Husband, Dad, Mechanical Engineer, Bass
Player ...
Obsessed with all things Engineering.
AMY
Wife, Homeschool Mom, Webmaster ...
Obsessed with all things Political.
RACHAEL
Daughter, Sister, Sophomore ...
Obsessed with all things Geological.
NICHOLAS
Son, Brother, 8 year old ...
Obsessed with all things Historical.
(especially Egyptian!)
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The Well-Trained Mind Singapore Math Greenleaf Guides Apologia Science AIG Science curriculum Story of the World
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Birthday Celebration #3
Monday, June 29, 2009
On Saturday the 20th, we headed down south and had the 'grandparent party.' The kids had so much fun riding the rides and playing the games! My parents got Nick a Wii Fit, my grandma got him a drill/screwdriver playset, and Jeff's parents gave him some money. I'll post some game pictures in the next posting...
I didn't get home until late Saturday evening, but Jeff had let the kids stay up and had bought cake & ice cream to celebrate my birthday! Rachael even convinced him to let her put all 35 candles on the cake (can you say FIRE HAZARD?!?!?!)
I'm so thankful for such an amazing husband & two awesome kids!
Also, here's Rachael's new haircut. My mom took her to the mall to get it cut. It took two hours to complete and probably cost WAY more money than I would have spent, but THANKS MOM!!!!! It looks really cute! (My mom also watched my kids while I went to the convention, which meant that Jeff & I even got a couple of nights to ourselves before I left! WOOHOO!!!!)
We went to Stoll's Amish Buffet for an early dinner, followed by cake and ice cream back at the house. We managed to snap a 4-generation photo in the process!
Today began with the obligatory unwrapping of the Santa gifts followed by the two hour trek to Jeff's parents' house for a massive turkey feast and more presents. While there, even Jeff's dad had fun Wii bowling. After we left, we went to my parents house for another huge meal and still more presents. Rachael (dressed in her finest footie pajamas - a gift from Jeff's parents) thoroughly whipped Eddie 4 times in Wii bowling. Of course, he claimed he could still beat her at Skittles, which is apparently a European sport. He says he's going to have to buy a Wii and get practiced up for a rematch. She's still trying to sharpen her skills so that it never happens. Is that a competitive spirit that I see in my child? I didn't think she had it in her!
Jeff is 38 years old today! My parents took us out to eat at a local BBQ restaurant for Jeff's birthday. After lunch, Jeff & I headed to a movie and dinner, then back to my parents' house for cake & ice cream....
Rachael & I are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for her piano lessons and then off to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Instead of co-op, Diana & I are taking the kids on a field trip. Normally I take Nick with us, but I just don't think he'd enjoy an art museum yet. Instead, he's going to my parents' house for an overnight. He already has his "luggage" packed. He insisted on taking HIS luggage and not a suitcase. :-D
Here are the pictures that my aunt sent me from my grandma's birthday.
We started off our school day with a science test which Rachael completely bombed. It wasn't that it was difficult (it was matching scientists with their achievements), she just didn't study. As a result, she is writing a paragraph about each of the 10 scientists that she missed, then retaking the test. As much as she HATES writing, I don't think she'll be goofing off during her study time anymore! Sometimes it's kind of fun getting to be a mean mom... ;-D
After a huge breakfast (including some of the fish that they caught in the lake!), Grandma, Norma, Fred, Sammie, & Gabe left for St. Louis this morning. Mom and I played cards until Jeff arrived from work. We were planning on taking the kids to the movies, but decided instead to just grab a bite to eat, then head home to watch Monk...
The cMoe was on the agenda for today. I knew the kids would enjoy it, but I think some of the adults had just as much fun! I'll have to post more pictures in another post, because I took so many. Even 83 year old Grandma Re got in on the action!
The kids and I spent the night at my mom's house last night. My grandma is visiting from St. Louis, and my aunt & uncle are visiting from Hawaii. They brought my cousin's two kids, Gabe (3) and Samantha (11). Despite the suffocating heat, we decided to go to the zoo. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty hot and muggy! The kids have had fun playing together. It actually works out perfectly that Rachael & Samantha are only about 6 mos. apart, and Nick & Gabe are only about 4 mos. apart. After the zoo, we headed to Hardee's for a late lunch. I imagine that we'll be having a small dinner followed by a night of card-playing...
Our morning began with hopping into the car to drive to church, only to discover that our battery was dead. Apparently, Nick's seat belt got caught in the door which caused the interior light to drain the battery. We called Progressive's Roadside Assistance line and were told that there was no one on their list who had the equipment to help us. Um... equipment?!? Heck, even WE have jumper cables! I should have just told them to send a truck and we'd jump it ourselves...unless the motorized vehicle WAS the missing equipment. I know I'm not the most observant person in the world, but I don't recall too many horse-drawn carriage towing companies in the area. Anyway, after about 3 more phone calls from Progressive, they found a company - over 40 miles away! At least the elderly gentleman that showed up was prompt, professional, and polite.
Our evening was exponentially better. We went to dinner with my parents & step-sister to Jillian's. None of us had been there before, but it was a neat place. It's sort of like an adult's Chuck E. Cheese. They have games (and even a bowling alley!) for families until 9:00pm, and then it turns into an over 21 establishment. The games were entertaining, albeit expensive, and the food was wonderful. I had the grilled chicken which was yummy, and the caramel cheesecake which was double-yummy!
After dinner, Jeff, Nick & I went to the Riverfront. It was a gorgeous night (which also meant that it was exceedingly crowded). I did manage, however, to snap a few pictures of Nick at sunset...
My mom went with us to pick up Rachael from camp. Even though she didn't know anyone, she made several friends and had a ball! Camp concluded with 8 baptisms, including 2 of Rachael's new friends. Jeff met us at an Amish buffet on the way home. The food was good (though not as good as the Grand Colonnade!), and the scenery overlooking the lake was beautiful.
Nick and I have been enjoying our day together, but we're still both missing Rachael!
Here are some of the pictures we took yesterday of the West Baden Springs Hotel. The floors really amazed me. They were able to restore nearly all of the original mosaic. The fireplace was pretty cool, too. It's hard to get a sense (through the pictures) at how large the dome truly is. To top it all off, there was a trio playing Ella Fitzgerald-type music. It was so relaxing... (as you can tell by Jill's photo!)
My mom arrived around 10:00, then we went to go pick up my step-sister. We headed to French Lick, IN to the French Licks Springs Hotel for lunch at the Grand Colonnade Buffet. The food was delicious, and the selections were amazing. Since we had some time to kill, we ventured over to the West Baden Springs Hotel to see the renovated dome. It was beautiful! The ambiance was so peaceful, the grounds were gorgeous, the music was inspiring. I have several photos that I'll have to post tomorrow. Rachael also bought another Field Guide to Birds. It was 50% off and was a good bargain.
We arrived at camp just before 4:00pm. Rachael doesn't know a single person at camp, but we found out that the dorm chaperone (a college student who was about 20-21) is also a lifelong homeschooler. She was homeschooled from K-12, and has made the Dean's list every semester at college. She expects to graduate from I.U. Southeast in the spring. That was at least a little comforting!
Name: Amy Home: Indiana, United States About Me: I am a Homeschool Mom of 2 awesome children. This is my attempt at Project 365 - to chronicle our world through daily photos... See my complete profile
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