It's time to CELEBRATE ELIJAH

After having to cancel Elijah's 7th birthday party last week due to sickness, I was so happy to reschedule it for today. I am still not 100% but I faked it for my birthday boy to give him a party he will never forget. If you know me at all you know I love birthdays, and more than birthday's I love parties...so I love birthday parties. I would rank throwing birthday parties for my kids it the top 5 reasons I love being their mom. I love making a memory that will last a lifetime for them. The boys (Hannah is old enough yet) can remember each birthday and what we did that year. I love hearing them talk about parties of the past. So this year Elijah requested a "Secret Agent" party and I was more than happy to comply.

Each guest got a special id badge, hat and glasses. This is Elijah in his secret agent gear.
And big brother Isaiah.

The id badges had a special agent number, Elijah's was 107 and his code name was "bomber"

Here's the table all ready for the rowdy boys.

First things first...you need to feed them...PIZZA of course.

Then it was on to the first mission "Bomb Detecting" Each agent had a bomb aka a spray painted hamburger take out box. I hid them all around the house like an Easter egg hunt. Each bomb had the agents number on it so they had to find their own bomb. Once all the bombs were found they all circled around to "detonate" their bomb full of candy. This was a huge hit.

I printed off a picture of each guest. Their task was to disguise their picture the best they could with markers,and I had mustache stickers. They absolutely loved this and took time to really do a good job. I was pleasantly surprised at these boys ranging from 6-10 could sit so diligently.

Some decided to wear the mustaches for themselves. I wonder if his mom would even recognize him.

This one impressed me the most. Check out the uni brow!

Then they practiced the art of dusting for fingerprints. I pre made the fingerprint dust ( I am glad I did) To do this you take a candle and a porcelain plate. Hold the plate over the candle to produce a soot then mix the soot with equal parts cornstarch...and there you have it. I stored it in some bead jars you can get at the craft store.
Then they pressed their fingerprint on a coffee mug, dusted, and there was their fingerprint. We transferred to tape to get a better look.

I ordered some ink less fingerprint ink, so the boys weren't covered in black ink. They each did their own set of fingerprints and then compared it to a chart to see which "type" of print they had. We discussed how God created us each so individually that no one has the same fingerprint.

Check out this band of characters.

I created a "case" for them to solve. The case of the missing birthday cake. There were 10 clues that took them inside and out. They had so much fun and it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. I wanted to make them work for it.

Look at them all huddled around.
They found it in the end.

His specially made magnifying glass cake. He LOVED it.

Finally blowing out his birthday candles.

I love his face in this picture. He said "I think this was my favorite party ever" but he said that last year. =)

And of course some presents.

The kids had such a great time. It was totally worth it!

Happy Birthday to our Fantastic Elijah!

OH Hannah!

So this is what happens when your friend from Maine calls and you are totally into the converstation...you forget you have a toddler who LOVES to get into everything. She found a blue highlighter and decided the kitchen floor needed some color.

You do the mess....YOU clean it up!

Happy Birthday Dear Elijah

This was taken 7 years ago today (Check out Isaiah's silly face) the day our sweet Elijah was born. What an amazing little guy he is. Everyday he has some silly joke to say, and a snuggle to share. I am so proud of all he is accomplishing and the potential I see in him. He is truly an amazing child. Happy 7th Birthday Elijah.

More Amazing Art

2nd Annual Fine Arts Show Case

Being part of the best homeschool group has been such a blessing to our homeschooling experience. We are always planning something for our kids to show them how much we love them and allowing them to experience so much. Yesterday was the 2nd annual fine arts showcase for our group which now has a name L.I.G.H.T. (learning in Godly homes together) The kids were encouraged to share something with the group in the area of fine arts. The variety was amazing. We had a pianist, violinist, artist, authors, craftsmen (and craftswomen), ballerina, and even some taekwando. Isaiah and Elijah each played a piece on the guitar and also showed some artwork. Isaiah and his biggest fan Hannah. He was so happy because he did not miss one chord.

Isaiah is explaining his technique for making this fall painting.

Elijah and his biggest fans! He is explaining how he first used an ink pen to draw the hummingbird.
He looks so little even with that small guitar. He did so amazing.

Hannah loved the window clings.

Hannah was a big fan of the origami jumping frogs.

We had programs and great seating for the event!

Love is in the Air

So why do I insist on making our Valentine's every year? I am blaming it all on Family Fun Magazine which I have subscribed to since Isaiah was a toddler. They always have the CUTEST ideas and every year I get sucked in.

Elijah working hard on making tire tracks on his Valentine's.

Here's Isaiah's...confession mom had to make most of them because it was really hard for Isaiah to wrap the red paper and then hold it tight and place the tape on it.

Here's Elijah's completed valentine. The little note says "I'll never tire of our friendship" and then I ordered little gummy car candies.

Simple and sweet Hannah's lollipops that say "Love, Hannah"

Time to pass them out.

Welcome To Lynden

First check out this little blurb about Lynden. It's just the cutest town ever. So about 3 weeks ago I got a call asking if we would like a welcome basket from the chamber of commerce. I explained we have been living in Lynden since May so we're not really new but they insisted we were so I agreed. So yesterday this sweet little lady came to our house dressed in traditional "Dutch" clothing. She even had on the wooden shoes. She brought a basket full of coupons, cheese, baked goods and candy. She was so sweet. She loved to talk about her grandchildren and enjoyed interacting with our kids.

From the desks of Isaiah, Elijah, and Hannah

Last year I thought homeschooling with an infant was a little challenging. Hannah love to be held and nursed all day and did not enjoy long naps by herself. I thought homeschooling with a toddler would be so much easier. I would have to say not easier just a different set of challenges. For awhile I thought Hannah had to be out of sight and ear shot for the boys and I to get anything done. That meant waiting for nap time. But now that Hannah has switched to one nap that isn't really a good option. So what to do with a super active toddler doing school? Let her in on the fun! I have observed that she really wants to be part of whatever it is we are doing. So whenever the lesson allows Hannah joins us. If that's listening to a book, working on flashcards, or doing a science experiment. I just let her join in. I have found that we all view her less as a disturbance and more as part of the learning fun. Having my children build strong relationships with their siblings is one of the many reasons we homeschool. All my worries of how Hannah would "fit in" have been put to rest. She loves homeschooling! A lesson in potential energy. Making our own pendulum. This was actually really fun. As you can see Hannah loved it.

Yes Hannah there is potential energy in that hex nut even when you pull on it.

Ok let's get this thing moving.
Where did the energy come from in the first place?

Keep it steady.

Where does it have the MOST potential energy. Just hanging or when you lift it up in the air? Potential energy is highest where the weight is the highest. So potential energy is highest at the ends of the swings

What about two?

Elijah finished learning about the Mycenaens. They used fresco paintings in their palaces. So the boys did their own. I love how they turned out.

I didn't let her paint on plaster but did let her paint for the first time on paper.

She loved it of course.

Here's the disclaimer to these cute Hannah pictures. Right before we started out day, I went up stairs to get her clean clothes. I came down to her screaming and there was blood everywhere. She banged her lip on the corner of an end table and her little lip was swollen all afternoon. Poor kiddo.