Outside my window…it has cooled off.  It’s breezy and beautiful.  I think it might be 89, but after such a long stretch of upper 90s, this feels delicious.

I am remembering…our first time taking the kids to the go-kart track.  Andrew was still a baby!  They were all so little!

I am listening…to the rustle of the trees and breeze with an occasional grumble of the trash truck, which is closely followed by Katie’s panicked cry, “Thunder!”  No thunder.  Really.  It’s just the trash truck.

I am wondering…about my kids’ attention spans.  Seems like there’s so many distractions these days, I sometimes wonder if we’re doing this next generation a disservice with all the tv, social media and technology.

I am going…to get my thoughts and plans together for our first co-op meeting this Friday.  It’s just a small group of us, but it’s chock-full of academia…Spanish, PE, drama, and literary analysis.

I am pondering…acceptance.

I am thankful…for Daxson.  I love listening to the lull of his voice as he reads with the kids each night…they so look forward to that moment when they all settle in and his voice carries them away.  Right now they’re reading My Side of the Mountain and thanks to the readers on the Read Aloud Facebook group, we have a whole list of books to explore once they finish that.

In the schoolroom…we are traveling down the Alphabet Path again this year and having a grand time.  In addition to weekly letter formation, letter of the week saints, animals and fairies, we’ve learned about alphabetic science topics including apples and birds, creeks and dinosaurs (we’re in the midst of studying electricity right now for “e” week).  Our family time is filled with poetry, author studies, crafts, cooking projects, songs and so much more!  The big boys are tagging along the path with us, tailoring the work to their level, so while Andrew and Katelyn are being exposed to tons of amazing stories and topics (through books, songs and fingerplays and hands-on projects), William and Joseph are using those stories as the basis for their copywork, dictation and writing.

Around the house…a new refrigerator!

In the refrigerator…our first attempt at homemade, baked donuts.  We made them in honor of “d” week…delicious.

I am wearing…white shorts and a purple tank top with a glittery butterfly on it…a kickback to my early college days.

We are preparing for…William’s First Confession.  I love how they pour their little souls out when preparing for that first confession.  All their little secrets are spilled with such fervor!

Someday I am going to miss…these toothless grins!

We are celebrating…Joey’s 2nd place prize in the story writing contest, hosted by Rainbow Resource!  William was so disappointed that he did not place in the contest, but he’s more determined than ever to practice all year so that next year he can try again.  Either way, they both had their book “published” on Lulu Jr. so we have these gorgeous books to remember the occasion with!  Here’s a little peek at the outside of both books and the inside of Joey’s book…

I am reading…Abandonment to Divine Providence (again…apparently I need to review this topic often) and Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella…hilarious….seriously, so hilarious!

One of my favorite things…Joseph.  He had his picture published in the paper a few weeks ago and was so excited to imagine himself famous (which was later confirmed, in his mind, when a gentleman approached us at church exclaiming that he’d seen us in the paper!).  When the lady from the book contest called to tell me that she’d be calling later in the day to surprise him, I mentioned to Joseph that someone was going to call him later that day.  He asked me who and since I couldn’t say, I very vaguely said, “Oh I’m not sure.  Just someone who wants to talk to you.”  Instantly, he looked at William and said (without a hint of pride…it was so matter-of-fact), “Oh someone must have seen my picture in the paper and would like to speak with me.”

A peek into my day…

Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.