What is this???

Even cleaning the car can be a learning experience....

Noah spotted this little green critter on the car and grabbed the camera.... now we are off to identify the species online, being grateful for the resources available on the internet to find the name of this green guy.

Lemons

Noah grabbed the ladder and helped harvest some fresh lemons from our tree. We are so spoiled having fresh lemons available anytime for anything we want... Especially considering this Mamma's completely black thumb.

The beginning of the end

Our time in Monterey is drawing to a close. We have always known that our time here was finite, and now we begin the count down to the move. This means the last of many things, the end of many activities, and the saying of good byes to dear friends.
This past week, we had our first of the last. Classical Conversation, our homeschool community group, held is year end celebration. We have been part of this group for three wonderful and challenging years, and Tuesday marked the end. Lukas and Noah along with their many CC friends showed off some of the many skills they have mastered throughout the year, and both were recognized for their Memory Master Achievement. Well done, boys!

Memory Masters

At the end of each year in Classical Conversation, the students have a chance to show off their learning for a special recognition as Memory Masters. This means the student has mastered ALL the facts taught throughout the year, and can recite these facts in a smooth, fluid and rapid fashion. To achieve Memory Master status, the student has to pass three rigorous test, reciting each and every fact accurately, before the final testing by the Director of the program.
Lukas and Noah have worked hard on this challenge and have studied diligently. This was Noah's second year to achieve Memory Master recognition and Lukas' third year.
The pictures show how relieved and excited they were to be done. 
Although Memory Master is a great achievement, the larger and more important achievement is the actual mastery of the facts, things that will help the boys as they progress in their education.

Surfing

The weather here on the Central Coast of California is pretty consistent, the temperature swing is minimal and we rarely experience either extreme cold or oppressive heat. The only thing that is a bit unpredictable is the amount of sunshine, given the close proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean, the warmer it gets inland the more fog we see here at the coast line. Yet, the inland temperatures are not rising too quickly this spring, so we are experiencing amazing weather, clear blue sky, slight breeze and bright sunshine. Since we often have fog, we take advantage of these opportunities as often as we can. This week we headed to the beach to surf. The boys donned wetsuits and off we went.  Moms were bundled up to keep warm, the chilly ocean breeze requires a fleece jacket, but the sun was shining, the waves were perfect for some body surfing and there is plenty of sand to dig and dig and dig and dig and dig in.

And how to remove all that sand... the best solution is a good old fashion water fight, and we got the sheet mulching watered at the same time - a two fer...

Babies

April means seal pups and there is a large rockery right here in Pacific Grove. The boys and I stopped by to see the brand new pups and their mothers. Each day, there are more new pups born, one day we saw a 15 minute old pup, but the camera was not with us. These photos are of pups that are about 3 days old.

Chef Noah

Although Bob is usually the one in charge of cooked breakfasts in our household, Noah is quickly inching into his territory. He whipped up a Dutch Baby, and even cleaned up the kitchen afterwards!