Here I am moving on through the month of May! :)

I wanted to share a little about the reading program I found for Red. He is a very auditory learner and didn't really respond well to the traditional Saxon Phonics program like Bug uses, so I did some hunting, tried lots of different stuff and finally found something that seems to be working well for him. We also use the Explode the Code books (Thanks Angela P!) but this goes very well with Red's auditory learning style. We have been using it for about a month now and it is going very well.

It's laid out very simply - each lesson includes any materials needed (like making a few index card pieces - see below), and includes what to say, etc.

The lessons are quick and simple - we've gotten into a few sight words now as well as reading a simple sentence. The book includes copy work ideas. I have done a of few of these with Red as well.

I am so happy to have found something that he seems to be taking so well too!

Here is a sample of the cards that I mad to practice the words ending in the "ap" sound. It makes it something like a game and Red does really well with it!

Here you can see Red's depiction of "The Beach". The boys were so excited about the beach trip we took with Memaw and Papa to Matagorda Bay. During school, Red was drawing on the board and came up with this. The blue is the ocean, the brown is the beach and the black is the beach house, we are the various circles you see are us on the beach.

More from before the beach trip.

Here is one of our opossums - we call this guy Great Uncle Bob.

Unlike Fred who just dumps the bucket and eats from the side Uncle Bob climbed up and hung himself over the edge. It gave me quite a start to open the backdoor and find him hanging there eating. But the funnier part was that he didn't seem to hear me, I got the camera and came back and he was still there. LOL

After several minutes he seemed to get his fill so he waddled off under the porch. What a cutie!

Just trying to catch up on some posting...man does it get behind so easily! Lots of random stuff here!

Here is one of our school day photos...the boys just love love love to draw on the white boards! Red did this creative display. His favorite marker is brown these days.

Bug and I have been working on adding multiple numbers...here is a show of some of his work. You will notice the hand prints that he did in between working problems...lol

The boys and I have been geocaching quite a bit lately. We enjoying the hunt and seeing what goodies we can trade for! :) Bug found this one and wanted to put it back all by himself. (Probably because he had to climb the tree to replace it). LOL

This is an interesting pic. After the crazy storms

lately the huge oak tree at the park in town

was uprooted. It's quite sad to see this big old treasure on it's side.

Here is a peak at our Florida geo-box. It was filled with lots of goodies. Our favorite being a bottle of Orange Blossom Honey (Florida Orange Blossoms that is). There was also some real oranges and seashells from the beach in Florida. The boys had the best time digging through the goodies.

Here is a look at Bug's favorite goodie from the Florida box - a temporary organic tattoo made from organic orange juice. Funny! And this thing lasted forever!

Here is a look at Red's favorite "time killing" routine. While he waits for Bug to finish up his school work a lot of times I will find passed out in the floor - "resting". He is like his Daddy - can sleep anytime, anywhere! LOL

I am excited! I have been working on our curriculum for next school year. I found the Pathway Readers we are going to use on vegsource.com for a great price! I got both 3rd grade readers with brand new workbooks and the 4th grade reader, brand new workbook and TE for $23! Woo-Hoo! I also found the TE's for the 3rd grade books on vegsource for $4. So we are all set for reading! Yeah!

The weather the past few days has been really unpredictable - lots of storms and tornadoes around Texas! We saw these clouds outside and thought it looked something like a toasted Marshmallow. You know those really good ones that have been burned on the outside...ummmm...I think I want to toast a marshmallow! LOL

Here's Daddy's porch redoing project. He had to jack up the corner of the porch so he can replace the corner boards. After he jacked it up using the ladder and a cinder block - we got the cedar pole stuck in place. Now he just has to get the old board replaced and the underpinning put around the bottom. We are also going to paint the porch.

Here is the other end of the porch - the front board had been sitting on the ground so it rotten out and the boards were sinking with out any support. So Daddy dug it out and put cinder blocks under the porch to support it and replaced the front board. It is much better now. The underpinning with make it look all uniform and pretty.

Here's a close-up. Good Job Daddy!

Daddy, the boys and I went up to Lowe's last Saturday for their Earth Day celebration. We got a bag filled with goodies while we were there and had lots of fun!

The boys each build a window birdhouse, we got 4 samples of laundry soap, some candies and five baby trees! We also got another reusable bag and lots of good coupons! Woo-Hoo!

In Red's story time class they read stories about animals and got to stamp with animal stamps. Red got a blue zebra. Here you can see the zebras and the wrestlers! LOL - He drew in wrestlers so they could keep the zebras in line. Funny kiddo!

In Bug's drawing class they were working on drawing trains this last week. He just lOvEs that class! Check out this good drawing!

Here is another - check out all that detail - man!

This cute little guy showed up in our yard one afternoon - Bug just fell in love with him. We called him "Sam" while he was here. I think he lives around here....somewhere....we've seen him up the road before. I hope his owner gets him a collar and tag. He sure is cute. We are hoping to get the fence fixed in the next few weeks so we can get another dog - Bug really wants one to "play" with. Poor Lady - she's just so old and doesn't get around too well these days. Every now and then she gets a wild hair and will play chase the ball or play with the water hose - but Bug really wants a dog who will run wild with him. Daddy started on the porch redo so hopefully the fence is next.

One of our Meals on Wheels clients celebrated her 83rd birthday last Thursday. We found out that she was planning on being at home alone that day, so we decided to make her a card and take her a cupcake for her birthday.

Here is the front of her card.

Red decorated her card and when I asked him what he wanted to write in it he came up with this "I wish you get a wish you wish". What a guy!

For our soldier cards this month the boys and I decided to decorate eggs to include with the cards - we also put in some easter grass. Here are some of their decorated eggs. Pretty!

Red was talking about Eskimos this last week and how God loves them. He colored the Eskimo boy, sled and dogs and put them together. Fun! He was very excited to find "Corn on the Cob" yellow in his color box - so the entire set ended up being "Corn on the Cob"! LOL

At Cowboy Church the kid's Sunday School classes adopted a little girl from France, her name is Dodo. The classes have been collecting money to send her. She wrote a letter to the kids a few weeks back so Bug wrote a note back to her. "It says I hope you stay healthy." What a sweet boy. He also drew her a picture as well.

Hubby broke out his new mower for the first time this season...he said mowing season is open now. LOL It is so dry around here that he had huge dust clouds going everywhere.

Here is my man after the dust mowing escapade. LOL

Here he is behind the barn - the light is reflecting off all that dust! Ewww!