Thankful

It seems from time to time I just feel awake with my family. We are in one of those worlds right now where everything makes sense, fit, feels good, and is well. I will take this as a moment to breath softly and stay present. Our family is awake, alive, happy, and simply living. We are in a place of sinking. I am at  a point where I don't need a picture to show our family...

Truthy is a alive, loud, a chatty little person. She loves her babies, jumping on her bed, playing kitchen, cuddling with her siblings and mama/papa. She still needs to cuddle up at night in "her" bed with us. She loves bugs, her friends, being carried in a pack, getting wet, chasing chickens, loving on Nesta, kicking the soccer ball, spinning in the house, jumping "high" in the trampoline, repeating her words over and over, peeing on a potty, dressing her self many times a day, sipping milk from her bottle, and over all being a happy little girl.

Orien is enjoying being 4. He loves dancing in dance class, playing soccer with buddies and his papa, playing with Truthy while Cedar is working on school, reading books, building Lego's, making silly faces, and saying silly things, playing fireman with Cedar, sleeping, finding his imaginative world with Guthrie, playing for hours by himself, biking, skipping, digging in dirt, simply being a kid.

Cedar is a happy first grader. He loves his "morning lessons", fairy tales, writing writing writing, listening to chapter books with his papa, listening to books on tape, counting, drawing, anything related to school, biking, jumping, playing soccer on a team, building Lego's, following instructions, crafts, playing with his friends, becoming a Junior Park ranger, listening, following rules, playing firemen and pirates, making posters and signs, always wanting everything to be  a surprise.
I love taking the time to think about the kiddos...I know one day I wont remember this day but today it is all we are.

Celebrating the pumpkin season with family!!!

  The fall always seems more filled up on the weekend my family visits. It has become a tradition that Mimi and Grandpa Rick come to see the kids play soccer, visit a pumpkin patch, and romp in Estes Park. It seems it is usually cold outside but we are warm at the hotel pool and dining near a woodstove. Here are a few pics from our adventures over the weekend,....


Truthy playing soccer with her love Grandpa!



All of us at the at the festivel. A non-profit pumpkin patch











Cedar flying over the gap betweem the hay barrels. He would have done this ALL day!





Truthy in the Corn Maze





Orien on top of the hay bales giggling!









Mimi and the kiddos

Family times are always a much needed break from life.





Our last week of Math

We began our 3rd and last week of our math block with the fairy tale, "The Evil Giant" a story with many numbers, and the idea of doubling which Cedar already understands, but enjoyed in a new story. I think this might be one of his best led drawings, he seems to be getting more comfortable with his drawings, and loves to add important parts when I have finished. We choose to draw about the number 6. We also could have chosen the number 8, for the 4 daughters who all married doubling partners to 8, or the number 10 all 5 siblings married making 5 double to 10. In the story there is a Evil Giant who can live forever unless someone can blow out the candle, inside an egg, inside a dove, inside a ox, inside ox inside  a box, under the sea. Cedar added the fish in the sea and the special lock on the top of the box!

Cedars 6, dots, and symbol and 6 pointed star

Cedars 8, definitely his favorite number. He loves to repeat the number over and over.

and the number 10 with a 10 pointed star

                       We had one more number and worked with the fairy tale, "The Golden Apples and the Nine Peahens," a story about a King who is sad because his apples are always stolen by morning and sends his sons to catch the robber. His first 2 sons fail, and the third watches as the nine peahens fly down to feast on the apples, the ninth turns into a princess to spend time with him....his journey continues to find the girl.

Cedars drawing of the 8 peahens, the 9th as the girl talking to the son, He added the horse that the boy rode in the end

Cedars drawing of the 9

To finish off our math block we made a number chart of our digits we have read about thus far

Autumn Duchess

The kids have been gathering leaves throughout the last couple weeks. Cedar had been prepping for his Autumn crown with his finger knitting, and finally on a cool afternoon the crowns were made! We used Cedars finger knittings, some pipe cleaners and hot wax to seal and hold the leaves onto the crowns! The boys did all the leaf dipping and we ended up with wonderful crowns!! They both wore them the entire day with pride!!!!

Another week of Math

We have had another great week with our fairy tales and digits. Our story for number 5 came from out nature stories "Apple Tree" it was more about the seasons and how the tree changes, blooms, grows little apples and finally kids eating apples and dropping their seeds!

We also cut a apple open to see the 5 pointed star, both boys found that amazing!!

Cedars tree with 5 apples left hanging, He added lots of seeds from the core of leftover apples!

"jump down, hop around, put on your hat and head to town" is our 5, as well as our 5 pointed start that he drew a couple times.

For number 7 we enjoyed the classic Fairy Tale "Snow White and the 7 dwarfs" He really enjoyed this story and the repetition of the wicked Queen trying to kill Snow White. We both choose to draw about the story. We have the 7 dwarfs, Snow White and he added the 7 axes they use all day at work mining for coal.



"put on the hat and stand up tall, seven never takes a fall" Cedars 7, and his symbol a triangle and square



We ended the week with our first led water color painting. We read the nature story "Color Painters" for our Thursday nature night, recalled it Friday morning and then did a loose first attempt at a led coloring. This first painting is mine. We started at the beginning of the story with our spring red and yellow color painters visiting the forest. Then added the green of summer. Went back to the kissing of the red during autumn and the purples as well, ending with white for the winter snow.

This is Cedars painting

Orien's painting, more of a independent work!

leaves falling October rains falling

I have been reluctant to have our first "can't do school outside" day and this fall has been spoiling us! We still have been spending hours outside everyday, and can't imagine it any other way! We woke last Tuesday to rain and 45 degrees. I needed to prove to myself and the kids that weather wouldn't stop us from enjoying our morning movement outside. As usual after breakfast we bundled up, did or chores and headed out to play! The kids ate up every minute of it...splashing, running, I don't think I need more words as these pictures tell it all!!! We are ready for the shifts in weather, and I feel more confident that we will be outside EVERYDAY throughout the winter!!

end of one week and the beginning of the next

We finished our first week of our math block and have begun the next! It has been peaceful. On one had I have picked up the pace by only reading each story once and then recalling it. I continue to be shocked by just how much Cedar remembers after only hearing a story one time. He  picks up many interesting parts and he will  guide me through our recalls very calmly! We ended our week with the number 3. Reading the fairytale Pear Blossom, a story similar to Cinderella. In it 3 different animals helped the young girl finish chores and have a chance to attend a town festival where she lost a sandal! Of course the prince sought her out and married her. Our loose drawings were going anywhere so I went back to a very loose led drawing. Cedar seems to really feel comfortable having something to look at as he draws. He drew a picture of the girl and her 3 animals that helped her throughout the story as well as the 3, symbol and dots.

  We finished out the week with our journal post forest school on Friday. Together before journal Cedar is telling me things he did throughout the week and I am making a list on the chalk board and he picks something to journal about and write the one word. He chose forest school and the word build. As you can see he got carried away by the new Halloween decorations in the house and also added them to his art!

7 boys working hard to build a wood home during forest school!

 We started our second week with a weekend journal Cedar chose to draw about going to a friends birthday party! And then we moved on to our number 4. The Fairy Tale this time was, Wonderful Healing Leaves. A story of a lad who would have to go through 4 dangerous situations to get to a special healing tree that would save his father-in-law the King from his blindness. It was fun to chat about 4's as Cedar pointed out many 4 in the story.

 We did another led drawing and within it were the 4 dangerous path situations. We ended writing the 4, and as usual Cedar told me he know what the number looked like and drew it backwards! I never tell him differently just erase it, show a 4 the correct way and he moves on!

Bliss

Cedar doing what Cedar does best climbing on trees and grinning from ear to ear

apparently purses go everywhere???

hiding amongest the golden aspens!

a tiny sign of moisture on this fall day

by far the boys favorite part of our woods time, tall grass, taller then them!!

I am having one of those days where my heart is being worn on my outsides and it is ever so present. Love that is always present is now an intense feeling, something I figure almost unfathomable to others yet we all have the feeling from time to time. It feels like something I wish I could freeze, and make an always kind of feeling, but such as life that just isn't how the world works. Just an ordinary Monday but not. When I watched all 3 kids get on their bikes (yes Truthy included) and hit the dirt road hill a rushing feeling of bliss filled my body. This morning i am in the present and blessed. WOW, I am spoiled to have three kids. How did I get here? How did Jody and I get here!!?? I get to spend everyday with my family, from the playing to the dirty chores. I think this is where the heart takes over  from time ti time. Our body isn't our own, our mind isn't ours but the feeling of love is all that is left. I want to stay here forever. Mondays, just an ordinary day, yet so much more..and I truly believe the kids felt that energy as well. We just enjoyed each other all day. The kids enjoyed there sibling company and we all enjoyed our time. And so we did what we do best. We played, had lesson time, and romped in the woods.

A new week in the felt classroom! 9 kiddos came together to work with felt again. This time they made a treasure pouch.

Orien working on his pouch

Guthrie and Chase



Oriens finished treasure bag



Orien and Cedar showing off the final product.



Cedars pouch



A new block! Week1 Block 2 Math!!

It feels so good to transitioned to a new block with the first grade Enki.  We are letting the LA letters sleep for a bit and bringing the digits to the surface.  I was worried that Cedar would be bored with the numbers but the magic of blending Fairy tales with conversations of numbers has gone over smoothly.  We are shifting gears, and only reading the stories once, then enjoying  recall the next morning with dad, before diving into digit conversations about our world and the stories.

we started off the week with our Monday Journal. Cedar decided to color about our camping weekend. Here is a picture of our tent, rocks in the background he played in, the sun shining. We have been adding a word to our journals. This week he wanted pine cone wars! The kids had a blast throwing pine cones at each other!!

For our digit 1 we read a fairy tale, The Stolen Bairn and the Sidh. A story with many unique, or one involved. A baby is taken by some fairies, and the mother goes out to find him. She is helped along the way by some fishermen, and a gypsy grandmother that offers here  potion of safety and assists her in a way to her babe back. The mother must think of something unique enough that the Sidhan King will want to trade her for her babe. She makes a beautiful cloak and is able to find the King and trade for her babe. After the story Cedar and I talked about 1's in our life. He was quick to point out the sun, earth, moon, himself, his family, etc. I thought in this block 2 we would try to draw together yet without doing a led drawing to loosen up the coloring for Cedar. I drew the babe in the woods. Cedar drew the Earth, and then had to add the moon with the American flag on it! He is really interested in space, time, location, sun, moon. It will be interesting to see where that all goes!~

After we drew we wrote the number 1, the dot symbol and the geometric symbol a circle.

The next digit 2, came in the story The Luminous Pearl. A story of 2 opposite brothers. One who was a bit greedy, and impatient. The other kind, generous, calm, caring. The 2 brother went on the same adventure to meet a princess and the story would go the first man to get to her would marry her. In the story they come across a village flooding the older, greedy brother takes no time to help, but does offer that he will ask the King for a special ladle that will stop the flood. The younger brother stops in the village and helps them all day and night, nearly forgetting he is trying to get to the princess. When the 2 brothers make it to the castle and meet the King he offers a room of jewels and tells that the jewel that lights up the land will be the one the princess will want and thus marry the many who brought it. The older finds the biggest jewel and heads off. The younger forgets about the jewel and takes the ladle to help the flooding villagers. The ladle does stop the flooding and a little girl offers the brother a tiny black pearl in thanks. In the end the young brother brings a tiny pear with illuminates the seas and is married to the princess.

Cedar and I chatted about 2's, He easily say the 2 brothers, the 2 jewels. When we discussed 2's we chatted about 2 hands, 2 eyes, day/night, 2 siblings, a mother/father. The moon and sun again came out and he choose to draw about them while I drew the 2 brothers on their adventures. We then wrote our 2, dots, and the 2 parallel lines.

Orien's leaf prints!

Crafts are always requested in our house. Cedar and now Orien both enjoy any craft I offer. I had found an idea of leaf printing on another blog and thought we would give it a try. We collected leaves of different sizes and colors on our Tuesday morning walk. We then did leaf prints with our block crayons shading over. I couldn't believe how much fun the kids had! Truthy joined in for a moment! They are already asking to make more!

Cedars leaf prints

speaking of crafts. Cedar and I began our new season of knitting. He loves to finger crochet, and finger knit. It comes very easy to his fingers and he went forever on this project. We will eventually use his knitting for a autumn crown!

Cedar showing off his finger with the braid falling under!

I am so thankful for kids with such a love for all that Enki has been offering. We are enjoying all our lessons, stories, games, movements, songs, and co-op time thus far!!!