Blog Hop! School Pictures

I have been without my camera for a few months now. Who says lithium ion batteries last? Mine sure didn't. I am glad however, that my phone takes pictures. That is what I have relying on.

We have started our school year off with a field trip to the Baskett Slough. I bought a nice bird book from the store, and the kids were able to look out over the wildlife refuge and identify some of the birds they saw.  They tried to sketch the birds too.

It has been hard trying to get the kids and I back into a normal schedule.  Last year, I didn't push them to finish a whole lesson on one day.  We would split the lessons up over two days.  Now I am seeing that doing it that way means we don't finish the book within the school year.  Has anyone run into that?  We have been using Saxon math for Madeline (3rd grade, but is supposed to be doing 4th) and Horizons for Gable (supposed to be doing 3rd, but is still doing 2nd) and Anna.  Ethan has been doing Teaching Textbooks (which I love!).  I have been letting them do one math page a day, and now it feels like we are behind.  Doesn't two pages seem like a lot of work though? It takes forever for them to get through two pages.  What do you all think?

Here are some pictures of my youngest two, after I told them "smile!"  Getting them back on track isn't always smiles.    Here are some pictures of my oldest two reading.  Ethan has been reading about Hudson Taylor.  Madeline has been reading Elsie Dinsmore.  Madeline isn't real big on reading, so this smile is another one that I had coax out of her.

Madeline will be getting tested here soon. She is not looking forward to it.  Madeline is the type of girl that doesn't like to make any mistakes.  The thought of  getting some answers wrong on the test has her a bit scared.  Poor girl.  I keep trying to reassure her that she will do just fine.  She always says "We should move to Texas where they don't have to do testing!" not a bad idea! We would gladly move to Texas if that is where the Lord led us.