learn and that he gets to explore things on his own like I liked to do as a child (but wasn't able to year-round), but he was driving me crazy, because I couldn't live in my own thoughts.  He finished his last most Language Lessons book, and I can't get him his next one, yet, plus he needs more practice just writing.  SO, I told him that he needed to just write in his journal each day the stuff he wanted me to know about what he learned.  That is working out nicely.

Trusten is still doing well with all his book work.  My really long post I spoke of was going to involve him a lot.  I'm just thankful to have him.  There have been a lot of challenges throughout his life, but he's such a blessing to me.  I just wish others could understand my sweet boy.  I most often get met with two opposite extremes, one of which devalues me and the other of which devalues him.  Some think I'm crazy, because when they are around Trusten they don't see anything out of the ordinary and probably think I'm making up stories about him and his behavior.  Others go to the opposite extreme and think he's evil.  :-(  He's dealt with many issues, and they're not his fault.  I just help him work through the things the best I can.  Here recently he has dealt with complex tics that take up at least two hours of his day, every day, when he lets it all out.

I sat down with him recently and explained to him that I know how he feels and what he's going through.  I have gone through my entire life with Tourette's syndrome, though I did not know what was wrong with me as a child.  I did learn to hide my tics (thankfully my condition is mild enough), but during the peak time, which was around the ages of about 10 to 13, I would get home from school and lock myself in my bedroom and tic for hours. You can't do that kind of stuff in public.  People will think you're a freak.  Nathan went to college with a man about 40 years of age (at the time) who did have the same type of tic who did it during class, and it's just sad.  I've spent years trying to figure out what all and what exactly causes it and related problems.  Of course, that brings me to the fact that it all comes with positive aspects as well (for some).  Thankfully those of us in this household do possess the positives that are common in the higher-functioning individuals afflicted. 

I feel bad for him, though.  He's extremely intelligent, very witty, full of energy and creative thought, and he's loving and kind.  I have strong faith that he will be someone great when he reaches adulthood, but he struggles with a lot.  I've just got to continue to help him be the best he can be (and that goes for all my children) and encourage him. 

Liv is always (as she has for quite some time) talking about being a momma to her babies or talking about how she is a baby tiger (or whatever, but tiger is most popular), Elizabeth is a baby tiger, and I'm the momma tiger.  Sometimes she adds the males in and says that Trusten is a "little" tiger, Jade is a "big tiger," and Nathan is a "daddy" tiger.  She is so funny. For the longest time she has really gotten into personalizing pictures of mother animals and their babies (and we are always looking at nature magazines and such).  She'll point and say, "That's me!"  And then, "And that's Baby Sister...and that's you!"  If there are only two babies, which there often are, it's always herself and "Baby Sister."  So lately I've been teaching her what various baby animals are called, so now when she says she's a baby tiger, she knows that also means a cub.

Elizabeth is still Happy.  She's a happy, smiley baby who is getting along just fine.  She's been getting into things more, but she's still an easy child.  VERY different compared to Olivia at this age.  She's still not walking at fifteen months of age, but she's been letting go to free-stand a lot lately, and then she slowly lowers herself and plops on the ground.  She loves to mimic sounds that she hears.  She still doesn't say much of anything, though, beyond "Momma" and "Da-da."  I need to work more with her on signing.

Well, this is all I have time for, and this catches me up.

 Until next time...

"Store," Book Work, and Circles

Week of February 17 thru 23, 2013:

Store
I played "Store" with Jaden William.  This time we played with a fruit and chocolate stand. We all also tried raw cacao nibs for the first time (besides having them in dark chocolate bars that have some sugar).  WOW, they are pretty bitter!  For sure I've got to have some sugar with my cacao, though I love the 70-something percent cacao.

 

Fruit stand and cash drawer

Jaden often goes into a couple different stores by himself for me and has done so for maybe close to a year.  He likes to do so, too, because he's able to buy himself a treat as a reward for his help.  He still loves to play "Store," and it gives him further practice counting money.

I've introduced Trusten to counting money and will be working with him on doing so for the next few weeks on math day.  He can count to 100 by 1s and 10s, and I'll soon go over 5s.

Workbooks and Miscellaneous

One day the boys started working on their workbooks before Elizabeth and I were even finished with our breakfast, and Olivia decided she wanted to draw circles on pink paper. Normally we do a quick clean-up after breakfast and do reading, whereas workbooks usually come later in the day.

Jaden did some mapping in history after we read about the prophets Jonah and Amos.

Liv loves to carry around either one of her babies (one life-size and heavy and one very tiny and light) and give them "milk and cuddles" (which is what I've always called nursing my babies).  Pictured below is her big baby "Pink" (her smaller baby dressed in green is named "Agliss," and she has an older-age girl doll named "Green", though it has not a bit of green).

Jaden with his history book coloring and labeling a map in East Asia; writing in "Language Lessons"

Olivia drawing circles and nursing her baby "Pink" right after her own lunch

Trusten working in his Phonics A book

 Trusten recently started working in a book called Phonics A, which is a book (among many others) that my mil gave to us.  He's already done 89 pages (as of 3/6/13) of the 270-page book.  He's already gotten to where he's almost entirely self-directed on it, too.  He's doing so well.  He is also doing Language Lessons, still reading through the Learn-to-Read Bible, and he'll be doing math in lieu of the writing book work on math day.

I don't have ANY trouble with getting him to do his work.  He is always asking me whether he can do his work, and I guess that—combined with my changing things up—has helped Jaden become enthusiastic again about his work. 

Once Trusten is finished with Phonics A I'll order him all the Explode the Code books he needs, and he'll go through all of those like Jaden did.  I have no doubt he'll be able to work on them by himself like Jaden did, with just the occasional question.  I'm impressed by all his work, and he quickly caught on that he was running some letters of one word with those of another in his sentences.  The last few times he's written sentences the words are perfectly spaced, together as they should be, and his handwriting is pretty neat.

The kids also did some painting, and Trusten and Liv worked on their cutting skills.  Liv plays all sorts of games on one of the old iPhones, including a game where she traces letters of the alphabet and words.  She does a great job!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is always busy, but always sweet.  She likes to pull the cat's tail and hair, but that is so petty compared to what Olivia did to the cat when she was younger.  I always thought she was going to end up killing poor Sylvester.  She would get totally on top of him and also after she was walking, she would pick him up around his neck.  It was horrible.

Elizabeth is actively pointing now.  That is good.  Yeah, that's a delay, but I feel pretty good about her.  I've started using more ASL signs with her.  She first signed "milk" back a few months ago, but she doesn't use it a lot (she doesn't need to, because she just comes up to me and pulls on my shirt).  I guess she'd been signing "more" for quite some time, too, but I wasn't sure, because her version (until recently) was to use just one hand and tap her fingers on the table (but in the proper formation for that sign).  She more recently started doing it properly with both hands brought together.  She has only been introduced to a few more signs more recently and so isn't regularly using others, yet.

Elizabeth at her "looking window" after I fixed her hair

Elizabeth making her rounds

 
Until next time...


 

Shadows, Homemade Compass, and Metal-Working

Week of February 10 thru 16, 2013:

Jaden's Scientific Experimentation

Jaden has been constantly busy with reading and experimenting on his own.  He seems to possess a special interest in metals and magnetism.  He made a homemade compass and has continually tested different metals in fire and liquids.  He has been soaking various metallic objects in a glass of vinegar, always including copper.  He showed us how he copper-plated a brass heat strip from a furnace by placing the heat strip and some copper pipe in a glass of white distilled vinegar (should have taken a picture, but I didn't) and soaking it for three days.  He's been reading up a lot on melting points of various metals and talking about how titanium is used in spacecraft because of the high melting point and talking about steel and other things.  He's trying to figure out a way to separate silver he's saved on A/C contacters.  I've told him to read up on safety measures regarding heating metals, because I'm afraid of toxic gases. 

From How Science Works by Judith Hann

Below is a video of Jaden's homemade compass.  Email subscribers must click link to visit blog in order to view.

I think Jade is trying to melt copper here over one of his scrap candles. He uses the wood stove a lot, though.

Book of the Week

Bear Shadow by Frank Asch is about a bear who starts fishing, but his shadow scares a fish away.  Bear then devises ways of getting rid of his shadow such as: stepping behind a tree and climbing a mountain (both to hide), nailing it down to the ground, and digging a hole and letting it drop in.  He exhausts himself from the morning's work of ridding himself of his shadow so that he must take a nap around noon, at which time there is no shadow.  When he woke up the sun had started casting shadows again.  After unsuccessfully disposing of his shadow by slamming the door and reopening it, he enters into a hand-shaking agreement with the same, that if Shadow stayed out of the way to allow Bear to catch a fish, he'd let Shadow catch one, too.  Since the sun cast Bear's shadow behind him at that point in the day, Shadow was able to keep his end of the deal, and when Bear caught a fish, "...shadow caught one, too."  

I talked more about shadows, like how they're cast, the benefit of shadows (like shade), etc.   And then on Sabbath I briefly talked to Jaden about the feast days being a shadow of things to come, but then I focused mainly on the scriptures below with all the children.  Then I talked about accepting things that we can't change, which is what Bear learned he must do concerning his shadow.

I've got at least two more posts lined up soon.  We've had quite a bit going on, so I'm getting a little behind. One of the projects I'm trying to work on is getting pictures and letters/cards mailed out to many people, and I figure it will span out over a few weeks.

That box holds a lot of pictures!  There are some dear family and friends who have not received pictures in quite some time.  Those books underneath?  My baby books on which I'm still behind with pictures, so I've got to work on that, too. Elizabeth had pulled up there on the other end of my cedar chest and "cruised" down to the "bright orange" Shutterfly box.  She is pulling up a LOT but just recently started cruising along.

Until next time...