Surprise!

Friday morning, hubby and Seth left for a two day apologetics conference five hours away.  Zach looked a bit lost without big brother around so while Jacob practiced the piano I took out the Scrabble game and let him play with the letter tiles. I was blown away (floored really :o)) when he began to point at each tile and correctly identify the letters. I never taught them to him, yet somehow, someway he learned them all!  When I asked him how on earth he had learned them he explained that he would listen to the spelling lessons I do with his brothers. This surprised me because while I do spelling with the oldest two he is usually away from our table on the floor putting a puzzle together or building something out of blocks, legos etc so I assumed he was not paying attention to our lessons. I cannot believe I did not find out that he knew them until now! I told him I wanted to record him saying the letters and dashed off to get my camera.  He grew quite impatient when he saw I wanted him to go through the letters again for the cam but complied long enough for me to get this short video below. My baby is growing up people *sniffle * sniffle*

A House Well Live In

It is no secret that I take great pleasure in creating a lovely home for my family.  My goal has always been to design a home for them that is not just pleasing to the eye but is comfortable and can take on the reality of our day to day life as well. The four men in my life are typical males that do not like to admit they care too much about such things but I have observed on a daily basis how much they enjoy relaxing in a beautiful space and they are always quick to compliment my efforts. The littlest one has even been known to give me decorating advice every now and then. "Mommy this green and blue rug would look so much better if it were red and blue. Don't you think so mommy?" he said to me the other day as he stood looking intently at the new rug I bought for their bathroom.  Ah yes, the men in my life care about such things more than they like to admit!

Although there is a perfectly good schoolroom and playroom that we use often enough, fun, learning and real life happen all over this house. Below you will see our formal dining room table. The table sits in a room with two large windows that let in a a lot of light. Why use it only once or twice a year for formal dinners when it can be used everyday for other useful endeavors? It is a very pleasant, sunny space in which to write, read or study a little geography in. I make sure the table always has stacks of great books, fresh paper and even a microscope or two so that curious young minds will be drawn to it day after day.

Reading on a comfy sofa either in the family area or in the front living area is a daily occurrence around here....

so are legos on the coffee table.

Math is much more fun when done next to the formal living area window where all kinds of birds can be seen resting on the branches of  a pear tree....

as fun as language lessons at the breakfast table while enjoying the tartness  of a tangelo in the early morning sun.

A house well lived in indeed, and I would not want it any other way.