2019 – Elizabeth Hafner

William | First Grade

May 3, 2019April 22, 2019Tagged 2019, co-op, first grade, homeschool, school, WilliamLeave a comment

I used to be really good at taking milestone photos of the boys when they were younger. Like for birthdays and all that. Usually they are just iPhone photos but I wanted to get back to it so I made a point to do “school” photos of William this year.

William at age 7, the first grade.

This year we’ve focused on Math and Reading mostly. We do a lot of reading aloud together. Pretty soon I know he’ll be doing a lot of the read aloud! We did a space unit and then science and art with our co-op group. This year has been all about Texas history. We tried some Marine Biology but may need to wait another year on that. We’ve also picked up chalk pastels and try to practice weekly. We’re getting better!

I am already thinking about homeschool year 3! It’ll be 2nd grade. Lucas will do another year of preschool and then Lord willing join us in 2020 for his kindergarten year. That’s so crazy to even think about!

Homeschool has been a year by year, well really a week by week decision. I love the flexibility it gives us both in our schedules and in what William is interested in learning. We go at his pace and I try to give him a voice as much as possible with what we learn and how.

It’s not an easy task to homeschool. I pray a lot and seek advice from trusted friends who have gone before me. I know I couldn’t do it without my community of mama friends!

Baby Boy Pace on the Way!

May 1, 2019April 22, 2019Tagged 2019, baby, Buda, family, Katherine, March, maternity, Pace, Sofia, spring, Texas2 Comments

Eek! My sister is having a boy! My boys are very excited about this. 🙂

This little bit was hard to capture. She wanted nothing to do with standing still or smiling for the camera. Lots of action shots!

Isn’t she a pretty mama?

Sofia is 5!

April 29, 2019April 22, 2019Tagged 2019, birthday, five, March, Sofia, springLeave a comment

Sofia turned 5 in March! I did a little family/maternity/5 year session with them one evening….these are my favorites of Sofia.

March Into Spring | 3.30.2019

April 21, 2019Tagged 2019, Castroville, children, cousins, family, flowers, March, poppies, road trip, spring, TexasLeave a comment

March was a busy month for us. It seemed really long but ended quickly. It’s a fun month of birthdays and Spring Break so we stayed busy but managed to squeeze in our annual trip to see the poppys. It was the last weekend of March and they were still impressive. It’s always a highlight to our spring to these beauties and spend time with family.

William Turns 7 | 3.8.2019

March 18, 2019March 15, 2019Tagged 2019, BBQ, birthday, cupcake, family, gifts, lego, March, saltlick, seven, spring, Texas, William1 Comment

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William was very excited about being 7. I keep trying to tell him that he’s not allowed to grow any older but I think it’s getting old. I miss my baby days sometimes but watching this kid grow, learn and become his own person is a wonderful experience as well.

His last night as a 6 year old.

I try to have some kind of decoration to greet them when they wake up. We’ve done streamers on the door, piles of balloons in their room or right outside the door. This year I went with a big 7 on the wall.

Breakfast and a present to start the day. A LEGO kit of course.

My mom meeting fell on his birthday so we picked up donuts to share with his study hall friends, forgot to get a photo of that but all the kids enjoyed celebrating with him.

This big kid can make scrambled eggs all by himself these days!

He chose one of his favorites, The Salt Lick for dinner. We were all pretty happy with his choice.

Since we were having his birthday cake on Sunday for his party, I stopped at a local bakery for a few cupcakes so we could celebrate after dinner. We couldn’t light all the candles with the wind but he managed to beat the wind to two of them.

Then we surprised him with his first movie theater experience to see the second LEGO movie. James said this was his face pretty much the whole time but he loved it.

William, I hope you always know how much I love you. It seems like these 7 years have gone by much too quickly and I wish I could slow down time to savor each and every second. You are becoming such an awesome kid. I love your imagination, creativity, eagerness to learn (in your own style), your observations of the world and inquisitiveness. Never loose your curiosity. I pray for you everyday that you would use your gifts to glorify the Lord. I am your biggest fan. ~Mom

Current favorites: LEGOs, Puppy Dog, bike rides, walks, the park, art, Co-Op days, reading books, iPad time

Food: Oatmeal, pretzels, chips, mac n’cheese with tuna, Italian Wedding Soup, cinnamon applesauce, pizza, cheeseburgers, seaweed, waffles, pancakes, cupcakes, donuts

What do you want to do when you grow up? Be the first rock star on Mars

LBJ State Park and Historic Site | 3.1.2019

March 6, 2019March 14, 2019Tagged 2019, family, field trip, homeschool, johnson city, lbj, Lucas, March, nature, ranch, stonewall, Texas, wildandfree, wildexplorer, WilliamLeave a comment

On March 1 we joined some homeschool friends in Stonewall near Johnson City to explore the LBJ State Park and Ranch. I think the last time I had visited was back in my own homeschooling days with my siblings and Aunt Virginia. I still remember posing by LBJ’s statue with her, all of us pointing our fingers. I need to see if I can dig up the original print.

Anyway, I enjoyed being able to take the boys out there to see and experience this amazing space of Texas. I don’t remember a whole lot from the previous visit so I was almost seeing it for the first time as well.

We spent most of our time at the Sauer-Beckmann Farm seeing what rural life was like in the early 1900s. I liked how they had the dining room in the breezeway between the main house and the kitchen.

The all important front porch and swing which a few of the boys really enjoyed.

We got to see the sweetest cow, a newly birthed lamb, horses, a large pig, a turkey and some chickens. It’s a living history farm so park rangers are dressed in period clothing tending the farm, eating lunch and taking care of the land.

There is also a herd of bison on the property but they were in a pasture farther away so we didn’t get a close up look unless you count this statue.

Visiting the ranch can fill an entire day with seeing the farm, exploring trails and then driving to the other side of the river to see Johnson’s birthplace, the Texas White House and family cemetery. I have another post coming with a few more photos that I grabbed on my phone.