Total Solar Eclipse #2 (but #1 in our hearts)

Thanks to my husband's interest, initiative, and creativity (and in true homeschooling fashion), we took a road trip to view the 4/8/24 solar eclipse in the path of totality!  While we technically saw one from our backyard in 2017, it was a cloudy day that did not leave us feeling like we had experienced it to the fullest.  So, away we went to chase this opportunity.

We stayed with friends in Jeff City the night before, checked the forecast for cloud cover the morning of, and headed to Salem, AR (one of several locations Bryant had scoped out, based on time in totality and potential cloud cover).  In his "scoping out," he had found ball fields (nice wide open viewing space), and the park happened to include some somewhat-necessary amenities, as well, which was a huge bonus - there was a small playground, picnic tables, and even open bathrooms with running water and soap!  Our viewing experience was stellar (pun intended), and we were so glad to have made the trip and the memories.  

We hadn't road-tripped in a while, so they were thrilled to get to break into their road trip backpacks again.

The tiny town had a Sonic next to the one gas station, so we partook of the "limited edition" slush float.  It was just ok - haha.  The kids were in it for the sprinkles.

the first of the theme snacks

homemade pinhole projector

A "spinny thing" is always a highlight for him.

She couldn't believe there was a bouncy ladybug.

first contact

The blob in the bottom of this picture is a printout of the Sun I was holding while they covered it with their thumbs from a to-scale-sized Earth 65 ft. away.

We even had a playlist!

♥

He found such fun and memorable experiments!

We were very thankful to have been able to make this trip.  The amount of road time in the 36-hour trip was not all peaceful and wonderful, of course, but it was worth it to have witnessed what we did together.  We'll see what we come up with for the next one! 

While I'm posting, here are a few other recent happenings:

This girl recently dropped naps and is learning to play independently for longer periods of time.  I love seeing what she comes up with when not being influenced or coerced by her big brother.

♥

People often ask what Lydia does while Jacob and I do school.  It is literally different (and totally unpredictable) every day.  Today, she noticed my container of paperclips and asked to sort them.
☺

'90's day at Sunday school
(Jacob was proud of, yet confused by his outfit.  "Why didn't they use the buttons on the button-up shirts?" hahaha)

We have things coming up in the garden, are reaching the end of our school books, and have already had several picnic lunches.  Bring on spring and summer!  I am relishing season changes more and more as I age, and I am pondering the reason for this.  Perhaps another blog post will come of it, but in the meantime, can you relate?  And if so, have you been able to pinpoint why this happens (for you, personally, at least)?

Pondering-ly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

when all is quiet in the house and I find both kids reading on the couch

cookie butter

Life not-so-lately

I have (obviously) been terribly behind on blog posts - I keep not posting things on Instagram because I plan to make it a blog post instead, but those "posts" have accumulated...

So, in the name of efficiency, this is going to be one long post of "short posts" (a la a book of short stories).  This blog is very much a tool for posterity's sake, so while I do share it for those who are interested, I definitely don't expect anyone to be super invested or read it in its entirety, by any means.

As we put away our Christmas decorations on Epiphany, I reflected on the joy and magic and special-ness of this season with kiddos.  We took the week off school the week before Christmas (as well as a couple after) and immersed ourselves in the Christmas story.  After talking about all things Christmas in Sunday school, as well, Lydia requested we make a nativity, and Jacob was immediately on board.  I assisted with the structure, but the rest was all them.  They brought out all their stuffies to play various roles (note the Furby angel (thanks, Sonic)) and proceeded to truly adore their baby Jesus. 

What struck me most about this occurrence was how organic it was.  I played no part in initiating any of ideas; I simply granted a request to help with the heavy-lifting.  This was a role-play I certainly could have tried to orchestrate.  A reenactment I could have prescribed and directed.  By giving them space to play and imagine (even if that space was created due to me wanting to finish the breakfast dishes), however, they did it all on their own, and it was so precious.

I was feeling under the weather one day, so Jacob made and delivered a red-themed Lego creation with special flowers and love notes in the mailbox.  Lydia followed suit as best she could.  ♥

Work smarter, not harder.  Proud of this boy!

modeling their "skis"
(You gotta do what you gotta do for entertainment in the dead of winter...)

a snow "donut shop" complete with drive-thru window, thanks to Daddy

The first (and last, so far) time I've granted the "Can we nap together?" request.  They took forever to settle, Jacob was only pretending to sleep, and Lydia only did so for a sleep cycle.  Was sure a sweet idea, though.  (Lydia has since dropped naps, so we'll see if this ever happens again.)

The kids and I recently made our first trip all together to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  They did a great job practicing museum etiquette and were appropriately interested in several pieces and artifacts.  Mostly, however, Jacob wanted to see the huge "flowers" (a.k.a. shuttlecocks) that we always see outside on the lawn when driving by.  They asked for joint and individual pictures by each one...enjoy:

I grew up going to this museum on field trips and have vivid memories of the delicious smells and sounds of dining coming from the atrium. (We always took sack lunches to eat on the front steps.) So, I decided to fulfill a childhood dream and explore and partake in the museum restaurant (I packed lunches for the kids, not knowing what would be available for any of us. Was glad I did, as the PB&J kids meal option (which is what I packed for them) was $10.50...😬).  I felt so indulgent and irrationally fancy and excited about it - haha.  Totally worth it, though - delicious!

Photo courtesy of Jacob ♥

The steps we didn't eat on... 😉

That post ended up being less meaty than I originally thought - ha!  I guess the quantity of unfinished/unshared thoughts was more daunting than it needed to be.  All the same, thanks for reading and maintaining interest in our normal, everyday lives.  We have made it through winter and are so glad for all that spring will bring!

Gratefully,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

weeding the garden and picking volunteer cilantro in January

cocoa-dusted truffles

our homeschool co-op

From the prairie, to the mountains (and back again)

Last month, we traveled to Estes Park, CO to celebrate the marriage of my cousin and her new husband.  They had a beautiful private ceremony in RMNP, and we got to help them celebrate at a reception afterward.  We were able to stop in Denver on the way to (to visit a cousin from the other side of my family) and from (to visit a friend from college), which made the trip extra-worth-it.

The Airbnb we rented (something we had not really done before) housed us, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and kids, my aunt and uncle and cousin, and my grandpa!  It was such a great location and came fully furnished - everyone had a bed and (mostly) their own room.  The kids got to have a big sleepover, and they did really well.  There were games and books and movies on location, a huge deck with a fire pit, and a hot tub, which the kids enjoyed in the mornings and adults took advantage of in the evening!  We took enough food to feed an army for a week, but also ordered some local pizza for one meal.  The space felt luxurious and truly could not have been better.

While there was fresh snow in the highlands, the weather where we were was perfect - we really lucked out!  During our short time there, we were able to get in a visit to RMNP, go on a couple hikes, and do a bit of shopping in downtown Estes.  I have such fond memories of several different family vacations to Estes, and it was fun to relive those a bit with my parents and brother and share it all with our kids, as well!  Bryant and I had also traveled there for our first anniversary (his first time), so it was doubly special to revisit some places we had visited on that trip with our kids on this trip.  I'll start the photo montage with some then-and-now shots. ;)

As mentioned in a recent IG/FB post, we saw a herd of elk (50+) in our backyard the first morning we were there.  We'd heard them bugling in the distance, and about a half hour after Lydia asked if they would "come out from hiding," they did.  It was truly amazing and definitely provided some early-morning entertainment for those still on CST.  ;)

One of my very favorite hikes. ♥

Uncle Quinton relived his childhood by making all the kids' off-the-trail dreams come true.

♥

If you build it (a mountain stream through a downtown district) they (kids throwing golden aspen leaves in the water) will come.

Jacob found a Junie B. Jones book on one of the bookshelves and polished it off in about an hour.

The kids had spent part of the afternoon prior to the reception practicing (and planning) their dance moves.  It was precious to watch them all together - they literally danced the night away.

Speaking of precious...this is my 89-year-old grandpa with all of his great-grandchildren.  It was wonderful to have him there and even more wonderful to get to witness this:

This trip felt different than past vacations with kids, and in a good way.  It was refreshing to travel without a lot of the baby gear we had in the past and with so many hands on deck to help with kiddos (food, entertainment, etc.).  We were blessed with good health, great travelers, and (mostly) willing hikers.

Looking forward to future trips,

Kensy  

Favorites of the day:

fall party with our sweet homeschool group

having that same group (20+ kids and 8+ adults) over to play in the leaves
(This is the before and after, but hardly does it justice - it was magical (the perfect weather didn't hurt).  A "during" picture would have shown the gigantic pile of leaves they made at the bottom of the slide, the line of kids waiting to climb the ladder to slide into it, and everyone working together to help fill the ten bags you can see in the bottom picture.)

Jacob initiating cleaning his room

(This is probably something I could write a whole other post about.  It was something I had wanted to work on together for a long time, but did not really want to force it...and was waiting till we had some solid time during a holiday break, or something.  After taking the diaper changing station off his dresser for the first time in his life, however (hooray for Lydia's potty-training really taking off), he asked if we could make some other changes.  Initially, I said we would need to wait till we had a full day, but I realized I would be silly not to capitalize on his willingness and enthusiasm, so we skipped school in favor of doing this (literally) all day.  He did not complain once and is still telling people about and wanting to show off his clean room - a huge win, all around.)

This is the "before" - the seeming-pile of cardboard is a "camper" he's been working on (and collecting pieces for) for a while.

This is "during" - we cleared out everything but the Lego table, including what was in the drawers under his bed, and he chose what to keep, throw away, and give away.  While the predominant decision was "keep" (that pile landed on our bed), he made some good decisions about things to throw away, and we put logical systems in place for when he put everything back.

"After!"
The cardboard camper is still there, but before we moved it back in, he had a taste of how much more floor space he could have, so we'll see how long it lasts.  The new orientation of Lego City (not only creating access to more of it, but also creating a "cozy corner" with easy access to all his Lego books) blew his mind most.  This reorganization has also led to him playing with toys he had likely forgotten about, because they are no longer shoved at the back of a drawer.