Simple Machines:First Flights

Today we talked more about electronics and how they were powered. We then turned our discussion to wind power, better for the Earth. And we made "Twirly Birds" This simple toy helicopter twirls in a spiral as it drops, using the air and it's blades to help slowly lower it to the ground! THE POWER OF WIND!!

Here is a video of Peter-Leo's twirly bird and just a warning...I can't figure out how to turn the video right side up...so you just have to tilt your head! ENJOY!

Here are some pictures of me and Peter-Leo doing our first flight!

It's the beginning of another summer in our home and that means another theme! This summer to keep with Peter-Leo's interest in science...we are doing a SUMMER OF SCIENCE!! Last week we did caves and bats (built our own caves, learned about bat hearing and nocturnal animals.) This week (and maybe into next) we are doing machines and electricity! So, against Monty's whining, I have set up a machine center where the kids are taking apart an old CPU and DVD player. I know my old (and still favorite department head) Mrs. H would be laughing at me and proud at the same time! I'll add more post and pictures at the end of the week or so.

Our machine center and the kids gearing up...although they did take it off after 5 minutes.

I am just thrilled that they really tore into the machines, it made reading the books more interesting.

Mud, mud and more mud!

Ok, so we had too much fun playing in the mud. These are of Erin and I. And the last one is our "high school musical" jump into the lake to get clean!

mud hole sweet mud hole...and a girl's got to do her hair at the mud spa!

Sun and mud! It felt good to just lay back and relax!

Relax until the mud started flying that is...
So, Erin and I finally had to get clean. So we jumped off the dock and swam in the lake for a bit. (Erin's on the left side and I am on the right!)

Later in the day we went back to the mud hole with a few other friends as soon as I get those photos I'll post them!

years..why do they pass so quickly?

Today Peter-Leo's school had their Soaring Eagles Award Ceremony for the first graders. He recieved several awards (honor roll for 4th nine weeks, Honor Roll for 08-09 school year, Perfect attendance, Best Class Reader, and a few AR tags (Accelerated Reading).) this morning. And tomorrow is his last day of 1st grade! It's amazing how much he has grown this year and in the last 7.5 years! It is unbelievable! While it has had it's maddening parts, I am just thrillled to be his mom, watch him grow and even sneak into his room at night and watch him sleep! He is a rock!

And well there is Kody...
we began potty training yesterday...she's 2.5 years so I figured I'd better get going. She seems ready and so far is doing ok. Still working on pooping and getting through the night dry!

In a few weeks we will be heading to Denver to visit monty's family and during the Christmas holiday heading home to washington to see my family! I am so excited for my Dad to meet Kody in person! They will have such a blast together! He and Peter-Leo are already tight-but they have that whole love of trains and building stuff in common-so that gave them a huge head start!

In the meantime I am just praying and studying that I pass the compass test so that I can take my final algrebra class and be completely done with math!

See ya'll later!

Time quickly escapes me..

and I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Too much time on facebook, homework and doing stuff with the kids. Here are so photos.

These shots are from Peter-Leo's Olympic Day (aka Field Day.)

Warming up!

Peter-Leo and his classmate, Jaylen.

The famous balloon pop!
Momma, Peter-Leo and Kody out on the field.

These are from the Sweet Onion Festival Parade

Peter-Leo is waiting for more candy!Kody finally get the hang of collecting candy and there is no more!

"that is one sweet tractor!" Peter-Leo Hillbilly's Truck (all of these were part of the Shriner's Float)
This was just too funny....the Hillbilly's out house!

That is an actual person in that little van...his cowboy hat is sticking out of it!

Mostly Monty and Peter-Leo.

This is Kody, she is upset because the parade is over!

MICHELLE FLIPS!!

Last week we went to the Glennville Sweet Onion Festival. They had a parade and fair. The fair had food, art and craft booths, games and bandstand. The best part, other than being with the family, was going on the flip thingee. I don't know what it was called, but you get attached to giant rubber bands and a harness. You can jump and bounce and flip! It was so much fun! The only bad parts of this video is the fact that it's my backside, which isn't pretty and it's at the end of my 5 minutes when I wasn't flipping two times in a row and as much. But Monty was manning the camera and trying to keep track of two kids...

Enjoy! (but don't make fun of my fat!)

Strawberry picking with the kids

So, Monty is still unable to do much, and recovery from his surgery is taking longer than he thought it would.


In light of that, I orginally decided to only go to the farmer's market and not pick strawberries. However, after I got out to Glennville (a 40 minute drive) I thought we are here, might as well! Enjoy the pictures of the kids!

Peter-Leo walking the strawberry rows

Peter-Leo and Kody start picking.

Peter-Leo was thrilled to be out of the car! 40 minutes is a long time!

Kody trying to decide which strawberry she likes better.

Peter-Leo keeps telling her to pick only red ones, but she wants green!

After I fill her bucket, she finally gets that the red ones are good!

Peter-Leo gets a big one!

Kody and Peter-Leo sitting on the swing while I weigh and pay for strawberries.

Our spoils...nearly 8 lbs of strawberries!
Kody could not wait until we got home she had to have a few in the car!