Homeschooling

I belong to a group of women known as homeschool moms. I have yet to figure out what all that entails, but I'm committed to what I feel God has called me to do. Most days I love it, but some days are hard, not because of the actual school part, but because I have two other little tots who require lots of attention when I'd like to be able to give all of it to Levi during school time. Oh well, it's the great juggle of life.

I am having fun and learning right alongside Levi. As I teach him phonics and he begins reading, I am actually learning rules that I didn't know or had completely forgotten about. It's amazing that anyone learns how to read at all with all the exceptions to the rule there are out there! But Levi is learning! And it is such a thrill to watch him "get it." He has just started to read short sentences and watching him sound them out is similar to playing Mad Gab. Levi sounds out the words slowly and is actually saying the word, but doesn't hear it until he's said it a few times, getting faster and faster each time. But when he "gets it" and realizes that he has just read a whole complete thought, he gets the biggest smile on his face and is so excited. I think the big hit on Friday was,"Bill drives a red van." He probably said the sentence 5 or 6 times before he truly realized what he was saying and then he looked up at me and said it all together with a big grin, dimples and all. It is moments like that when God affirms His call on me to keep my kids home and brings encouragement through their little faces.

Let the Good Times Roll!

Oh how I love, love, love this time of year! Cookies to bake, ornaments to make, crafts to complete, and memories to make! And all in anticipation of Jesus's birthday! It is a time of year when it it very obvious why Jesus said "Let the little children come to me,...for such is the kingdom of heaven." They are so excited about every little thing from the lights on the tree, to the advent calendar that marks the days until Christmas! I enjoy watching their faces light up over the simplest things. We headed down to the Fayetteville square Friday night and they were so excited about all the lights. As if the thousands of lights were not enough, there were camel rides (that's right-I said camel) and little ponies, and horse drawn carriages! To a 5 year old that's about as thrilling as it gets!

We have been very busy doing all the fun things that come with this time of year ( I wish there was a way to spread some of it out throughout the year). We've made paper snowflakes and decorated them - with glitter of course. We've made edible (yummy, yummy) sugar cone Christmas trees. We've made cookies, and ornaments, and colored pictures, and felt snowflakes, and drank hot cider, and told lots of stories about the true meaning of Christmas. There is just something so special about the family togetherness that we enjoy this time of year. I hope that my kids will remember all the fun things that we do and someday pass those on to their children.

Little leg squeezes

Lilly is a big fan of running up to me and squeezing my leg at random times of the day. I could be feeding Isabelle, going through the mail, doing some school work with Levi, or cooking dinner. She just runs at full speed into my leg and squeezes. It is the easiest way for her to hug me at her level. I have been in the habit of patting her head half-heartedly and not really paying much attention to it, probably because it happens so frequently during the day. But a few days ago, as I felt those little arms embrace me, the Lord gave me pause. Some day, I won't have this little girl squeezing my leg throughout the day. The days when she may not want to hug me will be here before I know it. Those awkward teenage years when she sees every little problem like the end of the world and thinks I don't know anything are really not that far away. At 3 years old she is displaying this incredible gift of showing love and affection. Am I returning it? Am I encouraging it? Or am I being so apathetic to her displays of love that one day she will become discouraged enough to stop all together? These thoughts stopped me cold. I reached down to my middle child and scooper her up in my arms. "I love you to pieces," I told her as I squeezed her tight. That was just one little moment in a day full of many "leg squeezes" that come throughout the busy day. I hope and pray that I don't forget that moment and learn to treasure and encourage those times no matter what is on my to-do list! I won't ever get those little hugs back, so today (and every day I hope) I will choose to not ignore them but to stop and welcome them!

Blessed Vacation

Well, we are traveling back from a wonderful trip to South Dakota! I am so thankful to my husband for letting us travel up there to be refreshed by such great friends! We had a great time! But why, always on trips, to kids get sick? Lillian got a cold which turned into conjunctivitis and had to go on antibiotic drops, Levi ruptured a blood vessel in his eye and that got Lilly's junk so he also had to go on eye drops, and Izzy got a terrible cold that it made it impossible for her to sleep so she was up every 2 hours in the night! We got ourselves all out of wack! My new phrase is, "It's all for my sanctification!" Despite all that stuff, we really did enjoy ourselves. I love seeing my kids play so well with their friends even after 6 months of being apart. They have so much joy in their little hearts and are so pleased with the small things in life. It does my soul good to get away from the obligations of home and watch my kids and remember that I can never get this time back so I better enjoy every minute! Besides just having time to love on and be loved on by really good friends, that is the biggest thing I walked away from on this trip. My kids are only this little for a short time. My kids will never be this little again and I want to treasure it and not hurry through it. They are a delight to observe and I am blessed to be their mom!

Happy Birthday Levi

Today is Levi's 5th birthday and it blows me away how fast the last five years have gone by. From what I've been told it only gets worse as your kids get older, but if feels like I was holding him as a tiny baby in my arms, I blinked, and now here he is 5 years old! I am so proud of him! He is a crazy guy, full of energy but also has a very sensitive, gentle side. Since we have chosen to homeschool him, I get the privilege of being right by his side as he learns and am amazed at how smart he is! And so funny! I spent 2 days making this birthday cake for him (having a good time of course) and last night he took one bite and said, "Mom, I don't really like my cake." Once again, I just have to laugh! He had a much better time eating the candy off of the top! I am reminded today as we are making a big deal for Levi, how important it is to praise our kids!!! Emphasize the positive! "I love you; I am so proud of you; I am so thankful that God chose us to be your parents; You are such a great big brother!" The list could go on and on. We do not have a hard time picking out the wrong things that our kids do - we discipline all the time! But commenting on the positive seems more difficult for some reason. But today, as we celebrate 5 years with Levi, I am reminded to use my words with my kids to "spur one another on towards love and good deeds."

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh!

Having three kids can sometimes lead to stressful situations. At times I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I am trying to learn to choose laughter! There are many moments where kids just make it easier. I was watching two of my friend's boys today which is often less stressful than just having your own kids because they play so well together. Things had been going really well and all the kids were playing out in the backyard when I suddenly realized the time and that we all had to hurry and eat to get Levi to soccer on time. I rushed to make sandwiches while Izzy-bell was screaming to eat and rush to open the back door and yell out to the kids to come eat. What do I find when I open the door? One of the boys I'm watching is standing on the stool to get up to the trampoline with his pants and underwear down to his knees, taking a pee in my backyard. Then his brother informs me that he has lost a shoe up on our roof all the while Izzy is screaming to eat and Levi and Lilly are also trying to tell me about the game they just played. I have no other choice but to laugh for if I don't find the humor I will begin to cry at the stress. If laughter is truly the best medicine, small children are full of healing powers!!!

Cool, cloudy Sunday

We have been blessed with a day of rest! We try to find moments of rest during the week (notice I say try) but have yet to really set aside a full day of rest and today the Lord blessed us with one! I guess He knew we needed it! I know that no matter what age you are or what stage of life you are in, there will always be times when life seems particularly crazy. That seems to be especially true for us right now and it feels like a breath of fresh air to have a Sunday where our time is not divvied out to different obligations. Don't get me wrong, we love the things that we are involved in, but even when you enjoy the things you are a part of, sometimes a break is needed! So today we are taking time to relax, enjoy the cool weather, work on some house projects that we don't normally have time to work on, and just be together as a family without our to-do list dictating our day. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Try, try again

Well, I attempted to keep up with a blog a few years ago and it did not work out so well. But, I am going to try again! So, here we go. Between homeschooling Levi, keeping up with Lillian, and figuring out Isabelle's schedule as well as keeping up with the house-cooking and cleaning and such-we will see if I can keep up with this. I figure it's a good way to pass along fun stories and family info to all of our extended family and friends! Have some grace with me as I get started!