Baby I is already 8 1/2 months old! She's a rockin' & a rollin' a ton of joy around here but also adding to the day to day chaos. She started crawling 3 weeks ago and is constantly giving me mini-heart attacks by pulling up all over the place and falling over & over again. Into everything, of course! Now she's starting up with the "cry until Momma picks me up" phase, which is oh, so lovely while I attempt to school. Or cook. Or anything else. Good that's she's so doggone adorable!
We are 12 weeks into the school year already! I can't believe how much the kids have learned already and I'm thrilled with how things are going. Jefferson, now 10, is really learning how to work independently on his 5th grade work. He doesn't seem to have too much trouble with all that's on his plate this year and is making good mental connections in history, math & writing (new program - Institute for Excellence in Writing - we both LOVE it). He struggles with keeping out of the 'checklist' mentality and accepting what I plan for him to *learn* each day rather than just finish his assignment sheet.
Reagan (8.5 yo & in 3rd grade) is not working as independently or as quickly as *I* would like. But I am slowly realizing that I don't get to choose how she learns. She is doing very well at her own pace and I am seeing how wonderful it is to watch her grow! The joy on her face as she pieces together new ideas or something new clicks for her is so precious for me ... if I will just have the patience to enjoy it with her. We are still working on helping her to deal with her anxieties and her explosive behavior has slowly been decreasing (with much prayer & hard work).
Adam (almost 6) had finally started Kindergarden and at first was very excited. He still is actually - but that's only if I do everything EXACTLY as he wants me to - lol! I very much enjoy his enthusiasm at every activity. He always wants to do what Jefferson & Reagan are doing with their subjects too. He always wants to do something & gets irritated at the repetition that learning requires though. I try to tap into his creativity whenever I can - he could sit for hours coloring, cutting, & pasting!
Lincoln (almost 4) is headed to 'away' preschool 3 times each week. And this is what's keeping me sane! He is so cantancarous right now that I wonder if he'll ever grow out of his trouble making. I do believe that he is just too smart & gets bored easily. But he loves being an older brother and is still willing to help me as much as he can! He's very, very loud (we call him 'passionate' - lol!) but he's so doggone cute...
So! On with the photos!
(Our new 'student' computer)
(Study of Bethoven)
(Trouble with a capital T!)
Oh - and somewhere in the chaos of adding another baby to our lives, teaching another student, and dealing with food issues we decided to get a dog! Found her on crai*g's list and she is just perfect for our family! No training required, very happy & friendly, and hypoallergenic (as much a dog can be anyway - she's poodle mix). We had to change her name since everyone was started to call Baby I the dog's name so now we call her Ginger - short from Gingersnap!
Hopefully I will have a chance to write a little more at another time - as in before another 7 months pass! I really want to get hte blog updated and write more specifically about what we are covering in school this year. But we'll see - it's kinda nuts around here! ;-)
