David’s Birthday

It’s hard to believe my little baby boy turned one on August 29th!

For those of you who aren’t around him and don’t know him very well let me tell you all about my baby! 

I nursed him the entire first year and loved it…except when I didn’t.  He also never slept through the night that entire first year and I nursed him in the middle of the night each night…I jest, he did sleep through the night maybe 10 times.  But now that he’s just drinking from a sippy cup he sleeps through the night.  Hallelujah!

He got his first two teeth at 2.5 months and at 1 year (13 months now) he has 12 and is working on the 13th and 14th.

He learned to walk at 9 months and is now climbing on EVERYTHING.  I take him off the kitchen and dining room tables multiple times a day.  It is driving me crazy, but he is obsessed.  (If you tell him not to do something, it becomes a single minded obsession for him.  It’s a fun stage.)

He has had way too many ear infections so yesterday he had tubes put in his ears.  We were nervous of course, he’s our first kid to need medical procedures like that, but he did great and is feeling much better now. 

He has the best smile!  And an even better laugh!  He kisses us constantly.  Big open mouth right on the kisser. 

He loves to climb on us and his brothers and is very friendly.  He loves being outside and heads straight for whatever door is open and will just start walking down the sidewalk as fast as he can. 

Blowing out his candle

Eating his cupcake

Opening his presents

Happy Birthday David!  We love having you in our family and watching your personality emerge.  You are awesome and I’m glad you’re mine!

1st day of school

School started this year on Monday, August 22, 2012.  The bus stop this year is a block away instead of right in front of our house, but I enjoy the extra time walking with Brian most mornings and afternoons. 

As you can see Brian is going into 1st grade

And Aaron is going into 3rd grade

They think they are cool!

And the younger brothers want in on the pictures too!



After school we went to our favorite ice cream shop which is just down the street from us, Ritters Frozen Custard.  Heavenly!  The boys all thoroughly enjoyed it. 
Let’s all hope this is another GREAT school year!

Great Wolf Lodge

The day after Brian’s birthday our family took a vacation to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas.  We had a great time!  There were lots of waterslides, both inside and out, both for the bigger kids and some for the younger, and lots of things to see and do. 

There was an area just for the little kids where Christian spent most of his time.  Brian could go down these slides too so Paul or I took turns holding David in this area too. 

While obviously David is too young for many of the activities and spent most of the time in our arms, or in the room napping, but I still think he had fun too.

I really enjoyed the Lazy River, but the day I took these pictures I was holding David and Paul was in the River with the other boys. 

There was also a tide pool with water spouts in the shallow end that Christian and David could splash in. 

Aaron was tall enough to go on all the big slides, and Brian was tall enough for most of them.  Paul and I took turns going down rides with them and had a great time!

There was also an outdoor area we enjoyed. 

Fort MacKenzie had the “big” bucket of water which fell every few minutes. 

In the evening they had storytime that the boys enjoyed in their pajamas.

Aaron poses when you take his picture!

Christian still talks often about “Big Bad Wolf Lodge.” We had a good time and would enjoy going back when the babies are older!

Brian’s Birthday

Brian’s Birthday was on August 16th, and this year it was a Thursday.  I told him we could go out to eat for 1 meal, and he chose breakfast, so we headed off to IHOP first thing in the morning. 

For his cake he decided he wanted one that looked like a Lego, so I did my best.  I think it turned out OK, but I am NOT great at cake decorating!

He got lots of great present and had a great birthday.  I can’t believe he’s 6. 

Hexbugs (we have quite the collection now!)

The entire set of Captain Underpants books.  He’s read them all several times!

Brian, you are the most loving boy I’ve ever met.  You are super friendly and a lot of fun to be around.  You are so smart and funny and I am so glad you are a part of our family.  You definitely make life interesting!  I look forward to continuing to watch you learn and grow and seeing you become the amazing boy you are.  I’m glad you’re mine!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 3)

The one topic I haven’t talked about is our Wednesday – Unit Studies day.  One of my selling points for homeschooling was that we could learn about whatever he wanted to learn about. 

The first week he wanted to learn about….are you ready for this…video games.  Sigh.  So we checked out some books from the library about video games.  We read about the history of video games, which consoles came in what order, we learned about the positive and negatives of playing video games and then he was to write in his notebook about what he learned.  And he drew a blank.  He had no idea what to write.  I kept trying to give him hints and help him, but it was a struggle all day.

So the next week I decided we would learn about cars all month long.  We read books, we looked at different models online, we read more books, I tried to get him to make a poster by cutting pictures of cars out of a car magazine (he cut out pictures of 20 steering wheels…why?), we watched a video about how cars are made, we made reservations at the Toyota manufacturing plant in San Antonio (which got canceled but rescheduled for Wednesday), a neighbor showed him the different parts of the engine and how a car works…theoretically this sounds like a lot of fun things to learn about.  But each Wednesday is still a struggle.

I think it’s because I need things more structured.  I don’t want to abandon our unit studies, but what we’ve been doing has not been working for me.  Next week we are going to start doing a lap book about “Little House in the Big Woods” and it is a little more structured, so we’ll see if we enjoy that better.

There are other things about homeschooling that I don’t love.  In general I don’t feel my house gets as clean.  I don’t think I pay enough attention to Christian.  He watches way too much PBS.  I have a harder time making freezer meals or other things on my to-do list.  I certainly don’t have as much “me” time.  Going out to lunch with friends or visiting teaching is more difficult because I have an 8yo with me. 

But despite the things I complain about, I am still enjoying spending the one-on-one time with Aaron.  He loves learning which makes teaching him fun.  But mostly I just like getting to spend the time with him.

Enough about homeschooling.  Back to posts about birthdays and fun things we do as a family!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 2)

On Thursday and Friday we do Math and Science.  For Math we are using Singapore Math and he LOVES math.  He’s a total nerd.  Gets that from both Paul and I! 

_{Halloween 2010}

Knowing that math is really easy for him I started him in '>Math 3B which is supposed to be the 2nd semester of the 3rd grade year. The program has an instructor book, a textbook and a workbook.  So far we’ve studied Mental Math Strategies, Length, Weight, Capacity, Graphs, Fractions and Time.  All that is left in the book is Geometry.  I don’t make  him do every single problem, because he “gets it.”  It’s really easy for him and I don’t need him to do busy work.  In an hour and a half we typically get through what the book says should take us a week or 2. 

I’ve already purchased the Math 4A stuff and I assume we will continue to blow through the math curriculum really quickly because he enjoys it so much.  This is one of the reasons I chose to homeschool him.  So he could continue to learn new things at HIS pace. 

When I asked him what he wanted to study for science he chose chemistry so I found him a chemistry book called '>Adventures with atoms and molecules, Chemistry Experiments for Young People.  We do one experiment on Thursday and then another on Friday and we’ve had a lot of fun so far with only one experiment not working so far.  For each experiment he writes in his notebook 1.  What did we use?  2.  What did we do?  3.  What happened?  4.  What did we learn?  Plus definitions of what we are learning about.  It’s pretty basic stuff, but I doubt he’d be doing more science in public school. 

Both Math and Science have been pretty fun to teach him.  Sometimes it’s boring having to remind him to stay focused on the math problems or getting him to write in his notebook about the science because his easily distracted, but teaching him something he enjoys makes it all worthwhile.   

I’ve got one more post about homeschooling then I’ll get back to pictures of the kids!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 1)

The number one question I get these days is: “How is homeschooling going?”  (Either that or “Mom, can I have more milk?”-seriously, they drink a lot of milk these days…what is it going to be like when they are teenagers?  Maybe it would be less expensive to buy a cow!)

But back to the real topic – I am enjoying homeschooling. 

There are challenges I wasn’t totally prepared for, and it does make some things in my life more complicated, but I truly am enjoying homeschooling Aaron. 

Let me walk you through a typical week.  Mondays and Tuesday we do Grammar, History, Spelling and Handwriting.  Wednesday is our Unit Studies. Thursday and Friday we do Science and Math.  Every day he is expected to do a typing lesson on the computer, practice the piano, read something I’ve assigned him (usually corresponding to what we are learning in history or his unit studies), read his scriptures, and read for fun.  Things like art and PE are kinda hit and miss.

For Grammar we are using First Language Lessons which has an instructor book and a student book.  It completely walks us through what the instructor needs to say, what the student should say, etc.  We do 4 lessons a week, 2 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday. So far we have been studying what the different parts of speech are and have started diagraming sentences.  It also has dictation exercises and poem memorization and I’m having him memorize scriptures too.  So far in this first month he’s memorized 2 scripture verses and one poem.  This is one of the things I’m enjoying teaching him.  We laugh together at me having to repeat the definition 3 times then him saying it with me 3 times.  I think it’s great and I’m having a good time teaching him this stuff.

In History we are using The Story of the World and are reading it out loud to each other.  Again, we do 4 chapters a week, 2 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday.  After reading each section we talk about it and then after we finish the reading I ask him to write down in his notebook at least 4 sentences about what he learned that day.  Again, the one on one of reading with him is a lot of fun.  I really like spending time with him and talking about history.  His grandfather in Utah loves history and has been sending him e-mails asking him about what he’s learning, so I usually ask him to type a few sentences each each day to Grandpa Thomas telling him what he liked learning about history that day.  More typing practice!

Both Spelling and Handwriting are workbooks therefore I feel he should be able to do this independently and this is where I get frustrated sometimes.  He gets distracted.  I find myself nagging. This part of homeschooling is not so much fun. But it’s necessary because I can’t sit and give him my undivided attention all day every day. 

The daily typing lesson is a free 12 stage program on the computer he’s done several times already, but both he and Brian are still really slow and I’m hoping to get them faster, so I keep asking them to do the lessons over again.  We’ll see. 

I’m teaching him piano lessons and while I bet another teacher would get him farther, we get along and he is getting better, so we’re going to keep doing it.  He’s expected to work on it for 30-45 min a day.

Now I gotta get more stuff done, so I’ll type about Wednesday, Thursday and Friday later.

Why I am choosing to homeschool Aaron this year

I have been asked this question by many people lately and I’m sure I’ll be asked by many more (not to mention those that wonder and don’t ask!)  So I decided I’d just answer this via the blog for those who were wondering.  Here goes: 

I see some potential in Aaron that I don’t feel the public school can adequately address and I’d like to try to meet his needs on my own this year.

I recognize that this sentence might not adequately answer everyone’s questions, so here’s a few more of my thoughts based on some questions you might have.  Oh, and by the way, Aaron is 8yo going into the 3rd grade. 

Have you really thought about this? Of course! I have thought long and hard about this and fasted and prayed many times and I really feel this is the right decision for Aaron and me this year. Please don’t try to talk me out of this. That’s not very helpful. I may not totally know what I’m doing, but I honestly think I’m doing what’s best for us.

Where did you get this idea? I happen to read a lot of blogs of people who homeschool. They write a lot of articles about homeschooling. The more I read, the more I felt “I could do that.” If you want to read some of the articles that influenced me I’d be happy to share them with you.

Don’t you like public school?  I love our local elementary school!  Love the staff and all the teachers I’ve come in contact with.  All the teachers we’ve had so far have been great and have loved and taken care of our children wonderfully.  But even the best teacher of 20-25 students can’t give each child individual attention and meet all of their specific needs. 

Aren’t you worried about Aaron’s socialization?  Of course I am.  Aaron has some inherent social awkwardness to begin with.  We’ve seen it ever since his first year of preschool when his teacher was concerned that he’d rather play by himself than with the other kids.  Being in elementary school hasn’t fixed or really even addressed the problem.  He is in cub scouts and interacts with kids at church and in the neighborhood, and we’ll probably try to involve him in another sport this year.  If we homeschool longer than a year we will look into co-ops and other programs to increase the amount of time he interacts with peers.

What curriculum are you going to use?  After the third time I checked out the book “The Well Trained Mind” from the library I decided to buy it.  I am using a lot of the curriculum they recommend.  I’ve bought First Language Lessons For the Well Trained Mind: Level 3 to teach grammar, Spelling Workout Level B, Singapore Math 3B, Adventures with Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments, and The Story of the World. We will also continue to do piano lessons, typing lessons and he’s starting some computer programming online. (plus of course some religious education that he obviously couldn’t get in school.)

One of the reasons I want to do this is to have the ability to advance him academically at his own pace.  When I first began looking into homeschooling I had him take some math practice tests to see which curriculum to buy.  One of the tests put him ready for 7th grade math!  He LOVES math.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he blows through the math books I bought and I buy him several more before the year is done.  If he wants to learn algebra, I want to teach him!

What will your day be like? Probably pretty crazy! I’ll still have to pack Brian’s lunch and get him on the bus. Then I’ll still have housework to do and 2 little boys at home that need my attention. And I’ll need to teach school for Aaron! But I honestly think that it’ll work out pretty well. Both Aaron and I thrive on organization and I bet he and I figure it out pretty soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets his school work totally done by lunch time most days!

What about next year?  I don’t know yet.  I am currently only thinking about this year.  I assume that he’ll go back to Stephens Elementary.  But it’s possible we’ll love it and want to keep doing it.  It’s also possible we will hate it and I’ll send him back in a few months!  At that point I’ll probably cry and feel like I failed, but Paul will buy me Ritters and that will help me feel better. 

What about Brian?  Brian THRIVES in the normal public school environment right now.  He has LOTS of friends and would not want to be away from them.  This is also his first year in the Gifted program and he’s excited to be a part of that.  I assume I’ll still be the homeroom mom and teach Junior Achievement to his class too.  Maybe I’ll homeschool Brian for 3rd grade too?  Who knows!

Are there other reasons you haven’t listed?  I feel like I’m missing important moments in his life.  One of the things I don’t love about public school is how much the boys are gone every day.  They get on the bus at 7:45am and get home at 4pm.  They are hot, tired, hungry and their eyes are glazed over with a need to relax when they get home.  Unfortunately, they then need to do homework which can often take an hour or so.  Then it’s dinner time, chores, and bed.  And I don’t feel like I really get to spend much quality time with them.  Aaron is 8 now and I think it’s a wonderful age.  He’s so inquisitive and fun to be around and I just want to treasure the time I can with him. 

I could probably continue to write about my thoughts and feelings about this for another hour, but I bet many people stopped reading ages ago!  I’m sure many of you think I’m crazy, and hopefully some of you think it’s a great idea.  It’s an experiment we’re going to try right now.  I hope to continue to post about this as we continue.  Please wish us luck as we embark on this endeavor.

Weekend at Lake Conroe

Last Saturday we spent the day at our house on Lake Conroe.  As soon as we got there I immediately got on the jet ski as I hadn’t ridden it in a few years!  I had forgotten just how much fun it is! 

First Brian and I went out. 

Then Paul took the 3 older boys in the Fulbot. 

Then Aaron and I went out. 

Then Christian and I went out. 

Then Aaron and Brian and I went out.  (Brian wanted us to go faster and Aaron wanted us to slow down!)

Lastly Paul took Brian out.

We also played in the sprinklers

and played games inside.

 

By the end of the day the boys were exhausted and I’m sure all 4 boys were asleep in the car on the way home (not to mention the 2 of them that fell asleep while there!)

I’m sad the summer has flown by so fast and that we haven’t had more weekends up at the lake.  Hopefully we’ll do a few more this year even after school starts.