Something really cute...

A few minutes ago Alex came downstairs and told me to come upstairs with him. The way he put it was, "Mommy, come upstairs. You'll want to take a picture because you're going to see something that's really cute!". Then he took off back upstairs. So I obligingly grabbed the camera and headed upstairs where I found several somethings really cute in my bed...

Paper Art

In our house, we go through lots and lots of paper. We let the kids use the paper from our computer, and it amazes me how soon I'm having to refill the printer paper because it disappears so fast. Our downstairs is cluttered with drawings and creations out of paper. And though I'm tired of the mess, I am certainly not tired of this amazing display of creativity.

Nathan's skills at drawing and cutting out have been improving quite a bit in recent weeks. He really watches Alex and has learned to make cuts in his drawings to allow for leg movement or for the mouth to open and close. His drawings are becoming more detailed and not just the same thing every time; he's actually creating things. This morning he made a dog with spots (similar to a dalmation) and attached a leash so he could walk it. It's so fun to watch children be creative! Alex is in the kitchen right now making a book about Winnie-the-Pooh. I hear him sounding out words as he attempts to add the story with his pictures. I can't wait to see the results!

He attached the black thing (see by the head) just before I took the picture. I asked him what it was and he informed me that it's dirt. Makes sense.

The Busy Life

Here I thought my life was already busy, but I guess I didn't know the half of it! Tonight, we began a new phase in our lives... sports. Nathan had his first Mini-Tee Ball practice. And next week, Alex starts his Tee Ball practices. I never realized how seriously these people take tee ball, but both boys practice two nights a week. Alex practices for one hour each night. Nathan practices for TWO hours each night. Yes, I did say two hours. Both happen on the same nights. Both happen during the same time frame. Both are at separate fields. What a crazy schedule we are going to have starting next week! And poor Amy. Her one activity also happens to fall on one of those nights. And since there are only two adults to cart them to these three different activities that all occur at the same time each at different locations, we will have to reschedule Amy's Little Gym.

Yes, life just got even busier...

Teaching a Child to Read

As a new home schooler this year, I just assumed that the Explode the Code phonics currriculum would be enough to teach Alex how to read. I do think it helps tremendously with the process, but it is meant to be more of a supplement. And since we started with the "Before the Code" series, we especially needed some extra help.

A fellow home schooler spoke of how much they love using 100 Easy Lessons. I made a mental note of this, and when I saw that someone had a used copy for sale at only $5, I jumped on it. We started the reading program early January and I am absolutely loving it. Both boys participate and really like it, too. Alex has reached a point where he can sound out simple words, and for some he simply sees the word and immediately says it. He enjoys trying to read anything and everything. We are only on Lesson 26 of the 100 lessons so he is a tad limited by what he can read, but I am so impressed with this reading program. Nathan is really picking up on it, too! I may need to work extra with him because he is falling behind Alex, but he is still learning a great deal.

I was worried that teaching reading was going to be one of my biggest and most pain-staking challenges regarding home schooling. But what a joy it is to teach a child to read!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

In April I'll turn 33 years old. Yes, I know that is not old. Of course it's not... But my heart (and sometimes my body) tell me otherwise. I'm not going through a mid-life crisis; I'm not upset over my age at all. My concern is over the quick passage of time and how I'm spending it.

Life keeps us so busy these days with home-schooling and all of our extracurricular activities, not to mention the day-to-day chores and unexpected tasks that come our way. I keep so busy, I don't always notice how very quickly my children are growing up. My oldest is almost 6 and my youngest, who I feel like should still be crawling around on the floor, is almost 2-1/2. How did it happen? I feel like I missed something. In fact, I am so terrible at journaling that in many ways, I have missed things. None of my children's baby books are filled out very well. Poor Amy - pretty much any milestone recordings I've ever made for her were done in this blog. And I often don't get around to blogging everything. My kids will someday come to me wanting to know details about their childhood, and the only information I'll be able to share will have to come from my memory. That pretty much means they won't be hearing many details!

I've had several reminders of late at how quickly life is passing. My nephew, who I can still remember as a baby and toddler, is now a senior in high school and will be graduating this year. And then this past weekend I went to Austin for a wedding. It was a wedding of a young woman who I babysat for many years. From the time she was about 4 until she was too old to be babysat (and I felt too old to be still babysitting), I was the prime babysitter for her and her little sister. And here I was, at her wedding. And during the reception, they flashed through picture after picture up on a large screen and I saw so many pictures of the little girl I remember from so long ago. And yet, it doesn't seem so long ago. Where did the time go? The picture below is of me with these two beautiful grown up women who are now the same height as me - maybe even taller! And though they remember me and all of the games we used to play together, they are not the same little girls anymore. Where did the time go?

I remember my dad telling me a long time ago when he and I were out on a walk that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to pass you by. At the time, either in high school or a freshman in college, this information didn't seem too important or all that believable for that matter. I was complaining about wanting a stressful week to be over and he was giving me the old "don't wish your life away" speech. But now, here I am, finally seeing what it was he was talking about. It really was a "don't wish your life away" speech, and that advice should be taken seriously. I can remember when the holidays at Christmas seemed to go on and on and on and I just couldn't wait for Christmas day. Now I want Christmas day to take it's time coming, because the holidays seem so short. Summers used to feel like they lasted forever, but now they go by in the blink of an eye. It's becoming difficult to remember what year we're in. I have to think about it every time I write the date. My dad was right. Where does the time go?

There is really not much I can do about the passing of time. I can't stop all of our activities so I can keep things a little slower... a little duller. I can't stop my children from growing up. But I do plan to take in every moment and try to enjoy this time that God has given me here with my loved ones. It is often so easy to wallow in self-pity when the days get difficult or I feel too overwhelmed by life's challenges. But why waste those precious moments in feelings of sadness or depression? No one knows how much time we have here on this Earth, and what time we do have goes so fast. Every minute we have should be treasured and used wisely.

So on that note, I think I have spent enough time sitting in here at my computer. Now it's time to spend memorable moments with my children!

Back Again!

Once again, my geranium has company...

Happy Valentine's Day!

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins... if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12

Today is a special day where we make an extra effort to show our loved ones how special they are to us. Of course, we should do this every day, but especially on this day. I used to be pretty good about sending cards to relatives and friends to let each of them know how much we love them. I even used to make my own cards! But times have changed and now I do good just to encourage and help the kids make cards for others. And this year we seem to have hit an all time low with the cards. I'm just hoping to get each of the kids to make their daddy a card before he gets home from work!

Despite our failure with greeting cards this year, I have tried to make today a little special for at least my own children. Thanks to a dear friend who loaned me two eggs this morning, I was able to make chocolate chip muffins for the kids' breakfast. We had peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches cut in the shape of a heart for lunch, with Valentine candy from Granny and Paw-Paw for dessert. And each child is going to get a small heart-shaped box of chocolates and a Webkinz once their daddy gets home (I don't want him to miss seeing them get their Valentine surprises!). Hopefully we can also fit in a little Valentine craft before the day is out. And of course, we must watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown at some point, too. And for dinner, leftover lasagna. Yes, sadly, leftovers. But it's been over a week since we had it (I froze the leftovers) and it's not something I make very often. So, despite being leftover and not as romantic as steak, it will still be somewhat special. :) Here are some pictures of our day so far...

And since Valentine cards did not get mailed this year...

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!!!

A Picture Post

Alex and Nathan, showing off their homemade firefighter helmets.
Amy, all set for Little Gym
Nathan and Amy
Alex with his sock puppet
Nathan, posing with his lunch plate (notice the face out of food)
Amy, with her favorite lunch item

Neglectful Again

Once again, I have been neglecting my blog. The funny thing is, there have been multiple occasions where I have purposefully taken pictures of the kids with the intent to blog and just never got around to doing it. Of course, yesterday we went bowling with the Contenders - Alex's second time to bowl but Nathan and Amy's first. I remembered my camera so I could capture the moment (and blog about it), but then managed to forget the camera out in the car. And once you've paid and have everyone in their bowling shoes, it's too late to run back out to the car for the camera! So no pictures to blog for that event. I can say that they all had a wonderful time, especially once one of those special gadgets to help young kids bowl became available. They loved using that thing! Sadly, that wasn't until our game was almost over.... not that we even got to finish. When little kids bowl and the ball takes several minutes to slowly make its way down to the pins, your game takes a long time. And I learned yesterday that you actually have a time limit! Oh, well. They had a great time and I've promised we'll do it again soon.

My camera is still out in the car, but as soon as I can, I will post pictures as an update to what we've been up to these last couple of weeks. And with any luck, I will post a little more frequently from now on!