Introducing Olan

Olan (Baby Ollie) Wynter~ January 10th. Baby Boy # 4!!

Winter 2009

Zephyr rocking on his brand new Ukalaili (I guess that is how it is spelled!) These holidays were rather bittersweet as I was very pregnant and VERY miserable. At least baby waited for the festivities to be over.

Babies

This was Z the day he was born. So sweet! This is what I am reminded of because we have recently discovered we're expecting number 4. It was a total surprise, but no less a blessing. We have 3 boys, so time will tell what we get next.

Homeschooling a High Schooler

So I have finally made the concrete decision to HS my oldest, which has not been an easy desicion. It seems that I have quite a few people against this. He is disabled and has been in a special needs class since K, but he isn't ready for high school and all that it has to offer on the negative side.
I am excited. There, I admit it. I feel like I am doing the right thing for us and for him. It won't be easy at first, and we will have to work really hard to stay on a schedule. I am also adding my 3 year old to the schooling mix, not too much, just a little pre-k stuff. So I went from planning for one to planning for three. Yikes.
We shall see how it goes!

Horses

He loves his weekly visit to the stable. He is the bravest one out there and not even 3 yet. His fearlessness really does scare me!

Big Fun on the Little Hill

They found a way to make a big slide out of the small hill next to the house. It provided hours of entertainment!

Renassiance Fair

Renassiance Fair was one of the funnest outings we have been on! We are definitely making it a yearly occassion.

Random Sites

Some of the things we got to see while we were there.

Dismal Swamp

This weekend Avery had the opportunity to tour the Dismal Swamp, which is on the coast of NC. So he and his Dad made the 5 hour drive and went out all day Saturday. Avery had a very good time and they were able to see alot of interesting things. These are a few of the pictures Avery got to take with the digital camera he got to take on his trip.

"Goblin Hunting"

This is the kids going "Goblin Hunting" at 9:30 am! This was one of those days when playtime seemed to be more important than interupting it with schooltime. We need those days every once in awhile.

The Zoo

We took a trip to the Zoo last weekend with the kids. We had fun although it was too hot and my recovering broken ankle suffered greatly for it a few days later! Having an injured ankle is becoming very inconvenient.

Gem Mining

We went gem mining this morning at Castle Mcculloch. We had a very fun time even though it was raining. After we mined we got a tour of the rock quarry, THAT was the neatest part. That big hole was mined since the 1940's one dump truck at a time!

Chasing Zephyr!

This is a beautiful rainbow dyed playsilk I got from A Toy Garden, I just love the colors. So when my very naked 2 year old decided to wrap himself with it and run around the house I just had to grab the camera! When you give your child a name that means "the wind" expect to be doing a lot of chasing.

Watercolors

We have watercolor painting day once a week. This is Zephyr's favorite afternoon activity. I am trying harder to paint color instead of obsessing about a perfect picture. I think the kids are figuring this out as well.

Our New Kitchen

We got a wooden kitchen for the playroom, and the kids love it! I am so glad and had to include a few pictures of them.

Playroom - Schoolroom

I have been dreaming of a playroom/ schoolroom with all of my ideals. I am proud of our room, and it has become my favorite in the house!

The Moon

I don't have the best camera, but on the way home from the lakehouse I made my husband stop so I could take a picture of the moon.

Visitor

This past weekend we went to the lakehouse. my husband found this field mouse who made a home in the bird house. I guess a house is a house!

First Day of School

The treehouse at night

We love our Stockmar crayons!

The camera didn't like the lights, but at least you can see our treehouse!

I finally got the wonderful idea to put light in the treehouse so we could be up there at night. Avery loved it so much he decided he wanted to color at 9pm. So we colored in our big treehouse. This was the first time we really hung out there at night because it had been so dark so we were all fairly excited. This treehouse is huge and I am trying to make it a place where the kids can be alot more often.