End of the Year Field Trips

We joined a homeschool field trip co-op this year, and through it were able to attend a few very fun field trips! As the year wrapped up, we snuck in two more field trips;one to the Fargo Art Museum and one to the Humane Society. I'll start with the Art Museum.
We signed up to go tour the Art Museum in Fargo. We are not very artsy people so I thought this was a good way to expose the kids to some. We made the trek all the way to Fargo and while it was a fun field trip, we are still not art people. I just don't get it. Take a look at my pictures below to see why

 OK, this one was actually cool. It looked random but upon further study, it was a dejected cowboy. Kinda cool but everything else....

 This is 4 photographs of a hairy dude doing lawn work...seriously..thats what it was

 Framed photograph of a tire in a walmart cart in a Target parking lot...I just don't get it

 Windshields that were smashed and hung on the wall. All these pieces were in the "Top 40" room. This means that the curator of the museum thought these were in the top 40 pieces that had been donated...I . DON'T GET IT!! I will say, I have been to the Smithsonian Art Museum and there are some truly beautiful paintings a sculptures and such. Modern art, just goes so over my head.

 Cute fella

 The kids got to do an art project after the tour. They had fun using clay to make stamps.

The last field trip we went on this year was the human society. Elias LOVES animals and he had a really great time being there. He only asked about 100 times if we could adopt one, the answer is still no. I think when the kids are old enough, we will definitely volunteer out there, Elias and Annie both wanted too now, but aren't old enough.

 Kids listening to the instructions of how to give the dogs treats

 At the end, the kids got to play with one cat and one dog, they thought it was pretty cool. There was also a snake there. Thankfully, the snake stayed in the cage!

All in all, we attended 6 or so field trips this year. I can't wait to see what trips next year's coop brings.

April Cell Phone Pics

I am getting later and later with these every month. Tomorrow is our last day of homeschool for the year so my goal is to not be so far behind all the time! Ok, time for April's cell phone pictures!

 I was trying to take a picture and this is the usual crazyness that goes on. Annie can't seem to remember that everything isn't a piece of gymnastics equipment!

 My Alma Mater was in the national championship hockey game so we dressed up and watched the game. The Sioux won!

 There was a dog off leash running through the street so the kids gathered their gear and were fully prepared to DEFEND THIS HOUSE.They trashed the house while playing off of some great imagination situations, so I let it go

I spent many many hours of my child hood doing this. Sitting in front of my mom getting my hair braided. Those suckers always stayed in!

Elias did his first book report this year! He is really into the " Who Was" books. He liked the reading way more than the report. 

Getting ready for a field trip to the Fargo Art Museum

Annie loves to cook and she gets oh so excited when I let her help. This was her first time being near the hot stove and she did great!

Benjamin and Samuel hanging out at the library

Benjamin is giving the peace sign..so he thinks. See any obscene gestures here?

Annie loves her baby brother, sometimes a little too much. She likes to pick him up and walk around with him even when she isn't supposed to. Thankfully she hasn't dropped him yet!

Annie likes to do pullovers on the swing set. I caught her doing a back hip circle the other day and about lost it. We are going to put a "pull-up" bar in the backyard so at least if she insists on making the world her gym, it will be a bit safer.

We spotted Yoda at the park

Samuel coloring, look at that grip, beautiful

Kellie and I did the Thin Blue Line painting, it was fun.

Always such a lady.

Nicholas 5 Months

6 Months

Weight: Nicholas weighs right around 15  ish lbs! He is still in 3-6 month clothes but the weather got warm very early and most of his summer clothes are 9 month. Good thing he has those big cloth diapers to fill out the clothes!

Hair color- Good question! It is either blonde, strawberry blonde or light red. Not brown and not black. His hair all fell out and he has a hair due worse than Donald Trump right now. Poor guy.

Eye Color- Baby Blue and beautiful like his big brother

Sleep- Nicholas sleeps pretty well. He goes to bed around 9 ish and wakes up for the day around 8:30. He wakes any where from 1-3 times a night. Most of the time is has rolled himself into a position he doesn't like and its a quick fix. He naps 3-4 times a day with one being a good solid hour+.

Eating- Nicholas is plowing his way through solids. We have done green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocados, bananas and apples. I think we will hold here for another month before doing any more fruits. I am just not ready for the diapers that come with all the P fruits( prunes, plumbs peaches..POOP!)

Daily routine-On days where we aren't running every which way Nicholas has a wonderful schedule. he wakes around 8:30 plays and hangs out while we home school. He eats and goes down for his morning nap around 10:30 ish and this is usually his longest. After he gets up we play play play until an early afternoon nap. More playing, usually solids and a couple more cat naps round out the day. He goes down for the night around 9. I would like to bump this up earlier and have him wake earlier but he is resisting so for now, he is a night owl and sleepy guy in the morning!

Firsts: Veggies! Fruit, Rolling both ways one after each other. Sitting up without mom( but help of pillows)

What we are looking forward to: More independent play. Nicholas is an awesome baby and I have a feeling once he can sit up on his own, he will play for awhile as long as I am near. I am counting on it as I have a LOT of projects going on in the back yard and the pack and play is calling his name! He loves to talk and giggle and I can't wait until all that talk turns into MAMA!

Nicholas, you are still the happiest baby ever! You had your first real cold with high fever last month and that was no fun. You now have a hate love relationship with the nose Freida but its for your own good, I swear! You are finally feeling better these days, just in time for teething to begin! I can see your first little white tooth under your gums and you sure are doing a lot of chewing. I am guessing by month 6 we may have break through? You love people and don't mind when others hold you,  but I have noticed( at home) that if I stray too far away, you cry for me. Thankfully you will play in your bouncer or swing for awhile while I cook, clean or homeschool, as long as you can see me. Your siblings all adore you and everywhere we go people comment on your chubby cheeks! Keep growing little dude, I can't wait to see what next month has in store for you!

Samuel's "Broken" Wrist

 A few weeks ago, Brandon has several training days to attend, thus he was on a day shift schedule. On one of those days off, he decided to take the little boys to open gym so me and the biggens could home school in peace. I got a frantic phone call 45 minuets later. Samuel couldn't move his arm and was screaming in pain. Awesome. 

Brandon had been pushing the little boys in a barrel when it got stuck on something. Brandon gave the barrel a heave and the mat rolled over a large bump and kept going. The "bump" happened to be Sameul's arm..oops! Samuel came running up to Brandon and asked him to kiss his wrist. Brandon kissed the owie then sent Samuel on his way. His owie seemed to be all better after Dr. Daddy kissed it, he happily picked up a ball...then started screaming in pain. Brandon loaded up the kids and sped home. We thought for sure it was nursemaids elbow and so I made a makeshift sling out of Annie's jersey knit scarf, and we headed off to the er. 

* Side note, the jersey scarf made an excellent sling! The intake nurse, ER nurse and ER doctor all complemented me on my awesome medical skills;)*

The Dr. didn't think it was nursemaids elbow and did a reduction just to be sure and felt no clicking or popping which would be consistent with nursemaids elbow. After a series of x-rays Samuel was diagnosed with a small break in  his wrist. We were told it was very minor and recovery would be a breeze as those bones aren't hard and set in a 2 year old like they are in adults. He had a splint and a sling made for him and we were sent on our way with a follow up a week later. 

By the time the follow up rolled around Samuel seemed fine. We had taken the split off as he had already started using his arm again after day 4. Kids really do bounce back! I am glad it wasn't anything more serious! 

Grandma stopped by the ER in between meetings to check on Samuel 

 Samuel having a post ER trip snack of COOKIES!