Animal Adventures!

This past Sunday we headed out on an adventure, to a local park called “Animal Adventures”…it’s a small zoo, at which you can feed most of the animals. It was so much fun! We were there when they opened, which was great! There wasn’t a ton of people, the staff was awesomely informative and helpful, and we all had a lot of fun!

All of the zookeepers were willing to talk and answer any questions.

When we were learning about the camel, Avelyn was VERY informed {via Wild Kratts} and could answer all of the questions the zookeeper asked…very much like her daddy.

They even let the kids feed the animals. {The whole zoo is outfitted with feeding tubes for the animals you can’t reach and you can feed the giraffe and the camel carrot sticks.}

The kids were so brave! I was a bit nervous about how they would feel around the animals, but you can tell from Henry’s face that he had a blast!

I’m not too fond of zoos, I really don’t like the idea of animals in captivity. We asked the zookeepers where they got their animals from and they were very open to talking about it: Some of the animals are donated, particularly the birds and more domesticated animals, by people had them as pets and didn’t know what they were getting themselves into, some of the animals are from other zoos, and some are from DEC raids {ie. people who had animals that are not permitted as pets…for example, lemurs}. All of the animals looked well cared for and the entire place was impressively clean.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Do you have a song? A song, that to you, or other’s is just YOU? I do.

A long time ago, I found a group called Gaelic Storm {they were the band that played in the movie Titanic, the whole below deck scene with Rose dancing and doing her ballet moves} and loved them ever since.

I quickly discovered a song of their’s that I loved…that was just…ME!
Pina Colada in a Pint Glass!

So why do I love this song? Why is it me?

It’s just a simple girl looking for the simple pleasures in life, while working hard to pay for her dream. It’s my absolute favoritest song, because it is fun! It’s Irish, it’s a pina colada, it’s a pint glass, it’s a beach, and I love it! There’s no pretention, no high-falutin’ ideas. It’s just fun…good old fashioned, girl next door, fun.

Why am I sharing this, today? Because it’s my birthday, and quite frankly the idea of a pina colada in a pint glass sitting on milk white sand and looking at gin-clear water sounds like absolute perfection!

What’s your song?

Introducing…

So I’m a little late in posting, it’s been busy around here!

Peter Andrew

Born Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 4:35pm

Weighing 9lbs 4 ounces and 21 3/4” long

We’re all absolutely smitten with him…especially the kids.

More details soon…If you follow me on Instagram you can see lots more pictures of our newest addition.

Dear New Mom: A Baby isn’t the End

You can find this post on my new blog, JessicaMWhite.com: Click HERE.

Topsail Island NC

I went for the first time in 1993, and have been back more than a half-dozen times {I honestly can’t remember how many times} over the past 22 years. I’ve never gone again and again to a vacation spot, but this place I have. There’s something so wonderful about the familiarity of a place. It’s always been my favorite beach spot..quiet, beautiful, and relaxing {other than that 14 hour drive to get there and home}.

The last time we were there I was 17 weeks pregnant with Ave, this time 35 weeks with #5. Of course, being 35 weeks I was rather limited in how much ocean-time I could enjoy {being beaten around by waves, just doesn’t have the same appeal} and with 4 kids the relaxation was a bit limited to, but it was fun!

The kids were entirely different about the ocean from last year. Henry absolutely LOVED the beach {he barely tolerated the sand last year}, James, was ehh about it, Ellie could’ve cared less and claimed she was scared of the ocean, Ave was in her glory! We were a bit concerned that Ana was going to put a damper on our fun, but other than Sunday, the rest of the week was decent.

Saturday we drove the 650+ miles, stopping for breakfast along the way.

Sunday we celebrated all of the April and May Birthdays….My dad had just turned 60, my mom had turned 55, and my brother turned 30!

With the storm passing through I ended up going to the store and buying some legos for the kids, so they had something to do inside.

The sleeping arrangements worked out ok. We had a pyramid bunk, so we alternated who was on the top and the other 3 were sideways in the double below.
One morning. The sunrises weren’t great, because of the weather, but they were still beautiful!My mom and my nephew.

My brother and his big catch.Matt and I got to go on one walk sans kids…

We had to have our traditional southern fish fry at least one night. My aunt came over {she lives nearby} and fried up a wonderful meal!

My aunt managed to get a halfway decent picture of this motley crew…the kids barely tolerate pictures anymore.

The one morning we headed over to a nearby park..they loved it! All 4 of them managed to climb the rock wall…I was impressed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our last few days and made every effort to spend as much time on the beach.The kids were up bright and early on Saturday ready to go home. Two of them were asking to go home to their own beds by Wednesday {they take after their mama}.

All in all it was a great trip! We’re hoping to make a beach trip a family vacation, at least every few years.

If you want to see ALL of the pictures from our trip, check them out here.

Decisions on Schooling

One of the biggest things that has been on the discussion table for the past few weeks years is schooling for Avelyn. In NY schooling is not mandatory until the child is 6 years of age before December 1st. Last month we received the letters from our local school regarding Kindergarten enrollment and knew it was time to make a decision.

It was not an easy decision, as neither answer {homeschooling or public school} is without pros and cons. Matt and I literally sat down one Saturday afternoon and weighed every option and discussed the entire thing for 2 hours…I’m not kidding.

We talked about the logistics of schooling with a newborn and the triplets, from having the time to homeschooling, to getting Avelyn there and back every day for public schooling. We talked about what is best for her and her personality, what is best for me and my personality, and our personalities together. We talked about the monetary cost of homeschooling and the other costs of public schooling. It was not a decision that was reached lightly.

The biggest fact that made the decision somewhat easier to make, is that whatever we decided doesn’t have to be permanent. We’re not committing to anything for the next 12 years. We’re making a decision for this year, for one child. That’s it. Talk about taking a weight off your shoulders.

So what did we actually decide?

For this year, we’ll be homeschooling 1st grade.

This past school year we did a lot with ABCMouse.com and working on our own learning and LOTS of reading. I’ve compared what Avelyn is able to do with what is the requirements for Kindergarten in our area, and for the most part she’s spot on, and we still have 3 months of this “school year” to accomplish things.

The other part of the discussion was since we have decided to homeschool what are we teaching, what curriculum will we be using. My sister was homeschooled {I was not}, so I’m a bit more aware of the whole thing than most beginners {but not by much}. My mom always pulled together her own curriculums, but always enjoyed Sonlight for their reading and book lists. Last year I had purchased a bunch of the recommended readings for Avelyn for Preschool/Kindergarten and we’ve loved them all.

Matt and I checked out Sonlight’s catalog and were beyond impressed with the whole curriculum for 6 year olds {which Avelyn will be}. We also felt that this being our first year, with a newborn, and triplets, that having a whole curriculum and lessons planned out for us was our best bet. I just don’t know how much time I would have to figure out what we need to learn and a schedule; this will free me up to focus on what needs to be accomplished and give me a format to do it in.

Of course, I still have another 5 months to sit here and deliberate and hem-and-haw about the decision and whether we’re doing the right thing, but that’s just me. Deep down, I know, and Matt and I agree this is the best decision for us, for now. For right now, this is where we’re feeling our family to be led and knowing that God has it all in His hands, regardless of where our children are schooled.

Here’s to starting homeschooling in September!