A Sweet Rehearsal

It is almost time for our Columbus DanceArts' recital. This year's show is "Candyland" and the kids have been excited about their costumes & dances for months! Last week, they had their dress rehearsal. It was cute to see all the kiddos in their costumes with their hair & make-up all done. There are more pics of Kyrie's class than Degen's because I was able to sit in on hers for both run-throughs. Kyrie's dance is to "Lollipop" and Degen's dance is to "The Gingerbread House." The recital is this Sunday evening, and I can't wait to see the whole show! 

A Vertical Adventure

I am always on the look-out for activities that will enrich & support our homeschool experience. I was excited to learn about a homeschool session offered by a local climbing gym and signed us up right away. This was a great morning for the kids! They were both a bit nervous, but did their best. Kyrie is a great climber, but she tends to get high and get nervous. However, she kept at it and each time she went up, she got a little higher. We look forward to going back again and making this one of our regular activities!

(I couldn't get any pics of the kids climbing because I was manning the ropes.)

Kyrie left with a bit of rope and instructions to practice the double-eight knot we used to climb. 

Let The Planting Begin

Well, it is that time of year! Darren is outside almost every evening and nearly all weekend long. He gets outside sometime around lunch and won't finish up until dark. There's the regular maintenance of the yard, but there's also spring planting and tending to the flower beds, as well as the raised bed garden along with any special projects that might come up. The kids are in & out either exploring the yard or playing with friends. I see them through the windows or when they come in for a snack or drink. Everyone comes in at night hungry and dirty!

So, these are photos of the new garden bed that Darren built in the back along with a small natural play area (which I have been bugging him about for years). It is mostly just a regular garden bed, but there's a stump walkway in the back that leads to a climbing tree. The kids really enjoy this a lot! I would actually like this bed a little bit bigger, but I have left making that change up to Darren. All of the rocks around the garden came from our backdoor neighbor's yard. They were dug up when they put on an addition. Our neighborhood is very rocky, and anyone who tries to dig anything at all hits rock.

The blackberry bushes are in the back of this bed. I wish all the berry bushes looked like these.

The asparagus patch is front & center.

These are the spring photos of the garden. It looks pretty brown as mostly it is just seedlings, though some of the berry bushes really filled out last year and look great already. Darren has put in a lot of different plants & seeds. We have gotten some good growth, but we have also been hit by bugs & critters that have left the state of some of the plants in question. We are really going to need to be on top of things to get a good crop this year... after last year, the word is out that the smorgasbord is here. We strive to keep an organic garden, so we are trying to control the pests with beneficial insects and barrier protection. We got 1000+ ladybugs in the mail last week and have some row covers on their way now. We are also trying to encourage birds & bats to take up residence in the yard. Every year with a garden is a new experience. The garden will stay this same size this year, but we are always talking about how we want to finish this space in the future.

Piano Recital 2013

This was Kyrie's second piano recital with The Conservatory of Piano. She started lessons two years ago. This was Degen's first piano recital, and he started lessons almost one year ago. We chose an early date for the recital this year, as we thought that we would be traveling at the start of June (we will not be). That meant less time for the kids to get their songs practiced and memorized. This was a little more stressful for me, but they did a great job. I love how the recital helps them to focus and realize the importance of practice. Degen performed "Baa, Baa Black Sheep," and Kyrie performed "Witch on a Super-Speed Broom." Both kids went into the recital with their pieces well-rehearsed and memorized, though not always played without error. 

 Degen performed during the first half of the show, and I was really nervous for him. Well, my little man walked right on that stage, sat down and just played his song. It wasn't perfect, but he played it without any major errors. He was one of the youngest performers and probably the littlest. You could hear the crowd kinda croon when he walked on stage. When he was done and took his bow, everyone gave him a really good cheer! I just about started to cry, I was so proud of him! 

I thought I had everything prepped on the camera when Kyrie walked on stage, but for some reason the camera froze and I was trying like a madwoman to get the thing to record. Thankfully, it started working right after she started, and I was able to get nearly all of her piece, but I didn't get a single decent still of her on stage during the performance. Shucks! Luckily, we were able to go up on stage afterwards and both kids replayed their songs and posed for pics. They had some punch & cookies before we went out to eat and grabbed celebratory ice cream!

Baby Bunny

I found two of the cats playing with this little bunny when I went to let them in the other night. Though scared, he wasn't hurt. I was able to scoop him right up (and away from danger). He was super-cute, so I took him inside to show Darren & Kyrie. I had just put Kyrie to bed and was closing up the house, but got the bunny to her before she was asleep. I let her hold him for a few minutes before taking him far out into the yard to be released.

Butterflies (at FPC)

While at the Franklin Park Conservatory for the map-making program, we stopped by to see the Butterflies & Blooms exhibit. We were just in time to watch a butterfly release, so there were a lot to see. This was a great wrap-up to our afternoon, and the kids are already looking forward to returning to see the gardens again soon!

I love Degen's face in this photo as he watches the butterfly fly away!

Franklin Park

We were delighted to find this mother duck and her large brood of ducklings. They were adorable!

Last week, we tried a new homeschool program through the Franklin Park Conservatory. The program was about maps. As part of the program, the kids went on a walk through Franklin Park using written directions and then verbal directions. It was a beautiful day to walk through the park, and the kids enjoyed exploring the gardens and walking along the creek & its falls.