Grandma's Visit

We're blessed enough to have two Grandmas - one from Texas and one from Colorado. We used to call the former Naked Grandma because she liked to strip us down when we were babies and let us run around naked. Now we call her Texas Grandma because Mom says the other doesn't seem like a fitting name for a six and a nine year old to use.

She just spent a week with us and we had a great time. She even helped us with our chores. For example, she cleaned the glass doors while we... well, we did other stuff.

Then we rewarded her by taking her to the beach and by just being our wonderful-grandson selves.

Thanks for visiting, Grandma. We miss you already.

This Chicken's a Little Dry

I'm just going to warn you that if you have a weak stomach this may not be for you. It's about a recent homeschool project that, while helpful and memorable, was by far the most disgusting activity we've ever done. The boys and I spent the last three months mummifying a chicken after we read about the ancient Egyptians doing the same to their deceased. We started with a store-bought, whole chicken. Then we cleaned it and packed it in salt in a large Ziploc. I'll spare you the nastiness of raw chicken photos but let me just say it was nauseating to take that thing out of the bag every few days to repack it with fresh salt. When I told the boys that people used to have to do this with their loved ones' bodies, Andy exclaimed, "You mean they put them in bags!"

After the chicken was essentially dehydrated and half its original size, we removed it from the bag and shook off all the salt. The boys chose spices to mix with olive oil, which we used to massage into the bird so it wouldn't smell so offensive. It actually worked.

Here they are with the chicken on the driveway trying to decide who's going to touch it first:

Jonah drew the short straw and Andy almost threw up just watching him pick it up:

See, I told you the fragrant oil worked. Don't they look like they're having fun and breathing freely?

Then came the best part - wrapping the delightful specimen in glue-soaked cloth:

They finally both really got into it and wrapped the bird up tight. Jonah kept insisting he needed more "toilet paper" but eventually learned the word "gauze".

Then, because it hasn't rained much at all for weeks, we set it on the driveway to dry and forgot about it. Then it rained and rained and rained. Oops. Again, I'll spare you those photos. Suffice it to say that you should be happy my boys aren't planning on becoming undertakers.

Our Little Graduate

Andy graduated homeschool kindergarten on Saturday.

As we rehearsed and memorized for the ceremony, a quote from one of our favorite cartoons, The Incredibles, came to mind: "They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity". Yes, it's kind of funny to dress up a six year old in a cap and gown for an event he may or may not remember by this time next year. It may also not be any great feat for a child his age to know addition and subtraction or to read on a first grade level, but we are very proud of him and look for opportunities to celebrate this wonderful child.

So, without further ado, please join me with the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" playing in your head while you view these photos of Andy graduating with other homeschoolers at a local church:

The Proud Big Brother

The Proud (of himself) Little Brother

Waiting for the Ceremony with a Bunch of Yucky Girls

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Receiving his Diploma

Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the part of the ceremony where we recognized and promoted the siblings into their respective grades. Jonah was promoted to the fourth grade. Again, no big deal, right? This is a kid we were told was autistic and may not ever learn to read or write. If you saw the Mother's Day card he made by himself for me you know that is not the case. So we're aware of how much we have to celebrate and were thankful for this forum to publicly acknowledge the gifts God has given us in our children.

Ben on His Tricycle

The only thing cuter than a naked baby? A naked baby on a tricycle.

Disney World

When we got out of bed Dad told us we were going to the doctor. He even said we might have to get a shot. When he saw how nervous we were, he pretended to call the doctor who said what we need is three days at Disney World. Woohoo!

We beat the heat by spending the first half of each day in the pool at the hotel:

Then we went to Disney:

It was a blast even though a few of the the lines were kind of long.

Being there at night was beautiful and we were wiped out by the end of each day. What a great trip!

Andy Rides a Bike

It dawned on me that Andy probably didn't need his training wheels anymore. We took them off and he was free wheeling in about twenty minutes. Ben, however, did not appreciate all the attention aimed at his big brother.

The Boys Are Back in Town

Well, I think two years is long enough to go between posts so I've decided to pick this thing back up. I'm aware that those who read my blog Brazilian Jewells are not necessarily interested in reading about my kid's loose tooth or latest school project so this page is dedicated to those of you who are.

Here's a picture I took of the boys last week at the park.

Now that you're up to date on how much they've grown, I'll start filling you in on what they're doing as well.