star fairies and cowboys!

Spaghetti face wizard!!

Happy wizard, gnome, star fairy (depending on who you ask)

Cowboys!!!

Crafts....

This week we sat down to do a ribbon bow tying craft. It was the perfect craft a mix of knots that he has already done in the past as well as adding the bow (same as tying a shoe) with a little verse he was off and going. I was impressed to see how well he sunk into this as it is definitely not an easy one for him. Many a times he had to start over and try try try again. The giggle that came with his bow was unforgettable. I was also impressed to see how much we wanted to stay with it even when it frustrated. He added the other color with double knots for the streamers and the final project he was so proud of. We were going out for dinner with another family and he had to bring it along!

weekends without work!!

Cedar is a Fireman and his buddy Jackson is a Dragon inside a Box "box man"

Truthy is alittle pink witch!!!

Orien the Knight!!

Cedar team playing soccer (red Steamers) he loved defense!

So I finally took an entire weekend off so we could be a family. You know do what families do. We went to Cedars last soccer game of the fall outdoor season. This was Cedars third fall to kick around a ball with his Estes Park rec dept. He loves it. He had practices at 3:30 on a couple weekdays which was the best time for us to go. We can have our entire day to home school, and then he gets that much needed social, coach, play time! He truly fell in love with both the sport, and the other kiddos. As we roll farther and farther down our own home school path I am seeing this balance important for my entire family. To sink into a rhythm all day and have some outside time with others a couple afternoons a week. He said at the end he wanted to write to the coach and this is what it said " Thank you for coaching. I love Nathan (coach's son on team). Thanks again! That about sums it up!

After that we headed to Lyons a near by town that celebrates halloween for kiddos a week early in the town! A good excuse to play with some friends and wear the costumes!

Adding Story Recall to our days!

We are ever tweaking, changing, adding to our Enki world! Just recently we added time to draw. Cedar has always been offered crayons, paper etc but never seems to choose to sink into time with paper. He of course has gone through times of writing letters, (pre enki!) holds a pencil like he is gripping it therefor I am rewinding that in our life and now writing for now just coloring. And so on Thursday we recall the story that we have been reading together. It is fun to hear the important phrases or adjectives that he picks out from them. He really enjoys this dialogue with myself and his buddy if we happen to recall a familiar story during our forest co-op day. Our first story he drew about was a fall story from our Kindergarten nature stories "Mischief Mouse"
he choose the jack-o-lantern with the mouse inside of it. As the story flows with child mouse that wanders too long too far and ends up with the only light flickering a pumpkin.

Our next fairy tale was "Old Troll on Big Mountain" in this story Cedar choose to draw a picture of the boy Olle and the Old Troll next to him. He is just starting to draw people so it is fun to see what he chooses to do with them! (note Troll black foot prints!)

This last picture I had to post. It is a picture Cedar drew of one of his friends on his soccer team! It is a boy, kicking a green soccer ball and the red is the bench in the field! Again love his people arms, legs hands, feet..Body??!!

October and our days

we are still getting a grasp on our entire day of rhythm. I can definitely tell the days when we are on. When transitions are sung, when my energy is high, we have wonderful circle adventures. The fairies are busy getting ready for fall. Flying with geese heading south, gathering apples, paddling across lakes with mama swan, chopping, sawing and hauling wood with the woodcutters, spinning with the autumn leaves and bounding with squirrels. We have also added a mellow calender time with our fall cloth calender. simple days of t he week, the date and weather for the day. Creative play is back to block building, coloring, playing boat, play dough and stores are getting more intense with this week being Old Troll on Big Mountain. We are loving finger crocheting, water color painting, and now are about to start some more crafts..just as soon as I plan ahead for a trip to the craft store. Our outdoor adventures are filled with woods, friends, building, sawing, soccer playing and simply swinging and animal chores. And we are slicing apples for applesauce, cooking soups and baking!

Truthy and Sunflower farm

We visited a local farm and Truthy was in love. And so she get her own mini photo day! I cant believe how aggressive she is. Nothing scares her from animals, to climbing tiny narrow stairs, hanging on ropes, riding miniature horses. She is ready!! When it was time to get off the horse she was SCREAMING. we allowed for one more line and then had to move on!! If there is a slow moment she is annoyed...go go go!! My 17 month old daughter seems more like 2!!

quietness at quiet time

Quiet time is not always easy for Cedar to sink in to. Some days I hear the cute voice talking to his blocks, cars, etc and other days he is in and out of his room more times then I wish to count. BUT now that we have introduced finger crocheting he is in heaven. He loves to make the longest braids with his yarn and it really seems to ground his energy. So on top of stories we are slowly drawing about, crafts getting done I will take the peace and quiet for now!~ And add finger knitting when this becomes too easy.

Skipping Fall

It seems as though Colorado is skipping fall. We have gone from shorts and t-shirts with bright leaves for only days to COLD, windy, snowy days. All is dead in the garden. The one pumpkin picked early gives us our only sign that Autumn is still present. We are covered in layers. We are making soup. Cedar prepared the cream of potatoe soup the other night and then he made the apple pie with Daddy. We are outdoors a bit less and finding our pellet stove and down blankets comforting as we tuck away for the nights. I remember thinking all was so alive just weeks ago and how fall was such a beautiful shift , but now honor the death of seasons. I mourn the days gone of spending hours in the garden. Of watching the kids swing and jump all day. How fast the emotions of the season has changed. friends lives shifting, changing. Mourning. Mine ever shifting changing like the colors of the leaves. Today bright red with delight. And so with one eye shedding summer tears the other open with brightness if white, laughter, sledding, hot cocoa, finger crocheting, cooking. I look to the tomorrows that lie ahead. And sit by a warm fire in the present.