Logan meets canning peaches

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Get your own

I love canning season!!

Butterfly unit, stage two

Cyan is very excited! All of her caterpillars are now chryslis and hanging in the butterfly habitat on the kitchen table. The last one changed yesterday. I am hoping that one that fell off into the silk they spun to get to the top is ok. *crossing fingers* (Can you see it?)

Arn't they beautiful with all their gold spots? Cyan thinks that is the best. We are recording all of this in her Butterfly Book, although I have taken to drawing the pictures becuase she wants to be exact. I am sure she will draw some of the butterflies themselves. My little artist.

Logan, 7 mos old tomorrow.

Here is my sweet baby... moving very quickly from being a baby. He is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING. He just discovered the wealth of stuff to put in his mouth on the coffee table and figured out that he can push Cyan's stool around the kitchen and "walk" behind it. *sigh* It is making mommy's (and daddy's) life very full suddenly, as he becomes faster and more mobile. He still is the smiliest baby ever... will even smile at complete strangers without hesitation. He loves to laugh, and loves to play. And as long as people are paying attention to him he is very content. His sleeping habits are getting better, which is making me feel more real and in the world. He is just all around a real joy to have. :)

Learning new things... he has been "kissing" me for about a month, but this is one of the first times he has "kissed" (read: slimed) daddy. Isn't daddy lucky?

Usually it is grabbing and pulling to you that is bothersome about the kissing... he really has a nack for getting handfuls of hair in the attempt to love on you. Ouch!

Sweet boy!

Life Cycles Unit = Painted Lady Butterflies

We started our life cycles unit yesterday with the arrival of our Painted Lady Butterflies. Cyan and I made an observation booklet this morning and she started talking about what she sees, and how they are changing. She also drew a picture of her observations in the book. Which right now are strings of little mounds of black on stuff that looks like mushed oatmeal. lol... which is very much what these little guys look like sitting in their jar on their food supplement. She is really excited! We got a book from the library on our Painted Ladies and are going to read it tomorrow. We also have worksheets on the life cycles of reptiles (Turtles) and mammals (Bunnies) which we will talk about as the unit goes on.

This will overlap the Early American Studies unit that we have been in for a while, studying pioneer days, horses, and foraging for food. But it is getting her more in classroom mode for a few good talks about writing and how important it is. In this picture, she wrote all the words on the booklet. She didn't spell them herself, but she did the writing. Very artistic handwriting she has already. I was really impressed that she did this at newly 6 years old. Her handwriting is better than her dads. lol!

More Garden Friends

This is the backside of our bean teepee. We planted a nastirituim seed at the base of each supporting pole and they have taken on a life of their own, out spaning and sometimes out growing their bean neighbors as they fight and reach for the sky.

Cyan found another little friend today... I remember these from when I was just a weebee. This is a tiny baby catapiller. Living in our overabundance of beautiful orange flowering nastirtium vines.

Summer Friend

While harvesting food you can find all sorts of friends. We have learned that these little bugs like the salad bed. Snails (really pretty honest to goodness yellow snails) love blackberry bushes, lady bugs like the cone flowers, and bees (not yellow jackets, real little honey bees) love blueberry bushes. It is fun to figure out all of the places these little guys like to live.

Newest pictures of the kids

With homeschooling fun, and Logan crawling, the harvest of veggies and the foraging of berries, and with the regular summer activity level we are everywhere... and often Logan is crawling around covered in berries (which he loves) or the remains of chewed up green beans and we are just enjoying the summer. :)