Benny the Explorer

The weather has been so nice lately that we've been taking walks every evening.  Walking is therapeutic for me and I like to "move."  Benjamin however believes that life is a journey and you better stop to smell the flowers, look at the bugs, watch the birds and pick up anything that looks slightly interesting. 

As we were walking through field he found a couple of dirty pieces of broken pottery and persuaded everyone to help him search for more. 

We did a unit on Archaeology awhile ago and he figured he had found something of value. We humored him, found several pieces and brought them home for him to "examine."

He cleaned them and pieced them together. In the end we found he had most of an "ancient relic." 

Through his research he determined all sorts of clues as to where this relic was from and it's use.

The next day the boys went in search of the missing piece and we learned a valuable archaeological lesson...

Don't glue the pieces together until you have them all.  Because of the angle of the break it was impossible to fit the last piece in without re-breaking the bowl. 

He was a little disappointed, but has since decided that being an explorer/archaeologist is his calling in life.  The bowl is safely stowed under his bed as his first big discovery and will remain there until the next time we "purge" the Benny treasury. :)

Beauty or the Beast?

Katie got a set of kiddie makeup for Christmas this year and one of her favorite past-times is doing my makeup and hair. Most days her masterpieces go unrecognized and unappreciated, however tonight when she gave me a makeover Rusty was home and insisted on "capturing the moment" for the sake of posterity.

 Typically these are the pictures I delete when I go through our pictures, but for the sake of Kate's reputation as a beautician I decided I would allow her efforts to be documented.

 After a couple of months of practice one day Kate said to me, "Mom I think it's time for you to start paying me for doing your hair and makeup."  Hmmm.... I think Rusty might pay her for the entertainment value :)  He was very amused.

St. Patty's Day

We have made some good friends here in Waxahachie and one of the families we have enjoyed hanging out with is the Van Slykes.  They have 4 boys and 1 girl.  Dallin and their oldest son are in class and scouts together, and they have become quite good buddies.  Their oldest son is homeschooled so they have joined us at co-op for the last couple of semesters as well.

For St. Patrick's Day this year we decided to get together and play.  We made green pizza, drank green koolaid, ate green jello and enjoyed a delicious rainbow fruit salad.   

The kids took turns playing video games and goofing off.  They all play so well together- it's nice to find a family that we all enjoy.

Benjamin's 7th Birthday

 Benny the Birthday Boy!!

 We don't usually have parties for birthdays, but on the kids birthday they get "say" on all meals and typically they can choose the activities of the day (within reason, of course).

I'm always amazed how easy they are to please.  Ben wanted donuts for breakfast (I think it may have been because Dad happened to bring a few home that a patient had given him the day before).  Then he wanted to open presents.  We let him open a couple first thing, but told him he needed to save a couple for when Dad came home.

 Lauren gave him a Lego Star Wars shirt. If you think it looks like he has a black eye you are right.  Somehow he tripped going up the stairs a week ago and managed to hit his eye on the railing.

 Kate gave him some plastic army men toys and a "punching" pen (ala Dollar Store).

After that we decided to visit the zoo.  This wasn't really Ben's first choice or maybe even his second, but his birthday happened to fall on the week of Spring Break so we had a whole week of activities planned and he was willing to accept that and agreed to the zoo knowing that Pump It Up and Laser Tag were in the works.

 After a long day of waiting we went to Pizza Hut for dinner - thank you Book It reading program.

 And Ben opened his last couple of presents.  You would think that a boy with a HUGE bucket of Legos would be satisfied, but Ben LOVES Lego Star Wars and had his heart set on more Star Wars guys.  I've decided the only way to keep myself sane is to glue the little ships together so he can play with them and we don't lose any pieces or have to rebuild them. Because really digging through an enormous pile of Legos trying to find the tiny pieces is just too much.

 Rather than have a cake, Ben wanted homemade cinnamon rolls for his birthday. 

Ben is such a joy to have in our family!  He has such a fun and loving personality.  He is quick to smile, quick to laugh, and (of course) quick to tease.  He is also quick to serve, quick to love, and quick to forgive.  I love his curiosity and interest in everything.  It brings a sense of wonder to my life as I watch him learn and discover new things. We Love Our Benjamin!

Pinewood Derby

 Although Dallin has been in scouts for a  couple of years, this was the first chance he has had to actually make and race a Pinewood Derby car. He did an awesome job! He sketched it, cut it, designed the pattern, and painted it. He learned a lot of good skills and made a great car.

Here he is showing off the side and front of his car.

This is a close up of "Storm Chaser"

I'm not sure who made the awesome cake, but we had to capture a picture for memories sake.

And here they are all the Cub Scout racers in troop 204

We are so grateful for such awesome leaders that do so much to make Cub Scouts so fun.