Hats anyone?

Yes, it's still summer time.

 No, none of these are new hats.

 In fact, for a long time - say, the whole two years we've lived here, all of our hats have been in a box by the front door. 

Even in the summer time I keep them there because, well, I just do. 

These last few weeks have been a Hat Frenzy!! 

Declan has decided all hats are fantastic, and must be worn most of the day. 

Shall we take a peak?

Yes, that's our darling son rocking out to some music in his older sisters hat. Pure bliss shows. 

Tonight in fact - I tucked my awesome child into bed and he is currently sound asleep with a hat on! This is a thick, lined, fluffy hat! But he sure was cute at bedtime :) 

Its actually extended beyond hats now. He is madly in love with his helmet as well. This is him and Daddy last night. Notice the jammies - the silly kid did indeed mooch a night time snack adorned in jammies and a helmet! 

I am realizing there are about 12 hats that he rotates through and it's absolutely darling. 

Children add so much humor to our lives. 

Blessings!! 

Can you feel it?

Ahhhhhhhhh........ School Season!!!! 

I cherish the books, pencils, notebooks and everything about 'back to school' season - except the concept of public education of course. 

I'm so thrilled to find myself on yet another year of homeschooling. Our wonderful children are excited. They are watching things come into our home and know they are their tools. They actively acknowledge and know that most children are publicly schooled, and that we feel strongly against it for our family. We have talked to Daunika especially with this year marking many of her friends going to public school for kindergarten. 

The kids are thrilled to stay at home and learn along side their parents. The countless crayons, scissors, notebooks pour into our home as I stock up for the year to come. New posters, new calendars for our year. So much EXCITEMENT! 

Often times people have asked me -Do you really school at home?

To which I can just smile and say - No. We don't try to replicate school in our home. 

I think that's really important to know. Our children are actively learning daily without the need of someone else's agenda that dictates their day. This year we evaluated if a home school/public school funding was an option we wanted to entertain. Ultimately, our home chose that Home Education is really about our child, not a public school needing to test score well enough. We don't have circle time, with recess, and all that. We live and learn in the same spaces, always. 

So, how in the world do you intend to teach them? 

Another fabulous question that I love to hear. I don't. Well.... Not in the way that you think. I plan on providing the environment, the fun, the excitement and the opportunity to grow constantly. I plan on nurturing their interests, desires to learn, and watching them grow. Sure I plan on helping foster the environment and encourage strongly certain things - such as learning about our community and our values. But I don't need to teach to them. I need to help them educate themselves. 

If it didn't work - I wouldn't have a 5 year old doing 1st grade math curriculum this year, who can read and write, is currently reading Greek mythology and can identify Greece on the globe, and oh yea - who is having a blast still being a child! 

Well, what do you do then? 

I listen first and foremost. I listen to my children and their needs, wants and desires. I believe that children WANT and CRAVE knowledge. Haven't you ever wished for a moment that your darling toddler would shush for 5 minutes because if she asks you one more time "what's that?" you really might just pull your hair out? The smile and resounding "yes" that you're feeling is the understanding. 

My hope is not to squash that. To help provide opportunity, choices, options, and space to grow and learn constantly. The home is my domain - I will set it up to foster a lifestyle of learning. 

Yes, but don't you have text books and "school supplies"?

Absolutely! Are you kidding me? I think I'm turning into a damn curriculum junkie and my kids are 5, 3, and 1! We have a pretty darn good collection of things we plan on using this year. And by using - I mean exploring, learning, ditching when its crap, and retrying when we're ready. 

As for supplies - here's some of my favorites : 

Yes, standard spiral note books are a MUST HAVE in this home. We use them as our nature journals, our handwriting launch points, our coloring books, our math work books, you name it. My children have colored pictures for their friends, written (with proper format) letters to their grandparents, and cut line by line all in the same 70 pages! Really, the power of a notebook that they know is theirs, special, valuable and worth their time is addicting. 

That is a photograph of Kathryn Albertson Park. Our mecca of studying nature, wild life, animals, plants and seasons of our world. 

Could you imagine reading all those books? Daunika can. Aurora too. They actually proclaimed one day - they plan on reading every single book in the library by the time they became mommies. It was a beautiful moment. Our library system is fabulous and the best thing I can do for my children is continue to keep the love of books alive in them. There is no limit to your knowledge when you read. 

Of course there is about a couple hundred of these. 

And a lot of our children, side by side, being goofy, fun, serious, and at the end of the day - 

Part of our fantastic family. 

This little man is working on scribbling ON PAPER. That is a fabulous task at 17 months!

Aurora is diligently learning to spell and write her name. She'll master it this month for certain

And Daunika has decided that childrens books don't hold the same appeal. She is plowing through books these days!!! 

Happy Beginning of the School Year!!!!!

 MANY more posts to come. Stay along for the ride :)

What a great start to August

Day by day we are simply enjoying life. No expectations of what needs done, what nags the mind, just really LIVING. It's been fabulous! We have a pool pass and the pools close in two short weeks so we've committed to swimming daily. It's been so GREAT! No matter what, its a time to look forward to - and lots of the time we're joined by friends or Damon! 




I really love watching Daunika (and her friend Josh!) become SO confident in the water. Daunika doesn't go to the 'baby pool' anymore - unless its to warm up (its heated). She loves to SWIM and to really swim you need deeper water. 

 Aurora isn't ready to jump in the big pool yet when its deep

 But loves the safety of Dad's arms and enjoys the big pool!

 Declan seems completely fearless. He falls in, face first, dunks himself completely and seems un-phased mostly.

 The older Moose gets, he totally looks like Damon. I love this fact!

 Aurora loves the little slides, they are perfect sized for kids!

 And the splash is always fun to watch!

 But it never fails... I hear the "brrrrrrrrrrrrrr" from my kids by the end. So sweet.

More than just swimming and special 'summer' things... we're really enjoying just being US. 




Aurora found her camera again, and Dad gave her new batteries... I dont think she set it down for days. Very sweet. 

Almost every night I've peaked in on my lovely babies and I either find them sprawled in their own beds - but more often then not - I find this: 


Here is Daunika, in her full sized bed, sprawled out in every way possible

 And on the twin mattress - here's my two snuggle bugs. Aurora and Declan are far more cuddly than Daunika and I love to think of all their differences. Gosh I love our kids.

Daunika may not be cuddly - but she absolutely has a heart of gold. She wrote her sister a letter and a picture of me and her together. :) 

And in case you didn't know - It is impossible to make a bed when a naked baby thinks its hysterical to crawl into it the very moment your all done! 

In Huberty baby #4 news - We are still moving ahead with planning a home birth. Though there was a recent movement of some of the midwives in the practice we've chosen that have made me extremely unnerved, I'm still confident that ultimately their clinical skill is simply a back up plan to the unfailing trust Damon and I have in my ability to birth flawlessly without complications. (While this is our first home birth, this will be our third child not born in a hospital, only Daunika was born in a hospital).  This is the first time we are planning on not finding out the gender of our baby either - and no, I really don't want to know. It feels so right waiting. We are peaceful and it seems so natural to add another baby to our home. I'm not at all anxious, nervous, or anything but patient and happy. 


In the coming weeks, We can look forward to tons more swimming, then the fair and the hot air balloon events! Woo hoo.

I love summers in Idaho. 

Library Days

Do you remember your first love? 

I do.

I plainly and simply remember that moment when I realized "this is mine forever, and it's magical and amazing". Of course, I was 6 years old and had just gotten a library card . I had learned to read and as my 'prize' from my grandmother, I got a library card. I'm pretty sure I lost it within a week because I don't ever remember seeing that yellow plastic card again.... what I didn't lose was far more amazing though. I never lost the love of books. (of course, my later loves are fun and whimsical like music and yoga, and I'll never discredit the true loves of my husband and my children - but this is a damn close second!!)

Think about it? Truly great works can come from books. You never find my night stand without many different books on it. At this exact moment you would find: my own journal - the book of my life, The Joy in Parenting, Hold Me Tight, scriptures to study, and currently Little Women. Marvelous isn't it? Books connect the world in an amazing way. They are opinions, facts, pictures, stories, and so much more. They can take you around the world all while you sit in the comfy chair in your home. They can captivate your thoughts and consume your day as you just MUST find out what happens next!!

Just as I model the love I have for my husband and each and every one of my children - I model the love of books in my home. I am the driving force of buying books, reading books and constant library trips. While I wont always say it's easy. There are days that I leave the library in near tears. Picture it - pregnant lady with 3 young children and two loaded bags of books. As she tries to check out, she hears "mom, give me back my books, I really want to READ IT BEFORE WE GET HOME" at the top of my 3 year olds lungs, my 5 year olds busy trying to drag my 17 month old back down the stairs that he is thrilled to climb at any cost, and the lady at the desk reminds me that I owe the library at whole 1.50 in late fees.

Yes, even despite the countless books I have re-shelved because of tiny hands that yank them down over and over, the tears from me saying "no you can't have more than 30 books today, I'm serious!", the occasional damaged book or the one that some how gets eaten by the house and you pay for it despite knowing your children really didn't like that book at all.... Despite everything, I have managed to continue this ritual and have created children that simply adore books. If I could give them a passion - it would be an appetite for learning always. If I can kindle this little flame in any way, I surely will... and I do.

2 weeks ago Daunika asked me "Mom, what is upstairs?". Great question! So we spent over 45 minutes simply exploring. We rode the elevator up to floor 3, then walked down to floor two. We stopped and looked at countless books and talked to 7 librarians along the way. It really was great to witness my children so clearly confident and in their element (especially Daunika!!). They love books and where the books are, they are at home. Daunika found an encyclopedia of Butterflys. This was not in the childrens sections and not at all a small book. This was a heavy, adult book. She was simply amazed and carried it around for days. She even slept with it.

Today was no different - the first place they wanted to go was upstairs. Of course I let them and encourage it. Why should they be limited to children's books? Today Daunika went straight to the second floor and to the butterfly section. She wanted another book on butterflys. I admit, they are COOL books. So many lovely pictures and so much information to help her read through. This week, Aurora picked a book on Yoga. She seriously loves yoga and one about deer and I think she feels very proud to be able to pick 'Mommy Books" too.

We hit the kid section and 36 books later, I was pretty tired! But I did manage to snap some great pictures of our littles today. I brought my camera because I wanted to capture the moments that really make up our life, even if it's moose sitting on a table instead of reading!

Yes, that is our great Moose thinking that it is acceptable to climb on the table. Like I said, not perfect library times, but effective book lover time overall!! 

 Aurora hasn't shown a lot of interest in puzzles but today she shocked me and sat down and did a lot of puzzles!

Our book worm <3

I hope everyone finds that hunger for knowledge and the love of books.

 It really is a deep love affair of a life time. 

Swim Lessons 2011

Ahhh.... has it really been another year? This year both of our girls were in swim lessons. It was a great experience for them and I'm so glad we did it. This is Daunika's third year in lessons and Aurora's first year. They both were so excited everyday to get up and go for two weeks. They were not happy about no lessons on Saturday and Sunday though. It was quite sweet.

It was an eventful two weeks. I was called away to attend a birth Monday and our dear friend Megan took our kids to lessons with her kids for me. Apparently Declan did not take to the idea that HE wasn't getting lessons and went into the pool fully clothed on the steps. He was safe, just wet. I was sad to miss the first day of swim lessons... and as it turns out, I missed Tuesday too!

Tuesday Damon went and the girls were genuinely thrilled that Daddy went. They told me all about it - it was so cute. Well, Declan once again decided he was going to go swimming... but this time, he didn't just sit on a step. While the story is fuzzy and I wasn't there - the basics were a baby falling in and a fully clothed daddy jumping in to grab him. He wasn't harmed in any way and wasn't in long at all, but it was a story everyone talked about the rest of the week. I've got to say - I love my husband completely. I heard it was pretty inspiring to see him just react - not think, just DO. He did have his phone in his pocket and luckily, it appears to work! The LED flashlight/light doesn't work, but overall we were lucky... but both of us agree that the phone was the last thing anyone cared about compared to Declan!

I got to watch the rest of swim lessons and it was great seeing my children blossom. The first week they were water shy, especially getting it in their faces or with Ms Kate letting go of them to swim. By Tuesday of the second week, Daunika decided she was "Ms Courageous" and was going to be "dedicated" (man I love this kids vocab explosion!!!). She jumped in the water fully without hesitation and swam AWESOME that day! She can fully doggy paddle and it's so cool to watch the joy in her eyes as she realizes she is swimming! Aurora was so scared to jump in the water but by the end, she was jumping in while holding a hand and went all the way under. wooohooo!!

I'm so proud of my kids! Enjoy the pictures :)

Ice cream scoop arms!! 

Red light, Green light kicking... this is furiously green light racing I believe.

Well.... One minute she's standing there....

And then.... SPLASH!

Aurora practicing her 'ice cream scoop arms'

Aurora did not appreciate back floats at all, but she did well!!

And of course - our Moose - his shirt says "Life Guard in Training"

Happy Summer!! 

Holland

What is wrong with me? Don't I already have 3 children, work, 2 cats and a dog to take care of? Do I need more things to worry about?

Yep. Meet Holland.......

He is a black lab, about 14-15 weeks old and a rescue puppy from up in northern Idaho. He is wonderful so far! Oh course, like all puppies, he wants to chew and play and such - but really. He sleeps through the night unattended without accidents, he LOVES the kids and learned very quickly to be gentle with them. He really is a lovely addition to our family. When he arrived he was so calm and honestly scared. Not of the kids noise, but if Damon or I spoke loudly he would cower and was very hand shy. Poor puppy. He must have been very unsafe before and I am so happy to give him a forever home where he will be loved completely.

He really loves to be in the middle of the kids. They don't seem to mind too much

Declan LOVES him and Holland appears to have the same feelings. Lots of slobbery kisses from both of them

Such a pretty pup.

Our newest addition to the family - Holland.

Camping!

2 posts ago, I said I was headed to the mountains..... and I did exactly that. Monday June 20th - Daunika, Aurora, Declan, Zoey (our dog) and myself loaded up our suburban and headed to the hills... Now, I can't claim I'm some great pioneer of womanly strength, my darling husband helped my load Betty (the name of our suburban) and Megan and her 3 children were heading up too...

It took about 13 million years to get out of town, but fuck we finally made it to highway 21 and all the nerves settled away. Blaring radio, all windows open, full sunshine...... damn near perfection. The only missing piece was my amazing husband who stayed behind to work so hard for us so we could take moments like this. Thank you Damon!!!

There were wonderful times spent with friends, great moments when Damon arrived unannounced and spent the nights with us, it was all around a absolutely wonderful time. What could possibly make it better?

Knowing that we're going again soon!!! Enjoy the pictures :)


Here's Rosie, Aurora, Daunika and Josh all gathered around the "breakfast table". All bundled up, though it wasn't  too cold at night, the mornings were chilly.

Here's our best friend Megan as Damon relaxes while holding her youngest Sadie (notice the little green feet poking outta his lap) and Megans middle child Rosie :) Megan is talking all about buying a new house for her awesome family!!

As previously mentioned in another blog, it is IMPOSSIBLE to take a picture of one of our daughters without the other popping out of no where. So cute :)

We love campfires... I wish Declan was awake for this awesome picture, because he has a pair of baby Keens to match all ours - but alas, here's the 4 of us warming our toes by the fire!

One of the best things about the camping spot we found was this great area for kids to play in the water. The creek we're next to was very fast, but this was a stream off of the creek. It offered shade and sand and water. Oh the FUN!

It was amazing. We got there on a Monday - BEST time to go camping. There was no one there! It was awesome. About Wednesday another person showed up but pretty far away, by Friday night I was ready to leave, it started getting really busy with people flowing in. We'll plan on camping Monday-Friday from now on. GOODNESS I LOVE NOT HAVING A JOB! Ahhhhhhhhhh. Genius. Damon was able to come up in the evenings, He's taken off days where our two crew members just go out and work, just frickin fabulous. I know great things are to come more and more....


I really want to go camping now! Must be patient!