Trying to catch up!

Most of our Christmas break was spent like this...
...looking out the window at all of the snow. We did take several trips out into the snow to play, but the temperatures were so incredibly cold (in the single digits & teens) that we mostly just stayed inside. The girls built a Lego castle with an animal train and tunnel...

They also worked on some new puzzles they got for Christmas...We were also able to enjoy some time with friends. We made a trip to the Fielden's house and enjoyed 4 wheeler rides in the snow. Here are the girls making snowballs.Addison and Lily loved tubing in the snow!

After the dads took turns pulling the girls in the tube and were worn out, the girls decided it was their turn to pull the dads. Zora and Lily tried to pull Joel, but they had a little trouble :-)
Here's a glimpse into our tubing behind the 4 wheeler!!! I must say that we had a blast!

We also had fun spending some time at the Bowden house with the Bowden and Lowrance families. The adults had a great time playing games and laughing while the girls had a pajama party!

The girls also have really been into photography lately, so Joel and I pulled out our old camera and let them go crazy with it! The world through a child's eye is very interesting! After I download some of their pictures I will post them :-)We were so happy at the end of last week when all of the snow in our yard finally melted and the temperatures were warm enough to actually enjoy all of the fun things they got for Christmas. This week we spent the mornings doing school work, and then after lunch it was out to the backyard for lots of fun until the sun went down. The girls have finished decorating the inside of their playhouse and setting up their homestead. And the trampoline was a constant source of fun with our beautiful weather this week!

The puppies have also enjoyed the beautiful weather this week, and they are finally getting big enough to stay outside the majority of the time. They are usually outside from dawn 'til dusk, and when they come in at night they totally crash. They are both such good little puppies and I'm happy to say that they potty training is going really well! They are fun to watch as they play together, and what's even funnier is their jealousy for attention. They both love to be loved on and they cannot stand it if one is getting more love than the other. Here is a short little video of Zora loving on Shelly and Rosey is NOT happy about it. Shelly begins speaking her mind a little too! (Sorry it's so dark!!!)

We are also getting back into the groove of our schoolwork. Lily continues to love to learn and is so very easy to teach. Zora's favorite subjects are still science and history. She loves to do the science experiments and write the results in her journal. We are working on observing and drawing conclusions in the different areas of science. I want her to learn analytical skills and think critically and creatively, but I'll admit that it's a hard skill to teach... I think it must be an acquired skill that comes with experience and maturity. We've been studying weather, seasons, the water cycle, wind, etc. Here is one of our experiments on wind. The girls had to make a "sail" for a car and see how well it worked. They learned after multiple attempts that the size and shape of the sail in comparison to the vehicle DOES make a difference!

Right now in history we are studying the early civilization of the Americas, and Zora is absolutely fascinated by the early cultures. It's really fun to teach to her because she is so enthralled by what she is learning.

Although the break for Christmas was nice, we are happy to be back into our regular routine. We have completed 2 weeks of our co-op and the kids are really enjoying the classes. This session they are taking two classes: Russian Culture/Literature and Inventions. Zora really had a lot of fun today in the inventions class. Their assignment was to create something out of straws and masking tape. She and her partner, Beth, created a triangular building complete with a ladder...Well, that's what's been going on at our house lately! Check back soon for more updates!