the week here.

This summer the kids' elementary school got a facelift.  It looks so nice! {that's Isaac's class marching out in the photo below... look closely and you can catch a glimpse of his blond head!}

He almost always dismisses about ten minutes before the girls.

At home we are staying plenty busy - Wednesday morning I left the girls crafting while I went to run a quick errand.

The little guys too are often busy creating.  They are big believers in bold dramatic use of marker :)

And they especially LOVE when I print a coloring page off the internet.  I'm not sure what the big lure is, and we have plenty of great coloring books and gobs of plain paper, but they are convinced that the computer is the source of all good coloring.  Their favorite things to request: fighter jets, sharks, anything Star Wars, rockets, etc  You could say their theme is "capable of mass destruction".

oh boys.

Thursday is the morning I have all five home.  While it's surely "easier" to home school without the little two underfoot, I do have to say there is something extra special about Thursday.  I love the slower pace, the girls "taking a short break to make a fort for Luke", watching John Paul and Isaac deep in Lego conversation, Lydia doing flash cards with Luke holding "the ones she needs to practice again" and John Paul sitting in my lap "helping" me call Isaac's spelling words.

And grammar filled with giggles when Luke is drawing on the bottom of the white board :)

Matt is reading The Hobbit to the big kids.  It's their first Tolkien, and I think they are hooked!  They are only about halfway through, so more laughter and adventure ahead.