Kristi says...

Well, our family (3/4 of it anyway) has become addicted to reading.

Troy is hooked on a few different authors: W.E.B. Griffin, Vince Flynn, Ted Bell, Michael Connelly, and Daniel Silva are the ones who come to mind. I should know, I make a trip every week or two to the library where I pick up the lastest few he has ordered in.

Stacy loves reading the American Girl books, Magic Treehouse, and any other chapter book she can get her hands on. Of course she owns every shark book out there. And if nothing else catches her eye, she can be found reading (okay, this isn't exactly 4th grade reading material...) the Darwin Awards. She loves reading and sharing stories about the stupid things stupid people do. Her favorite story is Pecka Fights Back, about a guy who kicks a bear (Pecka) in the you-know-what to find out if it's a boy-bear or a girl-bear. Turns out, it's a boy-bear, and hence the title, he isn't happy about the aforementioned kicking (By the way, Darwin Awards are given to stupid people who take themselves out of the gene-pool (die) by doing stupid, stupid things). Like I said, not exactly 4th grade reading material, but I think it's important to let our kids read what THEY want to read (within reason), so they'll continue to enjoy reading.

Kristi gets hooked on certain books, too. Um... that might be an understatement. Right now I'm reading (again) the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Actually, I am reading book one and listening to book 3 on CD when I clean, cook, take Claire for a walk, or anything else that keeps me busy. It's hard to find time to just sit and read (that wasn't the case the first time I read all three books in 2-1/2 days... I'm still recovering from that one... thanks a lot, Kimi). My sister, Kimi, and I are both addicts, and my youngest sister won't join the club. She's just being a stubborn little stinker. Oh well, she's missing out. I also LOVE books by Debbie Macomber.

Kevin likes to read... not so much. It's not that he doesn't read, it's just that he would much rather be doing something else. He doesn't care so much for chapter books. He does, however, like to read books by Pat McManus (an outdoor, adventure, comedic writer), and magazines about hunting and skiing. His favorite book, I think, is one written by his Uncle Scott. It is a chapter book. I'm thinking of taking up writing, since he likes books written by family members... NOT! He also likes to read science encyclopedias. He doesn't have a great "reading attention span", as Troy puts it. He likes short stories and articles, instead of chapter books. Like I said before, we try to let our kids pick their own reading material, but sometimes we need to put certain books in front of him and hope he gets interested.

Stacy says...

My best friend is my puppy, Claire. She is pretty much my favorite sibling. She thinks she is a human kid. It is really funny when I play my recorder, she sings with me (either she's singing or whining because the recorder squeaks and it may hurt her ears... we can't tell). We have had Claire for 6 months now. I am her favorite, except for Mom, Kevin and Dad. We're all tied for 1st place.

Now about skiing... We bought my skis, boots and poles last weekend. They are bright red and blue. My favorite thing about skiing is when I go down "Country Road" (a hill at Bluewood), and I make it all the way down the hill without crashing!

I have an iPod. My favorite songs are: Move Along, I'm Gonna Be/500 Miles, Welcome to my Life, and It Ends Tonight.

I love homeschooling. My favorite subject is Science and American Girls History!

And now, a word from Kevin...

Right now, I am EXTREMELY obsessed with hunting and most importantly, skiing. All I can talk about is skiing. Last weeked, we went to the ski-swap and bought poles and skis for me. I already had some gnarly boots that we bought at the end of last season. So look for me out of the slopes. Keep your eyes open, because if you blink, you'll miss me. They call me "bomber" because I bomb down the hill at top speed. I don't like turning... it only slows me down! And snow-plowing is for wussies, anyway (the picture above is of my first time skiing, and I didn't know the snow-plow/wussy rule yet)!

Here is a picture of me with my first kill! Actually it is my 5th kill (I shot 4 rabbits previously), but it was my first hunt, and a day I will never forget!

But now I need to get back to playing video games with my sister! May the force be with you.

Homeschooling is fun...

Well, we have been homeschooling for almost 3 months now. And boy has it been a learning experience (on many levels)!

The kids both had to do a lot of review in math to catch up. Two weeks ago, Stacy started 4th grade math, and is working hard everyday. Kevin is working on 4th grade math too, and is working hard in hopes of getting up to 6th grade where he needs to be.

Both kids attend a homeschool program in Kennewick three days a week. On Monday they go from 8:30-2:30. Stacy has Piano, American Girls History, Recorder, Art, and P.E. Kevin has Piano, History, Newspaper/Yearbook, Art, and P.E. On Tuesday and Thursday they have shorter days, with only Washington State History/Writing and Science. The only class they have together is P.E. They also have lunch and recess at school two days a week. They have both made many new friends and love going everyday. It used to be that their favorite part of each schoolday was lunch or recess. Now they can't decide whether it is history... science... American girls... art... So many great classes to choose from.

Some people would not agree that we are a homeschooling family because they kids are enrolled in Kennewick School District and they attend part time there. I only teach them math and language arts (grammar, penmanship, spelling, reading). We consider ourselves homeschoolers with a little outside help. Without the MCP program (where they attend) I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be having much fun around here!

So that's what we're up to.

Welcome to our blog...

Hi Everyone!

We have converted to the world of blogging.
My sisters say it is addicting, so I guess we'll see how often our blog changes
Maybe this will be a good way of keeping all of you up to date with our busy lives!

Check out the Bairs in Yellowstone!