Happy 40th Birthday to My Little Sister Reenie!!!!

Happy 40th birthday Reenie!

Welcome to "the old side!"

I love you and I'm so blessed to have you as my sister!

Can't wait for the next 40 years of adventures.

 

 

 

 

Birding at the Zoo

We headed to the zoo on a cold, windy, rainy day for our last class of the school year.... "Let's Go Birding." As always, it was wonderfully planned and presented. We had a great time.



"Guess Which Bird" Game

Bird Bingo

Visiting Animal --- Screech Owl

Heading Out to Find Some Birds
Who knew there were SO many birds at the zoo?

Visiting the Aviary

In addition to the great class, we received several bird guides and some cool binoculars to take home! I very highly recommend the homeschool classes at the "Columbus*Zoo."

Cub Scout Physical Fitness Day

On the evening of April 15th --- as Jon was wrapping up tax season, I got to take the boys to a physical fitness challenge with their Cub Scout pack. Each den went around a circuit completing challenges and earning points. It was quite a workout... and lots of fun.

 

 

Adam trying to do some push ups... so hard!

Poor Adam had some "technical difficulties."
He lost a shoe during this race.

And the boy charged with holding his feet for sit-ups.... didn't.

Ray preparing for a race.

Both boys did really well with the jumping jacks.
They get LOTS of practice at Karate class.

Adam doing the long jump.

Ray and his friend "J."
They were talking and discovered they have the same birthday.
We moms discovered we gave birth on the same day at the same hospital just a few hours apart!

At the end of the evening Ray was THRILLED to win a prize!

He placed third in his den and received a ribbon!

Jon and I continue to be thrilled by the activities and lessons our boys are getting through Cub Scouts. Both boys will attend scout day camp in June.

Speech Meet

Wow.... life sure has been busy! I was reminiscing and laughing with a friend today. When we first met -- five years ago --- we had little ones and the days seemed to drag by. We planned lots of play dates just so we could get together for adult conversation. And now the days are so busy and full and it's hard to find time to visit.

Blogging time has been hard to come by lately as well.  There's a lot to catch up on, starting with a fun event we participated in last weekend.

We gathered with several other homeschool families for a "speech meet." Children of all ages (as young as four) recited poetry and short scenes they had memorized. It was impressive! This was a great opportunity for these homeschoolers to stand up in front of a group and speak. And it was so nice to have it at a time when the dads could attend as well.

 

Jon and I were very proud of our boys. They both stood up confidently, spoke clearly and loudly, and remembered their poems. I videotaped their performances, but the recording didn't turn out well. So I re-taped them at home.... sideways. Sigh. So, tilt your head and take a listen. ;)

 

 

After the speeches, we all enjoyed some lovely treats. Each child received a beautiful poem book as a prize.

 

The Speech Meet was a great success! The boys are already talking about the pieces they want to prepare for next year!

"Spring" Soccer

I'm so sorry to break this news to my fellow Central-Ohioans.... but the next five Saturdays are likely to be cold, windy, and/or rainy. Why? Because it's Spring soccer season! ;) We "kicked off" the season on this blustery cold morning!

 

 

 

Today's match-up: The Flyers (us -- in red) vs. The Cougars (in blue)

It was a pretty good game. The kids have played together for a few years now and are improving.

Ray taking the ball down the field.

 Adam was the goalie during the second half. He blocked several goal attempts and didn't let any through!

Adam kicking the ball out of the goal box.

I'm happy to report that the Flyers have maintained their undefeated record from the Fall! They won (1-0)!

Enjoying post-game snacks!

Remember this awesome Christmas gift I received from my Mother-in-Law?

 

 

I'm sure it's about to see some action in the coming weeks on the soccer field! Bring on the wind, rain, sun, whatever.... I've got my "throne" and I'm not afraid to use it!