Ryvre

Oh goodness, my son is becoming a young man.  Not literally, this very second, but the signs are clear.  And the times i spend with him, away from the girls, make it even more obvious.

He's always had his own interests and opinions, but everything he does and says is so very him these days.  His number one aspiration is to become a conservationist.  He's so intelligent that even the most oblivious adults rarely talk down to him anymore.  He's so tall that the top of his head reaches my shoulder when we stand side-by-side.  He'll still hold my hand like a little boy, but he hardly looks like a child beside me.  He is my constant helper; when he's not keeping the peace between his sisters, he is carrying groceries or choosing the best gift for a relative (something he's very intuitive about), or reminding me of everyone's favorite snacks.  The girls will help with these things too, but Ryvre simply knows what needs to be done, and does it without comment. 

He will be 9 in 22 days.  Nine. 

When he was born, many people told me he would grow up fast.  They weren't kidding.

 Pulling up in his crib at 8 months (he walked about a week later), with a diaper on his head.

Age 4, at the pumpkin patch

Last week, at Roaring River

Just a Hint

I don't want to say too much before things are official, but we are in the process of buying a house, and the yard has tons of these:

With the help of my facebook friends, i learned that it is Hibiscus syriacus, aka: Rose of Sharon.  It's the national flower of South Korea, and was first cultivated over 1,400 years ago.

Fluffy

Goodbye Fluffy Orangie-Kitty. Your time here was brief, but you were loved.

Roaring River

We had the *ahem* pleasure of a long car ride to meet with a realtor today, so we made the most of it but visiting Roaring River.

More Photos by Willow

Woodland Hike

There is one thing we love about where we live currently: the woods at our back.

Moving and the Greek Gods

Things are moving right along with our unschooling, but i haven't been documenting much beyond keeping a basic log for subjects and hours--we are in major flux right now, emotionally and financially as we prepare ourselves for and attempt to buy another house.  I won't get into it much; it's a very complicated process, as anyone who has done it knows well.  We are still doing our thing though; still learning and teaching each other and doing our best to have fun despite worries over outside things.

Ryvre has been reading to the girls a lot these days; he's helping Ember sound out words and read entire books that way.  He is so very patient and lovable.  He's also quizzing the girls on Greek mythology, which he has taken upon himself to teach them after reading the Percy Jackson books and other assorted nonfictions on the subject.

I think we're going to try this soon.