B'ball and science

Today we had Marky's first basketball game.  It was a lot of fun. They tied and went into overtime, but we ultimately lost in overtime.

One of Marc's best buddies is on the team- he's also homeschooled and we will see him Monday when we start homeschool Spanish.  :)

 I'm getting the house ready to start school on Monday.  We've put a new desk on the upstairs landing and put our old computer on it (not connected to the internet).  They will do typing, Latin and math up there.    I also bought this little experiment kit on a whim the other day and they are all besides themselves to start up the science experiments.

Update:  Literally seconds after I'd taken pics of this box and was posting it Marky tore into it and built a telescope.  :)  He's so excited to do all the experiments I have a feeling they'll be done this week and not last us the whole semester like I'd hoped.

Boys in the woods

One of the reasons we bought our home is because of the hundreds of acres of forest surrounding it.

I LOVE it- Marky and his neighborhood crew have forts, bunkers, creeks, and rocks they play with all the time.  The little boys are now getting interested in the woods too.  Today I kept seeing them wander off a bit-

I've been reading this AWESOME book called, "Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination in Your Child" by Anthony Esolen.  It cuts to the chase- such a wake up call.  I have to read these books to keep my focus on what is truly helpful and good for children because the world is telling us the opposite day in day out. Chapter 2 deals with keeping children indoors too much.  And our gardens and zoos are nice, but you don't want a child to be so used to seeing a giraffe in the fancy zoo that they don't find beauty in the little wren on the fence.  Chesterton says,

“The whole object of real art, of real romance – and, above all, of real religion – is to prevent people from losing the humility and gratitude which are thankful for daylight and daily bread; to prevent them from regarding daily life as dull or domestic life as narrow; to teach them to feel in the sunlight the song of Apollo and in the bread the epic of the plough. What is now needed most is intensive imagination. I mean the power to turn our imaginations inwards, on the things we already have, and to make those things live. It is not merely  seeking new experiences, which rapidly become old experiences. It is really learning how to experience our experiences. It is learning how to enjoy our enjoyments.”

Sometimes you just need some time to yourself to think and inhale.

“There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” - G.K. Chesterton

We need to slow down.  Starting Monday we are homeschooling again.  :)

Quote for the day

“There is a tendency to forget that the school is only a preparation for the home, and not the home a mere jumping off place for the school.” – G.K. Chesterton - 

To my five-year-old cherub

 

What can I say about my little "toy" Tucker.  You are such a delight- our own personal court jester!  We love you and delight in your antics so much.  You are always "delighted" with things and have the jolliest spirit.  You are full of life and light- such a gift!  You are so bright- you have always been way beyond your years in the things you know.  You blow people away by your trivia knowledge all the time.  You LOVE to learn.  You BEG me to give you more things to learn.  You BEG me to do math with you.  You finished the kindergarten math book in 2 months and are waiting for me to get you going on the next one.  You can do math in your head and tell time and count money.   You can read just about anything and your pronounce your words perfectly.  I have people stop me all the time and remark on your annunciation and elocution.

You think life is meant to be enjoyed.  You don't take anything too seriously.  :)



You pretty much do whatever you want.  Daddy and I try to be firm with you, but at the end of the day you are going to do whatever you want consequences be darned.  I am hoping you will outgrow this like Marky did, and we continue to be constant in our discipline.  Today I put your train on top of the refrigerator to punish you and a few minutes later-

 Then you came to me and said, "I've done all I can to get that train- can you please help me?"  It just doesn't ever seem to compute to you that you are in trouble.  Or that you are doing something wrong.  The thing is- you are so cute and funny I don't get nearly mad enough.   And you know it.  You smile at me and say "here's the face you love, Mommy."  :)   If I say "don't touch this" I can bet you will touch it.  :)  You climb too high and get stuck in the fig tree every single week even though I tell you not to.   The thing is you get in trouble for mischief not meanness and that's why I laugh to myself all day.  You keep us busy Tuck Tuck!

You love stories and yesterday I read a whole anthology of nursery rhymes to you and you listened forever.  That said- you rarely are sitting still. You are constantly flipping and flopping and jumping off things.  You have crazy energy reserves.  Your favorite thing to do in the world is ride your bike.  You do it every chance you get.  Everyday as soon as I pull in the driveway I hear "Can I ride my bike?"  You play with Charlie all day everyday and he worships you.  Julia still adores you and you two have the same temperament.   You are both content and happy by nature.

You are very good at saying yes ma'am and sir and please and thank you and also talking to grown ups.  You are just so effervescent.  You never ever meet a stranger.  You talk to everybody everywhere we go.  At the same time, you do not demand attention.  You just end up getting it, but you don't require an audience like some outgoing children.  You are very happy to play by yourself and keep yourself occupied.

I think God was laughing when He gave you to us.  He knew you were a special little fella that would keep things light over here.  How we adore our little Mr. T (or Senor Te as you have called yourself lately trying to learn Spanish).  :)

When I think of you I sing the "Maria" song from The Sound of Music- here it is adapted-

How do you solve a problem like a Tucker?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Tucker?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell him
Many a thing he ought to understand
But how do you make him stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand

Oh, how do you solve a problem like a Tucker?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

Daddy's team won!

I've been an Auburn (and Alabama when they don't play Auburn) fan all my life, but at the end of the day I married an FSU man and have FSU-loving children and we are an FSU household- so we are happy tonight!  It was a crazy night- we were standing and jumping and screaming the whole fourth quarter.  I am exhausted!  I LOVE the Tigers and they played great, but Go Seminoles!  :)

Birthday at BB and Poppy's

Yesterday after church we went out to the farm for a family birthday party for Tuck Tuck.  He had a wonderful day!  The children immediately jumped into the wagon and Marky took them for a ride-  

Tucker enjoyed putting out corn for the deer-

We eneded up doing cake and presents while Charlie was asleep.  :)  He just doesn't quite understand that he doesn't get presents and it was more peaceful this way.  

His birthday wish- CAKE!

He LOVED this hat- he's worn it all morning today.

Right after opening presents the first thing Tucker wanted to do was use his new fishing pole.  He had a blast putting casting his little plastic red fish out into the lake and reeling it in again.

Guess who was the only person to catch a fish- Sissy the fishergirl!

After a yummy supper we headed home with our happy little five-year-old.  What a fun weekend to celebrate Tuckerman!