Sorry!!

Don't you just hate it when people don't publish regularly on their blogs? I do. Especially the ones that I read every day, the ones that always give me a pick-me-up, or an idea, or a laugh..... Well, I have no real excuse besides that this week has been on the hectic side, and although I did manage to snap a few pictures, they never did make it onto the blog. So here you go - I have gotten all caught up, my drafts box is empty, and I fell much better. I hope you enjoy them,
Jo

Music to My Ears

The south side of the road...

And the north side of the road.

I have a confession to make - please don't think that I'm crazy. Here we go - this little waterfall flows under a country dirt road just south of our place, and I cannot drive over the bridge without stopping the car, rolling down the windows, and listening to the sound of the water. Beautiful. There are a lot of us out there who recognize the beauty of scenic vista, who smell the flowers, but really, nature is at its best when we use all of our senses. We need to let our eyes take in everything - the light, the shadows, the color, and movements. We need to smell the earth, the air just before it rains, the breeze off of the lake. We need to feel the sun on our skin, and the bark of a tree under our fingers. And we need to listen. Not only to the birds, but to the wind, and the rain, and the waterfalls. And the best part? Now the boys ask to stop and listen to the waterfall, too.

2009 World Expo

Today was the World Expo hosted by our homeschool group. We had about 25 families hosting tables, each showcasing a different country. What a wonderful afternoon! The kids even got 'Passports' to take around to the different tables and get stamped. Ya know my favorite part? See that picture above? The one with my boy showing everyone the project that he worked so hard on??? I almost cried. Honestly. Now I know I can be a bit of a sap, but it is so nice to see the kids being so proud of what they have put together. Some of the tables were incredibly detailed, well put together, high tech...you get the idea. Others were very simple, a little less than neat, done by 6 year olds instead of 16 year olds. But each and every child there could tell you a whole lot about the country that they studied, and they all had huge smiles on their faces. That is what it is all about, isn't it? And, to top it all off, even though you can't really see it here our table cloth (see our our post from Monday) worked out. Yeah!!

Something Pretty

In spite of their name (Bleeding Hearts) these little blooms sure are pretty! Hope they brighten up your day.

Meet Nitro

It was an open house event at the local police station, and William and Charlie had a great time checking everything out and meeting Nitro, the police dog. Nitro, of course, was the highlight. Not only does this dog obey far better than my children do, but he can also sniff out explosives, track down a missing person, and apprehend a 'suspect'. The only thing I can say is "poor Jack" (our golden retriever). He's not going to know what hit him - William thinks that Jack should be able to learn a few new tricks.....

Clay Dying

You know what I like best about homeschooling? You can get dirty, and call it education. Really!! We have been learning about Mozambique lately as our part in a World Expo with our homeschool group (we are soooooo excited!!) So today we tried to dye a table cloth with clay. Not sure if it will work yet, but it was a hell of a lot of fun making it. We mixed up the clay with soy milk (heard that the protein in the soy milk helps the color to stick...) and stamped it onto a cotton sheet. In the process we got covered up to our elbows in clay, and came dangerously close to sharing our 'chocolate pudding' with a few unsuspecting friends...We'll see how it turns out, and you can bet that there will be pictures from the Expo to come.
Have a great (and messy) day, everyone!

Happy Mothers Day!

The boys were so happy to make up these poems and frames for their Grammy - thought that we would share them (you can click on the picture to enlarge it).

As for me, here is what I am thinking this Mother's Day:

I love......
*waking up with two warm little bodies cuddled up next to me
*watching William and Charlie play with each other
*when they ask me to read them a story
*seeing a mountain of running shoes inside the door when all of the neighborhood kids come over the play
*baking chocolate chip cookies together
*how their skin smells like sunshine after they have been outside playing all day
*that my 6-year-old still loves to cuddle
*the bond that I feel with other mothers all around the world
*that my children (and grandchildren ?) are my legacy
*watching them touch everything
*that sneaky look in their eyes when they are up to trouble and don't think that I know
*that Charlie calls me a flower
*watching them learn something new each and every day
*the stories and poems that they write
*how gentle they are with animals
I guess I could go on and on, but really, what I love most is hearing :Mama, I love you.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!!