13 hours until..SUMMER SCHOOL :)

I am so excited for tomorrow! I love the excitement and anticipation of the first day of school. So many hopes, dreams, goals, and challenges lie ahead of us. I am excited to take my kids hands and jump into the unknown!

The classroom, organized and ready for three amazing students to timidly step in and grow abundantly in knowledge, character, faith, and the bonds of family.

Joshua's place is set with long division, Miquon math, and his handbook to record all of his reading adventures.

Asher will sit down and find his abacus, addition, subtraction, Explode the Code book 4, and his own handbook to record all the books he will read this summer.

Pictures!!

I made Elliana some pink play-doh. She liked that idea :)

She just takes my breadth away!

We had a water balloon fight with our next door neighbors. This is a picture of the kids waiting to race off our deck and start soaking each other. Having great neighbors is such a blessing :)

We made a water slide in our backyard (a favorite summer activity at our house).

Elliana loves the color pink. So after much pleading I painted her room from yellow to pink. I think it turned out awesome! We also got her a big girl bed :)When you give two imaginative boys cardboard boxes and painters tape they will build something really cool!

6 Years and Counting

Today we finished our school year. Asher is now a 1st grader, Joshua a proud 4th grader and Elliana continues to cruise through Pre-K. It has been a wonderful year and I am excited to start the next journey. Next years books have been ordered and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Fed Ex man.

I can't believe that this concludes our sixth year of homeschooling. It has been an amazing adventure. I never thought that I would homeschool. Now I can't imagine doing anything else. I am very blessed to not only be their mom, but their teacher as well.

I have been thinking about the typical school year for kids in the United States. The more I think about it the more it bothers me. Kids spend 9 months in school and 3 months doing nothing. So for 1/4 of the year they are not pushing forward in their education. In fact they are falling behind. Teachers know that they have to go back and reteach and review when the next school year begins. I am determined to forgo this back pedaling.

During the summer my kids will be doing an abbreviated form of school. They will have no problem getting their work done before heading outside to play. We will be focusing on math, Spanish, reading, and spelling. Other subjects will be brought in as well.

We have a lot of non-school related activities planned as well. I have no doubt that we will spend many hours on bike rides and at the pool. And just about every weekend is booked with some sort of family activity.

I promise to post pictures when I have the chance. The kids are keeping me pretty busy right now and we will soon be getting an addition to our household....no not a baby...a kitten :)

Ups and Downs

Life throws you all kinds of ups and downs and how we deal with them shows our character. My character has been tested quite a bit this last week. About a week ago I started getting a cold. That isn't a bad thing really, just normal life happenings. Well then it got worse, and worse, and then just plain awful. Every morning I expected to wake up a bit better. Every morning I reached a new level of horrid.

So on Sunday I grabbed the two youngest kids and drove to the doctor (as you know moms rarely do anything alone). Asher and Elliana were so well behaved during this two hour event (I saw the doctor for less than 2 minutes..). I was told that I had bronchitis, a swollen throat and fluid in one of my ears. The entire time the doctor is talking I am just thinking "you better give me some kind of antibiotic, I am not waiting this thing out!".

Thank you Lord a million times over, she did give me an antibiotic!!! But that takes at least 24 hours to set in. So I spent all of Sunday on the couch. I kid you not, I spent ALL of Sunday on the couch. When my darling daughter ripped off my covers and declared it was time to play, I spent more time than I had the energy for convincing her to go attack her father. It worked and I slept.

But today is a new day!!! I am starting to feel at least a little bit like my normal self. Which meant of course that I hit the gym this morning :)

I left out a minor detail in my failing health. I had been sick for three days and I couldn't take it any longer (being inactive). So I went to the gym on Saturday morning thinking I would just do a swim. Well, you all know me..I ended up doing a 2500 meter swim, 16 mile road bike ride and a 5K. I was done by 9 am and I was feeling so proud of myself. I mean I was sick and I did an entire triathlon!

You may all be seeing the error of my ways... two hours later I was on the couch entering the last downward spiral that led to my impromptu doctors appointment the next morning. But I have to say, I would do it all over again. It was a GREAT morning :) I know you all think I am crazy. But really it is what I call "freakin awesome" :)

So that is how I spent the last week. Getting sick, doing a triathlon, getting sicker, and now returning to my normal self :)

Here are a few pictures of my beautiful daughter:)

My Elliana Helen's feet, I just adore her little feet.

Ben in Elliana's baby bed.

Elliana helping me bake..

She mixes with a vengeance :)

Great Words on Bullying

Wounded Spirits: How to Stop the Bullying by Ann Voskamp.