Catching Up....Finally!!!

We had planned to take Niah to the Jenks Aquarium for her birthday this year, but we ended up having to cancel because I was still recovering from Isaiah's birth. We had postponed it indefinitely, and I knew Niah was beginning to wonder if we would ever get around to it...but we did. TJ had yesterday off for Memorial day, and so we went. Niah was really surprised AND happy!

Number One on Niah's list was the touch tanks. Almost immediately, we came across this coral reef touch tank. The girls got to touch a star fish and some shark eggs.

We then moved on to the stingray and shark touch tank. Niah went right for it, but it took Aliya a little bit to warm up to the idea.

Kiahna almost touched a stingray...but then it moved. She wasn't going to have any part of that!

Even though we have a turtle at home that the girls feed everyday, they LOVED feeding the turtles at the aquarium. The food was clipped onto a clothes pin that was attached to a pole. They would then dangle the food in front of the turtles for them to eat.

Isaiah doesn't quite fit his Daddy's cap yet. One of these days, though, he will.

Number one on my list was the shark tank. They had about 20 sharks in the tank. Glad I was on the outside looking in!!!

TJ and the kids...don't they make an adorable exhibit?!! He's a really proud daddy!

We had a great day--definitely worth waiting for! Niah, thank you for waiting patiently. We love YOU!!!

RailWay Museaum Fieldtrip

On Thursday, May 14, 2009, we had a field trip to the Oklahoma Railway Museum with one of the homeschool groups we participate in. The girls were very excited to be up close and personal with a guaranteed favorite--TRAINS!!!

The girls loved the caboose because it had high seats. Our tour guide told us that the crew would sit up there and watch for dangers on the path. The girls didn't see any danger...they just saw FUN!!!

We really had a fun time. We are looking forward to all the field trips in this next coming school year.

P.S. Thank you, Nargis, for providing/sharing the pictures from this trip. I will try and remember to bring my camera on the next trip!

Let Me Do Yours...

I have learned so many things about our children since I have been blessed to be home with them. I have almost decided to classify this particular observation as a phenomenon. It goes something like this:

Niah has her own school work to do...but she would rather do Aliya's or Kiahna's.

Aliya has her own school work to do...but she would rather do Kiahna's or Niah's.

Kiahna has her own school work to do...but she would rather do Aliya's or Niah's.

We have also noticed this same phenomenon working at gift-giving occasions. Niah prefers to play with Aliya's toys, Aliya wants to play with Kiahna's toys, and Kiahna wants to play with Isaiah's toys. Isaiah doesn't really care yet--but as soon as he does, he will no longer be the "cute" baby brother...he will have graduated to COMPETITOR!

Today I took pictures for proof. Kiahna had an assignment to find all the cards with edible items on them, and then put the pictures on the white display paper. Aliya's assignment was to complete her addition facts. Aliya immediately began "assisting" Kiahna--which, of course, Kiahna didn't want any help. After a while, Kiahna got bored and started playing with Aliya's blocks (she uses them for her math). Aliya wasn't too happy about that.

There's a lot more to homeschooling that just teaching the subjects. The subjects (math, science, history, etc.) tend to be easy--it's the character issues (sharing, kindness, thoughtfulness, etc.) that take the REAL work.