June Was...

I know, June is not over yet.  But I have so many pictures from the beginning of June, and this summer will only get busier, so I figured I'd get a jump-start on our June posts.

So here are our four munchkins, posing at the playground in Villa Roma, a vacation timeshare that Grandma shares with her kids.  I have many more pictures, but they will wait for another post...

June was Selah and Judah's first piano recital.  Last September they both started piano lessons with Grandpa.  They practice every day, and the recital was a rewarding way to show what they have accomplished...

Best dressed gentleman in the house...

Selah was so worried she would be too nervous, but in the end she said she enjoyed the 'attention'.  Oh dear!  She's already looking forward to the next recital...

Grandpa had 19 of his students perform.  Here they are lining up for refreshments...

Grandpa and his piano students...

"Congratulations, Students!"

June was finishing school!  Well, school is never 'finished' in homeschooling.  We still spend a little bit of time each day exercising our reading, 'riting, and 'rithmitic skills.  But her 'normal' program is finished.  On the 15th Selah 'graduated' from 1st grade, so we spontaneously threw a little end-of-the-year party at a local park.  I have more pictures, but they can wait for a separate post...

June was celebrating Daddy's Day, as Selah insists it should be called.  She even made a 'Happy Daddy's Day' crown for him to wear for the occasion.  Here she is helping him cook breakfast...

Breakfast time opening his gift...

A visual reminder to put on the full armour of God...

June was lots of fun in the sun in the sand.  We LOVE our sandbox.  Sand can keep little hands busy for hours!  Here Isaiah and cousin Isabella bury our kitten in the sand.  Duane, of course, took some pictures before rescuing the poor creature...

Please don't report these dear children to an animal cruelty agency- they truly do love their cat.  'Tigris' is the most passive and sweet little animal we've ever seen, and is a favorite of us all..

June was also a very big cousin turning the grand old age of six.  I snapped way too many pictures of Jacob's lego birthday party that more will have to wait for another post...

 

Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!

What is Memorial Day without a parade?  Here's a pre-parade photo op...

Quite a crowd of kids...

Some of Grandma's kids in matching outfits...

Little Miss Patriotic waving at the parade...

What's next?  Any candy?

 

Jacob proudly displaying his parade loot...

Our Memorial Day BBQ was just as patriotic as the kids...

Girl cousins in the sand box...

Patriotic buddies...

Irresistible sweetness: the fruit or the cuties?

Willa & Hannah with their red, white and blue popsicles...

Uncle Daryl & Uncle Don leading a troop of kids on a hike...

 

Family Boston Trip II

After a full day spent in Plymouth we spent another full day in Boston.  Van ride, 4 subways rides, Swan boat ride, 2 Harbor ferry rides, and a trolley ride... WOW... lots of transportation in one day!

Here's some excited kids near the beginning of their day on the subway...

"Who sees the next subway first?!"

Boston Public Garden.  This was Boston for our kids.  Just like Robert McCloskey drew it...

Riding the famous Swan boats.  Now which ducks are Mr. & Mrs. Mallard?

Playground on the Boston Commons, where Puritan cows once grazed...

Massachusetts State House overlaid with a copper dome by Paul Revere...

Quiz: Did Paul Revere really say, "The British are coming!  The British are coming!"?
Nope: They all were British at that point.  Instead he supposedly said, "The Regulars are coming!  The Regulars are coming!"
Just a bit of history for you.  Here's his grave...

Remember John Hancock, the fancy signer of the Declaration of Independence?
Well, here's his fancy tombstone...

Passing on the tradition from father to son...
Boston Lobster Bisque!

Even little honey loved the soup.  Duane had to purchase 2 bowlfuls just to satisfy his cravings since everyone wanted a bite...

Ferry in Boston Harbor.  Isaiah, do you see any tea floating down there?

Some little honey was very proud of her 'stamp' that she received to enable her to tour the USS Constitution...

On board the USS Constitution: how far do you think this cannon could shoot?

If you look closely below all the rigging you can see our family.  Would you like to be a sailor and climb that high?

Parting shot of the USS Constitution in harbor.  She's the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world!  Anyone know her famous nickname in history?
'Old Ironsides' because the British cannonballs just bounced off her in the War of 1812.

Relaxing on a trolley tour around historic Boston, perfect timing for Hannah's nap...

Enjoying one last time in the pool and hot tub before returning home...

We stopped by a bird sanctuary in Connecticut on the way home for a break...

Daddy and his little birdies...

 

Family Boston Trip I

 The theme of our family vacation was based on this school year's curriculum of studying the history of our United States.  So why not head to where our forefathers first set foot on this great land?  Plimouth Plantation was the highlight of our trip, but why not visit Boston as well and scoop in a bit more history?  Especially since Daddy lived in Boston for part of his college years.

But for the children, I think the highlight was the hotel pool  Here is our swim team, ready to plunge in...

 So thankful for a husband who is willing to 'get wet' with the kids and be a kid himself.  I was a bit prego-sick this week, so it was an extra blessing to have a very kid-friendly husband!

 'There were three in the bed and the little one said...'

 The Mayflower ship was not in dock due to repairs, but we did get to visit the dock-side exhibit and learn all about the Pilgrims' travel anyway...

 Beans, dried fruit, tack- what would you like to eat for months of ocean travel?

Yummm!  New England fudge!  Can I have another bite?

Plymouth Rock, gazing at history...

Master William Bradford, what words would you have to say to our Godless society today?

Running along Town creek, the Pilgrim's fresh water supply...

How many ducklings do you see?  13?

Jumping off rocks by the grist mill, first built in 1637 I think.

Gazing at the old-but-still-used grinding stone that ground the pilgrim's corn into cornmeal.  The mill is still used today, and we even had cornbread baked from its ground cornmeal just this week!

Hannah with some 'Indian' corn that the Pilgrims would have grown for cornmeal...

 Inside a longhouse at the Wampanoag homesite, listening to a Wampanoag native tell the history of his people...

Judah on the 2nd story of the fort built to guard the Plimouth plantation...

Plimouth plantation with Plymouth bay in the background...

Inside one of the homes, Duane checking out the pilgrims' reading material...

Every house had a mortar to pound corn kernels into cornmeal.  This was before the grist mill was built...

An outdoor mud oven that two 'pilgrims' were building...

Very amusing to dialog with the 'pilgrims'.  The actors interact and talk as if they lived in the year 1627.   Duane attempted several times to trip them in their role playing, but they played the dialog and opinions of their roles very professionally.  Selah kept asking for Samuel Eaton and Sarah Mortan (we have read books about these Pilgrim children), and she was disappointed that she didn't get the see them.

Sometimes young feet get tired...

Plimouth plantation made it easy to imagine the lives of the first pilgrims, their hardships and their blessings. We certainly walked away with a greater appreciation for these early pioneers...

At the visitor center was a hands-on play area for the children.  Here Goodwife Selah is serving a pilgrim meal...

And sailors Duane, Isaiah and Judah hoist the flag on the Mayflower's shallop...