Red Radioactive Lightning

Carson and Henry were part of a Junior First Lego League team this fall. They joined brothers Jordan and Elan (who are also homeschooled) to make up "Red Radioactive Lightning". We spent Saturday at Legoland in Carlsbad where the boys presented their model at the JrFLL Expo.
The theme for this year's challenge was 'Smart Moves'- the boys had to come up with an item and research how it is transported. After much lively discussion, the boys chose to learn about land mines. Their model consisted of a field of land mines and a vehicle which can lay down or remove the mines. They also had larger scale mine models and a few causalities as only lego people can have. (I must say it was one of the most 'boy' projects at the expo- as opposed to the transportation of things like soccer balls or pencils.)


A reviewer came to each team (there were about 35 teams here) and asked them lots of good questions about the model and their research on the poster. The boys did an awesome job! At the end of the morning, there was an award ceremony where the boys received certificates and ribbons.
And of course, there were a few rides to enjoy too.

Natalie's First Lost Tooth

It was a long time coming (and very terrifying when her tooth first began getting loose) but Natalie officially lost her first tooth on Jan 5th. Gram and Gramps were even here to share the joy. I'm happy to report the tooth fairy was quick to arrive on the scene in this situation (hasn't been the case for her brothers' last few teeth.)

Happy 7th Birthday Henry!

Henry turned 7 years old Wednesday Jan 27th. We went out to Denny's for his grand slam breakfast, had cake with some neighborhood friends, and pizza (with rootbeer!) for dinner. He was very disappointed to have to do school on his birthday (he was quick to remember that we didn't for any of the other kids last year), but he survived and was excited to open presents.
His favorite gift this year was his very own baby Taylor guitar. He is already writing his own songs and playing by himself in his bedroom. We look forward to seeing how he progresses with a few lessons from Dad!Henry makes us happy! He is easy going and fun to be around. He can be very creative and gets wrapped up in imaginative play or building tree forts. He likes to play nerf gun battles and tag with the older kids, but he usually takes on the role of a spy and can be found sneaking around the edges of a room- especially in his night vision googles. We love you Henry!