Aunt C., Mufy, E-

Cupcake and S with Rosie train cake

April is our month of birthdays.  After celebrating Matt and Muffy's birthdays, I thought I had a weekend in between.  Then, I realized the celebrations were going to be back to back weekends.  So, Saturday we celebrated Cupcake's turning six (official birthday was Monday).  Since she loves Thomas the Tank Engine so much, we had someone make her a Rosie train cake.  After cake and ice cream, we went to a nearby lake for paddle boating and park time.  The birthday girl added Ferdinand, Dash, and Bash to her train collection.

Kid's Running Club w/Dad

Both girls ran in our town's new running club for kids on Saturday morning before the party.   Daddy ran with them along with Uncle Caleb.  The Cupcake has been imitating her aunt and uncle running for quite some time, so it was super exciting to be part of the real deal!  She has been telling me that she must "exercise her bones."


School was quite routine this week.  Muffy and I finished third grade grammar for the year.  She's about 3/4 through Wind and the Willows.  The boys and I got through the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War.  We've fallen behind in Pilgrim's Progress, but that will be a good thing to work on over the summer.  Cupcake and I started the Beatrix Potter collection, at least the stories that are short enough for her attention span.

Yesterday I figured out just how fun it is when you don't pay attention to where you are parking at Duke. At least I had it narrowed down to three of the eight floors in the parking deck!  Obviously, we made it home.

Muffy and her buddy

Having a rest in the storyteller's chair at gardens

Today was supposed to be our homeschool association field day.  However, even though today was beautiful, the previous days have been so wet that the parks and recreation department gave a "no go."  So, if the weather cooperates, we should have pictures of that event next week.  Since I'd planned for only four days of instruction/assignments, we decided a field trip was in order.  We went to the NC Botanical Gardens for the morning with another family, also known as "our buddies."  Everything was so beautiful, if we could have just figured out how to get eight children to slow down and smell the roses, quite literally.

Cupcake and two of her buddies

Pitcher plants at botanical gardens

Matt and I've been reading lots in our tiny bits of spare time.  I finished Radical by David Platt this week.  I've started Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy but I'm going to do no more than a chapter a day, as there is a lot to chew.  We're both making an effort to get some exercise.  I've walked six miles total so far this week.   It seems there are so many areas in life that require discipline.



May you all have a blessed weekend (I for one am looking forward to a no birthday or holidays weekend)!

Cupcake and Matt trying out birthday bear tent