Cuteness

Bethany and Ari

"Tate my tichure, Momma!"

Jacob is Playing Baseball!

Getting ready to go to a baseball clinic at the local park

Of course everyone has to wear their Cardinals hats!

I think they said, "1, 2, 3, baseball!"

Look at that boy's face. Do you think he loves baseball, or what?

stretches

fielding ground balls

running the bases

Last Day of MDO

Jacob has really loved MDO this year. I can tell that he feels very at home there!

He has loved his teachers and shyly handed them their small gifts on Thursday when I dropped him off.

Bethany too has loved MDO. She loved signing her own name on the sign-in sheet (with a little help) and she always ran right in to be her friends and teachers. I'm so thankful for the attention and teaching she got there!

After MDO we often hang out with Bjorn and Meghan a little. Everyone loves this!

Check out that smile on Meghan!! So wonderful!

Date with Naomi

Tuesday I was privileged to take Naomi on a Mother-Daughter date. It was great fun to be focused on her (and not on her schooling, keeping the other kids entertained, and cleaning the house all at once!)

We went to the Creative Discovery Museum and then to Chile's for lunch. It was great! I'm so glad I used our last Tuesday of MDO for this. I can't believe we haven't done more stuff like this with homeschooling, but the year is basically over!

And yes we had the Lava Cake for dessert! For anyone who's interested I've now tried the chocolate cake at Meeting Place, Blacksmith's, Chile's, (add in a few more places that I've forgotten!), and J. Alexander's. And yes, J. Alexander's "Very Best Chocolate Cake" is the very best chocolate cake I've ever tasted at a restaurant.

Caught Red-Mouthed

This was the sight that met us sometime yesterday when Bethany came and gave me the tube of Naomi's lipstick that she was experimenting with. I held in the laughter and gently reminded her that she is not allowed to use the lipstick by herself. Then I took a picture. Of course. Right after the picture she started crying and I wiped off most of the lipstick (fearing that she would eventually smear it over most of the house.) Then I went in the back and let out a few giggles. : )

Mother's Day 2010

Beautiful girls in coordinating polk-a-dots and a dashing Jacob

I really made a haul for Mother's Day! I got a recipe card holder, bracelets, a ring, some honey, and a decorative cross. Thanks kiddos and hubby!!

Naomi's Artwork

I'm guilty of posting more of Jacob's art on the Osterfive than Naomi's. Here is an update on some of hers. She is much more likely to create with a multi-diminsional medium than with only crayons. Give her only crayons and she's stuck, but give her paper and markers and tape and glitter glue and paint and stickers and she can go to town.

These are two that she helped to create during Small Group. She helped to trace the other kids' hands and then put her own name front and center.

This is what Naomi came up with when we painted on large sheets of paper outside. Jacob, who is great with crayons and a small piece of paper, was completely distracted by the big paper and the paints. He ended up mixing the paints together and painting his hands and arms brown. Naomi LOVES to paint and the more colors and glitter the better.

Another thing that Naomi does really well is write. She did these completely on her own during her time in her room. I love the fact that she made one for Jacob too.

This was my Mother's Day card from Naomi. I Love It! It says "The Osters" if you can't read it. Maybe it should be our new blog header?

Castle School 5/3--5/10

Last week we made home made pizzas (Raffaele Esposito “invented” pizza in 1889 though many pizza-like foods had been made before then), drank Coke (invented by John S. Pemberton in 1885), and made blue jean purses (blue jeans invented by Levi Strauss in 1848)

This week we studied cameras (invented in 1888 by George Eastman), crayons (invented by  cousins, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith in 1903), and airplanes (invented by the Wright brothers also in 1903).

Also see my post on Of Such is the Kingdom about our blue jean bags.

Fairyland Festival 2010

After riding the pony, playing on the bouncy things, riding the hay ride, getting hair and faces painted, and generally wearing ourselves out, we played on the playground. (Sorry no pics of the above; we didn't get the camera until the playground.)

synchronized pizza eating --they were very hungry!

Momma's glasses