End of Semester for Co-op!

Co-op is over until September! Woo and Woo and Woo and Hooooo!!! We LOVE our co-op and have so many sweet friends there, but we will enjoy having our Fridays off for a few months! We will continue doing our Home-Schoolwork, but our co-op classes are finished until fall!!

Here are a few of the projects the girls made this semester:

From Mad About Mosaics:



From Early Explorers - Christopher Columbus painting and project:

Also from Early Explorers, Cibola - the Lost City of Gold:
From Modern Art Masterpieces:


From Adventures Down Under, echidnas, didgeridoo and boomerang
I will post separately some videos of the End of Semester Program.

What a great semester we had! We're glad for the break!

On our way to LSU!

Padme competes in a gymnastics meet at LSU this weekend. We are making the trip together, with Mema. We are excited to have some Special Time with each other! Pictures and videos to come soon!

Happy Birthday, Angel!

Angel turned eight yesterday! I didn't get the chance to post because we had a BIG PARTY after church. What do you do when your Sweet Child wants a swim party for her birthday in March? Why, go to an indoor aquatic center, of course! This one is complete with indoor splash playground, waterslides, lazy river and whirlpool! Many of Angel's friends came to help her celebrate her special day!

Angel is a sweet girl with a big heart. She loves to have fun, and is always In The Moment! She is not easily ruffled and has such a sweet spirit and tender heart. Everyone wants to be her friend because she's a lot of fun to be around! She is always laughing and smiling, and she makes others want to do the same!

Angel's favorite activity is to ride her bike! She is a great bike rider! She is fearless in every way, very adventurous and not afraid to try Something New. She loves to play outside and would much rather be outside than in. Angel doesn't get attached much to Things, but will play with toys if her sisters are playing with her. She likes the company of others, and knows how to be a good friend. She is very easy-going and easy to please, especially in the Food Department! Angel LOVES to eat and isn't afraid to try new foods. We pretty much expect her to love every meal. We are very blessed to have our little Angel in our family!

Happy Birthday, Dora!

Today my sweet Dora is SEVEN! What do you do when your baby turns seven? Don't answer that...


Dora had a FABULOUS Princess Party. Everyone wore their Princess Gowns and came prepared to get the Full Princess Beauty Treatment! Dora's sisters planned and set up the whole thing, complete with nail station, hair station and make-up station! The Queen-to-Be helped pamper the guests as well!

The Finished Products - Beeeeautiful!! Thanks, Sweet Sisters!

Here the girls are working on their Party Favors. Rather than a bag of junk, I bought these cute Door Hangers at Hobby Lobby, and pre-painted the girls' names on them. They decorated them with jewels and wooden Princess crowns. They turned out so cute!

Here are a few of the finished Door Hangers. Aren't they so precious?

Aah, the Barbie cake. The ultimate Princess Confection.I also bought these plastic champagne flutes at Hobby Lobby, in the Wedding department. They really added a Fancy Schmancy touch to the party, and the girls LOVED them!

Just in case you ever wondered what a half-eaten Barbie cake looks like. And, yes, her legs are wrapped in Saran Wrap.

MY SWEET DORA.....

Dora is a precious little girl, teetering just on the edge of Little Girl and Big Girl. She still says things like, "Valentime" that you just hate to correct, knowing it won't last much longer. She loves to dress up, and she loves to spin. Much like the rest of us, she sings all the time. I love to hear the songs that come from the Joyful Heart of a Child.

Dora loves her big sisters and brother, and looks up to them so much. She sometimes has a hard time being the youngest, as she wants to do great things! Very driven and dedicated, Dora will one day change the world for Christ. She told me at dinner tonight, "I love this dinner, Mama, but I love Jesus more than anything else!" She is learning to love her God with all her heart, soul, mind and strength.

Dora is a gift, a blessing, to our family. We thank the Lord for the gift of training her to follow Him! Happy Birthday, Dora Bear!

Superbowl Commercial

NBC rejected this commercial from its Superbowl lineup. I think it's fantastic.

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day!

"Australia Day, also known as Anniversary Day and Foundation Day[1], is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the unfurling of the British flag at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.[2]" (from Wikipedia)

We aren't Australian, but I am co-teaching a class about Australia this semester, so we are rather immersed in Australia right now. My kids were excited to learn that today was a holiday, and attempted in vain to get out of doing schoolwork for the day. :0)

The picture above is Sydney Harbour. You may recognize the Sydney Opera House, the funny looking building right on the water. It's really an amazing piece of architecture!

You Disney-ites will recognize this harbour from Finding Nemo. You know, they spend most of the movie looking for "P52 Wallaby Way, Sydney." When they get to Sydney, it is in this harbour.

Co-op Starts Tomorrow!

We are so excited! I am teaching Adventures Down Under, a class about Australia, to 1st -3rd graders and then to 4th-6th graders. I am also helping with a gymnastics class and preschool. Here's a list of what the kids are taking:

Baloo:
Auto Maintenance, Flag Football, Dance (Prom Prep), Web Design, Literature: The Hobbit

Padme:
Dance, Mosaics, Mary Englebreit crafts, Performance Ensemble (choir), Volleyball
*Note: She was supposed to take a science - how did I miss that? I generally require the kids to take a P.E. and a science each semester. She is doing Creation Science at home, though, so I guess it's okay. Can you tell this is my artsy kid?

Wendy:
Mosaics, Early Explorers, Schoolyard Games, Lego Creations, Adventures Down Under
*Note: Adventures Down Under counts as a science in my book. I'm teaching it. We're doing lots of science-y stuff.

Lil Yoda:
Mosaics, Dance, Body & Bones, Circus Fitness, Nature Journaling

Angel:
Cartwheels & More, Dance, Modern Works of Art, Lego Creations, March into Spring

Dora:
Cartwheels & More, Dance, Schoolyard Games, Lego Creations, Adventures Down Under

It's going to be a great semester!