Some words, lots of photos....

I really do mean to post every weekend but lately it's been every other.  So, lots of photos to catch up on....which give the best glimpse into our life, really.  And some words, I suppose.  We're wrapping up what is known in our house as 'winter semester' because Scott is always busiest from January to now each year.  Lots of work, lots of student recitals to attend, etc.  He hears juries on Wednesday and then has TWO WEEKS OFF!  Yippee!!!!  We are beginning our second week of our third term of school and then will break for two weeks with Scotty.  A full week of at-home vacation (yard projects!) and then a week in Oceanside, California (thanks, Mom and Dad!). 

The kids just started private swim lessons last week.  They go twice a week.  They LOVE their teacher, Erina.  We'll do lessons like this through mid-May and then I signed Ella up for a recreational swim team in Provo that meets for an hour every morning in June and July (she'll miss the last few weeks when we leave on our trip....but that's ok). She's hoping to be a really strong swimmer by summer so she can swim out to the raft at the lake with ease.  Asher is fairly terrified of water so it's been a real act of courage for him to do these lessons.  I can tell from his face that he is scared but he goes right with his teacher and does what she asks---even though it is scarey.  We're really proud of him because as most of you probably know, I totally understand that feeling of being scared in the water and that it's not always easy to be courageous.  She's working on helping him to feel confident in going under the water and their goal is to at least get him floating!  Ethan also has a very short lesson with her----about 10 minutes---which he loves.  The goal is just to get him really comfortable. Photos to come.

I know it may be silly but I really love matching Easter outfits.  So here are some photos of this year:

 

Some Ethan shots:  the first of him after just finishing his first viola lesson.  He's been begging for months! 

These next two are just random shots of him:

 

 

Next are a series of shots of Easter weekend:  dying eggs, the boys got their animals out and posed them in a "family photo shot" and insisted I take pictures, Easter morning---waking up to an egg hunt (inside--it snowed!) and a yarn maze to complete to find their baskets.

Can you see the boys?

The big excitement in our neighborhood is that we're getting a new library that will be one block closer!  In other words:  now the library is two blocks away.  The new library will be one block away.  Woo-hoo!!!They built a new firestation this past year and the new library will be where the old firestation was (are you following?).  So, this past week there's been lots of goings on at the site of the old firestation.  It is now completely gone----just a pile of rubble.  We had lots of fun watching the destruction--especially Asher.

It is not a muzzle!  We're trying to teach him not to pull on the leash.  It doesn't hurt him!
Though it looks ridiculous.  Isn't he cute?  If he'd only stop chewing everything....

Ethan still likes to ride in the Ergo

This past week marked the return of our Friday Park Days (with our homeschooling group).  During the cold months we meet every Friday to do co-op---which is lots of fun but much more work!  When it's warm we meet every Friday at the park for a good 3-4 hours, eat lunch, the kids play and the moms chat.  This past week was absolutely lovely.

That's Ella upside down

 Asher got to play Tukka Express accompanied by Papa at the cello recital on Satuday.  He was super excited to wear the vest that Nana knitted for him.  We're super excited that this is the last Saturday recital for awhile!

Getting ready to go

 We've been studying Marco Polo's journey all year and Marco is now in China.  We learned about Chinese New Year and that some historians think that "Italian Pasta" was actually an idea that Marco brought back.  Today we had our own (off-calendar) Chinese New Year celebration---we made dumplings and lo mein, filled red envelopes with coins and wrote signs on red paper to put around the house (ie:  on the pantry "always full").  We used a red tablecloth to signify good luck.  Plus, Scott and I went out lastnight to our favorite Chinese Hot Pot restaurant (also, spent some time at the new Indian food store, Bollywood Market)---so we had a weekend full of Chinese!  It was lovely.  Here's Ella making the dumplings:

Bedtime Read Alouds:

Danny, Champion of the World (finished)

Stone Fox (finished)

Stuart Little

Ella is reading:

Fablehaven 4

The Four-Story Mistake
Ella Enchanted

Freedom Rider (finished--thanks, Nana)

I am reading:

Fablehaven 1 (finished)

Olive Kitteridge (depressing--for book club--finished)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Daugher of Persia

The History of US series (previewing for school)

Movies:

An Education (also depressing)

Tales from Peter Rabbit (so charming)

School:
Term 3

Ella: Robert Schumann (composer), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet), Grant Wood (artist), birds (nature study).  We use RightStart math and Spell to Write and Read.  Daily journal writing, letters and stories. She's learned cursive and will keep working on perfecting some of those more difficult capital letters.  Continuing Marco Polo study. Some of our school books include:  The Landing of the Pilgrims, Our Island Story,  The Heroes (Theseus), The Story of Inventions, Swallows and Amazons, This Country of Ours, Science Lab in a Supermarket, Secrets of the Woods (so charming!), Beautiful Tales from Shakespeare (Ella's favorite), American Tall Tales. 

Asher will continue to work on letter formation (NOT his favorite!), learning to read, and math.  Ethan is working on letter sounds and basic counting skills.  Lots of painting, making alphabet books, daily map-finds, walks and instrument practice.