Booky Book

 This is Jane's reading chair. That's not what I had in mind when I bought it but Jane claimed it the moment she saw it. She's usually the first one up in the morning so she reads until the rest of the house comes alive. I need to get another more recent picture because she added a lamp and a perpetual stack of books resides on the table, along with a dish (she fills with frozen fruit), scraps of paper notes she makes from her readings and an array of writing utensils. She wraps in the scarf shown in the picture until the day warms up. Oh our little Jane. A true book nerd and my dream come true :)

Here's a passage we enjoyed from The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

The Education of Little Tree p. 102

When the storm is over, the new growth, tiny and light, timid-green, start edging out on the bushes and tree links. Then Nature brings April rain, It whispers down and soft and lonesome, making mists in the hollows and on the trails where you walk under the drippings from hanging branches of trees.

It is a good feeling, exciting-but sad too-in April rain. Granpa said he always got that kind of mixed-up feeling. He said it was exciting because something new was being born and it was sad, because you knowed you can't hold onto it. It will pass too quick.

April wind is soft and warm as a baby's crib. It breathes on the crab apple tree until white blossoms open out, smeared with pink. The smell is sweeter than honeysuckle and brings bees swarming over he blossoms. Mountain laurel with pink-white blooms and purple centres grow everywhere, from the hollows to the top of the mountain, alongside of the dogtooth violet that has long, pointed yellow petals with a white tooth hanging out.

Then, when April gets its warmest, all of a sudden the cold hits you. It stays cold for four or five days, This is to make the blackberries bloom and is called "blackberry winter." The black berries will not bloom without it. That's why some years there are no black berries. When it ends, that's when the dogwoods bloom out like snowballs over the mountain side in places you never suspicioned they grew; or a pine grove or stand of oak of a sudden there's a big burst of white.

Passing Seasons

One minute we were having a fall picnic and then... SNOW!

At first the snow is so beautiful and I feel like there's so many wintery things I want to do- sledding, skating, snowshoe, snowboarding, cross country, build forts and snowmen, make soup, and oatmeal, drink tea, and read more together. I still can't understand how people have Christmas without snow. How is it possible?

Our yard looks like Narnia. If only we had a lamp post out there.

Scarlet tried skiing at the Walters and she was totally into it :)

Snow candy.

Paint All Over Your Face

My mom is so cute! She's and awesome face painter too :) 

She learned how so that she can help me at the big events that need two painters. 

 BLUEBIRD

FACE PAINTING

My friend Shaina inspired me to learn how to face paint and then she helped me get started.

I'm really thankful for the time she put aside to teach me. Since we moved to Edmonton, I've been doing all kinds of events and it's worked out awesome. 

The older 4 kids can usually come with me, which makes it fun.

We are getting pretty fancy these days.

Grammy is an Artist

The best part about moving this year is that now the kids have Grammy Class! They LOVE it. The three older sleepover and have art class and writing class the next day. Scarlet takes a turn every other week for part of the day :)

 Last week Grammy picked them up and took them to a cello concert performed by Jane's teacher. Afterwards, they went to the temple grounds to do some sketching.

Charlie

Jane

Jacob

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how

 to remain an artist once she grows up."

- Pablo Picasso

This was a sculpting day :) Wish I could be in Grammy's art class when I see pics like this one.

Isn't she lovely?!

 Grammy has my dream homeschool room- tons of natural light, and

                                      cupboards stocked with fun art supplies.

The very best part of Grammy Class is the motto said in unision with a robotic voice:

"In the circle of creativity....we are FREE to be WEEEEEEEEEE!"

I think this was her way of settling some artistic differences of opinion in the beginning :)

ZOO

Some of our favorites at the zoo.

Of all the animals, Ezra was most enchanted with the turtle.

Do you see some cute faces hiding?

A homeschool perk is going to the zoo during the day and having the whole place to yourself ;) The Edmonton zoo is small but I think I like it the best because it's not such an ordeal to go- no lines, the kids know their way around, and the car is really close so we can just hop out, run around and go home in a snap.

JOY

Scarlet always checks her tray in the morning so I feel pressure to find something fun each day. She's had an insatiable hunger for learning this year which was a relief because I was beginning to wonder. She and Ezra have Joy School when the older kids go to Grammy class once or twice a week. 

Scarlet got a trophy in September for working so hard her first month of school

She makes me laugh hard all the time. She's WILD. It actually scares me. 

We were listening to a General Conference talk and the speaker said something about "male and female" and Scarlet said, "Male and Female? Why is he talking about flamingos?"

At first I was like what the? Then I realized she must of heard the words male and female on a library movie we had watched about flamingos recently. 

The littles.

We made play dough for our little neighbor boy.

Want to know what she named her new kitten?

"Sun, but we call him Sunny for short."

Scarlet got a kitty as a reward for not sucking her thumb anymore. I couldn't imagine her ever stopping but then one out of nowhere we noticed she hadn't done it in a few days so we asked her about it. She replied, "Albert told me." That's all it took. We were stunned. 

They both fell asleep on the way home the day we picked up the kitty ;)

Sleeping in Baba's truck. Baba, got her this doll and she named it after Aunty Jenny ;)

Scarlet loves to set up an "office". She arranges all kinds of things- but this almost always includes pillows and blankets, books, and crayons etc.