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Thursday, August 30, 2007

You've got to watch your head around here...



Here's a picture I got the other night of Robin Hood and his merry "men", and Maid Marian with the crown and her thumb in her mouth ;-). We're studying the Middle Ages right now and so Kev's been reading a book about the legends of Robin Hood for fun. Then they all got out their hats from Nonie, and made bows and arrows out of sticks from the back yard and rubber bands, and TA-DA! hours of entertainment. I guess a GameBoy would make less noise and less mess, but I don't think I want to trade 8)!

So our SECOND first day of Classical Conversations went off without a hitch. Everyone loves to pull out their backpacks and get their snacks, etc. Homeschooling is great, but there is something about all that kind of stuff that kids love - the pomp and circumstance of "going" to school. I'm glad we can do that in a small way.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Out with the old - a losing battle

Here's a pic of the girls with their new animals. You know, there are all kinds of sacrifices you make as a mom. One of them is not just saying "No thanks!" whenever people offer to give your kids MORE toys - actually considering whether your kids would enjoy them enough to make it worthwhile. To often I just know that I don't feel like stepping over it, cleaning it up, whatever.
So, some folks in our church offered our girls these "Fur Real" animals (Dog and Panda) since their daughter had outgrown them (thankfully, through email so I at least had the option of turning them down :-D). And, even though images of the recent attic cleanup are still dancing in my head, I agreed to take them in.
The girls are loving their little pets - they make noises and the dog walks, but they don't shed, need to be fed or let out, and so for a few days the pleas for a "real" dog have subsided! And hey, maybe when the batteries die, we'll pass them off to someone else (insert maniacal laughter here)! Just Kidding! I think...;-)

Monday, August 27, 2007

Enter baby food, exit pull-ups (we hope)!



I have finally started Seth on baby food. It always takes me several days of mental prep before I begin the baby food thing. But he's so active! and when he starts waking up at 5:45, and in general being more fussy, and starts sucking on his TOES!!! it's obvious the poor child needs more substantial sustenance. Not to mention he's almost 8 months old and has been trying to grab my food off my fork for while now.
I know there are a million pics of kids all over the world with their underwear on their head, but it's a mile marker in a way. Bonnie has finally gone to "big girl" panties - only keeping the pull ups for Sudays. Maybe the transition has been hastened by the fact that her "big girl" panties have flowers and the pull ups were blue with Buzz Lightyear on them (thanks, Auntie Joy!). Another high standard crumbles... :-D!!!

One week down (not sure how many to go...35? something like that!)


So we finished our first week! I realize I still have more planning to do - we're now adding in Classical Conversations every Thurs. morning and piano lessons for the boys on Tues.

The first three days went really well, but we ended our week with a sigh. I woke up Thurs morning all psyched up for our first day of CC! I had all my plans for my class together, all the kids clothes laid out, lunch packed, etc,etc,etc. But disaster struck!

Scott (at about 7:00 a.m.): "Do you have a Plan B?"

Julie: "Whatever do you mean?"

Scott: "I think Nathan has a fever, and he says his throat hurts."

You can imagine my chagrin - the first day of the year - at 7 in the morning - what to do?!?

All of the other kids had gotten this little bug and I thought we were over it, but you never know about germs, do you. So, I called up the dear friend who is our substitute tutor and had to enlist her services on the very first day of class.

Kevin and Ellie still went to their classes, and Nathan, Bonnie, Seth and I hung out and read books at home. And school with a sickie in the house is always a little...maybe "laid back" is the proper term. Thus ended the week!

It was stille great to start to get back in the fall groove. Now if we could have some cool weather to go with it!
Oh - the above photo is the entire student body of Coram Deo Christian Academy. Look like a promising bunch, don't they?!?

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

One of my new favorites!

: E-MEALZ EASY AND DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPES

I just signed up for this a few days ago and it's already great - saved time, money, and brainpower!!! It saves a LOT of time in planning meals, and keeps you out of the "rut" that I've been in. Not every meal is something we would necessarily use, but we have some "standby" meals that we would all hate to see go, so I just fill in the gaps with those (like on Sundays, and/or with company).

Monday, August 20, 2007

True Confessions of a (budding) male gymnast




Here are a few shots of Seth I took the other day as he was trying to do cartwheels on the kitchen floor. Barely seven months old and already quite the active sort. We think he wants to be a gymnast when he "grows up" - he hasn't SAID that exactly, but we're trying to read the signs 8-). But posting this picture also shows that I've once again done one of those things I said I'd never do (many young and foolish years ago), let my kids play in their diaper. I think I probably gave in a kid or two ago, but this post is concrete proof!

Today was our first day of school...Sigh. The five ring circus has officially begun!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Attic Excavation


OK so today I decided to clean out our attic, or at least organize it. School is starting for ALL of the Davenports next week and the house is not as it should be. I've realized that major organizing "operations" must generally wait till a school break to get accomplished. And, as I continue to maintain, school begins next week so I am running short on TIME.

When I told a few of my friends here what I was going to do they looked ludicrous - "You're supposed to do that in February!" I'd rather have done it in February, honestly. But last Feb. Seth was one month old, and next Feb. will be too late!

So it had to be today. I have not sweated so much since I ran cross country. I was DRIPPING. And the children pretty much did as they pleased all over the house, so by the time I was finished, the rest of the house was a disaster. But, I had a LARGE pile to go to Goodwill (having learned a garage sale lesson recently from a friend), and a Large pile to throw away. And when it's time to change the clothes come cold weather, or pull out the Christmas stuff, we'll actually be able to. Imagine that! All in all, a good days work.

It was hard for Kevin, especially, to see some of our extra goods head out the door. He's got a bright idea for how every extraneous belonging could be put to some use! Well, they'll be put to use all right, just not in our house 8-)!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

HELP! I've crawled in and I can't crawl out!!!



Seth is now very mobile. I think I'm still in a little bit of denial. I often leave him on the floor in the toy room to play and forget he's there while I go off to make lunch, etc. A new, but now regular occurence is for one of the other children to come rushing in with the cry that "Seth needs you, Mom!". Here's what I found yesterday!

Poor guy, he'd crawled into the bottom of the exersaucer to retrieve a toy, but he couldn't figure out how to get out again. Very traumatic for him, but I had to capture it on digital (since you can't say film anymore)!

And here's just a cute picture of Ellie belle (can't figure out how to turn it - sorry!), since she got left out of my last post by accident...

another week flies by!








Weeeelllll, it's been quite a week here on the Davenport home front. Bug collections, princess birthday parties, dart wars, and a baby crawling in the midst of it all were just a few of the highlights! Even though each day is busy and often CRAZY I want to enjoy each one. I'll try to post some pics of our week to show you what we've been up to.



Kevin and Nathan each have an insect pet in a jar that lives on our kitchen table - except during meals, I mean, I have to draw the line somewhere. Kevin has a praying mantis and Nathan has a ladybug. They are out early each morning catching bugs for their little guys to eat for breakfast (cause it's easier to catch bugs early in the morning, or so I'm told). Nathan even took his to church on Wed. night and one of the toddlers let it escape. He was completely broken up! But Super Dad found it (whew!) and even took the boys to get some fly paper to help them in their feeding responsibilities. What is fly paper, exactly? Not sure I want to know!



Ellie and Bonnie have been busy wavering between two extremes. One minute they're wearing the boys dart war stuff, the next they have on feather boas and high heels and are off to a princess birthday party. They are like couple of curly blond puppies, always (well almost) happy and underfoot 8-)!



Seth is crawling really well now - has been for a few weeks. Just tonight he pulled up on the bottom stair, and so I am officially a lot busier than I was yesterday. It's weird to have to worry about little stuff on the floor, etc. again. I guess each time there's more people to leave little things lying around. And two-year-olds don't seem really conscious of things like that!



I'm still trying to get ready for the next school year.



You know, each day is so full already, I'm wondering where we're going to fit school, much less my finding time to organize school! Oh well, we don't start for another week, I've got plenty of time! 8-)



Seriously though, I've been able to talk to some of my dear friends here at church who are a little farther down the road than I am, and it's been so helpful! It's a blessing not to have to always start from scratch as you try to fulfill all your responsibilities. "What did you do about......." a million different things, from schedules to Latin to occupying preschoolers while you school your schoolers, to not losing sight of your REAL priorities. Titus 2, I guess!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Off my chest



Before we begin the onslaught of fall activities, I thought I'd update all on our summer trip - before the amount of new material drives it from my mind, more like 8-)!
We had a lovely time with the Cummings, our dear family friends in Gurley, AL. Their place was incredible - beautiful view, mountian to hike, pool, dirt, animals, friends, sweet fellowship - everything that you need for a great visit for adults and children alike!
Then we were off to Chattanooga for a visit with Steve and Lesley and their girls (thanks again, y'all!), and to attend Jacob and Lindsey Skogen's wedding. We had lots of fun with S&L - the cousins had a blast together. Maybe they've recovered by now - it's been, what, three weeks?!?

Jake and Lindsey's wedding was one of the most beautiful I've ever been to. Everything was perfect - and Lindsey seemed to feel well and she looked georgeous. It was a great time of celebration and rejoicing, even in the midst of all they've been through, and are going through. We enjoyed reuniting with all our old friends from Lookout Mtn. It's been over two years since we were there, and um, just a few things/people have changed!

Our last stop was Great Gee's condo in Charleston where we enjoyed a week of the beach, the pool, the waterpark, and the beach again, with a little excursion to the Battery Park thrown in. We all had much fun, and spent many hours applying sunscreen to many people 8-)! The picture in my first post was in Gee's living room. Connect Four was the game of choice for our holiday.
School begins on August 22 - I have finally decided when we're going to take the plunge (at least, I THINK I've decided...). Our Classical Conversations group (hereafter CC) starts up the 23, so we don't have much choice. I'm trying to get my school ducks in a row as well as going through the throes of schedule making - seems to be a part time job these days! And part of my new schedule is to get to bed at a decent time (of course). And so, good night!
PS -Excuse the horrible layout - still trying to figure all this out!

going through an introspective stage late in life

Click to view my Personality Profile page
So, I should've been a movie star instead of a mother???? Or maybe gone into marketing???? It seems to be the thing to put your personality on your blogsite (in my recent experience, at least) and it is interesting...Hard to answer some of those questions - haven't really thought much about what kind of person I am (aren't you supposed to do that as a teen?), and sometimes it was hard to answer what you actually are, as opposed to what you wish you were. I guess it must be my personality ;-)!
Maybe I should get all my kiddos to take the test - the latest parenting technique! I mean, I certainly don't always understand why they do what they do...

Monday, August 6, 2007

A new way to keep in touch - how hard can it be?!?


Well, after being behind the technology curve for the past, say, nine years (give or take...) I'm trying to catch up. Actually, it's purely a stab at some more efficiency in my life! I figure it'll be easier to keep up with folks and share pics of the kiddos etc. without spending hours (OK, so many hours) on the phone! We'll see how it goes ;-)...