My Three Children and Me

Summer birthdays!

It was hot outside, but I was just thinking of a photo with my children... after all the running around inside ;-)


Here is the same balloon with an indoor's smile from Gregory (since no summer sun is blaring down)!

Pizza as a Treat

Looks like David is doing a magic trick with an audience!



The magic trick was how they ate up pizza! (Oh, yes, we got to help too--parents know magic too, you know!) Coming here is a rarity, so it'll be remembered!

Later all went around and played on some games, including Bob the Builder's Scoop, a train engine, and a firetruck, played in the playground area.



Last time we were at Chuck E. Cheese was in January for Katherine's birthday. 

David's Gift

We went out today to spend the birthday money from Grandma! For David, we got a Lego table. His siblings are "helping" use it. He was taking his nap at this time and the older ones checked out the present! ( I really like how the Legos all fit in at the bottom and make for straight-forward cleanup.)

Microscope for his birthday!

I told Gregory when he was three that he could get a microscope when he got bigger.

So, for his fourth birthday, thanks to birthday money from Grandma Margie and Aunt Emma, we got him a "laboratory." It is a Little Tykes microscope set with a beaker, test tube, tweezers, a place for caught bugs, and prepared slides, as well as one (the yellow one) which has a place to made one's own "slides" to look at thing under the microscope.


Gregory saw how red sugar crystals dissolve in the water (of the test tube).

A Car and a Badge for Gregory

Gregory got a model of a Mercedes-Benz for his birthday. He really likes that the doors and hood open! (And it has a moon roof.) It's his first car with doors that open.

More importantly, here you see his badge that he has been named "Space Ranger of the Year."

He is wearing it proudly--it came in a very cool card from his Grandparents :-) (Thank you so much!) He had a lot of fun explaining what it was and I made a small ceremony to pin it on him :-)

Visiting a Birthday Boy!

Emma had called last week to say she wanted to come visit. What a nice surprise!


We were waiting for her.



A hug and general rejoicing when Aunt Emma arrived...



Emma brought family birthday cards and soon the mantelpiece was filled up!



Banana/dried apricot bread came out of the oven, we all had some, and later sent some along to Lisa with Emma when she continued on to Chicago. It was a little way of "being there" with Lisa and family ;-)

The children were all excited about the DVD presents--and ate their bread watching "Chip and Dale"! (They hadn't heard of the chipmunks before and really enjoyed this classic.)

David was very expressive. The movie had us all laughing a lot--simple, cute humor. I love watching the children getting a joke ;-)

It was a good visit!

Emma joins in the celebration

Celebrating for Gregory's birthday--with brats cooked on the grill with horseradish that had a surprising kick...
with the birthday cake and singing after that :-)

A Nice Peoria Landmark

On a walk at Bradley Park by the bridge we like to cross a lot (and play Pooh Sticks on)! 

Caught in the act of building ;-)

Gregory started in earnest with the Legos after we had done the erector set.

And I began in earnest with the erector set (as in, I invested in it) when I saw him first interested in Legos.  

Catching the "Reading Bug"!

Not quite ready to read himself to sleep, but he was settling into the covers after a day of activity. I caught him in the act of "reading!" 

Investigator by day...

...and you'd have to ask her to find out what she discovered! 

Investigator by night!

David was racing around trying to imitate his siblings and catch a lightening bug. In the end, he looked at their catch with greater interest than they showed! 

Crane by Gregory :-)

Gregory with a "creation" from the erector set!

He chose it himself from the 24 projects we have directions for making. By the time we finish those all up, we'll have ideas for more, I'd say!

He was so eager to make it that I had to stop everything I was doing to help him! We did it in three installments, so I could help and keep everything else running.

It was a lot more fun than I had thought it would be. We need to do another, only then, we'd need to tear this one down... 

Ready for Takeoff!

This "rocket" glides and one needs to hold on. She didn't like it before but now does it.

I love all the trees in the background. Peoria is having a record breaking summer: last summer the highs didn't get into the 100's, yet this month we have already had eight days of 100's. Shade and water are now greatly valued by all of us!



Here is Daddy giving the example. He got a good workout too :-)

Seal Sand...

David Joseph was putting sand carefully on a seal. He asked here (with a wave of his hand) to please not be interrupted.Later, he ran and ran all over the park, up to the slides, down a ladder (Steven didn't know David could do that!), down a ramp, over to the swings, into the sand. The amount of sand collected in the hair was astounding :-)  

Mommy jewels!

Can't you just see the energy in them--with maybe a trace of tiredness in me!

I happily asked for a picture with the two who would slow down enough for a photo :-) I don't often get photos with myself in them.

It was a fun evening at the park--we met up with some homeschooling friends by accident (a mother and her seven children).  

A Lamb of God

Katherine was smiling so much that I asked her to let me capture that smile!
She agreed, in between the horsey back rides on me, trouncing around the park with her extending her arms out--"I'm flying!" :-)  

Father's Day!

Steven on Father's Day (David J asleep) with his two happy children. 

Written in clay letters...

Gregory has been practicing his name. He is more active than Katherine, so I don't leave him with a pen and notebook as much. I've added in making letters with magnets, clay, sticks. Lately we began a math course having him go outside and collect some rocks himself and then count out piles and add them, moving the rocks around. I love the pride in his eyes! 

Working the Cards!

David Joseph got in on the action! He wanted to do some "homeschool" too, so I had him practicing matching Disney characters. It turned into just seeing about getting them right side up! I can see where they are "at" developmentally and then adjust for that, filling in gaps, bridging concepts together with a third. It helps that I know the foundation they have and can build on that.