Maine Skiing

There are few things as satisfactory as spending a sunny Winter morning on the slopes in the mountains in Maine.  My dad gave all four of my older boys ski lessons on Black Mountain this year.  It was a glorious day.  Matthias was a sport by watching and even nursing out in the snow and Andrew and Caleb were so patient as they watched Eli and Siah come down the hill.  

Caleb leaning on grampa all the way down the hill.

Caleb was not even able to lift his feet they were so heavy, and he is so little.

Eli hanging out on the slope.

Watching Caleb come down the hill.

Due to the extreme busyness I had at the bottom of the slope I was unable to wield a camera while Eli and Siah were skiing.  Thus all of my pics are from the last section of time when Caleb was skiing.  

The Best Part

Elijah turned 8 this past Sunday and we celebrated all weekend long.  On Saturday Tyler and I took Eli and some friends on a picnic lunch and rockclimbing at the Y.  On Sunday we celebrated both Eli and Drew at a cake and ice cream party with family.  The weather was fine, the company fun, and the events pleasing.  What a great way to celebrate eight!

Doesn't he look older?

Eli, Ethan and Jed ate lunch in a tree.  What boy wouldn't?

Then they ran off the calories.  The weather was so beautiful it made you want to run and shout with laughter.

Andrew had the hardest time getting that last candle to go out. 

Beauty

Tyler granted me time to go out and take a nice walk while the sun shone on our field and chased the snow away.  I brought my camera and captured what I found beautiful. 

Fungus growing on a newly broken tree.

A boy's creation in the middle of the wood.

Neat stacks of firewood among the snow.

A boy basking in the sun.

Old feet trying to balance on a fallen tree.

Snow retreating from old stumps.

Signs of progress towards a field.

Tree moss, new shoes, and fallen logs belong together when the crunch of snow is no longer heard.

I wonder what would strike your fancy if you took a beauty walk today. 

A School Room Tour

A tour of the Smith family school room.  Courtesy of Josiah Smith:

Books are always left open to help us engross ourselves in learning.

Shakespeare guards the world and encourages us to think English!

Art and pictures inspire our creativity.

Creations are often left here to finish later. (This is part of a mobile Eli made Matthias)

The chalkboard is seldom clean.  Well, except when Andrew wants to clean it (often randomly, and during use).  

Educational Progress

Schooling boys is a challenge.  Hopefully it proves to be a challenge that I am up to.  Last week when Tyler was working from home he came into the school room and documented some of what we were doing.  It was a productive day, and although it was only 1 of many, I confess that we also have many, what seems to be, unproductive days when it comes to book work. 

I have a friend that is amazing at schooling her son.  An unproductive day to her is probably comparable to our productive days.  She writes lesson plans on the weekend for their schooling.  Seriously,  I am in awe of her devotion to educating her little man.  She is someone to look up to and learn from.  So much of what we do is planned in a general sense, but not strategically. Confession:  I don't write lesson plans, ever.

To Eat or Not To Eat...

Per tradition I gave Matthias a little baby cereal when he turned 6 months.  Tyler documented it for you, and although this picture looks like it was a success, it wasn't.  Well,  depending on who you ask.  I am not anxious to start him on solid foods so the fact that he obviously is not ready did not upset me in the least.    We shall try again in another week or two. Until then, Milk does a body good.

What a happy chubby baby we have!