Home School?
At a gardening center this past week, I was talking to someone about all we have been doing in our square foot gardens. She asked me if we home schooled. I was confused about how to answer. Well, yes, we do. We also send them to school. Still not sure how to answer that seemingly simple question. 
Strawberries!
Last night, I asked Evan to cut some strawberries up for our dessert. He came into the kitchen and asked whether instead of just strawberries, could he make a fruit salad? Sure. Also, he asked, could he use the blender to blend up some strawberries to make a sauce? Sure! We thought the finished product was delicious as well as beautiful. Nice job, Evan!
Gardening Kit
Evan’s Aunt Katie got him a very cool gardening kit for this past Christmas. Evan recently got into it and has the window in Ben’s and my room covered with containers full of sprouting seeds. We love spring! 
Frogs!
About a week ago, Nana and Papaw came for a visit and we walked along a new greenway trail together near the boys’ school. The temps were great and there were lots of other people out walking on the trail. And while we walked we could hear some frog sounds, and excitedly I said to Evan, “are those frogs?” “Yeah, Dad, and they’re NOT spring peepers, either. Those are wood frogs.”
During this week, we began to notice we could hear frogs at the window close to the boys’ bedtime. It sounded far away, like the frogs were down past the woods somewhere near the little creek we call “salamander creek.” I asked Evan, and when he listened he said he was sure what kind of frogs they were.
On Saturday, close to bedtime, I took the boys on an adventure. We got on our boots and jackets and I packed my digital recorder. I recorded our walk down to the creek, across the creek and up the hill and then through the briers to where we could hear the frogs the loudest. We stood there for about 8 minutes taking turns holding the microphone. Below is the recording of the frogs. We are trying to identify the species and are not sure about it yet. From other recordings we’ve listened to, it sounds the most like the Western Chorus Frog but we don’t believe they live around here.
We listed through these two CDs without finding a match:
The Frogs and Toads of North Carolina, Michael Dorcas
The Calls of Frogs and Toads, Lang Elliott
If you listen closely, just about exactly in the middle of the recording, you can hear a very excited Grayson enjoying the moment.
If you have ideas about what kind of frog this is, let us know!
Jump Rope for Heart 2010
Evan and Grayson’s school had a program this past week called Jump Rope for Heart. This is a fund raiser for the American Heart Association. Both boys have been so excited about raising money for such a worthy cause. Their grandfather, my dad, has had heart trouble, as well as our friend, Bill. I think knowing these people made this a very special cause for both boys. They also learned that the AHA helped the family of a friend whose younger brother was born with a heart defect. I’m very pleased that they wanted to participate in this fundraiser and that their school made it a fun time for them. I was able to participate on the day each boy’s grade had their turn, which was really special. These kids were excited!
Where’s Grayson?
This morning, I couldn’t hear the boys anywhere. Evan had already emptied the dishwasher and had some time to spare, but where was Grayson? I went looking through the house and found him beside a huge pile of books we checked out yesterday from the library and this is what I saw.
Grayson’s third missing tooth.
Hee hee. Lovin’ it!
The Three Weissmanns of Westport
Beatrice and Virgil
Making the Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat
Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2)
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
The Ambiguity Advantage: What Great Leaders Are Great At
The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
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