Baby turtles making their way to the ocean

We got up at about 5:30 a.m. (we tend to wake up at that time anyways, actually!) to go and see these baby turtles being released and making their journey to the ocean.  It was absolutely amazing.  The kids even got to hold a little turtle - they were handing out gloves so people could help the stragglers make it. (Not sure if that was the greatest idea?  But it sure was a neat experience for them!)

What an incredible morning!

this moment: I'm learning to...

For some reason it's really hard for me, but I know my family needs it.

Cheap Thrills

What is my husband's greatest strength?

He loves people.


I am so challenged by him. I do love people. A lot. But I fear I love myself more. MY time, MY feelings, MY emotions, MY needs.


But here is a man who truly puts others first. Not out of some great sacrifice, or because it's the "right" thing to do, but because he just loves people. He gets so much joy from them.


In that way, I think he's a lot like Jesus.

{this moment}

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Fun with food coloring

Just add a few drops of food coloring to water in clear containers.  I gave my kids a couple different kinds of medicine droppers to play with and they had fun for a long time mixing and adding colors.

Ezzy poured the water in containers.

 

Then he added a few drops of food coloring to each one.

Begin mixing with droppers.  Kai played too.

But this activity really captivated Ezzy's (almost 5) attention the longest.

Inspiration

I love blog sites. I think sometimes in the midst of parenting we all need a little inspiration. A fresh idea, an encouragement, even a push to do better, to make the most of the moments we have, to live life to the fullest. This post inspired me to get outside and do some messy, fun painting!

Paint in Costa Rica is actually pretty expensive, so I decided to make my own.

I didn't have a lot of ingredients on hand so we just mixed flour and water (in equal proportions) and food coloring - so easy!


I spread a big sheet of paper out in the yard and the rest was up to them! Freedom!

They really liked mixing colors up on plastic plates.

Can you tell we had fun?

This was such a simple, but enjoyable activity for all ages. I will definitely do this again!

peacemakers

I've mentioned quite a bit on this blog some of my thoughts on sibling rivalry. Having 4 boys so close in age, it's a topic of huge importance for me. I need to have peace in this house. When the boys play nicely together, it just warms my heart. But on the other side, nothing irritates me more than my children fighting. In all of parenting, it's probably the thing that I dislike the most. So, all that to say, I am really trying to teach my children the life skills they need to get along - like communication, problem-solving, identifying feelings, and also more spiritual issues about love, compassion, kindness, sharing and preferring others. Little by little, we're making progress! Our theme the past week has been "peacemakers." So, I put together a video by the boys. I already shared it on facebook, but I thought I'd share it here too!



I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject and any ideas you have? What works for your family?

Our new place... i LOVE it!

A homeschool afternoon

Start out with a little "pool" because it's so hot!

When everyone's nice and cool we take our supplies under a shady tree on a blanket - alphabet blocks for the little ones, create-a-calendar for Kai and our read-aloud.

Everyone's busy!

I love these blocks - they have the letter and then a little something inside that starts with the letter - great for learning those letter sounds!

A happy baby!

Kai works on his calendar and I read him the last chapter of our book, The Hundred Dresses. Yes, I teared up a little at the end! These books are so good. They lead to some great conversations, too.

Time for a little snuggling!

Kai runs inside to see what our next scheduled read-aloud is and brings it outside to check it out - it's Johnny Appleseed. He's anxious to get started!

Some kisses from Jude

I love this boy.

Giggles.

He's still happy and talking away! I think he just loves being a part of it all.

We even manage to get some math done, too.

Way to go, Kai!

What a lovely afternoon. Time to go make dinner!

Photo Story Friday is here!