I have been dreading this blog post because I know it's going to be a long one. And the longer I put it off, the longer it gets ;) Our August and half of September has been FULL to the brim with all things homeschool, family, and fun! I don't think there is a single day that goes by where I don't stop in my tracks and think I am living the dream. Living life with my babies will always be my favorite thing.
And that is why I've been dreading this post... our life is FULL. So there is so much to share. Enjoy!
Our reading update for August: Isla finished all of the Little House books for the 10th-ish time on audio and I'm thinking she's finally done. She found another little series about a mouse named Sophie that she has also enjoyed. She started the Mercy Watson series back up and loves those audio books, as well. And we started The Green Ember by S.D. Smith for our co-op book club. So far, neither of us are a fan of that one.
I finished The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill for my book club and enjoyed it. I'm currently reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgentstern and Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Laud Montgomery for my book club.
We love reading in our house! I love to reserve books through our library online over the weekend so they are ready by Monday. We make a trip to pick up our new stack of books and the kids always beg me to go inside. They could sit in there for hours and look at books if I let them.
We got a lot of time with grandparents this month! We are so thankful Mimi and Bupa have a house here and that Nana and Pop Pop live so close.
Mid-August, Michael took off for the mountains of Colorado and I was a single parent. We had a good time with a tea party, time with grandparents, and our own little adventures. We even got to facetime daddy from the top of the mountain.
I hosted a summer eve's dinner for my co-op mama friends so we could plan out our year ahead, figure out some logistics for the functioning of our co-op, and do a little show-and-tell of what everyone is doing in their own homes this year. I have said it before, but I really feel like this group was crafted by God. We are likeminded, but different enough for everyone to contribute something of their own. We all have the same goals, even though we do things differently. I just love our group and I'm so grateful for their involvement in my children's education and their future.
We have some really fun things in store this year, including farm tours, craft days, Thanksgiving dinner, field trips, and so much more!
August was slow for our group as most people were wrapping up their summer with travelling and getting ready for the new year. We had a floral arrangement event at Amma's facility where one of the mamas brought flowers from her yard to turn into bouquets with the residents. We also had our last Pioneer Day. The kids made apple pies over the fire, played tug-of-war, and got to try out a real inkle loom! One of the mamas even brought her fiddle along as we all ate potluck lunch from that time period.
September co-op, so far, has been a playdate at the park and apple day at a friend's house!
The biggest and most exciting thing in August is our big boy's birthday! Ewan turned 3, somehow, someway. That sweet boy loves all things that go! So we celebrated him with a truck birthday and a trip to our town's tiny amusement park for his first birthday celebration. He was showered with gifts from his Great Grandma June and Mimi and Bupa. Following that he had requested chocolate cake and purple icecream. After hunting high and low, I did find blueberry cheesecake icecream that was purple! He loved his special day. I can't believe he's 3! He's such a silly little ham, but empathetic and sweet. I love his snuggles the most.
For his second birthday celebration, we headed to a dairy farm 2 hours away for a quick getaway with the Ready side. Their little cousin, Easton, is exactly one week older than Ewan. So we thought it would be easier to celebrate their birthdays with a trip! It was a lot of fun. We got to stay in a hotel, check out the dairy farm (with 3,000+ cows!), play, and swim. I think we should make it an annual tradition to take a mini trip for the boys's birthday.
The rest of August (and still in September) was spent in the garden, harvesting millions of tomatoes and pumpkins! I even tried my hand at canning, after being coached by a friend. I'm looking forward to next year's garden to hone in on my homesteading skills :) We even found a garden toad this year!
We officially started school back up shortly after Labor Day. Isla was beyond excited to jump back into formal learning. I'll do a whole post on our start of school, but here was Isla on her first day :)
Isla started her horse back riding back up at a new stable. We like this place and decided to sign up for lessons the rest of the semester. That girl loves horses and Ewan loves the "catties" (kitten and cat?) at the farm.
Of course, it wouldn't be the start of fall without our first round of sickness. It started with Eleanor and like clockwork, every other day a new person had a fever, chills, and aches. I was the last to get it with a sinus headache too :( Following that we all had a terrible cough and now we are on to runny noses. And so it begins.
Something happens to me at the start of September, I get the baking bug and I just can't stop. I think we have baked something every day since September 1st. And the kids are always eager to lick the spoon help in the kitchen.
One of the most exciting things for us has been purchasing a season pass to the local pumpkin patch. They have so many fun games, a petting zoo, treats, corn kernel bins to climb in, slides, and even a little tractor train (where Ewan spends a majority of his time). We have gone several times and plan on going all season long!
I don't sign us up for many classes or organized things because it goes against a lot of what I believe is good and right for young children. We did, however, sign up for an art class at a new art station place in town. The kids LOVED it and Isla said she *might* be interested in taking a class there even if I can't go with her... which is a big step for her.
And our latest adventure was with some of our co-op friends to Lincoln's New Salem. It was a culmination field trip for all the pioneer learning we have done over the last 4 months. New Salem is a replica village of Abraham Lincoln's town in which he lived in his twenties. Abraham Lincoln and Laura Ingalls are from the same time period. In fact, he was assassinated the same year Mary Ingalls was born. The kids (mostly Isla) enjoyed learning some more from the pioneer times!
August and September have been so full. I'm incredibly grateful for this life.
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