I am one proud momma!!!

I hope to sit down soon and post a blog that goes into more detail about our homeschooling and the new program we have been a part of this past year. But until that happens, this is a little snippet of what we joined up with last fall. It is called Classical Conversations and it is a program/community that follows the classical education model for teaching and learning from the pre-K years all the way through high-school. I will provide more details on what that entails in that someday-to-happen-sometime-off-in-the future post, but if you want to read a little bit about it now, you can do so by by clicking here.

According to this Classical model, our girls are currently in the “grammar stage.” This is said to be the first stage of learning and it is where they are taught and filled up with lots and lots and lots (and lots more) of the basic terms and facts associated with a subject. The understanding of these facts is not the focus, it is just the accumulation of such that is stressed. And then all these facts becomes little “pegs” from which more knowledge can more easily hang on. And thus it turns into a greater comprehension and understanding and love of learning for the the places, people, and events of our world and the creation around them. The subjects they are going through (and will continue on with through the high-school years) are Latin, Geography, History, Math, Science, English and a timeline of events from the beginning of history through present. It has been such an amazing thing to see that my girls’ minds, along with all the other children in their group, can hold all this information!!

Here is a quick summary of what those facts included through our 1st year of Cycle 1 Classical Conversations:
✔ 161 events and people in a chronological timeline
✔ 44 U.S. presidents
✔ 24 history sentences that add depth to their timeline
✔ 120 locations and geographic features in Africa, Europe, South America, and the Old World
✔ 24 science facts (including classifications of living things and each continent’s highest mountain)
✔ Latin and English noun cases, and 5 Latin noun endings and their singular and plural declensions
✔ English grammar facts (including 53 prepositions, 23 helping verbs, and 12 linking verbs)
✔ Multiplication tables up to 15×15, common squares and cubes, as well as basic geometry formulas and unit conversions

Halle and her friend Cole receiving their Memory Master shirts

The truly amazing thing that is making me one super proud momma at this moment is that Halle was awarded with the achievement of Memory Master at our last night’s night wrap-up party. This means that, in one sitting, she sat before one of the tutors in the program and had to recite the whole year’s worth of information, with absolute perfection and zero prompting! Then she had to sit before the director of our program who went at random through the subjects, asking her questions, to confirm that all the information was indeed mastered in her brain. I included the whole list below, so you can see that this is indeed a note-worthy feat!

And while I do feel that what Halle did is an incredible accomplishment, because the mastery of all these facts did take extra diligence and studying on her part, I also want to say that the accumulation of facts in the minds of children is not something that only a few can do. Children’s brains are naturally inclined to memorize a H-U-G-E deal of information. And I was able to see the proof of that with just how much Dee and Gracie have been able to learn and retain this past year. They can say from memory ALL the timeline facts and presidents. They can say all the geography from memory (they just struggle with pointing to it all on a map). They know about 90% of the history sentences and science facts, but with a little prompting can get through the ones they struggle remembering on their own. They also know all of the English we covered in the year. The Latin noun declensions are hit or miss, sometimes they say them correctly, other times they don’t. And the Math is still a work in progress :-) So all that to say, if you know anything about Dee and Gracie, (and you have observed how they are not quite as gifted as Halle when it comes to academic things), you can see that all children’s minds can do this!

Now please hear this one more important thing I really want to convey with this post. It is important to me that all this said accumulated knowledge does not come across in an arrogant or puffed-up manner, that is far from my intent. Even though I am super proud to have seen how much information my girls are taking in and are memorizing, and that Halle worked hard to achieve Memory Master, there is something greater to my heart in all of this. The foundation for my excitement really lies in that I consider it a wonderful privilege and blessing to be a part of this Classical education style. All these little grammar facts that are being stored up in our girls’ mind (and mine too) are becoming to us like a new set of lenses for us to wear and see the world with. Life around us, events that have occurred, and places on the globe are becoming so much more rich and alive and real!

Because of the geography learned this year, we can hear mention of the island of Crete when we read from the book of Titus and see where that is in our minds, sitting out there in the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Greece. We now know where in the world the Red Sea is and the Sinai Peninsula, which makes the story of the Exodus and wandering in the desert something we can grasp more fully. When the news talks about the Gaza Strip and the Middle East, or our church sends a missions trip over there, we know the references and can point exactly to those places on a map. Historical points in time that we might come across in our read-aloud books, or our American Almanac, or the Bible find their place in the master timeline the girls learned. And then those things are able to have a more permanent and concrete place in their minds because they know other events that were going on during that same period, or leading up to it. I really could elaborate more and more on this elation of my feeling super privileged because of this information the girls are storing up, but I will stop here. And I will finish with the long list of all the things the girls covered this year, which is what Halle had to say in one sitting. Warning, you will have to scroll down a lot to get to the bottom of this!

Chronological Timeline Events:
Age of Ancient Empires;
Creation and the Fall;
The Flood and the Tower of Babel;
Mesopotamia and Sumer;
Egyptians;
Indus River Valley Civilization;
Minoans and Mycenaeans
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World;
Patriarchs of Israel;
Hittites and Canaanites;
Kush;
Assyrians;
Babylonians;
China’s Shang Dynasty
Hinduism in India;
Phoenicians and the Alphabet;
Olmecs of Mesoamerica;
Israelite Exodus and Desert Wandering;
Israelite Conquest and Judges;
Greek Dark Ages;
Israel’s United Kingdom
Early Native Americans;
Israel Divides into Two Kingdoms;
Homer and Hesiod;
Rome Founded by Romulus and Remus;
Israel Falls to Assyria;
Assyria Falls to Babylon;
Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Buddha
Judah Falls to Babylon, Temple Destroyed;
Babylon Falls to Persia;
Jews Return and Rebuild the Temple;
Roman Republic;
Golden Age of Greece;
Peloponnesian Wars;
Persia Falls to Alexander the Great
India’s Mauryan Empire;
Mayans of Mesoamerica;
Punic Wars;
Rome Conquers Greece;
Roman Dictator Julius Caesar;
Caesar Augustus and the Pax Romana;
John the Baptist
Jesus the Messiah;
Pentecost and the Early Church;
Persecution Spreads the Gospel;
Herod’s Temple Destroyed by Titus;
Diocletian Divides the Roman Empire;
Constantine Legalizes Christianity;
Council of Nicea;
Augustine of Hippo;
Jerome Completes the Vulgate;
Visigoths Sack Rome;
The Middle Ages;
Council of Chalcedon;
Western Roman
Empire Falls to Barbarians
Byzantine Emperor Justinian;
Benedict and Monasticism;
Muhammad Founds Islam;
Zanj and Early Ghana in Africa;
Franks Defeat Muslims at the Battle of Tours;
Golden Age of Islam;
Vikings Raid and Trade
Japan’s Heian Period;
Charlemagne Crowned Emperor of Europe;
Alfred the Great of England;
Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson, Norse Explorers;
Vladimir I of Kiev;
Byzantine Emperor Basil II;
East-West Schism of the Church
Norman Conquest and Feudalism in Europe;
The Crusades;
Zimbabwe and Early Mali in Africa;
Aztecs of Mesoamerica;
Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas;
Japan’s Shoguns;
Incas of South America
Genghis Khan Rules the Mongols;
England’s Magna Carta;
Ottoman Empire;
Marco Polo’s Journey to China;
The Hundred Years’ War and Black Death;
The Renaissance;
China’s Ming Dynasty
Age of Exploration;
Prince Henry Founds School of Navigation;
Slave Trade in Africa;
Gutenberg’s Printing Press;
Songhai in Africa;
Czar Ivan the Great of Russia;
The Spanish Inquisition
Columbus Sails to the Caribbean;
Age of Absolute Monarchs;
Protestant Reformation;
Spanish Conquistadors in the Americas;
Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion;
Council of Trent;
Baroque Period of the Arts
Japan’s Isolation;
Jamestown and Plymouth Colony Founded;
Age of Enlightenment;
Hudson’s Bay Company;
First Great Awakening;
Classical Period of the Arts;
The Seven Years’ War
Age of Industry; James Cook Sails to Australia and Antarctica;
American Revolution and Gen. George Washington;
Madison’s Constitution and the Bill of Rights;
French Revolution;
Second Great Awakening;
Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition
Napoleon Crowned Emperor of France;
Liberation of South America;
The War of 1812;
The Missouri Compromise;
Immigrants Flock to America;
The Monroe Doctrine;
Romantic Period of the Arts
Cherokee Trail of Tears;
U.S. Westward Expansion;
Marx Publishes The Communist Manifesto;
The Compromise of 1850 and the Dred Scott Decision;
U.S. Restores Trade with Japan;
British Queen Victoria’s Rule Over India;
Darwin Publishes The Origin of Species
Lincoln’s War Between the States;
Reconstruction of the Southern States;
Dominion of Canada;
Otto von Bismarck Unifies Germany;
Boer Wars in Africa;
The Spanish-American War;
The Progressive Era
Australia Becomes a Commonwealth;
Mexican Revolution;
World War I and President Wilson;
Lenin and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia;
U.S. Evangelist Billy Graham;
Modern Period of the Arts;
The Great Depression and the New Deal
World War II and President Franklin D. Roosevelt;
Stalin of the USSR and the Katyn Massacre;
The United Nations Formed;
The Cold War;
Gandhi and India’s Independence;
Jewish State Established;
Mao and Communist Victory in China
North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
The Korean War;
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement;
Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Missionaries to Ecuador;
The Antarctic Treaty;
The Vietnam War;
U.S. Astronauts Walk on the Moon
Age of Information and Globalization;
Watergate, President Nixon Resigns;
Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe;
European Union Formed;
Apartheid Abolished in South Africa;
September 11, 2001;
Rising Tide of Freedom

U.S. Presidents:
Washington,
Adams,
Jefferson,
Madison,
Monroe,
Adams,
Jackson,
Van Buren,
Harrison,
Tyler,
Polk,
Taylor,
Fillmore,
Pierce,
Buchanan,
Lincoln,
Johnson,
Grant,
Hayes,
Garfield,
Arthur,
Cleveland,
Harrison,
Cleveland,
McKinley,
Roosevelt,
Taft,
Wilson,
Harding,
Coolidge,
Hoover,
Roosevelt,
Truman,
Eisenhower,
Kennedy,
Johnson,
Nixon,
Ford,
Carter,
Reagan,
Bush,
Clinton,
Bush,
Obama

History Sentences:
Week 1: Tell me about commandments 1–5.
Thou shalt … 1)have no other gods before me 2)not make unto thee any graven image 3)not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain 4)remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy 5) honor thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land the Lord thy God giveth thee.

WEEK 2: Tell me about commandments 6–10.
Thou shalt … 6) not kill 7) not commit adultery 8) not steal 9) not bear false witness against thy neighbor 10) not covet

Week 3: Tell me about Greek and Roman gods
· Zeus/Jupiter
· Hera/Juno
· Ares/Juno
· Aphrodite/Venus
· Artemis/Diana
· Hermes/Mercury

Week 4: Tell me about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are: the Great Pyramids, Hanging Gardens, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus, the
Mausoleum, Pharos Lighthouse, and Colossus of Rhodes.

Week 5: Tell me about the split of the Roman Empire
The Roman Republic fought the Punic Wars, which were followed by the Pax Romana. In 286 AD, the empire divided into the Western & Eastern empires until Germanic barbarians defeated the Western Empire, in 476 AD.

Week 6: Tell me about the fall of Rome
Taxes, slavery, unemployment, & diseases all contributed to the fall of Rome.

Week7: Tell me about Hinduism:
Hinduism, founded around 1500 BC, teaches Brahman is the “one great spirit” & that people are divided into castes. Founded around 530 BC, Buddhism teaches that Siddhartha was the “enlightened one.”

Week8: Tell me about the Age of Imperialism
During the Age of Imperialism, the British established rule over India in 1858 & Queen Victoria was declared the Empress of India in 1877. Before his assassination in 1948, Mohandas Gandhi led the passive resistance movement which helped win India’s independence

Week9: Tell me about Confucius
Confucius, who lived from 551 BC to 479 BC, taught obedience & respect. Taoism means “The Path” and emphasizes harmony with nature.

Week10: Tell me about the Heian Empire
As the Heian government weakened in Japan, Shoguns began to rule & expelled all foreigners during the period of isolation. Circa 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the US restored trade allowing the Meiji to modernize Japan.

Week11: Tell me about the Byzantine Empire
In 313 AD, Byzantine Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity. Emperor Justinian’s Code gave rights to all men. After Basil II and the Golden Age, Muslim Turks conquered parts of the Byzantine Empire, which led to the Crusades.

Week12: Tell me about the Muslim Empire
In 622 AD, the Muslim Empire’s religion was founded by Muhammad who worshipped Allah. The Ottoman Empire expanded the Muslim Empire until weakness forced westernization.

Week13: Tell me about the Kush:
The Kush mined gold along the Nile River from 2000 BC to 350 AD. The Berbers traded gold, iron & salt in the desert.

Week14: Tell me about the Songhai
In the 1400′s, the Songhai ruled Timbuktu. The Zanj were skilled craftsmen & traders. The Zimbabweans were wealthy, skillful stone craftsmen.

Week15: Tell me about Henry the Navigator
In the 1400′s, Henry the Navigator established colonial rule in Africa, leading to slave trade between the Portuguese & the Ashanti.

Week16: Tell me about the civilizations of Mesoamerica
Three of the advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica from 1200 BC to 1500 AD were the Olmecs, Mayans & Aztecs.

Week17: Tell me about the Aztecs
The Aztecs used pyramids in rituals of human sacrifice. Their civilization began to fall when Hernan Cortes of Spain defeated Montezuma in 1519.

Week18: Tell me about the Mound Builders
Circa 1000 BC to 1450 AD, three North American mound-building civilizations were the Adena, the Hopewell, and the Mississippians.

Week19: Tell me about the Anasazi:
The Anasazi of southwestern United States built adobe villages on the sides of cliffs from 500 BC to 1200 AD.

Week20: Tell me about the Mexican Revolution:
Circa 1910, during the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa & Emiliano Zapata fought the federales for “Land & Liberty.”

Week21: Tell me about the exploration of Canada:
John Cabot & Samuel de Champlain explored Canada & the St. Lawrence River. Creation of the Hudson’s Bay Company, in
1670, eventually led to war between Britain & France. The maple leaf is the symbol of Canada.

Week22: Tell me about the British North American Act (1867)
The British North American Act established the Dominion of Canada. The Canadians gained total independence from Britain
in 1982. French is spoken in the province of Quebec.

Week23: Tell me about the liberation of South America
In the early 1800′s, San Martin of Argentina, O’Higgins of Chile, & Simòn Bolivar of Venezuela fought to liberate South
America from Spain.

Week24: Tell me about Napoleon
When Napoleon threatened the Portuguese Empire, King John VI fled to Brazil. His son, Dom Pedro, granted Brazil
independence in 1822.

Geographic features (they had to locate all places on an outline map, name the place on a map when pointed to, and name all the places within each week’s grouping)
Week 1: Fertile Crescent
Mediterranean Sea
Mesopotamia
Euphrates River
Tigris River
Sumer

Week 2: Assyrian Empire
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Caspian Sea
Black Sea
Babylon

Week 3: Hebrew Empire
Judah
Israel
Jordan River
Dead Sea
Phoenicia
Sea of Galilee

Week 4: Hittite Empire
Hattusa/Hatti
Asia Minor
Turkey
Arabian Desert
Cyprus

Week 5: Egyptian Empire
Egypt
Nile River
Upper/Lower Egypt
West/East Deserts
Nile Delta
Crete

Week 6: Roman Empire
Spain
Gaul/France
Germania/Germany
Alexandria
Carthage

Week 7: Indus River
Ganges River
Himalayas
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
Great Indian Desert

Week 8: China
Huang He River (Yellow)
Chang Jiang River (Long)
An-Yang

Week 9: Eastern Asia
Mongolia
China
Korea
Japan
Yellow Sea

Week 10: Japan
Kyoto
Tokyo
Mt. Fuji
Pacific Ocean
Sea of Japan

Week 11: Byzantine Empire
Constantinople/Istanbul
Rome
Athens
Ephesus
Antioch

Week 12: Muslim Empire
Mecca
Medina
Baghdad
Damascus
Tours
Syria

Week 13: Western Africa
Atlantic Ocean
Senegal River
Niger River
Sahara Desert
Timbuktu

Week 14: Ancient Africa
Ancient Ghana
Ancient Mali
Ancient Songhai
Fez
Tangier

Week 15: Middle East
Israel
Sinai Peninsula
Suez Canal
Cairo
Gaza Strip

Week 16: Africa (Waters)
Zaire River (Congo)
Lake Victoria
Zambezi River
Orange River
Nile River

Week 17: Southern Africa
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Madagascar

Week 18: Mesoamerica
Gulf of Mexico
Yucatan Peninsula
Olmec Civilization
Maya Civilization
Aztec Civilization

Week 19: Original 13 Colonies
New England
Colonies
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies

Week 20: Mesoamerica (More)
Mexico City
Chichen Itza
Lake Texcoco
Mayapan
Oaxaca

Week 21: Canadian Provinces (1867)
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia

Week 22: Canadian Waters
Great Bear Lake
Great Slave Lake
Hudson Bay
Baffin Bay
Labrador Sea

Week 23: South America (West)
Venezuela
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Chile

Week 24: South America (East)
Argentina
Uruguay
Paraguay
Brazil
French Guiana
Suriname
Guyana

Science:
WEEK 1: What are the classifications of living things?
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

WEEK 2: What are the five kingdoms of living things?
Animalia
Plantae
Fungi
Protista
Monera

WEEK 3: What are some parts of an animal cell?
Nucleus
Cytoplasm
Vacuole
Mitochondria
Cell membrane
Golgi bodies

WEEK 4: What are some parts of a plant cell?
Nucleus
Cytoplasm
Vacuole
Mitochondria
Cell membrane
Cell wall
Chloroplasts
Golgi bodies

WEEK 5: What are the major groups of invertebrates?
Sponges
Stinging-cell animals
Flatworms
Roundworms
Segmented worms
Mollusks
Sea stars
Arthropods

WEEK 6: What are the major groups of vertebrates?
Fish
Amphibians
Reptiles
Mammals
Birds

WEEK 7: How do animals reproduce?
Live birth
Eggs
Fragmentation

WEEK 8: What are some types of seed plants?
Monocot
Dicot
Conifer

WEEK 9: What are some parts of a plant?
Leaves
Stems
Roots

WEEK 10: What are some kinds of leaves and leaf parts?
Spines
Needles
Tendrils
Bracts
Bud scales
Palmate

WEEK 11: What are some parts of a flower?
Petal
Stamen
Anther
Pistil
Sepal

WEEK 12: What are some plant systems?
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Transpiration

WEEK 13: What are some parts of the earth?
Core
Mantle
Crust
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere

WEEK 14: What are the three kinds of rock?
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Igneous

WEEK 15: What is each continent’s highest mountain?
Everest in Asia
Aconcagua in S. America
McKinley in N. America
Kilimanjaro in Africa
Elbrus in Europe
Kosciuszko in Australia
Vinson Massif in Antarctica

WEEK 16: What are the four kinds of volcanoes?
Active
Intermittent
Dormant
Extinct

WEEK 17: What are some parts of a volcano?
Magma
Vents
Lava
Crater
Gases

WEEK 18: What are four types of ocean floor?
Continental shelf
Abyssal plains
Mountain ranges
Ridges

WEEK 19: What are three ocean zones?
Photic
Bathyl
Abyssal

WEEK 20: What are some parts of the atmosphere?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere

WEEK 21: What are the five major circles of latitude?
Arctic Circle
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
Antarctic Circle

WEEK 22: What are some kinds of weather fronts?
Cold
Warm
Stationary
Occluded

WEEK 23: What are some types of clouds?
Cumulonimbus
Cirrus
Stratus
Cumulus
Stratocumulus

WEEK 24: What are some markings on the globe?
Latitude (parallels)
Longitude (meridians)
Prime Meridian
Degrees
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

Latin:
Noun Cases:
Nominative- Subject
Genitive- Possessive
Dative-Indirect Object
Accusative- Direct Object
Ablative- Object of the Preposition

1st Declension Noun Endings (singular, plural)
Nominative: -a, -ae
Genitive: -ae, -.arum
Dative: -ae, -.ıs
Accusative: -am, -.as
Ablative: -.a, -.ıs

2nd Declension Noun Endings (singular, plural)
Nominative: -us, -.ı
Genitive: -.ı, -.orum
Dative: -.o, -.ıs
Accusative: -um, -.os
Ablative: -.o, -.ıs

3rd Declension Noun Endings (singular, plural)
Nominative: various, -.es
Genitive: -is, -um
Dative: -.ı, -ibus
Accusative: -em, -.es
Ablative: -e, -ibus

4th Declension Noun Endings (singular, plural)
Nominative: -us, -.us
Genitive: -.us, -uum
Dative: -u.ı, -ibus
Accusative: -um , -.us
Ablative: -.u, -ibus

5th Declension Noun Endings (singular, plural)
Nominative: -.es, -.es
Genitive: -.e.ı, -.erum
Dative: -.e.ı, -.ebus
Accusative: -em, -.es
Ablative: -.e, -.ebus

English:
A preposition relates a noun or pronoun to another word.
The prepositions are: about, above, across, after, against
along, amid, among, around, at, atop
before, behind, below, beneath, beside
between, beyond, but, by, concerning
down, during, except, for, from
in, inside, into, like, near
of, off, on, onto, out
outside, over, past, regarding, since
through, throughout, to, toward
under, underneath, until, up, upon
with, within, without

A helping verb helps another verb assert action, being, or existence.
The helping verbs are: do, does, did
has, have, had
am, are, is
was, were, be, being, been
may, must, might
should, could, would
shall, will, can

A linking verb makes an assertion by joining two words.
The linking verbs are: feel, become, remain, taste
seem, appear, look, sound
stay, smell, grow, be

Math
Week 1: 1 & 2 Tables
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Week 2: 3 & 4 Tables
3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36
4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48

Week 3: 5 & 6 Tables
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72

Week 4: 7 & 8 Tables
7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84
8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96

Week 5: 9 & 10 Tables
9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

Week 6: 11 & 12 Tables
11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 110 121 132
12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108 120 132 144

Week 7: 13 x 13 Table
13 26 39 52 65 78 91 104 117 130 143 156 169

Week 8: 14 x 14 Table
14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112 126 140 154 168 182 196

Week 9: 15 x 15 Table
15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225

Week 10: Squares (up to 15 x 15)
1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100 121 144 169 196 225

Week 11: Cubes (up to 10 x 10 x 10)
1 8 27 64 125 216 343 512 729 1000

Week 12: teaspoons and tablespoons
3 teaspoons (tsp.) = 1 tablespoon (Tbsp.)
2 tablespoons (Tbsp.) = 1 fluid ounce (fl. oz.)

Week 13: liquid equivalents
8 fluid ounces (fl. oz.) = 1 cup (c.)
2 cups (c.) = 1 pint (pt.)
2 pints (pts.) = 1 quart (qt.)
4 quarts (qts.) = 1 gallon (gal.)

Week 14: linear equivalents
2.54 centimeters (cm) = 1 inch (in.)
12 inches (in.) = 1 foot (ft.)
5,280 feet (ft.) = 1 mile (mi.)

Week 15: metric measurements
10 millimeters (mm) = 1 centimeter (cm)
100 centimeters (cm) = 1 meter (m)
1,000 meters (m) = 1 kilometer (km)

Week 16: The AREA of a RECTANGLE equals length times width.

Week 17: The AREA of a SQUARE equals length of its side squared.

Week 18: The AREA of a TRIANGLE equals one-half (.) base times height.

Week 19: The AREA of a CIRCLE equals pi (3.14) times the radius squared.

Week 20: The CIRCUMFERENCE of a CIRCLE equals two times pi (3.14) times the radius.

Week 21: The Associative Law for addition: (a+b)+c=a+(b+c)
The Associative Law for multiplication: (a * b) * c= a * (b * c)

Week 22; The Commutative Law for addition: a+b=b+a
The Commutative Law for multiplication: a * b=b * a

Week 23: The DISTRIBUTIVE LAW states: a(b+c)=ab+ac

Week 24: The IDENTITY LAW for addition states: a+0=a
The Identity Law for multiplication states: a * 1=a

That is a lot of information to be able to recite with perfection in one sitting!
Halle, you rock!!!

Some Very Snowy Days

Lots of snow was not something our winter days could boast of this past season. But as February was coming to an end, we were at last able to close out the month seeing those Rocky Mountains to our West clad in lovely white (which, by the way, is what is most fashionable for them from the month of November through the beginning of March). And thus, for ourselves, we were able to have a very fun winter play day!

I am not good at remembering details of the amount of actual snowfall, but I know there was a lot! Enough to build this awesome little snow hut (aka, our Hobbit hole) and a pretty cool looking snowman.

Halle covered in snow

Gracie and Dee in the Hobbit hole

Gig ‘em!

Halle in the Hobbit hole

Teamwork in building

The snow that fell that day remained around for several more days. And while it lasted, the girls had a great time playing out in their little Hobbit hole. And we were certain that was probably the last of the snow until next fall and winter.

But, we were wrong…

Three days after the official day of Spring, more snow came down on March 23rd. And once again, Rob made sure the girls got to take pleasure in it! But this time, instead of a snow cave and a snowman, entertainment was in brr-brrrrr-burying each other. I stayed warm and inside for this one.

Gracie is a good sport (I would never let someone do this to me!)

It must of looked like a heap of fun, that Dee wanted a turn as well having a heap of snow on her

The happy snow clan

To keep things fair, it was only fitting that Rob had a turn being buried too

Some lovely art the snow storm left for us on our deck window

We have had a few more snow days after these mentioned above, but no one wanted to go out and play. The winds were crazy strong, so playtime was inside. There are still more forecasts on the radar for more snow to come this April. But I think mentally we are all ready for true spring weather, so there will be no more play times outside this year.

Texas cousins visit at Thanksgiving

My mom and sister Courtney, along with her family all joined us in Colorado for Thanksgiving this past year. My nephew Brayden had come to Colorado with two missions to accomplish. The first was to make a dirt cake, and the second was to make an igloo. Al-righty, kid. We will see what we can do for you!

Unfortunately, Colorado has had a very mild winter. And when they all arrived there was no snow on the ground. Not wanting to disappoint the cousins who had never seen snow, we make a trek out to Breckenridge for a day. They have a free gondola there which will take you to the base of the ski resort. It turned out to be a very good thing that we made the two hour drive west into the mountains. Because not only did we find snow and some ice blocks that would serve as building material for an igloo, we also found a very small hill to slide down.

My mom, Courtney, Halle and her cousins riding in the gondola

Gracie’s first response was, “this is SO NOT sledding.” But she soon got over her initial disappointment and decided she could have fun on this little sled hill. Brayden and Madelyn thought it was grand!

All the grown-ups joined in the fun, too!

Building Brayden’s igloo

Posing in Brayden’s igloo

My mom, Courtney, and me
(Really it is me that is the shortest of the lot, but when I stand on my tip toes for pictures, no one can tell…)

Mission 1 accomplished, now it is on to the dirt cake

everyone got to help

The finished product. And I think those red and yellow bits are supposed to be leaves (according to Halle, i.e. who cut up some felt pieces to create a more authentic visual effect)

Our awesome mountain sunsets, glad we got to share this with them

Madelyn learns that just because you are our guest and only 2, you are still not exempt from bringing in the firewood! Only the adults in the house get that privilege :-)

On one of the days they were here, Rob pulled out the tractor and bobcat to let everyone have a ride. Brayden got to drive, too!

Even Uncle Derek got a turn

Proof even a small pile of dirt can be a fun source of entertainment for kiddos

Visiting our across the street neighbors, the alpacas!

Halle and Cinnamon

The whole family!

Fearless Madelyn and the neighbor’s Great Pyrenees, Ocho (I want one!!)

Just another awesome mountain view that we get to look at everyday…

For their last night in town, we dined at one of the local breweries, Oskar Blues

Fun at the kid table

I love this “kids-at-the-bar” photo!

We had so much fun having them here.

And see how cool a visit you, too, could have if you came to visit!!!

J.R.R. Tolkien, my apologies, I tried…

I have always loved the creativity my girls have shown when it comes to their wishes for a birthday theme and cake idea. Over the years we have had a Robin Hood party, a fireworks party, a school party, a detective party, a Voyage of the Dawn Treader party, and (one of my favorites because of its complete randomness) a dolphin bubble party.

And this year didn’t end the trend, as Halle decided to have a Lord of the Rings party. She has read all the books (she did so when she was 8!) and she loves the movies. But mainly because The Hobbit had just come out in theaters, her decision was confirmed that this would be the best year to use this theme.

The plan was to have 2 of her friends go see The Hobbit with her and then stay the night for a sleep over. And I was to make a cake.

If you know anything about me and my frugality, I have always refused to buy a store bought birthday cake. I just can’t do it. And anyways, it is just too fun trying to come up with your own! I only wish I had better cake making and decorating skills, then I could better take on the challenges my girls’ cake ideas offer. (I am hoping for the year that one of my kids will say, “Mom, I want a blue cake. Just make me a cake that is blue.” Because I will make the best blue cake ever!!)

So with a little inspiration from pinterest, the most doable option was to make a round cake and put elvish lettering on its circumference, to serve as the inscription on the ring. And for the top of the cake, Halle approved the Doors of Durin.

This was the image I tried to copy.

The riddle on the doors translated to Speak, Friend, and Enter

I thought it would be clever to instead say, “Speak, Happy Birthday, and Eat.” However, unfortunately for Halle, my writing skills with icing are lacking. This requires a steady hand for the intricate detail all these letters would require. And this is all I could do.

Speak * HB * Eat

This is how the Ring around the cake ended up. Not only is it really tricky to make a frosting that looks gold, it is even more complicated to create an Elvish font!!

Translated, this should read, “One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” Um…. NOT!!!! It looks like a few poorly scripted cursive lower case letters.

This is what the lettering should have looked like

Thankfully Halle is so very easily pleased and always genuinely touched with my attempts. And she praised this work of “art” with much enthusiasm!!

10 candles!! I can’t believe we are in the double digits now!

She definitely scored with a lot of LOTR lego sets for her birthday. I love her excitement over this genre of toys!

The Mines of Moria lego set brings in a huge smile!

Halle in NY!!

Thank you, Adrianne for your recent post. I am inspired to try and start posting our little feats again on a more frequent basis :-)

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Halle went to see her Aunt Cristen (we call her, “Tia”) in New York this past October. And she travelled ALL BY HERSELF! She did so well, and had such a good trip getting to spend time in a whole new place without her mommy. Actually, I never questioned whether Halle would do well, it was me who was all nervous and anxious while she was away.

Here are some of the pictures we saw from Tia’s camera, which gave us a pretty good glimpse about the many new experiences Halle was able to enjoy in this faraway land. I also loved how Tia recorded many of Halle’s remarks during this time.

After flying solo and being super brave, Halle arrives in NY

Tia set up her couch to be a bed for Halle, but Halle ended up making her own adjustments to how her body would use the space while she snoozed.

“Well, this sure is a nice way to get about town”
-Halle, on her first subway ride

“We saw so many exhibits that I can’t count them!”
-Halle at Museum of Natural History

“Now *that* is how you make really good food. I ate myself so senseless that I think I need to nap in Central Park rather than walk in Central Park!”
-Halle, reflecting on her first ever Shake Shack hamburger and shake

In Central Park

“Sometimes when I’m on a ferry I prefer the seagulls to the city”
-Halle reflecting on her first ever Staten Island Ferry ride”
(if you look closely, you can see the Statue of Liberty)

“If a girl needs to be better than a boy, she *can* give a very ladylike punch”
Those were Halle’s thoughts on the differences between the sexes over a pepperoni pie at Two Boots pizza with Tia and a couple of her friends

Breakfast in bed with a book

Playing in the waves at Coney Island
And after building sand castles, this is what she had to say. “I mean, it’s not many people who can say what they built today will still be standing tomorrow!”

“Warm hot dogs and cool ketchup always go great together!”
-Halle enjoying lunch at Nathan’s

“Do you know how to grow fast? Like, really fast?”
She just needed to be 6″ taller to be able to ride the Cyclone

But she could get a thrill on the water ride, and she sat up front!

For her last night, she went to see Annie on Broadway

“If I can tackle this and be this successful, what’s next? Flying alone to Australia ?”
Dinner was before the show in China town, and Halle’s comment was her reflecting on using chop sticks for the 1st time to eat pork dumplings

View of the stage at the opening scene

“That. Was. Awesome. And by awesome, I mean awesome!”
-Halle and Tia after the show

And one more quote, just for fun. This was something Halle said when they were visiting Ricky’s Costume Superstore and she was considering all the styles they had. “There are a tremendous amount of options here! You really should think about being a cat, Tia; it’s quite fashionable these days as well as being hot & sexy!”
Halle cracks me up; where does she get this vocabulary?? You have to know that the words, ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’ are used as infrequently in this home (translate – never) as the word, ‘fashionable.’

We love you Tia and thank you for this most incredible time you gave to Halle!!!

Dee and Gracie are anxiously awaiting for the time to come that they will get to go next.

Creeekside BBQ

When we moved into our Longmont rental back in March, it didn’t take long to find out we were once again neighbors with some pretty awesome folks! And it was quickly discovered after our arrival that good BBQ and social gatherings were a shared pleasure with the people we have been hanging out with in our park, almost daily. So Rob, me, and a couple others decided we should have a neighborhood BBQ party.

Back tracking just a little bit, I need to say that when we first moved to Boulder last September, we met another family that had also just moved into the area. And the parents in that family turned out to be aggies, class of ’97 (just like us-whoop!) Jenn and Kolby Shipman were their names. It was weird how we had never met them when were in college, because we discovered that we all knew a ton of the same people while we were at A&M at the same time (well actually, Rob knew a ton of people – I was a math nerd and had little social interaction). Rob found out that Kolby also loves to barbecue, and that he has even made a small business out of it. He owns this huge smoker that is carried around on a trailer. And Kolby was so kind to not only let us borrow the smoker for our neighborhood BBQ party, but to also come help out on the big day.

Knowing that we had a smoker we could use to feed the masses, the rest of the logistics were just the planning details. I got to be on invitation duty, which is a huge joy to me because I love doing anything that involves fonts and layouts. And with so many free font downloads these days, just googling ‘western’ for font themes made this super easy. These are the flyers that went out to homes on two of the streets and a culdesac near us.

We really weren’t expecting but around 50 or so people (kids included) to RSVP to this, but the final head count ended up a little under 100. Nice! And it was a huge hit as every one that came was so glad that an event like this had been arranged, and all that were there had a super time! One family rented a bounce house and another family brought this humongous tent for the kids to sit and play in. We asked that anyone participating contribute money to help with the cost of the meat and to also bring a side dish to share. On one of the signs I put up by one of the food areas, I wrote, “1st annual” when I was decorating for the festivities. So I guess I am committing us to doing this again next year. We won’t be in the neighborhood anymore (we leave to move, AGAIN, at the end of August), but we won’t mind at all coming back to help out with another party like this next summer!

The little smoker that could

One of the other couples that helped out brought 4 of their famous home-made sauces.

all the sides and goodies

Kid tent and bouncy house – remember, all this awesome grassy space is two steps out our front door!

Things are really hoppin’ in here

the kids are chilling in the shade – this actually turned out to be one of the hottest days of June

after smoking almost all day, the late afternoon BBQ was finally ready to be served

folks just gathered wherever to sit and enjoy their neighbors and the great food

No chair stayed in just one spot for the whole event. Every 30 minutes or so they would shift a little to the East to keep under the shade of the trees and canopies some people brought.

lots of folks, lots of chairs, little shade

When folks weren’t seated down to eat their ribs and brisket, everyone did a great job at mingling around and being social

One of the great things about living is here is all the age diversity and how everyone hangs out together

When the bouncy house got old, the kids stayed cool with the pool; filling up their water-shooter-things and spraying it at each other (and our house)

Another fun thing for the kids that kind of showed up randomly

A couple of families even brought their cornhole sets. Mary Ann, you’re doing awesome!

Unsupervised with their food intake, I am sure Dee and Gracie made many trips to grab some of the deserts. But it was a special occasion, so it was ok!

Rob and Kolby, still smiling after a long day of smoking and grilling BBQ

What a super fun day!

The pretend tooth fairy didn’t come. Almost.

Over the years I have attempted several times to actually publish a post on how our family addresses the subject of Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. However, like so many other posts I have started, I failed to finish them before I lost my train of thought or forgot about them completely. But not today. This one is getting published (and if it doesn’t, well, no one will ever know because it will still be in draft mode). So here I go…

Even before Halle was born, Rob and I had decided we were always going to be truthful with our kiddos about the fictitious characters that supposedly sneak into your house and leave children little goodies. It wasn’t because either of us had traumatic experiences growing up when we found out that our parents were actually the man in red and the little fairy that takes your teeth. It is just that long term, we want them to always trust what we tell them. Especially about things they are putting their hope and trust in. And we felt that telling them from day one that Santa and the tooth fairy were pretend would keep us consistent in our convictions.

Now before any one starts to conclude that, because of what we are doing, our girls are missing out on a very fun childhood experience, know that we do honor these traditions. We definitely do not want to be known as the family with “those kids” who go around telling other kids that Santa and the tooth fairy are not real. So we decided that in our family we would pretend to believe. Just like the girls play dress-up and pretend to be princesses, star wars characters, harry potter, peter pan, pirates, and all other things fictitious and fun, we (rob and me) also pretend to be Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. Not with dress up clothes, mind you. But with words and fun stories and “evidence” of their presence in our home. And the girls know this, and have fun playing along.

We have also coached our girls to use this pretend lingo when around other kids. Because no one really knows which of Halle, Dee, and Gracie’s friends and peers believe (or don’t believe), by having them talk about their own pretend experiences our girls won’t ever be the spoiler for any unknowing kid. Now I know there are still faults with this approach. But Rob and I felt it was the best win/win way to handle the manner. The girls know the truth, and they still have a fun magical experience with it all.

So anyways, this past week turned out to be a very busy one for the “tooth fairy.” Gracie lost her first tooth last Thursday and then Dee proceeded to lose two more of her teeth in the following days. But before I jump into the main story for this post, it is important to let you know that the tooth fairy that comes to our house has a reputation of forgetting (you can read about one of those incidents here). Just don’t be too hard on her, OK. Know that she is very exhausted at the end of the day, so she prefers to save her flying around and picking up teeth to do early in the morning, when she wakes up (4am-ish).

Now because it was Gracie’s first tooth, the sweet girl was all excited about discovering what the pretend tooth fairy would bring her. She put her tooth in the pouch of the tooth fairy doll/pillow the night before and then went to bed. The next morning when I woke up, I had my coffee and devotional and then went for my run, completely forgetting that I had something else very important to do. When I had got back and was doing my post-run stretches I hear bitter weeping and extreme sadness coming from the twins’ room. UGH!! I knew exactly what had happened. Dang that tooth fairy!!!!

I quickly ran into the room to console sweet, disappointed Gracie. And as I was doing so, I was fortunate to discover that the tooth had slipped out of the pouch and remained (unknown to Gracie) under her pillow. As I was showing Gracie that ‘look the tooth is gone,’ I quickly picked up her tooth and kept it concealed in my hand. She was so upset at not having some prize under her pillow and a note to read, that I didn’t have the heart to let her miss out on the full experience of losing her first tooth. So I decided to reason with Gracie since the tooth is gone, that MAYBE the tooth fairy did come. And WHAT IF she put the note and money under another pillow in the house. Gracie and Dee had both slept down in the basement a couple of nights before, so I suggested that MAYBE the tooth fairy left her something under the pillow down there. I told her to go potty, brush her teeth, and then do down and check.

That gave me enough time to race downstairs and put money under the pillow on the bed in the basement. Whew, that was a close one! But that didn’t give me enough time to write her the much anticipated tooth fairy note. Dee and Halle have always loved the notes signed by “TF” because their names are never spelled correctly and there are always goofy words of congratulations addressed to Holly, Lee, Haley, Brie, etc… So when Dee and Gracie were going to the basement to look for the money, I was able to make a note. On the envelope I wrote, ‘please give to your sister’ and I put it under Dee’s pillow. Then inside the letter, I wrote to “Macie” and said that the money was under a different pillow and she would have to hunt for it. That tooth fairy is a clever one!

Later in the morning, when the girls went to make their beds Dee discovered the note. And Gracie was even more excited knowing that she had received the full TF package and with an extra treasure hunt in the process. And the tooth fairy redeemed herself :-)

Not wanting to repeat a forgetful moment again, when Dee lost two more teeth just days later, I put a post it note on the coffee pot the night before to remind me when I come downstairs the next morning. That meant Dee had two envelopes of a note and $ waiting for her when she woke up. And everyone was happy.

Gracie’s smile after her first lost tooth. And you can see the one next to the missing space is very lose as well (because it is leaning sideways)

Dee now has 4 teeth missing!

I have to throw out somehow in this post that Dee still doesn’t fully grasp this pretend thing. And last Christmas she even asked me, “so do they keep all those Santa Claus costumes [that all the people at the stores dress up in] at the North Pole?” Sweet girl. I just answered, “MAYBE they do.”

impromptu splash day

I have meant to write up a post about our awesome rental house we have for the summer. But like so many other posts I have meant to write, it has yet to be done (“yet” – means it will. Someday.) We love the house for so many reasons. The two top great features are the (1)great neighbors that gather almost daily at this (2)great grassy park area that is just outside our front door. The kiddos all run around, ride bikes, fly kites, play ball, etc…. while the adults gather for beverages and good times, sitting under the shade of the trees. It is a g-r-e-a-t setup!

Anyways, yesterday there was this landscape guy at the park working on the sprinkler system. I had told the girls they could go play outside while I got breakfast ready (I didn’t know about the sprinklers), and when I came out to get them I saw that Dee and Gracie had made good sport out of the spraying water. The guy was super cool because when he saw how much fun the girls were having, (even though he was done working) he said he would let the sprinklers run for an extra amount of time so the girls could play.

The girls had a blast and I got some fun pictures.

Gracie is in the purple dress and Dee is in the dress-up cheer leading outfit

If you look closely, you can see Halle starting to emerge from our front yard to check out what is going on

what a fun morning they had!

And on the third day God created… aliens (???)

Two years ago during the school year, we spent most mornings going through somewhat of a Bible study drawing pictures about the particular story we had read and then discussing it. Dee and Gracie were 4 at the time and their participation was not at the level as Halle, but still we all enjoyed this part of the day. We used the entirety Egermeier’s Bible Story Book and The Jesus Storybook Bible as our sources. All the completed pictures were placed in page protectors and then they all went into a large 3″ D-ring binder. It was truly a work of art (in a mother’s eyes…) to go back and look through it. The girls each had their own section, and when we looked at Halle’s drawings we could retell each story and they seemed to really grasp the big picture of it all. Oh, and I did this along with them, but I won’t be posting any of my work :-)

I thought it would be so good to do that again this summer as part of a morning devotional with the girls. I also thought it would be fun to see how the girls’ drawings and writing have changed over the years. But Dee (my sweet girl with whom I often wonder where her mind wanders) still has the most intriguing drawings and I wanted to share.

This set of drawings is from the first day that we started up again this summer.
We read the 1st chapter in the Egermeier’s Bible about the week of creation.

This odd thing is from Dee. I don’t recall discussing anything about a flying creature with multiple antennae, but maybe I did???

This is from Halle. She wanted to make sure every day of creation was accounted for in her picture.

This is from Gracie. She was trying to show how in the darkness, God spoke light into being.

And then this set of pictures is from the day we read ‘Jesus shows His love’ from two years ago.

This is Halle’s. I would have her write up a summary of what we read on her pictures.

This is Gracie’s. The bottom part was ‘Jesus shows His love’ and the top part was ‘The Last Supper’

This is from Dee. The bottom half is from ‘Jesus shows His love’ and the top half is ‘The Last Supper’

I love these all! Even if after two years it doesn’t seem that the coloring and artful interpretations has evolved very much. They will be priceless treasures and I am hoping I can do something like this each and every year the girls are at home with me.

Flower Girls

This past weekend we made a super quick visit down to Houston for my younger brother’s wedding. I say super quick because we drove 1000 miles all day Thursday to get from Colorado to Texas, and then got back in the truck just 3 days later to drive all day on Monday to get back home. But for family, it is worth it!!

Dee and Gracie were asked to be flower girls. And here are some of the better pictures our iphone was able to capture from the evening. Hopefully there will be more to follow at a later date once we see the professional ones the photographer was able to take. Some that actually include the bride and groom and more family shots. Because, um… most of my attention with the picture taking focussed on three little girls :-)

Halle, Dee, and Gracie with their cousins Brayden and Madelyn

Dee on the left and Gracie on the right

a practice walk down the aisle

Dee

Gracie

Sweet Halle looking very grown up

it was a very beautiful wedding