A is for Allie, Amy, Art, Ansel Adams, & Amon Carter

Playing With His Food

Yesterday Cooper and I were in Target and they had mini boxes of Alpha-Bits cereal for a dollar.  I thought that that would be a fun, different (and yummy) way to "play" with the alphabet.  He really enjoyed digging through the dry cereal looking for different letters and spelling words.  

~ my favorite ~

The back of the cereal box even had some instructions for games that you could play with the Alpha-Bits.  Cooper and I took turns choosing a letter of the alphabet then spelling words that begin with that letter.

~ box, board, baby, boo, & Cooper's favorite bloop bloop ~

~ powell, pair, pod, play, poo & pody (potty) ~ 

The last 2 are Cooper's favorite, of course.

Fall Sports: Soccer & Flag-Football

The boys have begun their fall team-sports.  Our Saturdays will consist of uniforms, balls, water bottles, lawn chairs, Gatorade, and cheering for 2 of the cutest little guys on earth for the next 8 weeks or so. 

Jack is playing flag-football through the YMCA on a team that is made up mostly of boys from his school.  They are called The Lions.  Ideally, after spending time playing together this season, the boys will be used to playing together and have a good sense of "team" by the time they are old enough to play on the school's official team.  Jack has been a little challenged with the amount of work that he is having to put in at practice - the extreme Texas heat has not helped.  After his first practice, he said, "If that had not been football, it would have been horrible."  But it is football.  And he loves it!  

For the first time in our family's history, we have a soccer player.  Cooper is is playing and Corey is coaching a soccer team made up of 5 year old little boys.  They are called The Sharks.  Corey and I have  hardly ever been exposed to this sport and do not know much about soccer, so we are learning and laughing our way through this (very cute!) experience.  At Cooper's first soccer game on Saturday, I realized  that I have watched my kids play approximately 400 - 500 games, and this is the first time I have ever officially been a "soccer mom".

Golf Lessons

Allie and Jack have started taking golf lessons at a local golf course once a week.  This is the 3rd time that they have been apart of this homeschool golf class, and we love it.

~ at the golf course ~

Cooper's First Day Of PreK

Today was the day that Cooper has been anxiously waiting for.  Not so much for the obvious reason... he got to start PreK today... but because he got to eat on the Special Plate!  He has been counting down the days until it was his turn... sweet third baby!  This morning Corey and I made him our traditional smiley-face pancakes before we took him to his first day of PreK, and he was thrilled!

When we were headed out to take our traditional first day of school photos in the front yard, we realized that it was pouring rain, so we opted to take them in our entry way next to the open front door.

~ Cooper & his Mini Cooper car backpack ~

~ Cooper & Daddy outside of Coop's new preschool ~

~ Mommy & Cooper saying goodbye for the day ~

(I can't believe that this is the last "first day of preschool" that I will take my babies to!)

The big kids joined us as we took Cooper to his first day of PreK.  Between both of them holding video cameras and me taking photos with my camera and my iPhone, he had quite the entourage.  (It's not all bad being the baby of the family!)

~ in his new classroom ~

Cooper was excited to be at preschool - not anxious or reluctant at all.  We both actually escaped the morning tear-free.

When I went to pick him up, he was happily doing a puzzle with a new friend.

One thing that we love about Cooper's new preschool is that his cousin Claire goes there too.  Cooper said he saw her 2 times throughout their school day, and they were excited to see each other after pick-up as well.  (I love how she is holding on to him in this photo!)

After school my sister, Emily, and I took the kids for ice cream to celebrate their first days of preschool.  It was a great day! 

~Claire, Allie, Jack, & Cooper ~

~ Jacob ~

Book Worm (or "Book Pup")

Norah often joins Allie at the table as she homeschools.  Today, they did history together.

The Pride & The Trivium

Jack has entered a new level of the school that he attends.  Logic School.  (In classical education there are 3 stages of education: Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric)  Speaking of that, here is an explanation of the 3 stages (called the Trivium meaning "the 3 ways" or "the 3 roads" in Latin):

In the Grammar stage (elementary), students' abounding curiosity equips them to absorb and be able to recall astounding amounts of information. Through chants, songs, stories, recitations, oral presentations, and hands-on inquiry, they discover the truths about the world around them. Grammar students learn the rules of phonics, spelling, English and Latin grammar; how to compose a paragraph; the stories and events of the Bible, history, and classic literature; math facts and reasoning; descriptions of plants, animals, human beings, and the earth.



In the Logic stage (middle school), students' natural inclination to argue is directed toward productive and good ends. Through such things as the Socratic method, debate, and the study of logic, students are taught to discern truth. Logic students continue their study of Latin and begin Greek. They learn how to write essays; construct and evaluate arguments; compare and contrast events in the Bible and history or works of literature; employ mathematical reasoning; recognize the relations of cause and effect; and think scientifically.


Finally, in the Rhetoric stage (high school), students' natural desire for self-expression is directed in an even deeper way toward those things which are noble, right, pure, and lovely. Ample opportunities for essay writing and oratory help students learn not just to express themselves, but to express themselves well. Interaction with the finest and most beautiful of thought leads them not only to discern but also to desire truth. Rhetoric students continue Latin and Greek; read many of the great books often reserved for college-level students; discuss theology, politics, and ethics; write and defend theses; develop higher level mathematical reasoning; and design and report the findings of some of their own scientific experiments.

Anyhoo....

At his school, Logic School is the equivilant to Middle School or Junior High in some schools.  And with that new level comes a few perks.  One of them is that he could join The Pride - a co-ed spirit team that attends home games and cheers for their team, The Lions.  Friday night was the first home game, and Jack was so excited to go and cheer for his school.  He is such an energetic, happy soul, and this group is a great place for him to spend his eneregy... while hanging out with his buddies and getting to spend time with his super-cool teacher from last year.

And for me, it is great to be under those Friday Night Lights.  Where I grew up on Friday nights.  The only thing that would have made it better is if it had been my dad down on the field coaching.  Fall has come to Texas... at least for now... and at the game on Friday was so great to sit out in that cool weather with excitment and cheers in the air, visititing with friends that have been long-lost for the summer or longer. 

Cooper's Meet The Teacher Night

Tonight our family went to Cooper's "Meet The Teacher" night.  This will be our first year at the little preschool where he is going to attend, and I think that we are going to like it.  His cousin, Claire, went there last year and will be there again this year.  They are in different classes, but they will see each other and be able to play together several times throughout the day which Cooper is very excited about!  When I was taking photos of him before we left home to go to his school, he was in a silly mood.  I think that these photos say a lot about him and the way he feels about going to preschool 2 days a week.  He's mostly happy and very excited about it.  He is not anxious at all... although I think he would prefer being at home where he could entertain us and play his Wii all day long.

Tonight, after meeting his 2 teachers we are all feeling ready for this new adventure for our Coopster!  Ready or not, Pre-K... Here he comes!  

Allie's Drawings - Week 2

A couple of Allie's school subjects have extra activities that correspond to her lessons.  As she get to the enrichment part of her lessons, I look through the lists of suggestions and choose one or two things for her to do that go along with the things that she is learning.  This week, she had the opportunity to draw.  

In History she is learning about the explorers that helped discover America.  She learned that 2 of the ships that Columbus used were called Caravels, and I asked to to do a little research on that and draw one.  She found a photo online, drew a similar ship, and labeled it.  I was very impressed with her detailed work.

As part of her English curriculum, she is reading The Cricket In Times Square (again).  One of the options of things that she could do to go along with her lesson was drawing a cricket.  I thought that she did a great job!

I love how I am getting to choose things that I think she would enjoy and/ or be good at to enhance her learning.  She wouldn't necessarily admit that she loved drawing these pictures, but I think that she would say that she liked drawing more than just reading and writing.