update on all the stuff we've been doing

It has been a busy year so far and here are some pics of what we've been up to.

Zane got to meet and hold his new cousin, Raeven.

 On Easter we took a trip to the mountains for a short hike and lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Zoka's.

Our local heritage Fair was a new experience for the boys, where they got to see everything from ancient Roman soldiers (in costume) to WWII stuff.  Here is Haukin peeking out of a 1700's fur trader's teepee.

 

Zane wanted me to be SURE to post this pic of him in his soldier costume so all the grandmas could see him.

Tonight Haukin is taking apart his first radio......aaawww.

Field Trips!

Lately we've been enjoying all the lower rates that the colder weather allows for at places like the zoo and the aquarium.  Here are some pics:

Some fun, huh?

"The Library Lion" book review

It was, of course, the interesting title that caught my eye, but the beautiful illustrations were what made me cram this bigger sized book into my already overflowing library bag.  I love beautiful artwork combined with happy prose to give my kids. I think it helps them develop an appreciation for both.

The Lion is such a stately, noble looking beast that it is not at all incongruent to think of one reclining on a bean bag in a sunny corner of the library.  Think of the scene in the opening credits of The Addams Family--a large, bored looking lion wanders through their stately mansion on Cemetery Lane.

Anyway, in The Library Lion, a lion has to learn about rules in the library, just like kids do, and that all rules themselves sometimes have to be bent.

"I Love My New Toy" book review

We came home from the library last week with our usual load of books randomly picked off the shelves, but a couple of them have really been enjoyed by the boys this week, way more than I would've expected.

Haukin has asked me to read  I Love My New Toy every day, I think.  It is VERY relavant to him and his brother.  The simple illustrations are hilarious--Haukin giggled more and more over every page as the plot unfolded.  Both boys know exactly what it is like to have a brand new toy that someone else wants to play with--and then horror of horrors!  what if they break it?  Hopefully the ending of this book taught the boys a valuable lesson, but if not, they still love the pictures and the  expression of voice required to read it.

I am definately going to look into more titles by Mo Willems and more books in this Elephant and Piggie series.

Homemade Kefir

Today I made kefir, which is a cultured drink, usually made with milk but sometimes also water or soy milk or coconut milk.  It worked perfectly the first time.  I was impressed.  Must have had something to do with having the perfect place to let it culture.  Take Note:  the best place to culture drinks like kefir and kombucha is on your boiler!  Mine is downstairs in the laudry room where it is dark and quiet and warm.  The surface of the boiler is maybe 70-75 degrees or so. This is what it looked like after I had blended it with some organic bing cherries and put it in a jar.

This is what it looked like after it had set for a while.

It is a fairly sour drink, so I added stevia to make it palatable to the kids.  Don't think the dh was too impressed.  This is what it looked like after I shook it well and served it in his favorite Carnival glass.

Yum.  Drink your probiotics!

Who's Picasso, Mom?

Zane is my inquisitive soon-to-be six-year-old.  He has the memory of an elephant, and his brain is a sponge.  I have no idea where he heard about Picasso, but that was his Question of the Day yesterday, along with "what is double probation?"  ??blink. What??

This morning he came up with one that I actually understood, "what is light speed?"  I knew right away where this came from. He and Haukin spent the morning watching Star Wars.

Captain Solo: "Hang in there Chewy, while I make the calculations for the jump to light speed."

Or something like that.

So Zane and I have several things to research for school next week.  He loves using the Internet, although I don't think we'll be watching any more video clips about "what is inside me"  (a question from last week) after he got completely worked up from watching a video about internal parasites.  Now whenever he steps outside he is constantly on the watch for dog poop.

New year's resolutions (subject to revision)

Winter sunrise on the Cottonwoods
Prologue:
Just as an aside, not really an official Resolution, but I do plan to take more pictures this year.  I've been mostly inspired by all the fantastic blogs I've been reading, especially Sarah's, who is an excellent photographer and shares her work on her blog.  Another motivation is having great visual content for my own blog!

Resolutions:
1. Seek out and learn from godly mentors.
      This is sort of doing my part in the whole transfer of knowlege from one generation to the next, which is
      seriously lacking in our culture.  Besides the fact that I need all the help I can get, besides the fact
     that we all need to be obeying Titus 2.


2. Increase and develop personal discipline.
    a.  Do a study on the spiritual disciplines and determine what specific goals and routines will help me.
    b. Establish daily routines and guidlines for physical disciplines--i.e. exercise, eating, and scheduling habits


3. Increase and develop creativity, knowledge, and expression.
    a. Redecorate the boys' room (Wind in the Willows theme).
    b. Blog regularly (3-4 times/wk)
    c. Learn how to use my new Adobe Photoshop Elements 8!
    d. Learn color work knitting.
    e. Get the piano tuned--and find a teacher for Zane.
    f. Finish my wedding album--it's about time!


4. Read these books:
   a. Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives (Re: Lit Books)
   b. Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches
   c. Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate
   d. The Family Worship Book: A Resource Book for Family Devotions
   e. The Life of John Newton
   f. The Bible and the Closet
   g. Meet the Puritans: With a Guide to Modern Reprints
   h. Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
   i. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
   j. Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training, Study Guide


5. Memorize:
   a. Galatians
   b. Ephesians (note* lest you think I am aiming to high, I've already done this and it will be review)
   c. Philippians--already have some of it done too.
  

This is a pretty preliminary list, because for each of these resolutions I have specific goals toward carrying them out; I have to tackle things in little bits.  For each resolution I have weekly and monthly goals. We have to remember that Reality and Life happen, so of course these are all subject to revision as I deem necessary. There will be unplanned, last minute projects, and I'm sure I'll read books other than the ones listed here. I may seem ambitious, but better to aim high.



What are your New Year's Resolutions and how are you breaking them down into workable goals?