Homeschool

With a few years of homeschooling under my belt, it feels good to be starting Samuel's kindergarten year with more knowledge about what's out there. I love the options we have with homeschool, and I love that we can move at the child's pace, moving forward when they get something quickly, and spending more time on things they need more practice with. Samuel and Elena have different strengths and interests, so it will be a fun experience this year.

They always love crafts and activities.

This was the inside of a seed pod from a Kapok tree. Man, that was a mess! And that fluff stayed in clumps around our yard for weeks.

We did a Boston Tea Party play and everyone had a part.

We've enjoyed some fun field trips. This was at Descanso Gardens; we saw the cutest little duck family.

The different gardens are gorgeous!

 This was at Discovery Cube, a local science museum.

Local farm

This barn owl is at our local nature center.

 We went to the Museum of Natural History.

Elena started playing the piano last fall. Here she is with her teacher after her first recital. She worked so hard to memorize her piece.

Samuel and Elena also had their go at Tae Kwon Do last year. They really enjoyed it. 

It's really neat to look at what we did over the last year as we gear up for this school year. I'm sure we'll make a lot of fun memories as we learn.

Adelina is three!

Three years of awesomeness with this one! She always brings a smile to my face. We decided to start doing fun experiences for birthdays rather than traditional parties. We did cupcakes before church with friends the week of Adelina's birthday. I made her some Doc Mcstuffins cupcakes because she loves the show. She's wearing a Doc Mcstuffins headband here.

On her actual birthday, we first went to Build-a-Bear and Adelina picked out a unicorn. She named it Horsie.

She had never been to a Build-a-Bear store and had fun watching the process. She was so happy after!

Next up was Krispy Kreme!

After our yummy treat, we headed over to Griffith Park. Adelina's been asking to ride a train, and I knew she would love it.

All three kids have enjoyed playing the old game The Oregon Trail, so they were really excited to see a wagon!

After the wagon ride, Adelina climbed out the back and said, "Hey, no one died!"

The pony rides were a big plus, and all three kids enjoyed them.

She had an awesome day and was pretty tired after.

We had some strawberry shortcake when we got home, so we got to sing happy birthday to her all over again.

I can't wait to see how this little one grows over the next year!

Big change!

One HUGE change for us this year was our move! We loved our old house. We moved into that house, updated everything, and we were really happy that everything was done, just the way we wanted it. At the same time, though, we were on the lookout for a home with a larger space in the backyard for the kids to run around, and we were looking into pools, and I really needed a space dedicated to homeschool so that our dining table wouldn't be covered in books and a hundred other things every day. We told ourselves that if we didn't find a house with all three of those things, we wouldn't be moving.

We found the perfect fit in our new home. On hot days we're in the pool (one of the first things we did was have a pool fence put in), and on cooler days the kids run around and ride their bikes around the cul de sac. Both big kids learned to ride their bikes without training wheels after we moved. We absolutely love it here and we have great neighbors, with several friends for the kids to play with.  

Moving with kids is quite a task. I still can't believe we did it. The last time I moved it was from a tiny apartment, before kids. Here you can see Elena and Samuel getting ready to spend their first night in their new room!

Man, they loved running around the empty rooms!

The biggest update we did here was the downstairs flooring and kitchen refinishing and countertops. We also added cabinets and countertop in the back.

Before

After

I love cul-de-sacs.

And now that it's summer and it's hot, we're in the pool!

I don't know who loves the pool more . . . Jorge or the kids?

One of my favorite spaces in our new home is our schoolroom! It also serves as the playroom because it's a big space.

Moving is so stressful, but everything worked out for the best. We love our new area and the space the kids have to play, and I love that our dining table isn't a huge mess every night. It's a win for everyone!