Kansas City, Missouri LDS Temple Pictures

A BIG thank you to Mandi Bailey for sharing these beautiful photos of the Kansas City, Missouri temple! I love the unique perspectives and beautiful autumn leaves. Mandi is so generously sharing her images for free and you may download them at http://freeldstemplepictures.com.

Once I arrive in Germany, get settled and my computer unpacked, I will upload some antiqued black and white versions of these images as well, so be sure to check back in a month or two. Also, I will be unable to photograph any more U.S. temples for at least the next three years. If you live near a temple that I do not already have on my site and have any high quality high resolution images you'd like to share, please let me know! I get emails every day from people who are so happy to be able to display beautiful temple artwork in their home without an expensive price attached. This is a great way to provide a simple yet meaningful act of service.

Dinosaur World

Anthony's parents came out to visit us and we spent a couple days down by the caves. We enjoyed spending time with them for what may be the last time in several years, and had a lot of fun visiting Dinosaur World. Our household goods get picked up this week and next week we find out for sure if we're having a boy or girl!

The Stroller Fleet

No one ever mentions the fact that if you plan on having more than one children you are going to go through a whole fleet of strollers. Meet our newest editions- strollers #6 the Bugaboo Cameleon and #7 the Peg Perego Si.

With my first child I purchase a travel system- a small lightweight stroller that the car seat could attach to and a single jogging stroller. Then baby number two came along and we needed a double. I got rid of both my single strollers, purchased the Graco Quattro Tour Duo stroller and a double jogger. Then baby number three came... We bought an umbrella for the older and the younger two rode in the doubles. Of course I contemplated trying to buy a tripple jogger, but gave up on the idea. I wish I'd kept the single jogger so I could have pushed one boy while my husband pushed the other rather than cramming them all in the double (which we did on several 15+ mile runs).

Bugaboo Cameleon

Baby number four requires a whole new system. The main reason is because we will be living in Germany! I remember my first trip to Germany seeing mothers out for walks, rain, snow or shine with their babies in old fashioned buggies with 4-wheel drive tires that can easily maneuver over cobblestone streets and six inches of snow, Russian-style buntings and adjustable umbrellas. They are certainly a sight to behold.

When I first learned I was pregnant and would be having the baby in Germany I knew I had to have one of those mega strollers. Partially out of want, and partially out of necessity. It would be impossible for me to push my current strollers on European cobblestone streets. Unfortunately, those mega strollers cost a small fortune when you add in all the accessories. Fortunately for me, I found a fabulous local deal that included everything! I just love the little basinette that hooks right onto the stroller and can't wait to join the german mamas strolling down the strasse.

Peg Perego Si

And as much as I love a double stroller, it's just not practical for European streets and metros unless you get the kind where the smaller child his hidden behind or below the other. My kids are too strong willed to sit blindly in the back, they need a view of everything.

Grant however, still needs to be in a stroller. After much research trying to find a small single stroller that would ride well on cobblestones and wouldn't break the bank, I finally found this Peg Perego Si. It's lightweight, fully reclines, has 4 wheel drive wheels that lock and costs just under $200. I LOVE this stroller. It took some engineering skills to figure out how to open and close it, but I was amazed at how well it steers! I can open a door with one hand and wheel it through with the other. If only I'd known there were strollers that were so easy to push! I will never go back to the pathetic small wheeled strollers of my past.

I plan on Baby Bjorning baby #4 as long as possible and by the time he/she (wishful thinking) is old enough to need the stroller, Grant will be old enough to walk. We'll probably also get the buggy board for our Bugaboo so when the older boys get tired they can catch a ride.

I'm also bringing along my double jogger for around the neighborhood, but for city trips we'll use strollers 6 and 7. I really hope we don't have to buy any more strollers in the near future!

Daddy's homecoming

We survived our drive across the country! The boys did remarkably well especially considering how long they sat in the car each day. We are enjoying being back in Kentucky, it's so nice to be back where it is green and rains for more than 5 minutes.

My husband surprised us Friday with a call to pick him up at the airport! It is a full two weeks earlier than we originally anticipated and such a wonderful surprise. The boys were so excited to see him again (although Grant fell asleep on the way to the airport). A year is just too long, it's so nice to know we'll be together for at least the next three years.

 

 

 

Now it's non-stop wrestling and rough housing. I'm just glad they have someone else to pick on now ;)  We are getting really excited for Germany! We've got all our appointments taken care of, now we're just waiting for our government passports and for our household goods to be shipped. In the meantime I'm trying to brush up on my German and take the boys to visit all the fun places we used to go when we lived here. 

Our 2012-2013 Homeschool Curriculum

Well I planned out this year's curriculum but since I knew potential orders for Germany were inbound, I held off on sharing until I knew for sure...

I really want my children to learn to speak German fluently. The first time I visited Europe I wish I had studied German more and knew I wanted my children to learn German fluently and at least one other language. I am hoping beyond hope there will be space in the preschool in the town we settle in so that Grant and Joshua can attend. I also hope to enroll Ethan in the German elementary school (non-German's are allowed in on a space-available basis and since we're moving after school has started we might not get in). The thing I love about German elementary schools is they are only half day, so the boys can learn German in the morning and homeschool in the afternoon.

Ethan is now officially kindergarten age, but academically he is more like 2nd grade level (much higher in reading). Here is the curriculum I originally planned for the boys', however if they are able to attend the German school I will have to either scale back or spread this curriculum out over two years. We shall see...

Ethan, almost 6:

Math
Math U See: Alpha

English
Modern Curriculum Press Spelling Workout Level A
First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind
Zaner Bloser Cursive Handwriting

History
Story of the World
50 Famous Stories Retold
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans

Science
Apologia Zoology 1
Zoobooks Magazine

Geography
Which Way USA Magazine
*Will study European geography by traveling to surrounding countries

Art/Music
Artistic Pursuits
Stories of the Great Composers
Character
Child's Book of Character Building
We Choose Virtues Character Cards
The Bible
The Book of Mormon

Physical Education
Tae Kwon Do (I hope we can find a class there!)
Swim Lessons
Running

Other
Kids Discover Magazine
Dance Mat Typing (would love other suggestions, this one's kind of annoying...)

Literature Read-Aloud's
Boxcar children series, Gertrude Chandler Warner
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, Edith Nesbitt
The Railway Children, Edith Nesbit
Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
Tanglewood Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
The Door in the Wall, Marguerite De Angeli
Poetry: Walter De La Mare, Eugene Field, James Whitcomb Riley and Christina Rosetti


Joshua, age 4:

Reading/Writing
The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
More Starfall.com
Kindergarten Scholar Workbook

Math
Math U See: Primer

Geography
Learn to identify states on the map
Magnetic puzzle map

Science
Zootles

Art
Artistic Pursuits

Character
Child's Book of Character Building
We Choose Virtues Character Cards
The Bible
The Book of Mormon

Physical Education
Tae Kwon Do
Swim Lessons
Running


Grant, almost 3:

Identify all ABCs and learn sounds
Starfall.com
Recognize all shapes

Organic Living Guide

If you followed the Five Weeks to a Healthier Home, I have a sixth thing to add.

RELAX.

As scary as it can be to realize all the chemicals around us and in our food, it's also important to realize that the amount of exposure is an important factor as to whether or not we will experience ill effects. Also some immune systems are better at fighting off disease than others- you've all heard of people who smoke their entire life and never get lung cancer and the health conscious person who dies of it. But clearly the healthier our bodies are they better equipped they will be to fight off the toxins that are introduced daily.

I've created this Organic Living Guide which includes a lot of information about toxins in our food and environment and what you can do to avoid them. It's basically a reference of the most common exposures and what you can do about it. This information is not meant to scare or cause paranoia, but to inform so that you can make an educated choice rather than having these chemicals "forced" on you.

It's interesting to consider our lifestyle versus the lifestyle of say, the Amish. They live like our ancestors lived and are virtually free from the environmental toxins that plague the rest of American's. It's also interesting that diseases such as Autism are virtually non-existant among the Amish communities. They also have very low incidences of allergies, ADHD, obesity and cancer. It seems pretty clear to me that the soaring rates of these diseases are directly linked to our environment- the food we eat and the chemicals we use in our home.

I'm not suggesting we become Amish, but perhaps we should try and get a little closer to our roots. Plant a garden, turn off the tv and live a real life, try making things rather than buying everything, minimize the "stuff" in our lives, buy quality things rather than cheap plastic, eat real food that isn't laden with chemicals and genetically modified by scientists.

Our generation is supposed to be the first where parents will outlive their children. We CAN change that, at least in our own families. American disesases ARE preventable and many are even reversible. The first step is eating right and exercising. What are you waiting for? Grab some veggies and get outside!