You just need a laugh today...

I have been sorting photos on my computer in anticipation of the yearly photo calendar for the grandparents and ran across these taken in June. I laughed pretty hard myself and could not resist sharing them with you in case you have had a rough week and just need to smile:) I could not quite decide what to call her, "Beach Cowgirl", "Summer Princess", or I guess "Diva" pretty much sums it all up, hugh?
And if she is not already mad at me for posting these (or will be someday), I don't even have to ask you what it looks like she is doing in this last pic. This one is especially to make her Oompa laugh... and we all know Oomps loves a good laugh!

And yes, those are Princess band-aids on both of her knees!

Life Lessons 101

So, one day Mommy got frustrated because the lesson plan called for us to make a 6 foot tall triangle that contained 1000 tiny triangles all glued onto 100 medium triangles, glued onto 10 large triangles, glued into the 6 foot tall "magnificat". Usually I look at the lesson plans the night before so I am prepared, but on this particular day I had not. We were not about to spend our entire day cutting and gluing. So, in my inner frustration I looked outside at the car and went Ah-Ha! Change of plans... what is more important in life, that you can glue a whole bunch of triangles together, or that you know how to clean the grub off your car? (Plus it saved me 6 to 8 dollars at the car-wash!)The girls had a total blast getting dirty, soapy and wet. And it happened to start raining while they were scrubbing which led to incredible laughter and giggling. By the end of the project we were all soaked to the bone and made a few memories that I hope they won't ever forget:)

Wigwams and Tee-Pees

Here's one of our latest projects for school. We have been studying early American History and the Native Americans. First we tore up bits of paper to make wigwams...
Then the girls pained designs for their tee-pees. I'd say they did a great job. Teacher says A+!

Sorting and Sewing...

Today we are doing home school inside the house since it is so cold and the three season porch (our school room) is very chilly! So, Emelia and I are in the dining room trying to get work done. Hannah found these magnets that have not been played with for awhile. The funniest thing is that all I suggested to her was to put them on the fridge. This is how she put them on. Can you tell who is my orderly child that used to line up her peas in a row on her high chair? When she said, Mommy, look at what I did, I looked at the fridge and had to laugh. Yep, sweet Hannah will do a great job of keeping Mommy and Emelia in line as we embark on this homeschooling journey!
And look at what my horse enthusiast made last week! We are going to go horse camping with friends this weekend and it can get very chilly in October in a small tent. Emelia picked out two fleece fabrics and Mommy helped her to learn how to sew them together to make a nice snuggly blanket:) She did a great job and I am so proud of her! Now the only thing left to do is figure out how Mommy can avoid being bucked off the horse... (A story for a later time!)

Two Sweeties...

Here are the two sweeties that I mentioned in the post below. This is on the first day of Homeschool. Will post more soon (hopefully!)

Arboretum With My Best Buddy...

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending the day with my best buddy at the Arboretum, enjoying all the beauty of this outdoor garden. Here's a couple shots of a few of my favorite things... pine cones and roses!

I've Fallen Off The Truck...

Well, not really, but I sort of feel like I have. You see, just three weeks ago the Wests started a new journey in to the world of Homeschooling. Angela has now become a full time teacher as well as Mommy, Wife and various other titles. I should clarify the falling off the truck statement. In these short three weeks so many amazing things have begun to happen. Many things are falling by the wayside (the falling off the truck part) like blogging, laundry, dishes, shopping for groceries, making dinners... You get the picture. But the actual process of Homeschooling is going awesome. I was excited and nervous about this new adventure, but in just a few short weeks He has confirmed that this is the right choice for our family at this time. It has been wonderful for my relationship with Emelia. As many of you know we endured quite the moldy nightmare in Iowa with our house. One thing that has always saddened me is that Emelia had to put up with a lot while we dealt with many issues. It was hard to fully be all that I desired to be for her when we were trying to fix and replace walls, etc. Of course she is a trooper and did not complain, but I did not have the time to spend with her that I desired to.

So fast forward a couple of years and here we are in MN and Emelia is going to a wonderful Christian school not far from where we live. But then we discovered quickly that her bus rides were quite long and she was on the bus 2-3 hours a day. She was having to be woken up at 5:30 in the morning, didn't get home until sometimes close to 4pm and needed to be in bed by 7pm. Which still was not getting enough sleep and it made for an unhappy child in the evenings as she was sooo tired. So we started thinking and praying about the home school option and God just seemed to open wide the doors and usher us in to this new world.

In the past three weeks I have seen such a peaceful happy child. So much has improved just by us all being able to get a good nights sleep. I am discovering that there is much that I must lay aside to properly perform my new duties as teacher, but I am happy to do this. I only wish I would have stopped my life even sooner for these two precious gifts we have been given. I am seeing how short a time we have to teach our children and how quickly they are growing and will want to spread their wings to fly. Well, anyways I know I am rambling and I don't want any of you to feel that I am judging you for choosing another schooling option for your child, but I am just wanting to praise my Father for opening up my eyes to the needs of our two sweeties. (And by the way Hannah is having a blast doing preschool with Mommy too. If she wasn't so young I'd say she was ready for kindergarten this year!)

So, If I am not too great at calling you or emailing you back or doing something I promised to get done for you, please don't take it personally. I feel as though I am birthing something new in my life and am a bit forgetful of other things that may or may not need to get done. Hopefully I can figure out how to get groceries and do some cooking soon so my hubby doesn't starve:)

And if I happen to find another spare moment soon I will try to post some pics from the first day of our school! I've had to make a personal bedtime for my self of 12pm. Which is super late for some of you, but for me the night owl, this can be difficult! As you can see I am cutting it pretty close to my curfew! Sweet dreams all!