Backyard fun

We got a trampoline!  

The hardest thing I've ever done was put together this trampoline with Ben.  Absolute hardest.  But we did it and it's been so much fun!  I'm already loving how it's given all 3 kids something to do together...that's a hard feet with their ages right now.

It's also a good place for some boys to get their energy out...

Lavender by the Bay

Alison and I went with Sarah and Brieyn to Lavender by the Bay.  When Sarah invited us, I was excited, as it was the #1 thing to do on a list I had saved on Pinterest.

I was sure it was going to be worth the 1.5 drive and purchase of tickets.  Unfortunately, when you grow up in Kansas, it seems a little silly to pay someone to see their field of crops.  It smelled amazing, though, and was a great opportunity to take some pictures.

The girls were excited that there were chickens roaming around.

Afterwards, we picked up a little ice cream treat.

 

4th of July

Colin and I started the 4th out by going to the park down the street to watch the 4th "ceremony".  I couldn't get a great picture, but they had people dressed up in period clothing and had a little program, ending with reading the Declaration of Independence.

We had our own little BBQ that evening, that began with pop-its (also the ONLY fireworks we could buy).

After dinner, we roasted marshmallows and had root beer floats.

Alison didn't want her picture taken, but I need it documented that her beautiful self joined us.

When it got dark, Alison, Colin and I walked around town to look at the fireworks.  Next year, we'll definitely try to start out earlier, but it was still really fun.

Last Day of school!

We did it!!!!

 

Constellations with marshmallows

 

Ah, we did it...what a year it has been!  Another year of moving halfway through a school year.  Another wonky year of doing some school here and some school there.  But through it all, I've had the best students!  Goodbye 9th, 6th and 4th grade!

 

Homeschooling in New York is not for the faint of heart.  New Yorker's are proud of their school systems and really like their rules and regulations.  I've already ruffled some school district feathers by calling HSLDA for backup on refusing some things they wanted me to do.  It's a good reminder to stay true to your convictions and to know the law!  All that to say, navigating homeschooling here has taken a lot of work.  Unfortunately, for this year, we had to do standardized testing.  I am very against standardized testing, but it was a good time to talk to my kids about my educational views and why we do somethings they way we do.

Eli taking his test...clearly we took it very seriously in pajamas:

(You may have noticed Eli's arm...he fell playing basketball in the street and left part of his elbow on the pavement.  We found prompt care for the first time and he got 4 stitches)

We ended school only a few days after the public school got out, which I also feel is a huge success considering all that's been on our plate.

Each kid got a treat to celebrate; Alison got boba, Eli got a 'fall guys' skin and Colin and I walked to 7-11 for some candy and root beer.  Then we all went to the Y pool for the first time.

  

 

{Pictures with certificates coming soon}

This and That

Ben and I went to the Greek Festival.  We are learning that some things in the area are better to just bike to, rather than try to drive and deal with parking.  We went solo, so the long walk wasn't a problem and it was nice to have a little date.  We got some Greek food, listened to the WAY too loud music and explored Garvis Point.

 

Ben has been working incredibly hard on our yard.  It's looking beautiful!

 

 

I love that our boys still come find us in the morning for some snuggles.

We got passes to the Sea Cliff beach.  Alison and I went on a little date to get coffee by the water one morning.

There was a song my dad and I used to sing when I was a kid..."I looked out my window and what did I find?" The rest says "pumpkins growing on my pumpkin vine" but I hear that song all the time in my head and it makes me laugh when I can add in silly verses like "Maya watching her boys playin' basketball."  Only my dad will think this is funny :)

Maya still makes us laugh every day.  It's taken her awhile to figure out her spot in the new house.  Ben found this rug and it is hands down the softest, most cozy rug and Maya just figured this out, but will always hang her head off.  Probably so she can still see everything going on in the rest of the house.  If she's not here, she's started sneaking into the boys' beds and tries to take a nap there.

Another great feat since moving here has been getting into a doctor.  I have spent countless hours on this; months of work and I told the kids that the day we FINALLY get to see a doctor, we are celebrating.

This is us celebrating at Sid's:

 

 

Eli has decided to take on the project of rebuilding all our Lego sets, but first needs to sort all the Lego's so he can find the pieces.  So if you need him for the next 3 months, he'll be right here in the attic:

 

 

We have started working on the kids cooking more.  It would be easy to not do this, considering our kitchen only fits 2 people, but I think the lemon is worth the squeeze.  Colin is making pasta and salad for dinner here (standing on a stool so he doesn't get too much steam in his face):

Old Westbury Gardens

I will forever be thankful for Sarah Miller.  She was the first person I met on Long Island who also homeschools.  She is the pastor's wife of the church we've been attending and she was the first person to come up and talk to me...it took everything in me not to hug her!  It was like a weight came off my shoulders to finally meet someone who got our life.  Up until then, I got judgy faces and rude comments.  Granted, most people move to Sea Cliff for the schools, so I can understand why most don't understand homeschooling, but it was starting to feel very isolating.  Anyway, Sarah swooped me in and within 24 hours, had me plugged into LEAH (the main homeschool group on Long Island) and invited me to come to a picnic, where I was able to get plugged into the Thursday crew, where I found the Sports with Friends group.  The lifeline she threw me will never be forgotten.  Her daughter, Brieyn, and Alison have become good friends and have spent many days at each others houses.

Sarah texted me one day and asked if we wanted to join them for a picnic at Old Westbury Gardens.  Sure!  A picnic sounds nice.  HA!  We did not know that the gardens were actually at the Phipp's Mansion and were miles long.  It was beautiful...beyond beautiful.

There was actually a girl getting her quinceanera pictures taken with a whole entourage in this picture.  She had the biggest dress on that I have ever seen!  At first I thought maybe they were filming a movie.

They had these fake people all around and it started to get creepy.  We started to play the game "Is that person real or fake?".

I think we're going to put "visit all the mansions on Long Island" on our bucket list while living here.  I'll be better prepared next time to spend many hours there.

Homeschool group fun

I'm excited to say that we have 3 homeschool group options and have found that we could easily be VERY busy.

 Colin participated in field day with 'Sports with Friends'.  He looked like he was living his best life this day; definitely in his element and having a blast.

Alison and Eli were there too, but just played at the park with friends.  

We've also joined the "Thursday crew"...I like to call them the rebel group.  They started meeting outside  every Thursday during the pandemic and have just continued it because they loved it so much.  Every Thursday, a different mom chooses an outdoor activity for everyone to do.  Sometimes it's just meeting at a park and sometimes it's a field trip.  This is from a day at Theodore Roosevelt Park:

 This week, we went to the south shore for the first time and met everyone at Jone's Beach. 

It was an adventure!  We live on the north shore, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it only took us 30 minutes to get to the south shore.  Everyone RAVED about Jone's Beach.  While it was nice to be on the beach again, it was SOOOO crowded.  We could barely find a spot for our stuff or to play in the sand.

 I showed up to the beach the same way I would have in CA, but quickly found that I was out of place.  While in CA, all the moms would wear clothes and sit on the beach and the kids would play in the sand.  In NY, all the moms dropped their stuff, striped their coverups and were in the water the entire time.  Everyone looked at us like weirdos for not being in the water.  I'm pretty sure I was the only person on the crowded beach wearing a shirt...

We learned our lesson and will be prepared to swim next time.  On the positive side, it was fun that all the moms were active.