Back 2 School

Well, we are back to school around here. I am slightly mourning my lack of a summer break but I am so excited for all the things we will be learning this year. I have fallen more in love with learning than ever. I'm enjoying each and every subject now and that makes for such a better experience. I sound like such a dork sometimes when I get excited about the new things I am learning but I don't care. I'm a homeschooling mom and I like it! I am so grateful that God chose to put our family on this path. It might not be for everyone but it is, for sure, for me!

Adia was asked to fill out a short interview for the first day of her CC class and I thought her answers were really cute. So I am copying her answers in here and I am asking the little ones the same questions. I want to document this.

Adia Paige - 12 years old

7th Grade - Challenge A

Interview from Adia's first day... I stole this from her planner.

When do you feel happiest? When I'm riding my horse, playing volleyball or with my papa.

What makes you sad? Injustice towards children and women.

Have you ever been really scared? Yes, when I found out my cousin had cancer, it went away and then we found out it came back way worse... he's now in heaven with Jesus!

What is your favorite subject? History!!!!

Do you have a food that you absolutely love? Sushi and Brazilian food.

What did you do on your last birthday? I went shopping, went to a steak house and spent the night at a hotel with my Papa.

Have you done anything fun this summer? I rafted the Grand Canyon

If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? The Galapagos Islands.

What Bible verse means the most to you? Matthew 28:19 & Colossians 3

Avery Taylor - 8 years old

3rd Grade

What is your favorite subject? Art and History because History helps you learn about back then and I just like to draw and am just really good at it so I like it. Oh and I like learning John in Latin.

What do you like least? Math and Latin Grammar.

How do you think you will do this year? Really good.

When do you feel happiest? When I am doing art with anyone I know.

What makes you sad? Knowing that there are people dying in the world and that there are kids in Africa whos parents died of AIDS.

Have you ever been really scared? When I was in the cavern in Shasta. I thought something was going to be collapsing on me.

Do you have a food that you absolutely love? I like Icing on the Cupcakes coconut cupcake and my moms lava cakes.

Have you done anything fun this summer? Arts Camp at church and summer camp with the high schoolers.

If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? To France cause I like being fancy and France is fancy.

What Bible story means the most to you? Noah's Ark because God saved Noah's family.

Kenyon Kyle - 6 years

1st grade

What is your favorite subject? History Sentences.

What do you like least? Latin Conjugations

How do you think you will do this year? Good.

When do you feel happiest? Free time at CC.

What makes you sad? When Adia fights me or gets mad at me.

Have you ever been really scared? Yes. Nope. I've never been scared.

Do you have a food that you absolutely love? Fish, and apples, yummy!

Have you done anything fun this summer? Starting soccer.

If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? China cause I have friends there.

What Bible story means the most to you? Adam and Ever because they were the first people on Earth and they were the first ones to do sin.

Adison Faith - 4 years

Kindergarten

What is your favorite subject? History Sentences and the songs.

What do you like least? Writing, spelling and math.

How do you think you will do this year? Good because I like doing school.

When do you feel happiest? When I play with my friends and my toys.

What makes you sad? When people like punch me and push me on the cement. That's what Avery did today.

Have you ever been really scared? Yes. When I had a bad dreams. One dream there was a big swimming pool and there were sharks and Avery and Kenyon were in there and they were tossing a ball around and then someone shot the ball far away.

Do you have a food that you absolutely love? Sugar stuff.

Have you done anything fun this summer? Going to Shasta and Arts Camp and that's all.

If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? Mexico. I really want to go there.

What Bible story means the most to you? Kenyon's Bible and your Bible and Avery's.

Kaden John - 3 years

Just taggin along

When do you feel happiest?

Dinosaurs

Do you have a food that you absolutely love?

Cereal and pasta and cheese and chicken and am I still sick mom? am I?

What do you NOT like? Giraffes

What makes you sad? Elephant

Have you ever been really scared? Yes. I had a rattle snake who killed me. It did. My rattle snake is in the bush. I do have one. It's in the garage. I do.

Have you done anything fun this summer? Play at the park.

If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go? To that forest (pointing at his picture and I tell him it's the bush in our front yard and he says "yes, I want to see it")

What Bible story means the most to you? Kenyon's

Do you want to tell me anything else about you while you are 3? Go to CC. Giraffe.

How big are you now? As big as my thumbs. All my fingers are big.

How strong are you? This strong (flexing).

What is your best trick? Ummm.. a front flip. I did it when I was taking a nap. I was asleep and now I'm awake.

More shots from day 1!

I have a feeling this is going to be our best year ever!

Kenyon Posted!

Click HERE to leave him a comment and make his day!

Happy Birthday Kenyon & Grandpa

Yesterday, another one of my kids got older. We had a regular school day followed by a fun evening to celebrate his special day.

Here is our birthday tradition of putting our new height on the ruler.

Kenyon is as tall as Avery was the day she turned 7.

After school Kenyon and Kaden helped me make the cupcakes.

When daddy got off work we took him out for a birthday date to Chili's. He was so excited. We were going to see a movie after dinner but he decided he would rather pick a new Lego set that he and dad can build together.

Kenyon shares his special day with Grandpa. When we got home from our date the other birthday boy was at the house (with his lovely bride aka Grandma). Aunt Rochelle and her boys decided to come over too so we could have some other boys at the last minute party.

They opened gifts together...

This was so funny because we had Kenyons face covered to surprise him with his new skateboard. Listen closely in the begining.... then ignore my loud laughing.

Had cupcakes together...

And of course they took pictures together...

Here are the cupcakes I made for our co-op. I saw this when my sister-in-law made them for my niece and thought they were SO CUTE. Mine didn't turn out too bad either.

Happy Birthday Kenyon!

We love you and you truly bring SO MUCH JOY & LAUGHTER to our home - Thank You!

And Happy Birthday Grandpa Paul!

We love you too!

Don't Mess with Mom!

Once again Kenyon decided to break a rule. I know you are probably shocked but it is true. He thought I wouldn't notice if he tried to cut his own hair. Well, unfortunately for him I did notice. Here he is with a gash in his hair and the object he used to commit this sin!

And here he is after getting his consequence... a very unhappy boy who learned a very good lesson. I know he didn't have a lot of hair to begin with but Kenyon hates not having enough hair for a fohawk (or faux hawk for the classier spellers) and he has been wanting to grow it out.

You can keep trying to break me down Kenyon but I will win and you will turn out to be a good boy after all! Mommy loves you too much to let you win these battles.

Big Boys

For Kenyon's birthday he got a new bed. Last night he and Kaden both slept on it for the first time. I cannot believe Kaden is already in a big boy bed. It's starting to really feel like I don't have a baby anymore. BTW - the small door on the side of the bed opens and leads to a hideout that Kenyon is so excited about! Fun stuff!

Hip Hop Highlights

Today Avery and Kenyon started a new Hip Hop class. I had such a great time watching them and seriously was still giggling about it 2 hours later.

Yes, they were feeling pretty cool!

Yes, I think she is super cute!

Yes, it is true that I can not get a normal picture of this boy.

Yes, I stood in the window taking pictures half the class.


Yes, the teacher is hilarious and wore that funky hat the whole time.

And YES, they loved it and are so excited to go back!
Gotta love the hours of entertainment these kids give me!

Kenyon is 5 - Kyle is alive!

Well, Kenyon turned 5 today and Kyle is alive after taking him and 4 of his best buddies to a movie with no moms in tow. How many dads do you know that would take 5 crazy boys (ages 4-6) to a movie with no help. Kyle is officially my hero!

The Big 5 year old ready to meet up with his friends.

I think this is where Kyle started to realize he was in over his head!

Notice how nicely the boys held hands and walked safely into the theatre. It seems to me that Kyle is in complete control.

Alec, Kenyon, Stevie, Nate and Josh at Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Excited to be outside after sitting through a whole movie.
Safely back at home and ready for pizza. Leave it to a PK (Stevie) to want to say the prayer.

Little boys don't say things like BFF but if they did I think Kenyon and Alec would love the term!
I misplaced the matches so while I went on a hunt to find them I had the boys turn the cake into a fort with kabob sticks. The only problem was Kenyon being able to get close enough to blow out his candle.

The crazy party boys!

Thank you all for the good times... it was a blast!

Thankfully boys don't start out quite so crazy and God gave me a couple months cuddling with the bundle of joy below so I could bond with him and fall completely in love before he started destroying my home and everything in it!

Kenyon Kyle - 1 month

Here is the announcement we sent to tell everyone that God had blessed us with a boy... we had no idea what we were getting into or it might have started with a verse more like Phillipians 4:13

Kenyon Creativity & A Little Middleton Madness

I've decided to start sharing some of my sons creative ideas to give you all a giggle and me a release. This boy is too much!

Today I walk out of my room to find Kenyon sitting on a large dry erase board at the top of the stairs (where you see Kaden asleep - I'll save that story for another day).

As I walk towards him I see him smiling so big as he goes sliding down. He picks up the board which is taller than him (as if it's a snowboard) and with a BIG smile on his face says "mom, can I please not be in trouble since you have never said I can't do this and because it is REALLY FUN!" To that I replied "sure., but if you do it again you will be in big trouble" after all - that was a great reason not to be in trouble right? Plus, it was a very creative idea don't you think?

And here are a few pictures to make you smile or just to help you think we are OUT OF CONTROL!

Notice the extra ropes tied all over our playset... only a few near death experiences with those so far!
And here Kaden is jumping to dad after his lesson on walking the fence - a skill Kenyon posessed at about 2 years of age. You can see Kenyon is about to push his pansy brother who is nervous to jump to dad... "come on Kaden, you are 17 months old - it's time to be a big boy and jump". Which he did with no help from brother... yeah for me and my two adreneline junkies huh? And if you count dad I guess I have 3.

Oh and quickly on a more positive note - Kenyon (4 years) can now read 3 letter words... see he's not that dumb!

Oh Kenyon...

Kenyon and his butt buddy!

(WARNING: you might be tempted to judge me as a mom after reading this and that wouldn't be nice... I swear the girls never had any of these issues and are usually bruise free)

Here are just 3 of my highlights with Kenyon this past week... for real!


1. Kenyon loses our bird and 2 days later when cleaning his room for company I pull back the sheets to find bird poo all over under there and ask Kenyon if the day he lost the bird he had taken it in his room. He says "oh yeah... I was playing my game and she was bugging me so I put her under there to be still". He has a queen size quilt and it is heavy enough to keep a little parakeet stuck in one place for sure. Needless to say I got Avery to come in and help me because I am now aware there will be a dead bird appearing at any moment. Well Avery ended up finding Blueberry (bird's name) alive and only slightly damaged. When I look over at Kenyon he has this sad look on his face and I ask him what is wrong and if he wanted to have killed our bird. He responds in all seriousness by saying "well, I wanted to see a real dead bird in my bed. I've never seen that before."


2. I'm downstairs visiting with a friend the other day while our kids are upstairs playing in the girls room, that now houses the teeter totter, and hear a bunch of kids screaming "Kenyon's on the roof". For a second I think it's a joke and then realize they said Kenyon so it probably is true. At that point I run upstairs and find a guilty looking boy standing next to the ripped screen, talking a mile a minute and trying to somehow blame his stupid choice on his sisters!




3. Today right after getting home with the kids and telling Kenyon that he can not go with the girls down to the nature trail and I am busy getting Kaden laid down for nap my neighbor (2 houses down and across the street) calls me and our conversation goes something like this...

Amy "hello"
Phoenix "Hey Amy"
"yeah, what's up"
"well, did you send Kenyon over"
"No, was he over there just now?"
"Yeah, he was saying something about how you wanted him to invite me to your mothers day party"
The conversation quickly ended after we realized what had happened and when I look at Kenyon he is standing there guilty and scared but can not help the giggle as he says "I don't want a spanking" - obviously what he wanted and what happened are two very different things!

Now all of this is a problem in and of itself - just trying to figure out how to deal with him and keep him alive. But it gets worse when I'm telling you Kaden thinks Kenyon is so cool and is actually a bit ahead of Kenyon in all that he does at the old age of 12 months.


Here is Kaden on top of the play structure getting all upset because he sees his mean big sister Adia has come to take him down.



Going Down...





Totally defeated...


Here is one to show off his new bruised up head - just like his brother!

And here he is after bath tonight when he decided to sneak outside to hang out on the table. This picture is actually of him when he was ready to get down... I missed him walking around up there. (BTW - for all of you who think I am a horrible mom now... I watched him sneak out and do this just to see what he was up to)


Kenyon - I love you so much and am trying so hard today to remember that God made you just the way you are and someday somehow all of this creative energy is going to be used to bring Him glory. I don't know how but I know it's possible. You really are so sweet and although you are in trouble most of the day (or you should be) you are such a happy kid and for that I am so grateful! I don't know what to do with you but what comes natural... laugh at you and love you and that is exactly what I am going to do. Oh and just so you know - no matter how hard you try to wear me down...

I WILL SURVIVE!

and you better!