Dad even footed the bill for this one. I'm not sure what the total cost was, but I"m sure it was a big dent in the budget. Again, who knew this would be the costly outcome of this beloved tradition from years ago.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas Eve Celebrations.....meet you at the Cold Cereal Isle
Dad even footed the bill for this one. I'm not sure what the total cost was, but I"m sure it was a big dent in the budget. Again, who knew this would be the costly outcome of this beloved tradition from years ago.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Christmas' Creative Confectionaries
So while we were out on a sleet filled, rainy day to get a hair cut for Liam and Brianne at the Morgan's home we stopped at Dollar Tree and picked up a few supplies to make our own graham cracker treats.
They all had fun creating and Brianne looks sooo cute with her new hair cut!
.....for FHE we spent the evening making dipped pretzels for Aunt Elizabeth....and us too! It's not Christmas without these goodies.
Pulaski Dance Production's Christmas Dance Recital
These girls love to dance!! I'm always finding Delaney dancing to music and song around the house! Gotta love it!
Monday, December 9, 2013
Our Weekly Check-off List
1. Get the Suburban fixed---Completed. It only cost $1054.00 to get it done. Ouch, but we will be able to cross the Rockies!
2. Have Ryan apply for a job. ----Check! He turned in his application for Little Caesars and it's looking like he'll get it too!
3. Cailin complete her "Blue Book" and other CC exams. --- Check! She feels like she did a fairly good job too......we'll see soon enough.
4. Tie up loose ends with Delaney (and Liam too) before we begin our Christmas Vacation. I've had a goal to read at least one more chapter book, other than our book group selection for this time period. I did it!! We read A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck for our book group (three weeks early too!) We had time to read A Letter To Mrs. Roosevelt I'm so happy. We even have time to start the third one.....the prequel to A Year Down Yonder (we absolutely LOVED that book! so hilarious) A Long Way From Chicago. We even got our timeline book started Yeah!!
5. Have Connor finish up his assignments for his Sword of Freedom class.....still working on this, but getting closer!! He also got his PSAT test results and did good! Well Done Connor!
6. Christmas celebrations have begun...Delaney was in the Christmas Parade. On Friday Barry, Brianne and Connor got to go to Macado's for his work party and I with Cailin, Delaney and Liam headed over to the church for the ward Christmas party. If I hadn't committed to singing Mary's Lullaby, I would have ditched the ward party for Macado's anyday!.....but the kids had a fun time with their friends so it was all good.
7. Get the laundry caught up and clean my room ---Nope! No check mark here. I"m still trying to find the laundry fairy or maybe even a wall troll that will do the work...so far no luck.
8. Delaney's Dance Recital....Rock'in around the Christmas Tree. I love watching those girls dance. You can see sheer joy on thier face as they move and groove to the music.
2. Have Ryan apply for a job. ----Check! He turned in his application for Little Caesars and it's looking like he'll get it too!
3. Cailin complete her "Blue Book" and other CC exams. --- Check! She feels like she did a fairly good job too......we'll see soon enough.
4. Tie up loose ends with Delaney (and Liam too) before we begin our Christmas Vacation. I've had a goal to read at least one more chapter book, other than our book group selection for this time period. I did it!! We read A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck for our book group (three weeks early too!) We had time to read A Letter To Mrs. Roosevelt I'm so happy. We even have time to start the third one.....the prequel to A Year Down Yonder (we absolutely LOVED that book! so hilarious) A Long Way From Chicago. We even got our timeline book started Yeah!!
5. Have Connor finish up his assignments for his Sword of Freedom class.....still working on this, but getting closer!! He also got his PSAT test results and did good! Well Done Connor!
6. Christmas celebrations have begun...Delaney was in the Christmas Parade. On Friday Barry, Brianne and Connor got to go to Macado's for his work party and I with Cailin, Delaney and Liam headed over to the church for the ward Christmas party. If I hadn't committed to singing Mary's Lullaby, I would have ditched the ward party for Macado's anyday!.....but the kids had a fun time with their friends so it was all good.
7. Get the laundry caught up and clean my room ---Nope! No check mark here. I"m still trying to find the laundry fairy or maybe even a wall troll that will do the work...so far no luck.
8. Delaney's Dance Recital....Rock'in around the Christmas Tree. I love watching those girls dance. You can see sheer joy on thier face as they move and groove to the music.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
A Jamberry Jamboree....Liam's school time
Every Thursday he goes to the Mattson's for Little's School....with Amber and Marshall. Marshall's not fond of the Littles part of the title so we're not calling them the Skittles.
Jen leads them through books and learning experiences in learning about the letters and sight words. He's becoming interested in learning to read so I've pulled out my book titled "Learning to Read Using the Book of Mormon" and we're working on sight words--the, and, all, O, I and a. I'll soon add go, do and down.
At the beginning of the school year he only knew the names of about 5 letters. I spent all of last year trying to get him to know their names and the sounds he makes. But it just didn't stick. It sure is sticking this year. He's ready now. He's also begun to show interest in writing. He has a journal that he writes in....the words the, and, and other various letters are showing up in the "stories" he likes to write.
I'm amazed at the questions he asks concerning nature and how things work around him. (I wish I could remember an example of his questions.) He's showing quite an interest in science, just like his big brother did at his age. During Skittle's school a few weeks ago he knocked the sock off of Jen when he understood the concept of ten's and units in numbers (like 23, 14 etc.)
He still fond of dress-up for play, but he's becoming more interested in Legos, blocks, play dough and watercolor painting.
Homeschooling is hard, but I love it. I'm so glad I get to be the one to see him learn and grow in this part of his life. I wouldn't want it any other way!!!
How blessed I am the Lord guided me in this adventure.
We made Lava Lamp like bottles for science a few weeks ago...science is a big deal for him. He loves it!
Cailin's School Update
Cailin has been THRIVING big time with her Classical Conversation's Challenge B class.
I don't think she'd ever claim math a a favorite subject, but she's doing well with it. She loves science and is currently working on a physics related science fair project.....oh my another physics guru in the family. During the first 10 weeks of class she learned about different scientist and their works. Here is a paper she wrote about Michael Faraday which is quite good...and he's quite inspirational too.
Hale, Cailin
Challenge B
Mrs. East
October 3, 2013
The Man Who Changed the World
Perhaps it was his curiosity to know
everything. Perhaps it was his dedication to science and knowledge. Perhaps it
was both. Either way, Michal Faraday was a genius. A British chemist and
physicist, he grew up with a thirst for knowledge that appeared unquenchable.
He was a great scientist. His contributions to society and science were vast.
Michal Faraday was a brilliant, curious genius.
In his childhood, his thirst for
knowledge was poorly met. He was born on September 22nd, 1791 in
south London to a family that could not afford a very good education. Faraday
only received a basic schooling. When he was thirteen he went to work at a book
binder’s shop. Every book he bound he read. Faraday attended four lectures by a
chemist of the name of Humphrey Davy. Eagerly, Faraday wrote to the chemist,
requesting to be his assistant. Davy declined. Though this strongly
disappointed him, he was thrilled when in the next year, Davy requested Faraday
to be his assistant. Obviously the chemist had changed his mind. The excited
young man agreed to assist Humphrey Davy. Faraday was a great questioner in his
youth.
Michal Faraday was a brilliant scientist.
One day, Davy asked Faraday if he would like to adventure on an eighteen month
tour of Europe with Davy and his wife. Faraday accepted, of course. They met
many influential scientists of the age on their travels, much to Faraday’s
excitement. When he had returned home, Faraday continued to assist scientists
with their various experiments and doing some of his own. He wrote and
published several articles on the world’s current views on electricity. He was,
and always had been, extremely interested in electricity, energy, and force. In
1812, while America was fighting bitterly to keep their freedom, he published
his works and research on electromagnetic rotation. In 1826 he founded the
Royal Institution Friday Evening Discourses and the Christmas Lectures. Known
as a great experimenter as well as lecturer, Faraday was becoming more widely
known and more popular. He was definitely a brilliant scientist.
Michal Faraday was very influential on
society and science. He discovered the electromagnetic rotation, the principle
behind the electric motor. In 1831 he discovered electromagnetic induction, the
principle behind the electric transformer and generator. He gave his name,
Faraday, to the ‘farad’, which originally was a unit of electrical charge. It is now a unit of electrical
capacitance. Faraday died on August 25th, 1867. He was a very
influential and admirable scientist.
Michal Faraday showed the world that you
don’t have to be rich to be smart and important in the world’s eyes. In his
childhood he questioned everything. He proved to be apt as a scientist. He
influenced our society and science. He proved to everyone that you don’t have
to be born into a particularly wealthy or special family to be great. He did
what he loved, and he did it fantastically. Michal Faraday changed the world of
science.
Latin was extremely hard for her at first....she wanted to quit it. Thankfully Mrs. East, her tutor and my dear friend, pushed us both to work through this and she did! she buckled down and worked hard....very hard. For one hour each and very day she dutifully worked through her Latin and is now caught up with the rest of the class. On her last test she got a 99%!!!!!!! She's doing fabulous! 
Logic is getting more difficult, but she's working through it too. I've been quizzing her on vocabulary (the most difficult part for her). Between Logic and her Debate class, which right now is researching current event topics and defending a pro or con point of view, she is becoming quite the logical thinker....and debater over my decisions.....hummmm, and to think I'm paying for this. ;)
Logic is getting more difficult, but she's working through it too. I've been quizzing her on vocabulary (the most difficult part for her). Between Logic and her Debate class, which right now is researching current event topics and defending a pro or con point of view, she is becoming quite the logical thinker....and debater over my decisions.....hummmm, and to think I'm paying for this. ;)
Literature is enjoyable. For this class she reads a book one week and the next week she writes about it. Below is a paper she wrote based off one of the books....they were to write what would they like to do in the future and to write about how she plans to accomplish it. Considering the goal of being an actor is quite big in her life I thought I'd share this with our future journal family history keeping books.....
Hale, Cailin
Mrs. East
October 31,
2013
Challenge B
The Art of Acting
What would I, Cailin Elizabeth Hale, wish
to work toward for at least two years? The answer to that question is an acting
career. I would have to take several steps to achieve my goal, but every
worthwhile thing requires hard work. Acting would change my life in ways for
good and for bad. The most important part is my joy for acting and doing it in
the absolute best way I possibly can.
I would work for at least two years on becoming
an actress. I love to act. When you act, you must effectively be someone you
are not. It’s not just playing the person—you have to essentially be them. You must convincingly play
personalities that are not your own. Perhaps they are even opposite from your
own personality. For example—a very bold person might be asked to play a very
shy, quiet character. Acting well takes hard work and a bit of talent. If I had
a choice of what to act in, it would be my absolute favorite show, which is Doctor Who. Doctor Who is a British science fiction show by the British
Broadcasting Corporation, also known as BBC. Granted, to act in this show it
must to still be going in the next seven or eight years. However, BBC has
received massive amounts of praise and money for this brilliant sci-fi show. Many
people love it. It is also nearing its 50th anniversary which will
be on November 23. Based on this evidence, I have concluded that they will most
likely not shut the show down for a while. So if there was something I would (and
will) work for at least two years, it would be becoming an actress.
Despite all this, becoming a
professional actress or actor takes work and talent. Most people can act, perhaps not extremely well, but
few are genuinely talented, are not overly camera shy, and do not have too much
stage fright. Most of the time they must act a lot in their childhood, as this
early introduction to drama, the stage, and audiences staring up at you can
positively affect their adult career. As I am already acting a lot in my youth,
after I become eighteen and go to college, I will probably get an acting major.
Working for an acting degree will not only make me a better actress but it will
also heighten my chances of being chosen for the roles I desire. After I go to
college, providing Doctor Who is
still running, I will go to Great Britain where I will act in Doctor Who. So, becoming a professional
actor or actress takes time and hard work.
Acting would change my life in various
ways. First off, the reason that I wish to act is not for the publicity. It is
for anything but the publicity. I am
going to act for the sheer joy of acting. I would probably become somewhat
famous, as practically anyone who acts on the screen is. That’s simply part of
being an actor or actress. The publicity would honestly just be aggravating and
I probably will not enjoy it. However, my love for acting and drama outweighs
that, so I do not care. I would also have the problem of making sure whatever
I’m acting in is moral and clean. Again, acting is definitely worth it.
Obviously acting would change my life in several ways.
Acting is being someone you are not and
presenting them effectively and convincingly. I love to act. There are several
things one must do to become a professional actor or actress, though.
Continuing on this career path would change my life in many ways. But the joy
of acting outweighs all this. Acting is not just for fun or for money—it is an
art, much like writing or painting well is. It is the art of acting.
I'm so proud of this girl. Last year I worried if she would ever reach her scholar phase and take ownership for her education...to take work through the hard work of leaning and not give up when things got too hard.
She did! and continues to do so.
She's also been working hard to be kinder to Ryan. This is difficult for her, but I love her for wanting to serve our family, Ryan and the Lord is keeping this commandment, to love one another as he has love you.
 |
| Giving a presentation on Michal Faraday at the Brame's for our presentation meeting. |
Now you see them.....Now you Don't
Like this time:
Barry was in our room getting ready for his shift of patrolling, suiting up while listening to music. Brianne heard the music and went as fast as she could to DANCE! She loves to dance. While dancing she must've thought that her glasses were bothersome and started to take them off. Barry gently fussed at her and put them back on. So what did she do? Well she side stepped away from her and slowly took them off (as she thought he couldn't see her, because she was being sneaky by sidestepping away) and then put them behind her back and sidestepped some more to one of his boots and proceeded to stuff them into his boot! There, now you can't see them! What a clever and sneaking girl!!
Mountain Lake's Tree Top Adventures
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Jared and I
Suiting up
Front row: Donavan Wall, Jared Mattson, Garrett Smith, Bryce Turner
Connor's 15 now!!!!!
Jared and I (notice the height difference)
I received for my birthday Euclid's "The Elements", a new violin chin-rest (from Delaney) and eight Reece's cups (from Liam). Cailin gave me some money and about a week later Principia Mathematica (Whitehead's not Newton's)
My delicious cake (above not below).
All About Brianne
The joyous words of
Brianne….After washing her hair, with her completely screaming and unhappy
about the situation, I got her out and dried her off with a towel she said to
me “You Mean momma, you mean!” in her garbled throaty way.
Brianne's no dummy--Yesterday she signed to me, asking for a bowl of cereal (her
favorite food to eat). As I was
preparing it she found the door to the dishwasher was open so she began to look
for a spoon. She pulled out a fork “no” she said and placed it in a different
spot. The next utensil was another fork…same response “no” Then she pulled out
a knife “nope” and then her fourth try
produced a spoon. She smiled and went to
the table to eat asking me to “up”….meaning help her up to the table to
eat. What a bright girl!
Ummm, that was gross....Last night Liam climbed into bed with Barry and I and he said that he'd just thrown up. I didn't smell any odor to verify the verity of this claim and he wasn't feverish so I just cuddled with him and kept sleeping. I do remember asking if he got it in the toilet and he affirmed that yes! he did.
When we woke for the new day he was feeling much better and I found no offending substance to clean up and promptly dismissed said event.
During Sacrament meeting today as Barry was holding Brianne....here I'll just let him tell the story....
As I was holding Bri she began to make a hacking sound, like she had something in her throat.... she did, all she had eaten for breakfast--oatmeal. Almost before we could get a handle on what was happening, she began to throw up. Vicki cupped her hands to catch the 'stuff' and we began a two step with Bri between us, trying not to completely disrupt the meeting and get out to the bathroom before Mount Saint Helen's erupted. By luck we made it. We found a small trash can in a room near the chapel for her to, um, let it all fly in. Then we decided that I would take Bri and Liam home. When we came home both of them rested for about a half an hour, and then off they went running around like nothing in the world was wrong.
Home for Christmas.....maybe!
It's looking pretty darn good that we're going to be in Spokane for Christmas this year....
Going Home for Christmas
Earlier this year, Vicki and I were talking about taking a
family trip. As we talked, we realized that Vicki had not been home for almost
a decade. Vicki has been so patient about going home and seeing her parents and
siblings that time just seems to slide by us and before we know it years have
passed. The more we talked, the more we kicked the idea around of taking a
cross country trip to Washington State, the more real it became to us. I began
to check out the possibility of taking time off of work and school.
We now are not just talking about it; we are planning on
leaving here on the 17th of December and heading back to Vicki’s old
stomping grounds. My friends at work think we are crazy, to travel home by
driving for days with six kids in one vehicle. Yet it reminds me of the first
time I saw the west and experienced the rolling prairie. I well remember the
first time I laid eyes on the Rocky Mountains and the snowcapped mountains of
the Wasatch front. It was an experience
that a young hillbilly from Virginia found exciting and unforgettable. I am
sure the children will too.
To add something special to this more, Vicki’s folks have
just come home from their mission in South Africa. It will be great to see them
again. What a great example Vicki’s family have been to our kids about serving
the Lord the missionary way.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Civil War--End of Unit Field Trip!!!
For the past four weeks we've been reading and learning about the Civil War.
.......here they are four years ago.
Oh my how they have grown!
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