2/3 of the Way!

And just like that, we blinked and the school year was 2/3 of the way done.

WHAT?!? Per usual, the school year is flying by.

Things are still going smoothly. We have stepped back from a lot of activities, and that has been really nice. I switched up their spelling program, we are doing Spelling Power now, but other than that I still love our curriculum.

In fact, I was a little bit stressed over our writing curriculum for next year because I LOVE the writing program they are on, but they aren't quite ready to move on to the next level. Turns out, they aren't supposed to move on to the next level yet, and instead are supposed to do enrichment levels. I know that sounds confusing, but is beyond perfect. Why? Because there is a program for 4-6 graders based on Fables, and a program for 6-8 graders based on US History. Claire LOVES fables (they are easily her favorite), so she will do that, and we are continuing our study of US History, so Audra will do that. Phew! Both of these programs will reinforce what they have learned this year- it's exactly what I wanted. Stress gone.

It's fun to see the end of the year in sight- even though so much of what we do actually goes on year-round (shh- don't tell the girls!). I can't believe next year will be our FIFTH year home schooling! Doesn't that mean I should have this whole thing figured out? HA!

I told one woman we home schooled, and she said, "Oh, that requires diligence and consistency." I thought to myself- "that is the perfect way to describe home school!" So many people say, "oh, you must have a lot of patience." What a joke! That is not the case at all. If this required patience, none of us moms would do it. But, we are diligent and we are consistent. And I really am seeing it pay off.

Now for a couple fun pictures.

Here's Claire doing some pictionary science:

And, I had to throw this in. Camille is studying habitats in Kindie and needed to dress like an animal, and thankfully she got rabbit since we already have a rabbit costume. She looked so cute!

Valentine's Fondue

I decided to keep up the fondue tradition. Once again, it was a huge hit! We really should have fondue more often. I made cheese and then chocolate fondue.

For the main course, instead of pizza I went with salmon this year- a much better choice.

Meeting An Apostle

Last night while at the adult session of Stake Conference while Ben and the girls were at the dance, they announced that Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles happened to be in town on personal business and would be presiding at our stake conference in the morning.

I told Ben that I wanted to be early and get there at 9:30. He wasn't ready, so I took the girls and went to get seats. Even by being there 30 minutes late, we were 3/4 of the way back in the cultural hall.

But then, I looked over, and there was Elder Stevenson!

He came through the back and was working his way up to the front, shaking hands with kids in particular on his way up. I quickly grabbed the girls to go shake his hand. They went over, with me right behind them, and we shook his hand. Except for Camille who "wasn't noticed." And, of course, Ben who missed all of it.

It was really special to be in the room with Elder Stevenson, to hear him bear testimony of the Savior, and to shake his hand.

The main message of his talk: That Satan is trying to deceive us so that we don't follow the Savior and choose wickedness instead. It was a fabulous talk!

He told two stories for the kids: 1. About his 5 year old son who tried to paint their black labrodar white to turn it into a dalmation like on 101 Dalmations.

Story 2: They were visiting their great uncle in a wooded area. Their 2 kids wanted to go out side and play, but were warned about seeing skunks. When they got back, Elder Stevenson asked if they saw any skunks. The boys said no, but that they saw a black kitty with a white stripe.

Moral of the stories: Satan is trying to deceive us by telling us a labrador is a dalmation, or worse that a skunk is really a kitty.

We need to watch out for his lies and deceptions and stick to the scriptures, the temple, and prayer. Not surprisingly, it was a great talk!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Ben took Claire and Camille to the Daddy Daughter Dance at Camille's school (Audra was at Youthfest and couldn't go). The theme was "Cowboys and Cowgirls." We don't have a lot of cowboy gear, but they made do.

 The girls got to make hairpieces which they were very proud of:

The girls favorite parts: 1) The chocolate fountain with strawberries, and 2) a limo ride! The school rented a limo to take all the kids around.

"All By Yourself!"

Things are working out with Camille. I registered her for Cloverleaf (the homeschool program) for next year. We have to give up her IEP, which I know is a very controversial thing to do. But, her speech continues to be great- I really think if the re-evaluated her she would be taken off an IEP. Plus, after checking with our insurance, she can free speech therapy through them so I plan to still continue speech with her, just through our insurance instead of through the school. So I really believe that this will work out fine.

Anyway, I told Camille that next year she will get to go to Cloverleaf with her sisters. She thought about that for a little bit, then all of a sudden came up to me and said incredulously, "Wait. You are going to be home all day long  ALL BY YOURSELF on Wednesdays next year?"

I couldn't help but laugh, and look forward to Wednesdays next year!

Perfect Day For the Zoo!

I decided to let  Camille play hooky today so we could head over to free day at the zoo.

I'm so glad we did! We had such a great time, the weather was perfect, the crowds were few...it was a great day! Bonus: Her new unit at school is all about habitats, so what better way for her to learn about habitats than by going to the zoo?

She also has been complaining a lot about school lately, so it was good for her to get a break and have something to look forward to.

Even though it was chilly, we really lucked out with the weather as it was supposed to be much colder.

Claire LOVED this mama gorilla with her baby gorilla (can you see the baby in front of her?)

We went with one of our homeschool groups, and Natalie and Claire had a great time together:

You know it's a good day when Camille falls asleep in the stroller. I really only brought the stroller to carry our coats, lunch, and such. But once Camille hopped in, she was out! We really did wear ourselves out, and we all pretty much just wanted to take a nap when we got home.

Friction Co-Op

The girls had a really fun co-op where they got to build boats and cars that operated via magnets, air,  and/or friction. It was great! Such a fun way to introduce physics, and it worked out well because Audra and Claire are working on a friction unit at Cloverleaf.

 Here's Camille building her own train: