Miriam

Our Referral

danielle — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 15:19:19 -0400

Referral information received on Sept 23, 2005.

Introducing the Newest Member of the Westhaven Clan

danielle — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:38:50 -0400

Meet Lisa.... the sweetest little calico kitten. She is Miriam's kitten promised to her for her 5th birthday. Miriam is learning to be a good mistress, and Lisa puts up with a lot of being drug around! Momma keeps a watchful eye to be sure both girlie and kitty get enough rest and are safe (it was touch and go the first few nights on the rest part!) :) Lisa is 9 weeks old, and Miriam named her after the little girl in the Corduroy books. I hope the two of them have many happy years together.

The Three Musketeers

danielle — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:22:03 -0400

My children have something very special. Something few children have
these days. Each has two siblings very close to them in age with whom
they spend 99% of every waking hour. They have two built in BFFs...
not just this year in school, or for most of their childhood, but, God
willing, for the next 80+ years. Yes, sometimes it is hard having three
young children with only 29 months difference in age from eldest to
youngest. Yes, it would be easier to send them all away to preschool
rather then to keep them with me (but I don't believe for a minute that
that would be in their best interest). And yes, they do fight and tease
each other, but far more often they love each other deeply, watch out
for each other, and play together well. Yes, they really do have
something wonderful and special, and I am so blessed to be their mother!

A Trip to the Farm

danielle — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:09:45 -0400

We just got back from a week at the farm visiting Mimmi. The kids had a wonderful time.

Plenty of water play...

Lots of swinging...

Plenty of playing with Taffy, the dog...

Lots of popsicles gave their lives....

Some people took mud bathes...

There was lots of running free in open spaces...

And Katie got lots of wagon rides...

There was playing at a couple of parks...

There was bike and trike riding...

Cuteness abounded...

There was a zoo trip with giraffe feeding...

and train riding and playing on the toy train...

and goat petting and brushing...

and water pumping...

and play exploring....

and carousel riding...

and some people came out of their shell!

There were other adventures as well, like an airshow and a festival
with carnival rides plus 4th of July fireworks. Might have been too
much fun actually. :)

Miriam's Kitty Cake

danielle — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:38:08 -0400

Miriam asked for a kitty cake this year for her birthday. So I decided
to try my hand at my first real 3-D cake. I made the body using the top
tier pan of a wedding cake. I cut it in half and set the halves
together upright on their cut side. I made the base of the head from a small
oven safe glass bowl. I then cut the tail, ears, front paws, and muzzle
from a 9 inch round cake. I assembled it all with icing and a few
toothpicks and cardboard dowels. After freezing the cake over night, I
sculpted the hind legs and face and did a bit of of general sculpting
until I had the cat shape I wanted. I rough iced everything. Then using
a #233 tip, I piped "hair" on to the cat in three colors. I made the
eyes, nose, and mouth along with the ball of yarn from fondant. I was
very happy with the end result as was Miss Miriam. :)

M & E's Birthday Party

danielle — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:20:24 -0400

Since their birthday was on a Saturday this year, we actually had the
party the same day. Evan wanted a Toy Story theme and Miriam is all about
Kitties this years, so that is what we did for the theme. It was a nice
(if hot) day, and we were able to be outside. We had grilled hotdogs and
hamburgers, lots of sides, and, of course, cake and homemade ice cream.
There were lots of kids (and their parents) here and I think everyone
had a great time. I know Evan and Miriam did! Evan got a big stable
for his birthday, and Miriam got a big doll house. They both also
received new (to them) big kid bikes from Momma and Daddy. Miriam LOVES
hers and cried when she had to come in the first night! Evan got a Rex
(from Toy Story) from Grandpa George. And Miriam was SOOOO excited
about her Jessie doll (also from Toy Story) from Grandpa George.

Happy 5th Birthday, Miriam!!!

danielle — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:38:08 -0400

In so many ways it is hard to believe that my girlie is 5!! How in the
world is that possible?? She is so grown up these days, more and more
independent; more and more dependable. Such a joy and a treasure. And
still smart as a whip! She loves her siblings, her books, her movies,
and her animals. Her imagination grows daily and she is a great story
teller if a bit over dramatic. :) She is a great big sister and a
wonderful daughter. I can't wait to see who you will become Miss
Miriam!

Homeschooling Spring Update

danielle — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:12:01 -0400

Well, I have decided that the standard school year schedule isn't the best for our family, and since we homeschool... well, we can adjust it! :) We did school from January through April. How we are taking May and June off while the weather is so nice and I have lots of outdoor stuff to get done. (Planting garden, clearing beds, tending fruit, trimming things, etc, etc) I plan to do a summer session starting in mid July when it gets so unbearably hot here. We'll do 6 weeks or so and then take off for 6 weeks or so when things cool off again in mid-late September. This way the kids and I can really enjoy the wonderful weather in the spring and fall.

Right before we started our break at the start of May, Miriam had wrapped up 14 units of the My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum. In the last 3-4 weeks I saw a real jump in her concentration and in her writing which is her weakest area. I believe we can now work at the speed of one unit per week instead of stretching it over 2 weeks. If we do this, I hope to get through 5-6 units this summer. This would leave us 7-8 units to finish this fall. My tenative plan is to finish Kindergarten by Christmas, and to start 1st grade in the new year. At that time I will also decide if Evan is ready to formally start My Father's World Kindergarten. I know he will certainly not be ready before then as he is a (fairly) typical boy and is maturing slower then Miriam has in concentration level and fine motor skills. The fall will also be busier for us as I have joined a local co-op and hope to inrole both Miriam and Evan in classes one day a week. I am very excited about this and can't wait.

While we are "taking a break" from school we are hardly not doing any learning. :) The kids have been playing online educational games a lot as well as their piano program. They have been watching educational videos on interesting subjects they learned about this last winter. We still go to the library story time almost weekly and plan to do the summer reading program. And speaking of reading... I'm reading chapter books to Miriam (well, all of them but the focus is Miriam). We have completed The Little House in the Big Woods, Charlotte's Web, My Father's Dragon, and Elmer and the Dragon. We will be reading the third and final book of the My Father's Dragon series then moving on to The Boxcar Children. We also have outings planned to the local children's museum and (hopefully) the zoo. So, yeah, we're busy. :)

The Tale of the Egg Cartons

danielle — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 22:52:53 -0400

Oh, NO we have a MONSTER in the MUDROOM!!! And it made a huge MESS of the egg cartons!!

Oh, look, it's just Katie. :)

Better pick up that mess girlie!

Boy is this hard work!!

Look, help is coming! Super Evan and Princess Miriam to the rescue!

Many hands make light work!

All done!

Spring has sprung ... and so have the kids!

danielle — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 22:39:42 -0400

Spring is here in our neck of the woods and the kids are outside as much as possible.

Here are some recent shots.