Category: Shailo Valour

Pumpkin Painting 2016

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pumpkinpainting2016-2Each year we paint our pumpkins. I’m not a huge fan of carving pumpkins and I’d much rather  clean up paint than pumpkin “guts” haha. So we paint! I started this when Chase was 2, and it’s been a hit ever since!pumpkinpainting2016-3pumpkinpainting2016-1-2pumpkinpainting2016-1pumpkinpainting2016-18pumpkinpainting2016-15pumpkinpainting2016-16Cutie pumpkinpainting2016-14

Concentrating :) Shailo made many things on his pumpkin including an A. pumpkinpainting2016-9pumpkinpainting2016-10pumpkinpainting2016-11Ever chose many shades of pink, some purple, teal and gold. On her own – that’s my girl ;) pumpkinpainting2016-17

Chase did a dragon breathing fire. pumpkinpainting2016-7pumpkinpainting2016-6Love these crazy, fun kids!

Past pumpkin fun that I’ve shared here:

“Punkin” painting 2011

Pumpkin Painting 2012

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Aspens + Kiddos

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Chaseyboy, age 7.

I love this boy’s spirit of adventure. He’s always up for a trip to the mountains, or a nearby creek or trail. Here he is with his newly lost top tooth next to the giant one which came out months ago :)fall2016-1fall2016-2Shai, almost 5-years-old.

Literally everywhere we go Shailo collects sticks or rocks or pinecones. “Treasures” to him! We have many lying around our yard from all over Colorado.

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She can be super girly and usually will choose a pretty dress over anything else, however, she’s always running just a step behind her brothers. She’s a brave little wildflower!fallkids2016-1-6Everly in her beautiful dress made by The Simple Kind . We couldn’t pack it up for fall, so she’ll be wearing it with leggings and a sweater when the weather cools down! fall2016-13

It was a beautiful and quite memorable trip to spot the changing Aspens! Just to keep it real – and look back and laugh someday – the drive 1.5 hours into the mountains was great but upon arrival there were many tears she by Little Miss Ever over her jacket hood being down. We also forgot our dog Lewis’ leash and he wasn’t allowed to wander about so we had to leave him in the car which caused more tears and frustration from ALL of the kids. The mom and dad of this adorable bunch exchanged some not-so-kind words in the midst of the chaos. And THEN we enjoyed our time in the mountains. :) Well worth it all in the end. Will we do it again, yes. Will it be chaotic, you bet. Such is this life that we’ve chosen and I find it truly amazing!

ALL photos above were taken by Ted and edited by me. The photo below was snapped on my iphone to capture daddy in the pics as well. <3

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Last Day of LHC.

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Today was Chase’s last day of school at his current school. ChaseLastDayLHCThis boy has grown so much as a student at the Lighthouse Homeschool Co-op we have been a part of for a year and a half. He learned to read and spell and how to tell time (and more) in that short time. Beyond academics, I watched him grow in confidence as he learned more about who God created him to be and what he was capable of. The cautious and quiet Chaseboy that entered LHC is now slightly cautious and very confident in who he is. And I LOVE that.  ChaseLastDayLHC-5ChaseLastDayLHC-4He was/is well loved in his class. The students and, especially Miss Isabel, truly love him and show him on a daily basis: he is ADORED and oh so loved. ChaseLastDayLHC-3

Today I photographed behind tears as I watched and heard the precious love and prayers pour out the mouths of 6 and 7-year-old kids. ChaseLastDayLHC-9

ChaseLastDayLHC-10Chase has no enemies, everyone he meets instantly becomes his friend. He surrounds them with love, laughter and encouragement.

ChaseLastDayLHC-7Today his teacher and friends surprised him with a “going away” party, showering him with encouragement, cards and even cupcakes. ChaseLastDayLHC-8

Why are we moving on? Why halfway through a school year? I have struggled with both of these questions (and many more) since we’ve decided to pull him out. I’ve gone back and forth but have always fallen back onto the peace we feel in the next decision.

12484759_10153368654901989_248275317612735671_o(Katie Daisy posted this beautiful art and quote on her IG account last week and I found the words oh so fitting)

We will be homeschooling our kiddos, at least for the rest of this school year (possibly in years to come, we shall see). We are also moving to Alaska sometime in 2016 and we need the flexibility. But more than any of those things, Ted is moving to Alaska sooner than us (next Wednesday the 20th, in fact) and also I have realized I’ve poured out so much time and energy into Chase’s education (I was the head teacher for math, science and bible history in his first grade class), and so little into Shailo’s. By the time Chase was 4 he knew how to spell his name and I know that Shailo only knows one letter of his name. I realized that over Christmas break.

It might seem like such a dramatic change for such a seemingly small thing in life, but I truly felt that it was time to try and homeschool. In my time at LHC and especially this last fall, having to plan and teach 9 kiddos, 3 different subjects, I realized that I am capable of homeschooling now.

Before this fall it was such a daunting and terrifying thought. Now I still feel nervous, don’t get me wrong, but I also feel peace.

I’ve watched a few friends from afar homeschool their littles in a Wild and Free way and have felt so inspired. This Christmas break was the little push I needed to jump into the world of homeschooling.

So once Ted leaves, we too embark on a new journey! Pray for us :)

Wild Kratts + their Baby Panda

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My boys have a Wild Kratt obsession. And I have got to say, this is one that I love! Have you seen Wild Kratts? It’s a PBS kids show that comes from a show my siblings and I watched as kids called Zoboomafoo. The Kratt Brothers were far younger (obviously) in it, but my boys also love that show too. HarvestParty2015-2They always play as Chris and Martin Kratt and this halloween I decided to make them suits. I made them cheap-o suits from mostly Dollar store supplies and they wore them out before they had a chance to wear them to school! So the ones they are wearing above are NOT the ones I made, but the ones we bought via Amazon (right now they are $22 a piece!). harvestpartyCollage

I had high hopes of making Everly and I a Fawn and a Doe, but she wasn’t having it. So a painted black nose and found panda hat (of Shailo’s) and a vest we already owned and called it good! 12193626_10153239316386989_8700813055866166158_n

(She was smiling on the inside, I just know it)12189170_10153241479311989_2653064677915314050_n

My boys have since wore these outfits almost daily! We even threw Shailo a Wild Kratt birthday party which I’ll be blogging soon!

Check them out on PBS kids! Very educational and fun!

 

Apple Orchard + Pumpkin Patch

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This year we visited Colon Orchard – an apple Farm. Unfortunately the orchard had a terrible freeze which killed their apple trees so we picked pumpkins and ran through a corn maze instead :) fall2015-19

Everly 1.5, Chase 6, Shailo almost 4. fall2015-2fall2015-1fall2015-1-2fall2015-6fall2015-5fall2015-3-2fall2015-2-2Fall2015-5-2.jpgFall2015-7.jpgfall2015-9fall2015-11fall2015-17fall2015-16fall2015-15fall2015-14ColonOrchard_collage.jpgfall2015-13fall2015-12fall2015-18

One day we will look back and say “Remember that one day when we dressed our kids in flannels and it ended up being 90 degrees…” Oooops! It was still so fun, even though it was a hot one!

Paper Heart Photoshoot – Everly Style

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We have a silly, fun “tradition” of sorts each Valentine’s. Since Chase’s first Valentine’s Day we have done a paper heart photo-shoot. And it just became a little fun tradition ever since.  Well, this year, Little Miss Ever joined in :) Be ready to MELT. The beautiful dress she is wearing was made for her by my Grandma, Ev’s “GG-ma”!

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 After our scare with her last week (I have a blog post in the works about it now), these just feel especially special to me. I am so thankful she is doing so much better now!

I couldn’t find any from last year, I’m not sure if we even did it. I was huge pregnant with Ever (she’s 1 in 2 weeks!) so maybe that was why :)valentines_overtheyears (1) Chaseyboy in years past!valentinesdaycollage_overtheyears (1)

Shailo ages 3 months and 15 months.

Just a fun little tradition.

Thanks for stopping by :)

(Almost) One years worth of cuddles!

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I am a lover of documenting moments in our lives. The beautiful, the messy, the posed, the candid, the hilarious, the teary, etc.

Well. this miniseries of photos wasn’t planned. These are moments that are very much real in our lives. Our bed almost always has one, most of the time two kiddos in it by dawn. When the sun rises, Chaseyboy wakes from his own bed and comes to ours to snuggle. It’s a family ordeal. One that some nights require a lot of patience and less sleep than one should have, however I know this isn’t going to last forever… and to be honest, I love it.

Below are pictures of the last (almost) year of morning cuddles with their sissy. I snapped one recently (the very last photo) and decided to look back because I remembered snapping others similar. I put them together and my heart “burst”.

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Chase 4, Everly 1 month, Shailo 2

 

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Chase 4, Everly 4 months, Shailo 2IMG_2977-0Chase 5, Everly 7 months, Shailo 2

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Chase 5, Everly 11 months, Shailo 3

And yes, you bet I will make them do a similar pose when they are adults!

Breakthrough.

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 If you’ve ever been in Colorado during the winter season, you know that it can snow one day and melt the next. In fact, it often snows and melts in the same day. True story. And also why I love Colorado: It may snow, but the sun isn’t too far behind. However, with that sunshine means quickly melted sledding hills!  Chase has been wanting to go, but I haven’t had the energy to get out on those days snowy enough to sled. Last week, we finally got out, even though the hill near our home was already melting! We made it work, and the kiddos had a blast!

This day was exactly what our family needed. A little bit of sunshine and fun. As you may have read in my most recent post, it has been an incredibly difficult season for our family. More so than I want to share (at least for now).

This day was a deliberate decision to get out and do something that would impact our family in a healthy way… yes, even something as simple as sledding. I am determined to make many more decisions that are healthy for our family, despite being so “busy” or down in this funk that this momma has been in.

This is our year of breakthrough. I believe it. And this day, I felt it. Here’s to many more…SleddingCollage_1

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SleddingCollage_4Everly’s first time sledding :)

SleddingCollage_2SleddingCollage_6Sledding and snowball fights, but of course! SleddingCollage_5

Please note the boys’ faces behind me sledding! (above)

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It was such a memorable time! Thanks photographer hubby for some fab pics of that day.

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We are about to enter the “snowiest” time of our year until spring, so hopefully that means more times sledding!

Bug Museum

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We visited a bug museum with Chase’s homeschool co-op just last week. It was incredible and slightly creepy :) The boys loved it. Here are some photos from that day!
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Chase’s classmates and teacher Miss Isabel 
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Obviously the butterflies caught my eye the most. I could have taken pictures of every display though, they were honestly so amazing! IMG_3236

If you know me at all, posting this photo is such a big deal :) Reminds me of my time in a Thai village!  Notice how close Chaseyboy’s hand is… EEEEEP!IMG_3237

My fave of the day. IMG_3146

The exhibits were truly beautiful! We were blessed to be able to tag along! Even miss Ever hung out, literally in the Ergo, during the field trip.

If you happen to be local, or in colorado and looking for some unique, fun and reasonable things to do with your kiddos, check out the  This link to the May Museum!