Wheels

God has given us AMAZING weather this week - 70+!  The kids and I are loving it.  I seriously think Micah has spent more awake hours outside than inside since Wednesday.  With the outdoor play came lots of wheel time - riding a bike, driving a jeep, taking walks with the stroller, scooting around in a "go-cart" (Joy's walker) and charging up a handful of remote controlled vehicles to race around the yard.  It has been a real nice way to pass the time, as Scotty has been away at a conference for 5 days...we will be glad to have him home again tonight!

Joy sitting in her stroller chomping down on a baby-sized green pancake for St. Patrick's Day (thanks Miss Jen!) at a breakfast wrapping up the Girls' Club overnighter at my church.

Staying hydrated while getting ready for a walk in the stroller.

Here's Micah taking a spin on his old 12" bike for kicks...

...but really enjoying riding around on his new 18" bike (thanks Papa and Mama)!

Joy watching from her bedroom window while big brother drove his jeep around in the backyard.

Enjoying the great outdoors in a "go-cart" (thanks for lending it to us, grandma)!

A Kid's Wonderland!

Last night I took the kiddos to the children's museum and we all had so much fun!  We didn't have enough time to hit all the different play/learning stations, so Micah informed me when we left that it's fine with him if we come back sometime. :-)

A little brown box from a big brown truck

The familiar sound of the UPS truck came rumbling down our street and then I heard a quick knock on our side door.  It could only mean one thing - a package!  I opened the door to find a brown box filled with birthday presents for Joy (thanks grandpa and grandma Sovilla)!

"Reading" to Joy

Micah has been "reading" to Joy  this week - reciting the board books he's had for years.  It's really kind of cute, and both kiddos enjoy it. :-)

Lions and tigers and a Joy-Bear - oh my!

Goodness, I have blinked and February has simply flown by! The month started out with a successful and fun fundraising breakfast for Boys/Girls Club at church (thank you, Lord, and thank you volunteers)! The month continued to trek along with homeschooling, BraviBit business, BSF and GEMS. Before we knew it, we were celebrating Joy's 1st birthday. Along the way we've been having family adventures in the winter snow and the winter sun (funny how these past few months of weather have panned out). Before February comes to a close, I wanted to get some photos posted.  Here's a sampling of just some animals we enjoyed seeing at the zoo this past weekend.  I was surprised at how many were out, even in the snow.  We all had a great time!

I pointed out to Micah that these fish in the sea anemone looked like the car wash we drive through.  He then dubbed this the "Fish Wash" :-)

A tote is more than meets the eye

Ever since Joy discovered the thrill of "flying" with a tote, the fun hasn't stopped...

Totes work nicely as steps to reach things:

Totes can also be pretend "bathtubs" with corresponding Duplos as "bath toys":

Outdoor School!

So far the groundhog hasn't seen his shadow in MI - quite different from last year!  Yet don't let the sun fool you - it's still cold...but not too cold; Micah and I spent some time bundled up outside while Joy napped one day.  Along with driving his Jeep and bike around, we pulled out the chalk and had an impromptu school session!  You know, it's neat because I've been asking God to help me be a creative, encouraging and patient teacher this year (with homeschooling, Bible Study and Girls' Club).  And though I have a long way to go, I count using chalk academically on a winter's day in my driveway as an idea He planted straight in my brain to make learning fun!

Art (that was definitely both of us, copying the chalk box picture):

Reading:

Arithmetic:

We also wrote out a Spanish word and did some connect-the-dots...and recreation too!