School year end

 

This year, I celebrated.....

We get to respond to the days or moments questions and our hearts.

We learn together..(I learn everyday)!

Less stress by not having to get everyone out the door in the morning.

I see them more and I am aware of what is going on with them.

I know what they are learning.

We get to begin each day with the Bible and prayers.

They have been able to see their baby sister grow step by step.

I am able to teach my son how to read and my daughter how to write.

God is molding me.

Beginning and end of school year.

 

Beginning of the year.

 

Beginning of the year.

 

So first day of school. 

And look at how far we have come!

She loved crawling under the table while we

worked and would walk around holding onto

our chairs.  And now, she is walking without

support and now has to duck to get out from

under the table.

We had to set up a blockade at the end of

the school year so we didn't have an

escapee up the stairs.

First day 

 

Many school days I had such resolve.  Such energy for the day and excitement to begin again.  Then I would feel that pressure start to well up.  I feel my temperature start to rise.  There is no counting to 10 or figuring out if there is a back door approach.  It becomes, "Bobo, just do it."  I would feel that impatience and pressure to get the tasks completed for the day and this boy standing in my way. :)

This post is mostly about celebrating but I still found myself at the end of the year feeling similar frustrations and wondering how to teach my son effectively. 

I asked myself, Is there something I can do to not set us up for this frustration?  I don't really have a step by step answer.  I do know it continually needs to keep me on my knees.  I really feel strongly that this one will be won with prayer. 

kissing the baby

Bobo set this one up.

Tears were wanting to flow as we were going

through Cambria's clothes.  We planned on making

her some banners for her birthday out of her clothes

that no longer fit.  Here we were, my oldest daughter now

going through clothes for our third baby.

Time marches on!

We would read our word cards daily.

We did some upstairs work that last week

of school, everyone was ready for summer!

Just doesn't get better to see them working together.  Bobo

reading to his sister.  Now, this was a rare treat,

but I will take it whenever it comes!

Loving this!

One of her favorite spots.

 

I hope they remember...

We made a big chart of all that we needed

to accomplish before the end of the year.

Dev and I like charts.

 

 

Preparing for the puppet show about a rabbi.

Cambria is a good audience member.

Presentation on her report about Walt Disney. 

Our posters we made combining Science and Nature.

"Charlotte Mason says that when we put children in direct contact with

great ideas and get out of the way, 'Teachers shall teach less

and scholars shall learn more. '  "Any homeschooling parent who

has observed her own children for any length of time will know this

to be true.  Real learning happens when our children s

wrestle directly with great ideas-not as a result of our repackaging those

great ideas. but when they interact with the ideas themselves."

Sarah Mackenzie.

Lesson to this mama, step out of the way sometimes, not easy!

Next school year will be our best yet!

Happy Fourth of July 2016!

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a home morning of some school so we can finish

by Friday and then when Drew came home we hit the

beach and finished with fireworks!

Cambria's first repeat holiday!

As she was born on the 3rd! 

(Bobo wanted to do a little photo shoot)

Dev said she was wanting to cook our meals because

of our pretty new plates!

Love when he looks up at her!

Same expression from the girls!

She doesn't see the weight I see,

the weight I need to lose.  She sees love.

Early fireworks

My boy in the back

Come on Bobo!

I have such sweet memories of our first

Fourth of July together.  I was feeling sad that Andrew

wasn't with us in the hospital but glad he was

with Bobo and Dev.  I remember them showing me

the fireworks on the phone and saying good night.

It was quiet in the hospital.  I think I may have been

one of the few mamas there.  I snuggled in with

Cambria and watching the fireworks in D.C.

I remember being comforted by the two of us.

I guess it was our first bonding moment besides her birth.

Watching fireworks from the family.

"fireworks from the kiddos"

We are definitely bonded! 

And we ended with the Lahaina firework show

on the bypass.  They wanted to return to the spot

where they watched last year when Cambria and I

were in the hospital not ready to come home yet....

so we could all be together!