homeschooling is well underway this year for me and mikey and sometimes lauren.  and so far, so good.  i’ve really been loving the curriculum we’re using this year- it’s totally open and go for me (no pre-planning needed!) and mikey has really been enjoying the stories, the format, and the pace.  it’s been awesome to see how much he’s been learning and seeing his skills developing.  it’s also got a good mix of interaction with me and independent work for him.  because sometimes, this mama just needs a break!  also because it makes it really easy to do a little schooling time with lauren on the days she’s home with…

because bath time is one of those tasks that have to get done over and over (like three times a week in this house), i have for you another set of jonah in the bath pictures.  because he loves taking baths.  and because he’s right at the adorably in-between baby and little kid stage where he can do some things like waddle his tiny self up the driveway all by himself but where he can still be scooped up and toted around in my arms easily enough.  and so now bath time doesn’t require as much work as when he was littler and more slippery and less stable on his…

phil took a week off for vacation in early october.  at first we thought we’d stay home and get some stuff done around the house. but where’s the fun in that?! so we nixed that idea and headed straight for my dad’s house.  where they immediately shooed us away so that the grandparents could have the grandkids all to themselves.  whatever could we possibly do with a few days away? thankfully, phil had a plan.  phil always has a plan.  🙂 the sea called. and we answered. we found ourselves in monterey where we did things like eat wonderfully grown-up food.  while it was still hot!  this coconut ice cream…

of course, there was also both of the girls’ school parties that i had to juggle and try to be present for.  it would have worked best if i could’ve split myself into two in order to be in two places at once.  but alas, that wasn’t possible and so the plan had to involve a lot of driving back and forth between the schools.  so much so that even mikey noticed how we spent the better part of the day rushing between schools. how glad i am that he is home with me because i just don’t know how i’d be able to do three at once.  and then…

and then came the big day.  this year the kids wanted to go straight to our church’s fall festival instead of doing a little trick-or-treating in our neighborhood first.  they’re not big fans of the scary decorations some of the houses have up and to tell the truth, neither am i.  and being that phil had to work late, i was all for keeping it as simple as possible. in the name of simplicity, we skipped a family theme this year (because really, nothing was going to top last year’s costume, right?) and let the kids pick out what they wanted to wear. and so without further ado, allow me…