The WNC Nature Center

A couple of days ago we went with friends to the WNC Nature Center. We had such a great time! The weather was beautiful and the Nature Center has made some updates since our last visit. I purchased an annual pass, so we will have a lot more visits in the near future. 

I think Everett and Eleanor were checking out the wolf exhibit in this photo. 

 A very happy Hampton.

 7 children on a tree stump! Baby Caleb was in his stroller. 

 Eleanor called this, "the Big Bad Wolf." 

 This may be one of my favorite pictures of these two. 

 The children called this "Charlotte's Web." We had just finished the audiobook. 

 The closest we ever want to get to a bear!

 The children helping with farm chores. Sweeping, raking, hauling.....

 and shoveling "cow poop!"

 Two seconds after this photo was taken I thought it best to remove the heavy shovel out of Thatcher's grasp for fear of the other children's safety! Good call. 

 Our crew!

He Has Risen!

We had a lovely Easter this year. Everett told us it was his best Easter! It was full of focusing on the Reason for the celebration, themed-food, and Beatrix Potter themed gifts. A happy day was had by all. 

The Luck of the Irish

No holiday is complete in my book without a Pinterest inspired craft. So this year we made leprechauns and created the beards by painting with forks. Our St Patrick's day was also filled with lots of themed reading and re-visiting what we had learned about Saint Patrick from our study last year. A fun day!

Potty Training Thatcher

There is no doubt about it-Thatcher Reid is one strong willed child. He will let you know if he is not wanting to do something, like nobody's business. So once he approached the 3 year mark, I knew it was time to just go ahead and get this potty training thing done. I was definitely not looking forward to it! And he was very articulate that he was not wanting to do it either as he often states "I just wear diapers." But our pediatrician let me know he would more than likely never voluntarily want to initiate this process. So I purchased a new potty, a bag of candy and prayed. The first few days he just held it until nap. At this point, a couple weeks later he has some successes and many accidents. I just keep telling myself, "this is the last one!" Eric and I have changed diapers for nearly 8 years now. That is amazing! He will get it.