1st Time Camping with the Kids!!

Ben's family decided to go camping and invited us. As crazy as it was, I said yes to camping alone with 4 kids because they have never been before! It was a refreshing time away from technology and time well spent in nature and the with the family. We missed Ben enjoying it with us, were mighty cold during the night, and got lost on the way home, but it was worth the trip because the kids love the outdoors!! 

Stretching his legs at a pit stop on the way to the campsite!

Pinterest hack camping baby crib with a happy baby! 

Graysen exploring! 

The girls fishing!

Nolan and Aunt Jo fishing! 

A happy camper! :) 

Baby wearing in the woods!

Alivia exploring! 

Alivia trying her hand at fishing! 

Trying to start a fire with Aunt Becca for Smores!

Smore Time! 

Selfie with the littles! 

Might be his favorite time of the whole trip! :) 

Another selfie with Eliyanah in the wonderful woods!

Blowing out the fire on his marshmallow! 

Cheesing it up and loving the treats! :) 

Enjoying the fire and smores. It was a cold night! 

We got to paddle boat for the first time. 

Graysen getting ready to paddle boat with aunt Amy and Uncle Allan. 

{Read the World Summer Book Club- Week 5} Silent Music: Middle East!!

Reading about the Middle East was a good eye-opening opportunity for my kids. It was another chance to step into other's shoes and see that we are richly blessed, both materialistically and educationally! The highlight of my week was when we watched Reading Rainbow's Egypt's Pyramids and Mummies and it totally brought me back to my childhood and the kids enjoyed it. :) 

This book talked about how a foreigner was adapting to a new school in the United States and how she discovered that she was different but much alike the other students in her new class.  

Silent Music talked the ancient handwriting method of calligraphy. During a bombing, Ali drowned out the sound with his handwriting.  

The kids enjoyed learning about pyramids and ancient Egypt!! 

Showed Egyptian art through a story, one classic and popular Egyptian piece were little clay hippos. 

Similar story to Cinderella, Egyptian style! :) 

This book allowed for Alivia and Nolan to understand that not all kids have access to school. Nasreen's grandma brought her into a secret school every day to learn. We thought this was a wonderful book and it is based on a true story! 

This book refers to a refugee camp and how two girls became friends because they each grabbed one sandal from the relief worker's donations. They came up with a plan to share the sandals and take turns wearing them because what good was it to only wear one shoe. It talks about daily life on a refugee camp and how families wait their turn to move to America. 

This story was inspired by the famous Rumi's poem and brings the idea of the poem to life. It is a lesson on not assuming things based on part of a story. It was cute. 

The kids tried their hand at Arabic counting.