A New Adventure for Our Family

It's been quite a long time since I've posted. Lots of things have been happening around here. We had a terrific summer, throughout which Jeremy and I pondered and prayed about changes for our family and our goals for the future.

It was with nervous anticipation that we welcomed the new school year and the changes that the year would bring.

We have decided to school our girls at home this school year. There were lots of reasons we decided this was best for our family: our choice of curriculum, building stronger relationships, better use of time, and many more.

We have now completed our first four weeks of schooling at home. I have been pleasantly surprised at the results! I had no idea what to expect but some things I've observed so far are:

* that we work together as a family to accomplish things (sometimes Laura will help Lindsay with what she is learning, sometimes Lindsay entertains Nathan while I help Laura, sometimes Jeremy helps the girls accomplish tasks at night or on the weekend, etc)

* the girls are pitching in more with housework (simply because they are home more and can)

* I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with knowing I taught them a new skill!

* My schedule is easily adapted for my busy toddler that still needs lots of attention from his mama

* I enjoy knowing everything we are studying at "school" so that I can point out real world examples when we come across them in our non-school time

* RELATIONSHIPS! Laura and I have had lots of discussions on lots of topics from the mundane, everyday stuff to important moments spent studying the Bible. We have so much more time to talk now. I treasure the afternoons when Lindsay's school is over & she disappears upstairs to do whatever it is that first graders to in their free time, Nathan is napping & I work on orders from my shop and she does her school work and we just talk about whatever comes up & is brewing in her young brain. It seems like we never had time for this when she was in public school and when we did have time to talk, we were so disconnected that we couldn't just pick up where we left off.

* I love that my evening is no longer filled with fighting about getting homework done. Yay!

* Freedom! We can choose what to do when or what not to do! We are looking forward to being able to take trips and excursions in the middle of the school day.

A few things that we miss about public school:

* feeling of being part of a whole & feeling of belonging at school

* the girls miss their friends

* I thought I would miss "my" time while they were away at school. I don't. I suppose there are moments when I do but for the most part, I really do enjoy have everybody at home!

My biggest challenge to schooling at home is a busy toddler. He is into EVERYTHING while we are trying to do school. It's getting better though. I'm figuring out ways to keep him occupied and also trying to squeeze in time while the girls are both busy to give him a bit of one on one attention for a minute or two.

Some stuff we've been up to...

The Monster Turns ONE!

Perhaps I am not cut out to be a blogger. I don't know why but I have such a hard time keeping up with this blog. I would like to blog much more frequently but I can't ever seem to do it. :(

My little monster turned one last month. I had a really hard time with it. I just cannot believe how fast he is growing up.

He's a busy guy these days. He runs around getting into everything. He jabbers constantly but we can only distinguish a handful of words. He says "uh oh" to everything. He loves to eat. When he's hungry he will go and get a plate or bowl out of the drawer (the kid dishes are down low where they can reach them) and bring it to one of us. Or, he will stand at the refrigerator and scream. He loves to play with balls. He loves to chase the cat and on the off chance that he catches her, he grabs a huge handful of hair. (She is not so much a fan of his.) He loves to spend time with his big sisters when they actually have time for him. Most of the time they are locking him out of wherever they are because he is getting into their stuff. He is a biter. He bites us A LOT. We're working on that. Hopefully he'll catch on soon that we don't love that behavior.

I wanted to post a few photos from his birthday. Both sets of grandparents visited around his birthday. For his birthday, we had pasta, salad & bread. Of course there was cake & ice cream too. Nate ate lots as always. We bought him a wagon and a climber for inside the house. He loves both. He gets in his wagon and screams for someone to pull him. Too funny.

My talented sister made his adorable hat & monster shirt. I made the monster banner. I bought a new Cricut cartridge just for the occasion. Ha!

I love this little guy so much. He brings a monster load of joy, laughter and love to our home. Happy First Birthday Nathan!

Life is GOOD when you're eating...

a banana! This boy loves bananas & eats them like he's getting paid. A couple of times the girls have left a banana where he could reach it (whole, unopened) and he brought it to me having bitten the peel open and was eating the insides. All the while, laughing and grinning, so pleased with himself. What a monkey!

I am a list maker.

So, I've been all, "I should blog" for weeks now. But I just can't seem to find time/opportunity/motivation.

I decided making a list would be a good idea (thanks Valli). So,

• Our dog ate my SD card from my camera and with that, about half the photos of Nathan's life. I now have a mostly empty baby book and a dog looking for a new home. (At least scrapbooking 2010 won't take me much time...)


• We have found the dog a new home. He will hopefully be moving in with his new family this weekend.


• Perhaps we are not dog people. I suppose we must be cat people then?


• Nathan will turn ONE in less than a week.


• His first birthday celebration will be monster themed. It required purchasing a new Cricut cartridge and stamp set.


• I finally bought a new camera to replace our Canon Rebel that was stolen in September out of our van. I used my Christmas & birthday money because I am tired of saving for a new Rebel and decided to buy something less expensive.


• The girls have been busy. They went to cheer camp a couple weeks ago. Both girls were selected to have some artwork featured in the school district's art show. Yay!


• I bought some adorable clothes for my sweeties to wear for Easter. I spent less than $25. Have I mentioned how much I love consignment shopping?


• Nathan is starting to say "words". We have now deciphered "Laura", "Lindsay", "dog" & "Daddy", though they sound nothing like the actual words.


• We STILL have quite a bit of work do finish in our house addition (painting doors, baseboards, casings, railings, some casings that still need to be cut, nailed, etc., curtains/window treatments hung, decorating)


• We are planning to put a patio in our courtyard this spring. We will be replacing our driveway at the same time. (See photo below - how trashy are we?!) We are excited to get this project underway so that we can enjoy our courtyard this summer!


• This post is really boring. Sorry.

Baby Shower Keepsakes: Tag Albums

These have been really popular since I've been offering them in my Etsy shop.

The idea here is for these tags to be laid out on a table(s) and then for each guest to write a favorite piece of advice, a blessing for the baby, a message to mom and/or baby, etc. This makes a great keepsake and can also serve as a "guest book" of sorts so that the mom-to-be will have a record of who was at her shower.

I love the challenge of matching a specific theme for someone. Some people request that I match the baby's room decor or bedding. Some have requested that I match the baby shower invitation.

These would also be great for anniversary parties, bridal showers, birthdays, good-bye parties, etc. I am thinking about making some for Nathan's first birthday. We'll see.

Oh, the CUTENESS!

So, my boy. He's nine months old. I simply can't believe how fast he is growing up. He's crawling. He's getting into everything. He's cruising the furniture. He's standing on his own. He eats everything (food or not). He babbles constantly (just like his sis Laura). He loves to empty the dishwasher (a huge help). He loves to wrestle with Daddy. He loves to watch the dog. (Oh yeah, we got a dog.) He nods & shakes his head no. He dances. He loves to put items in & out of containers (or the trash).

He hates his snowsuit. He doesn't like apples. He hates his car seat. He HATES getting his diaper changed and he HATES to get dressed. He pretty much hates sleeping though I can usually still manage to force two naps a day.

I spent a small fortune on these 9 month photos because, well, the cuteness. Irresistible. I guess I will have to take on a few extra orders this month to help pay for the huge bill...