Happy 5th Birthday Charlotte!

In the weeks between mid-April and mid-May, we celebrate 4 birthdays in my house (7 if you count grandparents!)  Charlotte was the most recent birthday girl and we had a very fun day!  

Traditionally at five, my kids get their first friend birthday party, but after going around in circles with Charlotte about what kind of party she wanted and who she wanted to invite (both of which changed on a daily basis), I decided to just keep it simple and invite her closest little girl friend to have an afternoon tea party.  Charlotte requested dress-up gear for the occasion, as well as the accompaniment of a favorite doll or stuffed animal. I set up a small kids table on the deck with a lace tablecloth and we used Charlotte's polish pottery tea set for the dishes. Charlotte chose all of her favorite junk food + crust-less sandwiches on white bread to eat for the party and instead of cake, I put a candle in a raspberry filled powdered doughnut from our favorite hole-in-the-wall, and split it in half for them to share. The girls had such a fun time and it was so cute to watch.

One of my favorite parts of Charlotte's birthday was the way the boys in the family stepped up to make sure she had a special day.  Ryan gave Charlotte flowers for her birthday (in all of her wonderfully garish favorite colors) and Brayden spent the evening before her birthday making her a friendship bracelet (his first one ever - can you tell?? ;))

Last night as I was cleaning up from the festivities of the day, I was thinking about Charlotte and all of the qualities and attributes that make her who she is, and I settled on the thought that Charlotte has taught me more about the divine nature of women than any book/poem/quote/story/lesson ever could.  For someone who always wanted boys, and - in my younger years - never quite embraced the "soft-side" of being a female - she has been a teacher to me. From the time she was very little she has been compassionate and a natural nurturer as well as very playful and athletic.  She is taking care of her dolls while wearing a dress-up and heels one minute, and then outside in basketball shorts and a t-shirt tearing down the street on her bike the next. 

Charlotte, last summer, riding with the neighborhood bicycle gang

I love that those two worlds combine so flawlessly in her. Although she can be frustratingly stubborn, she's a girl who knows what she wants and how to get it and I have to admire that kind of tenacity.  Hopefully she uses it to create a wonderful life for herself!  She is soft and delicate, but equally strong and independent.  She has taught me that as women, not only can we live in both worlds, but that we were innately created with the specific capability to do so!  I have come to realize that those two worlds work perfectly together to help us tackle the lives that we lead as wives, mothers, neighbors, bosses, employees, or leaders in our communities and churches.  I see a lot of potential for the type of woman Charlotte could become, and I look forward to being with her every step of the way.

Weekending: Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women in my life!!  I hope you have had a wonderful day!

I have had a busy, fun weekend, starting yesterday with a 10k that I did with some girlfriends.  I hadn't planned to run in this particular race, but a friend of mine had to back out last minute and asked if I wanted to take her spot.  I have been running very casually as of late, so I thought it would be a fun thing to do to push myself.  It definitely pushed me, but it was so fun to cross the finish line with girlfriends.  Don't you feel like accomplishing hard things are better with friends by your side?

Ryan and the kids have been very sweet today, making sure that I do nothing but be a lazy person. :)  I was treated to breakfast in bed, and after church this morning, the boys ran home quickly so that by the time I walked in the door, they had lunch all ready.  They were so excited and proud of themselves for this service.  After an early afternoon nap (!) we loaded the kids up and headed over to Hoyt Arboretum for an afternoon hike.  It's been in the 80s this weekend, and it's pretty much impossible to stay inside when the sun is streaming through the windows.   The trails around the Arboretum are all named for the different groups of trees along those trails, so it's not only beautiful and relaxing, it is also quite educational.  Julia was probably my favorite little person to see experience this hike, as she was just so curious.  Her chubby little fingers were constantly reaching up and out, trying to touch every branch she encountered. 

Not the best family picture, but I'll take them when I can get them!

I'm looking forward to wrapping up the day on the couch with Ryan as we watch the season finale of our favorite show - Survivor.  Are any of you Survivor fans?  Who do you think will win?

A good {school} day

There are a lot of perks to homeschooling, and one of the top in my mind is having the ability to create a flexible schedule.  The sun is shining on us again, and seeing as though we spend so much time indoors during the winter months,  I have no problem adjusting our schedule on a sunny day.  Instead of jumping right into school this morning, we grabbed our bikes and headed out for a long, leisurely ride.  It was so refreshing to take in Spring all around us.  Being out in nature is so rejuvenating!

As we were riding home, my thoughts turned to this article that I read recently and decided that task #2 for the day would be teaching Brayden to mow the lawn. To my surprise, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the task and even asked if he could trade his vacuuming duty for mowing the lawn.  How about vacuuming duty and mowing the lawn? ;) [insert evil laugh]

The second half of the day was was just as enjoyable as the first half and outside of daily piano practice and Julia's nap, the boys and girls spent the rest of the day outside.  As I watched the boys haul their school stuff to the backyard, I couldn't help but think how much I would have loved to do my schoolwork outside when I was a kid.  Doesn't sunshine make everything more fun?!

 

 

This evening, knowing that Ryan was working late, I dropped the boys at baseball practice and headed straight to our favorite park with the girls to soak in the last rays of the day.  I dare say that it was very close to a perfect day and it's days like today that make me thankful to homeschool and to have 4 little friends to play and learn with me.

What are you thankful for today?

Hello Sunshine!

I had every good intention of blogging this past week, but the sun decided to make an appearance and all indoor activities were shelved.  Any good Oregonian knows that when the sun comes out, you play, because it is impossible to predict how long he will stay, or how long it may be before he returns again!  We are coming up on one of my favorites times of year in Oregon.  Everything is green, the flowers are in bloom, and the weather is PERFECT.  After being cooped up all winter, I am more than a little anxious to spend some time outside.

Between baseball games, water fights, bike rides, and park time, we have been busy making the most of our time with the sun.

She got in a bit of the action too

Don't mind Brayden's purple bike.  It's a spare he ended up riding for a family bike ride after his popped a flat. 
 In fact, the photo below shows how he really felt about riding it. :)

Charlotte is our ultimate bike rider.  She was our earliest learner and she is the biggest fan.

 

Do you have beautiful weather right now?  What are you doing to take advantage of it?