We have had so little snow this winter! There has been snow a couple other times here in Spokane, but both those times we were in Calgary. My girls have only been sledding once this winter. It's kind of crazy, but I'm really not complaining about the sun that has been shining this week. Even so, when the snow fell last week, we had to get out and enjoy it. I shoveled the walk (a task I actually like so long as it's not too often) and Maeve laid in the sled completely expressionless while her sisters pulled her around. Holly could spend hours wandering around and playing in the snow. Hopefully we get a little bit more snow later this season!

Happy Halloween! I love dressing my kids up for Halloween. It's a lot of fun! Greta is a nutcracker, but perhaps looks more like a circus ringmaster. And Holly is a native American. For photos, Maeve was first a butterfly because she has flat out refused the necklace and hat for her costume. But, she was so pliable with a sucker in her mouth that I decided to try it and she allowed me to dress her! Very exciting! I made Holly's dress, embellished Greta's and I made everything for Maeve besides the green jammies. 

Conor had just gotten home earlier in the day (he spent a week in Chicago!) that I took photos and all Maeve wanted was him! So cute. Love how everyone looks and we are already dreaming up costumes for next year, as we do!

For our church's trunk or treat, Conor was an off-duty cop (that mustache!) and I was a lumber Jill.

A couple photos of some good moments this past week homeschooling. It's a total grind and totally worth it. I'm definitely a student of balance right now. Trying to figure it all out. As a homeschool parent, it's always really interesting to hear what people have to say about homeschooling. Often I prefer for them to not say anything because sometimes it's really judgmental. One thing someone said to me yesterday was that she feels sorry for the younger kids (toddlers, preschoolers) in homeschool families. And I was kind of like, yes and no. My Maeve gets to see so much of her sisters and be so involved in their lives. And she gets so much less time with kiddos her age. I try to remember that what is really happening when people offer their thoughts on homeschooling is they are often running through a pro and con list of what it would look like if they homeschooled themselves. Unfortunately it sounds more like I'm being analyzed... Anyways... there's lots of reasons why I homeschool. And one of them is that I'm prioritizing sister relationships over friendships with other children. Every family looks so different and has different needs and wants. I really truly believe that there is no one right way for everyone. What I need to work on is not taking people's thoughts about homeschooling as criticism. 

Anyways... back to my cute kids! I pulled out playdough for Maeve this week. Big win! And then there was this little scene of my girls reading while eating their lunches. So awesome! Another reason why I homeschool... my kids have more time to read for pleasure.

It's so infrequent that I do something creative just for the hey of it. I need more of that in my life. This past Sunday, I took some portraits of my daughters. It's no easy exercise and I really try hard not to be monster mom when I'm taking pics of my kids. Totally not my strength to be cool and fun. But, I got them making funny faces and all sorts of expressions and in between those, I captured some sweet pictures of them. Obviously the baby was the hardest to take pictures of. She found a button and insisted on putting it in her mouth. Oh man... 

The days are long but the years are short. 

We had our first week of school last week and it went great! I like homeschooling my girls, although I won't lie, I'm tired! Our first day was a little crazy, but that's what I expected. We had a great start! Next week Holly and Greta start classes twice a week in the afternoon. I think that will be the perfect addition to our week. Maeve is in these photos because she plays a very active part in our homeschool ;)

And the living room... I may never had a tidy and clean house ever again. 

Homeschooling feels really right for my daughters this year. It's so much work so it's really important for me to have this assurance. Here we go!