A few favorite toys...

This is what else we were doing in the busy month of May...

Connectagons from Magic Cabin


Kapla blocks...


and Wedgits...(found a full BIG set at Goodwill this winter...score!)

Music nights

We spent many nights (and one brunch) in April and May with new-found musical friends...These photos were from a dinner party we had...

LOVE little Ben with his 1/2 size banjo (and tie dye shirt)


Not the best photo, but you can get an idea of the parties here...


And Sabine, helping Daddy on the bass...

We're Back!

It's been a long time since posting...I know...it's been about equally long since I went to Jazzercize (stop laughing...it's a good work out! They've even sent me 2 postcards to entice me to come back...which I plan on doing once I get rid of this pesky, lingering cough).

So...what have we been doing?

May was a whirlwind of fun with visits from Kristin, Al and Acacia (from Jackson, WY), Margareta, Hamish and Fenna from BC, Canada, traveling across the river to Vancouver, WA for the wonderful Life is Good conference, then welcoming Bret's dad (Grandpa Jack) for a visit to Portland, and finally a trip to Murray, KY to visit Grannie Jean and Boopy (my parents)...the girls and I actually flew there on Sat, May 30...so that was only 2 days in May...but it still capped off a busy month! Bret joined us in St Louis to see 2 of my brothers/sister-in-laws for the second week of June, but more about that later.

This is the puzzle Kristin and I completed during their visit...Al was re-reading the Harry Potter series (in reverse -- which inspired us to start reading it (not in reverse) to Sabine, who's loving it).





And some random kid creations that I found on the camera.

We're here!

At the Life is Good Conference!

Below is the raffle basket we brought of Anne and Pete Sibley's music (3 CDs and songbook -- thanks Anne and Pete for donating a copy of your new release and your songbook!). I found the very cool old-timey tin at Goodwill last week...perfect!

We're enjoying catching up with old friends...and looking forward to making new ones...

Pink snow

(Not to be confused with that yellow snow in Wyoming!)

I'm glad I took some photos of the trees when in full bloom, because they didn't last long. This is actually from a few weeks ago -- they're now all full green.

We're saving the world!

Love this article...it's from a Canadian, eh? Read the whole thing here.

Unschooling, by contrast, starts with the realization that you 'own' your time, and have the opportunity and responsibility to use it in ways that are meaningful and stimulating for you. When you have this opportunity, you just naturally learn a great deal, about things you care about, things that will inevitably be useful to you in making a life and a living. Your learning environment is the whole world, and you learn what and when you want, undirected by curricula, textbooks, alarm clocks and school bells. You develop deep peer relationships around areas of common interest, once you're allowed to explore and discover what those areas of interest are. And the Internet and online gaming allow you to make those relationships anywhere in the world, to draw on the brightest experts on the planet, and to communicate powerfully with like-minded, curious people of every age, culture and ideology.

Anti-anti coloring books

Growing up, I remember my mom getting us the Anti Coloring Books -- they're still around -- and even have a web page. From said page, Anti Coloring Books:

Allow children to be creative, not just robots coloring inside the lines.

These books let children use their imaginations:

• exciting motivation is provided
• a scene is set
• children get to put on their thinking caps
• exercise their imaginations
• and turn on their critical thinking

Most of all they have fun!

I haven't gotten any of them for Sabine or Vivian yet, but Bret often brings home (non-confidential) recycle paper from the office...which we sometimes use for printing, but occasionally Sabine turns them into coloring pages...


Have you ever seen a prettier MANHOLE COVER?


And I think the Portland lady looks just lovely...