Our Big 12th Anniversary Trip!!

I have wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise for a long time- almost as long as I've wanted to go on a Mediterranean cruise-  I've always heard it's just a beautiful, magnificent trip. So this was our plan for our big 10th anniversary. Well here's the thing, I was in Canada for Maggie's therapy on our 10th anniversary so not only did we not make it on a big trip due to budget and time constraints, but we weren't even together. I know, it was sad, and very hard for me. Last year didn't work out either for many reasons but then my aunt Rose volunteered to watch the kids this summer so we could go!! I told Daniel and he was all for it! The time finally came and while I felt some mommy guilt leaving the kids for so long, I knew they'd have a blast with Aunt Rosi & Uncle Pete!

We left our house on Daniel's birthday- Friday, May 26th and headed to St. Louis to drop off the kids. We got everyone settled, had some dinner, got them in bed then went to a hotel near the airport b/c we had a very early flight Saturday morning. We chose Seattle as our port because Daniel has always wanted to visit the city. Even though it was a bummer Daniel had to travel on his birthday,  his reward was spending the day after his birthday in Seattle. And we had a great time!

Saturday, May 27th- Seattle, Washington

 At the airport waiting for our flight then in the air. I could not stop looking at the mountains! It was so awesome to see them from the air. Just beautiful. God's creation

First glimpse at the city. We went straight to the hotel to drop off our luggage then walked to the space needle where we stumbled upon an annual festival. We ate from some local vendor carts. I loved the strawberry shortcake! It was huge and layered in the cup. Delish.

 Just relaxin' like he belongs here. :) Great views from the space needle. Beautiful, clear day!

After going up in the Space Needle and enjoying our strawberry shortcake, we headed toward the water. Did a little shopping (Daniel forgot his hoodie at home) then walked around Pike's Place Market for a little bit. Got a delicious dinner with a great view, then walked the waterfront.

I could not get over how pretty all the flowers were at the market. If I had a place to store them, I would've bought several bouquets! We walked down to the ferry, intending to take it for some good views of the city but then decided we'd be on a boat for seven days and opted to save the money.

I loved these cobblestone roads! We had a great first day on our trip- Daniel was actually noticeably excited, near giddy, about being in Seattle. Which made it more enjoyable for me as well. Already missed the kids, but had so much fun. Even got some cupcakes on our walk back to the hotel and my maple bacon from Stef's shower were as good as these!! I was so excited. :)

Last Day of School

Well, we made it through our first year of homeschool! We had some ups and downs but the kids really loved it and said they want to homeschool forever. Well, I don't know about that. We'll take it one year at a time and see how it goes. :)

This semester I signed up Will for a program at our umbrella school called Fine Art Fridays. He gets to do music, art, bible, karate, sign language, science plus snack time and lunch. It's a full day and he loves it! Friday, the 19th was his last day at school then we finished up a few other things this week before officially calling it quits today. We'll still do some math and reading through the summer though.

Some serious, fun & silly pics. I can't believe how quickly the school year went by! I thought it would go a little slower being at home, but still so fast. You guys are done with 3rd grade and Kindergarten!! So big. Love you guys!

Our Anniversary

Happy 12th Anniversary, baybuh! I'm so glad we've spent more than a decade together and most of my adult life. Can't imagine a better partner to through life's ups and downs with than you. I'll love you forever and always! We have a big trip coming up to celebrate our anniversary, so we didn't exchange gifts, but here's how we spent our day. Today was also Mother's Day, so there's that. :)

We, of course, went to Demos' for a late lunch/early dinner thinking the crowds would be better but we still had to wait awhile for a seat. Still yummy food and a great tradition. Hard to get a good pic with everyone looking or even in it!

Then we went to the lake near our house to feed the ducks and play in the water

 

It was a nice, enjoyable day with our kiddos. Would've been good to see our moms but we let celebrating us and our family take priority this year. I really wanted a relaxing day, not rushing around. Had to get a pic of my little's feet! :) Happy Anniversary, babe, love ya!

Tennessee Aquarium

My parents bought the kids tickets to the TN aquarium for Christmas and we finally got to use them! It would've been nice for Daniel and my dad to go as well, but mom had a couple days off and the timing worked out so we took them. They loved the field trip! And we'll take some time this week to go over some creatures we saw.

We went to the aquarium Tuesday, May 2 and decided to stay in a hotel the night before. This way we could get there early enough for a full day trip without leaving crazy early in the morning. The kids love staying in hotels, so this was just an extra treat to the already exciting field trip. :) We arrived Monday about dinner time and to our surprise, the hotel was offering a complimentary dinner! Then we all swam in the pool and relaxed before bed.

Breakfast was included as well, so we filled up before heading to the aquarium for a fun day. On our way home, I asked the kids their favorite part and the sharks, esp. the underwater caverns was the majority response. They also really enjoyed swimming! It was a fun trip and while opening a ticket may not be as exciting as a toy, they have an experience and memory to last a lifetime! :)

The kids LOVED this little underwater cove. We all sat in there and hung out for
awhile. They enjoyed watching the fishes and just being in this little hang out spot, ha!

Learning about the heart

This semester we've been studying the human body for science. I don't have specific curriculum designed around this, but do have several books. This Usborne book pictured below has been awesome for this study and I also have a Children's Human Body Encyclopedia. Plus we'll review videos online when we need extra explanation.

Anyway, right now we're studying the heart and blood and their functions in the body. I found a great idea online for a fun, hands-on activity. So the red water gel beads are your red blood cells, the white ping pong balls are white blood cells, the cut up pieces of felt are platelets and the water it's all floating in is the plasma. All of the kids loved this activity, not just Will & Maggie. It was a really fun learning activity and a great way to get a lesson to "stick."

 And then they started putting their feet in. Sillies.