January!

Samuel's Idea of a Good Time

    It was time to get that awful picture from the last post off the home page.  Here goes.  I'm going to hit you a mishmash of some of the more hands-on activities we've been doing as of late.  There will be time for musing on another post.  I am so terribly behind on my updates that I need to pack the pics into this one.

     First off, the boys found a fun weather experiments kit that included natural phenomena such as lightning, volcanos, twisters, and snow.  They made "lightning," or static electricity, by rubbing a balloon onto a woolen sweater and then touching it to a doorknob in the dark bathroom.  The following pictures highlight the other activities.  What I appreciated most about this science box was that it challenged James to read and follow technical instructions for each experiment.  I sat back and observed while he methodically following the steps, enlisting the help of his two younger brothers.  He is like his father in his methodical approach to reading instructions.  I was always more on the impulsive side of the spectrum...or dare I say "careless."  I'd probably be pouring in the vinegar before securing the cap, or something of that nature.  Aren't you glad I never tried for a pilot's license?

Setting Up

Measuring Citric Acid

Thar She Blows! (or Fizzes)

This Never Gets Old
(You can even catch me doing this once a day at least)

"Snow"
I must say that it feels remarkably LIKE snow after freezing

     "Puzzling" is always a fun way to take a breather and challenge the spacial capacities. Even Samuel tries his hand at a few puzzles.  But this one was a bit over his head.  Noah's Ark!

Joshua Gestimating His Height Based on the Length of the Puzzle

     We can't forget pupil number 4 during the school day!  Here he is enjoying a workout on his new quilt. Big brothers are great encouragement throughout the day, stooping down on his level, coaxing a smile from their littlest bro.

     Our reading inspires us.  One of the more inspiring titles in our collection is Peter Spier's "Circus."  It details the lives of circus performers during their Big Top days.  We devised our own tight rope (stick, really) with a sturdy broom and proceeded to do some acrobatics...in our p.j.'s.  Following the high wire act, the boys attempted to teach Chai a few tricks.  Considering their attention span for such an activity is 30 minutes tops, they didn't get too far before she returned to her unspectacular gopher-digging act.

     Ooooooh, yes.  Our terr....ibly cute two year-old turned THREE.  He is such a spunk, that Sammy Wes.  He is equal parts trouble and joy, adores his little brother, excels in pushing the buttons of his big brothers, and turns on the charm like nobody's business.  One of his cuter habits is adding the prefix "be" to words such as "annoy" (You're "bennoying" me!), air museum (We're going to the Air "Bemuseum!"), and "destroy" (Joshua "bestroyed" my tower!!).  It's hysterical, and utterly sincere.  Happy 3 to our Number Three.  Click the following link!

Happy Birthday To SAM!

Samuel Making Birthday Carrot Cake

Sammy's Tower!

Cereal & A Book
(He's also a bathroom reader...)

We were looking forward to transitioning him into the big boy room for his birthday.  After a full hour of singing after "lights out," and James declaring he was moving out if Samuel didn't, we decided that he is still a better solo act.

Always Loving on Lil' Bro

Birthday LEGO

Painting
(He worked on his tractor for a good 30 minutes, until all of the colors blended together to make a muddled black.)

      For Christmas the boys were given a new building set that includes a little motor. During their rest, they like to fiddle and play with new creations.  I love the places their imaginations take them.  Here is a little invention they devised after their first experiments with the motor.  Link follows:

Little Inventors

     Get ready for some nostalgia.  The boys tried their hands at a game of Jacks.  Only James was coordinated enough to manage the one handed toss, swipe, and catch.  What boy couldn't love a game that involves a ball and a bunch of metal spikey-thingys?

     As a family, we took a hike on the back trails of The Living Desert.  I resolved to not take my camera in order to free up some pack space.  The following pics are from a very scratched-up lens on Matty's cell camera.  We'll just call it a soft-lens effect.  The boys were feeling terribly adventurous after watching a "Man Vs. Wild" episode that took place in the Sahara Desert.  They identified a flash flood zone where they would NOT choose to set up camp, and tried their hand (and feet) at scaling a few rocks.  Even though we are in the middle of winter, the desert sun left them rather pink-cheeked by the end of our trek!  They're getting incredibly big, as they carried their own water packs most of the way!

Desert Dwellers

Cairn Creations

Mountain Goat Sam

Mama's Back AND Front Pack!

     Most recently we visited the Palm Springs Air Museum.  It is a little boy's paradise--chock full of WWII aircraft, both real and model-size.  It has a wealth of history and an imaginative kid's area that allows them to play in a cockpit and fly simulators, among other things.  One highlight was taking a picture next to a P-38, the plane their Grandpa Grandpa flew in WWII.  It is awe-inspiring to see it in person.

I'd like that one and that one and that one...

Model Boats = Awesome

P-38!!!

There were walls of plane silhouettes throughout the entire museum, highlighting the different WWII aircraft

Can Land On Water!

Kid's Area

Bronze Statue

Happy Pilots

Switches, Levers, HEAVEN!

Old-Fashioned Firetruck

All FOUR!

Air Traffic Controllers

Scissor Mobils
The art exhibit above and the case below were created from confiscated contraband in airports.  Plastic swords, antlers, and anything remotely pointy or sharp were part of the display.

Interactive Bombing of Pearl Harbor

     Finally, here was our weekend project.  We put the finishing tweaks on the Space Dome, otherwise knows as a jungle gym. I am counting on this baby to give my wily boys some creative moments in the backyard during their breaks.  Either that, or it will give them their first broken bones.  Joshua has already taken his first fall.  Sigh.

Helper James

Hours of Fun Ahead

     Oh, yes.  I forgot about the gunpowder, courtesy of Auntie Bonnie.  Little boys and gunpowder go together like pb & j.  They have little caps that they fix on the end of a metal bomb thingy (my catchall for unknown vocabulary) and then drop.  "POP!"  What's not to love?

Partners In Crime

Blowing Up Leaves

The Damage

     February, here we come...