The Strawberry Patch is Open!

Last night Nathan came home when he was supposed to be working overnight. I like the overnight shifts because then he's home sleeping during the day and I can leave the kids and go do errands. I had planned on visiting teaching in the morning with just Thomas while the kids did their schoolwork at home. Then during nap time I'd let them watch a movie and I would take Alexis to the grocery store. That was my plan. Then Nathan came home last night and said he wasn't working overnight, but going in to work at the clinic today. So much for plans!
So we set off this morning to the grocery store, all of us, and actually made good time and had great spirits. We had just enough time to unload the groceries before visiting teaching, so I left the little two buckled and the older 3 and I quickly unloaded the van and put the cold things away. I grabbed the Ensign and we hopped back in the car and went visiting teaching. The sister we were seeing had been trying to get ahold of us because she was taking her son to the doctor and we couldn't come. We didn't know this until showing up on her doorstep, but had a nice 7 minute chat instead of the usual 1 hour. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to the visit, but we loaded everyone back into the van and drove home. We went in the house and started working on putting the groceries away when the said sister called me on the way to the doctor and said the strawberry patch was open. Since it was only 11:00 and we still had plenty of time until naptime, we all ran and jumped back in the car and took off for the strawberry patch. We came back for the camera and we wondered what our neighbor, Ray was thinking of us coming and going so much while he was sitting outside watching us.


We were so happy to be going to the strawberry patch! We've been waiting and waiting for it to open. When we got there I was a tiny bit sad, remembering how last year I took pictures of the 5 of them in the wildflowers and dreamed of this year doing that with 6 little kids. It would have been fun and the kids so cute, but probably also stressful with a newborn. So I tried to enjoy the fact that this year it's so easy and relaxing with older kids. We'll be able to go more often and get more strawberries and make more things. I think that's why I've been looking forward to this season.

We got 20 pounds and ate a good amount of them today. I can see they won't last long in this house! I'm excited to be more creative than I was last year (I don't think I made anything last year.) and am dreaming of all the good stuff I can make.


We always check out the animals: chickens, rooster, rabbits, peacock, and goats. Today there were 4 little baby goats frolicking around and trying to nurse. They were so cute! Now we all want goats. :) Here Madalyn wanted her picture taken of her holding a feather she found.

Alexis with her feather.

Spencer wins the prize for being the messiest. Even Thomas didn't come close. Why do some boys have to wipe their faces on their shirt after every juicy bite?

It's been a great day and I feel blessed to have things work out the way they did even though I hadn't planned it that way. We did our school work during nap time and finished late, around 4:30, but that's why I homeschool: It's so fun to be able to go places with my kids and schedule our day how we want it. We were the only ones at the strawberry patch, whereas afterschool hours was probably crowded. I felt like we had a really good happy family, bonding day. (Doesn't always happen when we go places together.:))

Outside Fort

What do you get when you get 2 homeschooled families together?

A cool fort!

Last week some friends came over who also have 5 homeschooled kids and when the 4 oldest of both families got together outside they had a blast finding scraps to make a cool fort. It really did look pretty neat in real life, especially when you can see where they sit, cook, play, and hide in it. Oh, to be a child again!

Gardening Time

Our ambitious garden: lettuce, spinach, 2 watermelons, 2 zucchini, 9 bell peppers, 19 tomatoes, and corn (not yet planted). The kids did most of the planting. We'll see how many survive. :)

Alexis with her watermelon plant she insisted on buying and planting herself.

I didn't get any good pictures, but since this blog is all about what's happenin here, I thought I'd include how we spent last Friday and Saturday--planting our garden. Nathan had both days off (remember he's on a 3 day weekend rotation) and it was great having him help us. He hasn't helped in a couple of years. We loved going to Lowes to pick out the plants and seeds, taking turns with the shovels, eating a picnic lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches Kylie prepared, and then finally getting a break in the cool house.

Kite Flying

The boys' kite doesn't fly

The girls' kite does!!!

Last Thursday afternoon I was running errands with Spencer and Alexis and had the thought pop into my head that we should buy a kite. So we ran into the dollar store and got 2 cheap kites. After an early dinner (Nathan had worked the night before so he was home all day, sleeping) we ran outside to give them a try. We've never flown kites before. The kids loved it so much that we're considering buying a "real" kite from Kitty Hawk--$30. It just could be our new hobby. The video of the girls' kite way up in the sky was pretty boring since it only showed the sky, so I didn't post it, but know that it did get up for a long time. The boys' kite, however, never got up. Yeah! Girls win! There always has to be a contest, right? :)

Standardized Tests

In North Carolina homeschooled students have to be tested annually. The girls love it. We test in my bedroom, where it's the quietest. They take turns using my desk or my bed. They arrange their papers, pencil, and eraser. Then they laugh as I read the directions because they're very repetitive and tell you to do the simplest things. They also laugh at some of the questions, especially the easy sample ones. I'm glad they enjoy it. We don't have to turn in the scores or anything, but I guess have them in case we ever wanted to enroll in public school. Last year they did great and it's nice to know where their strengths and weaknesses are compared to other kids in their grade. I also like to know what things we need to focus on more in our school or things they missed from just being careless.


Last week we had our testing week for this year. It was nice because we didn't do much schoolwork besides the tests and we had ample time to play afterward. I thought they were so cute filling in their little bubbles. Here Kylie does her 4th grade test.

Madalyn doing her 3rd grade test on my bed.

Duck Pond

Nathan is on endocrinology this month, which means 8-6 hours and 3 day weekends. Yeah! Good Friday we took a picnic lunch to the Duck Pond on campus. We've never taken the children before and they had a great time. We haven't fed the ducks since we lived in Texas and they were so cute throwing their sandwiches to the hungry ducks.



There was a beautiful path around the pond, so we went for a walk, including crossing this little bridge.

Thomas wasn't so sure about the bridge.

Alexis and Kylie wanting their picture taken under a beautiful blossoming tree.

Spencer being silly with azalea blossoms.

Alexis goofing off with Spencer (they ran around the path like this.) Meanwhile, Kylie and Madalyn collected beautiful bouquets of flowers to take home.

Spencer and Alexis' Fort

On Monday morning, April 6, we had a bad thunderstorm come through with a tornado warning. It was scary for a little while and we were ready to jump in the closet under the stairs if need be. The rest of the week Spencer and Alexis built a fort and played in it.

They colored pictures just outside their fort and waited for a "tornado."

When one came, they would jump into their hideout.

Thomas Talking

Thomas has been taking long naps lately so I've let him stay up with me after the other children have gone to bed. He's so much fun, reading books and talking to me and I love having the one-on-one time with him. This video was taken on April 6.

Nathan's Interview

I don't think I've ever posted without a picture, but I wanted to tell you what's going on in Nathan's life. He has applied for the nephrology program here and last Wednesday he had an interview for it. Rather, he had many interviews for it. He spent the day interviewing with 7 attending physicians and program people. Since they already know him really well, he said it actually wasn't that bad. He feels it went really well. He called me at 10:30am and said I could come along to lunch so I quickly found a friend to watch the kids and went to lunch with him at 11:30. I loved it! I got to meet the other fellows, two from each year, and ask them a lot of questions about the fellowship. It sounds a lot easier than residency. Nathan had been concerned about doing two more years of clinicals when he feels research is his strength, but hearing about the schedule and responsibilities got him more excited about it. I left feeling really excited as well. Suddenly I really wanted him to get it. The bad news is that there are only 2 positions and lots of people interviewing. The good news is that they frequently hire from here. If he doesn't get it we'll know it was the Lord's will and he can go straight to research instead, which he'd be really happy with too. Match Day is June 17, so that's when we'll find out. The position would start July 1, 2010.

Nathan's Birthday

Nathan turned 32 on Monday, March 30, but had to work from 8am-11pm in the MICU. So we decided to bring dinner to him at work. I made chicken alfredo pizza per his request and met him in the cafeteria at 5pm. Here's a picture of the kids as we were waiting for him. They were so cute and well behaved and I loved watching them eagerly await Daddy's arrival.


A guy from our ward came over to the vending machines and saw us and offered to take our picture. We didn't sing Happy Birthday to embarrass Nathan, but the dinner and cookies turned out great. And I didn't even forget to bring anything. :)


Afterward Nathan showed us around the hospital because even though we've been here for almost two years, we've seen very little of it. He showed us the MCU, resident's lounge, call room, his locker, fun stuff like that. :) The kids loved it all and asked a bunch of questions. Here they look out over the entrance and parking lot below.

FHE treats

A few months ago the kids started a new tradition of what they do when they are treats for FHE. As soon as the conductor turns the time over for treats, they have everyone go get their pajamas on while they get it ready. They dish up the treats on napkins, write their names on them, and put them on the table. Meanwhile, those who finished getting their pjs on wait in my room. Then the treats person has them close their eyes and lead them one at a time to the table to get their treat. On March 23 it was Alexis' turn and I caught most of it on video. She was so cute copying everything that the older kids do when it's their turn. (Ignore the laundry on the couch.:))

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spencer took this picture. Madalyn and I accidentally wore matching outfits (which we didn't even know we had) and when Kylie saw, she quickly changed to match us. I love my two big girls. They are growing and maturing so much. They are very responsible, helpful, and fun to talk to. I'm proud of the great girls they've become.

These pictures are of the kids building the Salt Lake Temple. I had some videos of it, which were really fun, but I keep getting an error when I try to post them. After Sunday stations we watched The Mountain of the Lord. Then the kids put on play dresses and ran outside to build the temple. The first picture is of Alexis digging the foundation. The second picture is the stone quarry. They found big pieces of asphalt to hammer like they did in the movie. They got a play horse to pull their wagon and everything. They had a great time.

Sunday Stations

Here are some pictures showing what we do on Sunday afternoons. Right after lunch the kids habitually get the Sunday Stations box out which has things for them to do like Sunday games, stationary, music, and a huge list of ideas for them to choose from. I love it. The house is quiet for a few hours while Thomas is napping and I get my family newsletter written up. Hooray for morning church! :)

Kylie reading Book of Mormon stories

Spencer and Alexis listening to church music on headphones plugged into the computer.

Kylie playing primary songs on the piano

Spencer playing his Prophet Match game and Madalyn listening to Scripture Scouts

Alexis listening to "You Are Special" book on CD read by Grandma