Team Howard

Straw Maze

Check out this amazing Straw Maze we went there for Aidan's 9th birthday it was super fun!And then we went looking for the biggest pumpkin they had!
we had a super fun time!

SiX, Slugs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Brennan turned SiX, stayed tuned for a short video that I made him, I just have to figure out how to download it onto typepad?! HAPPY BIRTHDAY B!

picture from a few years ago

One Day You'll be a Man
Darling baby, our pride and joy,
I hold you close, my little boy.
One day you will be a man,
so let me cuddle you while I can.
Your little hand grips mine tight,
while you fight sleep with all your might.
But I don't mind these wakeful hours,
this time together that's all ours.
When you're a man I'll hold your child,
and remember this with a gentle smile.
Because time goes by so terribly fast,
let's take this time and make it last.

In the blink of an eye... it really does happen fast! I cherish the times we're together, what a precious gift, the life of a child. I x & o him and all my boys whenever I can... I hope this reminds you to do the same. Here's a little reminder of the dirt, where the adventure begins...
What are Little Boys Made of?
What are little boys made of?
Hammers and nails, and puppy dog tails,
and slugs and snails, and puppy dog tails,
That's what little boys are made of...

Croc.Hunter

Steve Irwin, Croc'y Mate. Animal Planet. Conservation. Wildlife. It's amazing how one person (on the tele.) can become such a part of your life, especially when your a mom of 3 little boys, we love Animal Planet and Steve Irwin, the Croc. Files. We have a whole new generation of kids that have been eduacated in it seems about every species. They've (wildlife) have all been brought into our homes by a fearless and adventours man. I like many of you have been praying for his family and staff with the boys at dinner and some nights, we are really sad. We are really thankful for all that he gave of his life, it is amazing when people walk in what they've been given and bless others as they do it. He was a Wildlife Warrior, a champion and shared it with all of us, what a blessing! Here's the web link to check out the site, adopt an animal, help with conservation etc. http://www.crocodilehunter.com/australia_zoo/index.html

This was about a year or more ago with some of the boys cousins. I'm in the process of downloading the NEW pictures for this years summer vacations- stay tuned for, Summer 2006, I'll be sure to post them!

What would Big Bird Do?

This article caught my attention, see if it gets yours? I feel relieved that someone is communicating something other than that our kids should do more! The PUSH to compete in academia at age 5 instead of learning how to tie your shoes (no one actually does until about 2/3rd grade now, gone is the time of the shoe to practice on- velcro) or wipe your nose, be kind to those around you, maybe paint, learn to not eat dirt, then you get to build a play-dough structure so magnificent it could be used by the Magi as a gift to give the King of Kings, doesn't that sound like Kindergarten, no, Preschool. Now, by my statement this doesn't mean that my kids didn't get to experience some of this kind of Kindergarten(we love our K-teachers, the best, Mrs.Craig, Mrs.Toback) that I explain, but most classes are so driven by the curriculum that anything outside of "it" almost spells impossible or fired?! Is mine? I'm not sure, how many words do they want you to read/identify the first week of school? Read on to a better researched source that can help guide us as we all can begin to weed through and problem solve our own unique situations. I hope this will better equip you, and help you navigate yet another area of the "Now what" part of parenting. If your not in Kindergarten which most of you aren't this isn't just about Kindergarten, it's actually speaks of k - 3rd and then the later years...
THE NEW FIRST GRADE- I.E KINDERGARTEN
Sept. 11, 2006 issue - Brian And Tiffany Aske of Oakland, Calif., desperately want their daughter, Ashlyn, to succeed in first grade. That's why they're moving—to Washington State. When they started Ashlyn in kindergarten last year, they had no reason to worry. A bright child with twinkling eyes, Ashlyn was eager to learn, and the neighborhood school had a great reputation. But by November, Ashlyn, then 5, wasn't measuring up. No matter how many times she was tested, she couldn't read the 130-word list her teacher gave her: words like "our," "house" and "there." She became so exhausted and distraught over homework—including a weekly essay on "my favorite animal" or "my family vacation"—that she would put her head down on the dining-room table and sob. "She would tell me, 'I can't write a story, Mama. I just can't do it'," recalls Tiffany, a stay-at-home mom.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14638573/site/newsweek

So What would Big Bird Do? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14639920/site/newsweek/ Do you think there's too much pressure on young kids to learn?
TRUGLIO: People want children to be ready to read in kindergarten, so that pressure is now being passed down to preschool and day-care centers. We're putting a lot of pressure on [teachers] and introducing children to some things that may or may not be age-appropriate. Stress is not conducive to learning. If you're put in a stressful environment, you're not going to learn

Let me know what you think? In speaking about all these we love, love to read in our home, we cherish our books and reading time. It seems the cost of the things that were missing along the way with our little ones is detrimental. A book can open a door or a window to a world of possibilities but you first have to discover how to use the function of your hand to open it.

Bubble Gum ICE CREAM

BLUE BUBBLE GUM ICE CREAM AT MARIANNE'S IS THE BEST! i believe i've posted a sticky little face like this before. if you haven't tried it you should, we will WARN you (WARNING) it does do some peculiar things, mostly humours in a sick sort of way, but we will leave it up to you and your own adventure- may it be a fun, a weird sort of surprise will await you, if you eat an adequate amount you won't miss it that is. well all that to say only Lorrel should talk about these things in the most vivid details... ooh, to much mercy is flowing from my lips, to many hints, JUST EAT IT, IT'S DELISH, WE USUALLY HAVE SOME IN THE FREEZER IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE TO GO THERE!

BlUE BUBBLE GUM ICE CREAM, WITH THE MOST GUM EVER! One more thing... We tried the EARTH QUAKE AT Marinis Downtown, 5 SCOOPS, ALL THE TOPPINGS, HOT FUDGE, CARMEL, 5 CHERRIES, THE WORKS. this is how we ended our summer, with a happy belly ache :)

Elkhorn Slough

Caleb, Busia and I got to go on a field trip at the end of last school year, in June, to Elkhorn Slough. Busia was here for a visit so we asked if she could join us for the trip, as the parents always drive everyone to these events! It was a hike through the beauty of Coastal Monteray, S.C County. Somehow it was swampy as I might discribe it and also very dry in other spots, rather unpredicable much like the climate we live in, always leaving us guessing. We had a great time. This is a shot of Caleb in an old barn, being fun! We all had a great time, He'll tell you more about it on another blog post from him.

Feeling a bit like POOH, Hellllooo

I could try and download a new post but I'm not sure how it will go... you guested it, and the first two don't count, my computer has been down and out!  Well at least the one with all the photo's on it and the one I can type on and blah blah blah, the Mac daddy, I thought they weren't suppose to crash, what happened?  So here I sit submitting my words without pictures.  It might take me a hundred(or do they say a thousand now?) words to make a picture verse's getting the picture to say what it is.  So far, I log on... feeling a bit like Pooh, Heeelloooo, Hellllllllllllooo Tiger are you there?

Marine Life

This is from a field trip Caleb went on to the Seymore Lab/ Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz. It's a really cool star fish! They have seals, dolphins and all kinds of other sea life the lab and it's staff are nurturing back to health. They are fun, friendly and of course it's educational. If you haven't been you should check it out it's really fun for the whole family. :)

We always race as Poppin's does, and so let the races begin...

This was really fun! The picture is much brighter on my screen and my print out. I hope you all enjoy it, I love this shot, it's an expression of the fun we were having!