Mr. Popper's Penguins

Awhile back I found an adorable pattern to make a penguin. I decided that I wanted to give it a try and I had the perfect excuse. My friend has a daughter who just turned one. Perfect! I've had the pattern cut out for awhile, but hadn't had time to sew it up yet. So, last night my sister and I both grabbed needles and rocked the penguin out. I can't wait to give it to Joy today at church!

Sisters Are A Blessing!

I am so happy my sister, Stephanie, is here for a visit! I absolutely loved the help she gave me today.

No, seriously! She was an awesome help. She helped me with the dishes and clean up after meals and kept the kids entertained for quite awhile, as well. The most important thing she did for me, though, was to lift my spirits. Sometimes, life just gets in the way and you need a pick-me-up. Stephanie was that pick-me-up today. :)

While she took a nap (she drove over night to get here) I had the motivation (that's been lacking for awhile) to actually do some FUN learning with the kids. Grace worked on writing her "G's" and a few other letters the correct way on a rice tray. Libby enjoyed helping her out, too.

I couldn't leave John out of the fun, so I put a sensory bin (go to http://www.playcreateexplore.com/ for fun ideas of more sensory bins)of rice out for him, also.

After Grace worked with her letters, she had fun just doing some art in the rice. It was just a great day all around!

I am so thankful for my sister!!!

Some Discipline Method!

After trying to corral John while I was making cookies and doing Valentine's with the girls and trying to clean the kitchen, I gave up. I told him he was going to his crib for awhile and if he wanted out he could crawl out himself. OOPS! About five minutes later I heard Libby screaming frantically for me...and THIS is what I found!

Guess he crawled out alright! Next?

Three cRaZy Kids!

Pretty sure this post explains itself. ;)

It's Party Time!

So, how does one end up having nine crazy kiddos running around their house on a lovely Saturday afternoon?

Well, you start with one excited little monkey...
Then, two little sweeties (do you like how Grace's pinky is tucked under her apron yet she has no other clothes on?) cut out some yummy hearts.

Just a fun shot!

Bake the cookies so they are ready for icing.

Send some invitations out and have some friends over.
More friends!

Enjoy a game (ok...or experiment and find out what needs to be done to make it a tad bit simpler). ;)

Have fun with a craft that involves paint and just ENJOY yourself!
Yes, we did have fun. Libby wanted to have a party and I decided it might be a good lesson for her to learn how to be a good hostess. She wrote all the invitations herself and helped bake the cookies and clean. She was a great hostess and we all had fun!

Daddy's Boy

Can you tell daddy dressed John today? :) Isn't he so stinkin' adorable? Now, if only we could get him to SMILE!!!

What Do You Sphinx?

Libby has enjoyed learning about Egypt this year, but after awhile our curriculum got a bit dull. So, I decided to branch out on my own and do some of the things that I thought a six-year old should know about. One of those things was the sphinx, so we looked it up online and read about it and then put a 3-D puzzle together.

I was honestly quite happy with the way things worked out. We just finished reading a book called "Boy of the Pyramids" and in the book he meets Khufu, the Pharaoh. Come to find out, the sphinx guards the entrance to the pyramid of Khufu's son, Khafre. Libby was so excited to hear a name she recognized and can give you both names, although she has to think a bit about Khafre's name. :)

I LOVE homeschooling (most days).

Apparently...

I need to get my camera out a little more often. This is the last picture I have of any of my children. Albeit, it is only a week old, but you probably think I don't have daughters anymore.

Anyway, it has been a busy couple of weeks (I'm sure you're thinking, "When isn't it?"). We have been getting back in the swing of things with school and dealing with attitudes (mostly mommy's) and being reminded to look for the joy in life instead of concentrating on the frustrating little things that seem to pile up too high if you let them.

On that note, I have a cool post I will share with you later (after I take pics, of course) and another post, for you momma's, that really helped me to put some things into perspective. Hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Habit?

All of my readers know that I am a reader. I almost always have my nose in a good book. I'm sure my fellow readers already know this, but it is totally a trait that you are born with. I always have been a reader, and probably always will be. :)

Pinky

Way back when Libby was a little girl, we started calling her pretty pink blanket "pinky". Grace was born and she also recieved her very own "pinky". When John was born, he inherited momma's bear blanket. I have always called it his blanket...nothing else. Alas, as he has heard his sisters call their blankets "pinky" over and over and over, his blanket has received the name "Pinky" anyway. It is rather cute to hear him call "bee-chee" when he desires his blanket, so I guess we'll let it stick. :)

Speaking of "pink"...see John's pretty nails? Oh yeah! He totally did that himeself.