Time for School!

Two days down, 178 more to go.  The school year has begun and we are off to a great start!  Yesterday as school buses roared through the neighborhood, we quietly began our morning playing with Legos and sipping on banana oat smoothies.  Aaaahhhhh...the life of a homeschooler!  It was an exciting day and I had two very excited children in the house.  Annabelle couldn't wait to start pre-K.  Jacob couldn't wait to show her the ropes.

Yum!

Hello 2nd grade!

Can Ariel come to Pre-K too?

 I can't believe we're entering our fourth year of homeschooling!  Fourth??  Wow!  There was once a time when I never even imagined homeschooling.  Now I can't imagine NOT doing it.  I feel so blessed to be able to spend this time with my children and know without a doubt that this is what God has called me to do at this time.

Even though this is our fourth year, I still feel like a beginner.  Each year is different from the last.  I am still discovering what works and what doesn't.  Trial and error.   Pre-K with Annabelle is going to look a bit different than it did with Jacob.  Like Jacob, Annabelle loves school and wants to do school related activities all day long.  She wants to practice her handwriting, do her math, draw, make crafts, make more crafts, and...make even more crafts.  Seriously, just give this girl some paper, scissors and a bottle of glue and she'll be good for hours.  Jacob has never much cared for crafts.  He never even cared for coloring.  I remember him doing a math assignment one day where the instructions were to color in a certain number of boxes.  He drew a straight line through the boxes with a green crayon.  I told him he was supposed to color in the boxes.  He responded, "I did."

So, for Annabelle, I'm incorporating more arts and crafts into her day -- more drawing, more coloring, more cutting and lots of glue sticks.

Jacob has a big year ahead of him, too!  He'll be learning multiplication this year, among other things, but I think he is most excited about learning how to write in cursive.  He's loving it so far!  He loves his workbook and genuinely tries to write as neatly as he can.  This makes me very happy as perfect penmanship has not exactly been at the top of his priority list.  And yesterday, as we worked through his first multiplication lesson, I was able to see the fruit of three years of CC.  He's memorized the skip counting charts through the 15s (as well as squares and cubes).  As a result of all this skip counting, multiplication immediately clicked with him.  The lightbulb switched on and I was truly amazed.  I wish I had learned to skip count like that in elementary school!

Today was our first day back to CC and Annabelle's first day being in a CC class.  She had tons of fun and her tutor said she did great!

No more nursery for me!

Here I go again!

 

Jacob had a great first day as well.  He said he really enjoyed giving his presentation...on Legos. What else is there to talk about on the first day?  :-)

It's going to be an exciting year for all of us!  Can't wait to see what God has in store!

Easter.  Resurrection Sunday.  It is certainly a day to celebrate!  For it is because of what happened on this day so long ago that we have hope -- freedom -- salvation -- eternal life.  All we have to do is ask and receive. Then the transformation begins.  God pours out the fullness of His grace upon us and we are never the same.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new."  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Jesus is risen and He is alive in me!  Isn't it amazing?  It just doesn't get any better than that...until it happens to your child.

Happy Easter!  (Jacob and Annabelle with our pastor, Dr. Keller)

Back in January, Jacob asked Jesus to come into his heart and become Lord of his life.  He was excited about his decision and I was thrilled beyond words.  A few days later, he was given a Bible study workbook entitled, I'm a Christian Now! which he couldn't wait to complete.  He worked through the first couple weeks of activities in a couple days.  All he wanted to do was work in this book.  He worked on it at home.  He worked on it in the car.  Even Legos took a backseat for awhile.  One Wednesday evening on the way to church, he said, "Mommy, the next thing I have to do is write my testimony."  I told him he could go on to the next activity and we could work on his testimony together in the morning.  Silence.  I assumed he moved on to the next page.  Just as we were pulling into the church parking lot, he announced, "There, I did it!  I finished my testimony!"  Sure enough, he wrote it on the way to church, all on his own.  I asked him to read it to me....  

"I first started thinking to become a Christian when I heard something in VBS.  I thought to become a Christian because I felt Jesus knocking on the door to my heart.  What happened when I did it was I felt better when I did it because He's with me now.  My life is different because he cleans all the sins out of my heart.  I would help someone become a Christian by telling them what it is like."

Well, of course, I teared up.  It was just so sweet and honest.  He didn't need my help to write his testimony.  He knew what he felt and he wrote it down...in the car...on the way to church.

Jacob took the next step in his Christian faith as he was baptized on Easter Sunday.  I wasn't sure he was ready for baptism.  He screams when he gets water in his eyes in the bathtub.  Would he really be okay being dunked under the water in front of a church full of people?  Apparently, he and God had already worked this out.  On the day he asked Jesus into his heart, Jacob told me he was ready to be baptized.  I took his word for it.  He seemed so confident.  After we finalized the date, we did a practice run in the bathtub one night.  No screams.  No tears.  No fear.  I couldn't believe it.  That's when I knew God was truly working on his heart.

So on March 31, Easter Sunday, we celebrated our risen Savior and Jacob's baptism -- a glorious day!

I can't think of a better day to be baptized than Resurrection Sunday!  Heath's parents, my parents, and JoBeth and David were there with us to celebrate the happy occasion.  Heath videoed the baptism, but since  we purchased our video camera back in the stone age, I haven't figured out how to get the footage on the computer...yet.

As everyone knows, Jacob loves music.  If you ask Jacob what his favorite song is, he'll tell you "Cornerstone."  Click here if you want to listen.  He sings this song all the time and has figured out how to play it on the piano (both the lyrical and instrumental parts).  In fact, he even recited this song for one of his CC presentations several weeks ago.  I love hearing him sing this song when he's alone in his room playing with Legos.  I can't help but smile.  During the invitation at church a couple Sundays ago, we were singing the song, "Once Again" (Click here to listen.)  Jacob was singing so sweetly, so confidently.  I thought to myself, "This truly is real to him.  He is six years old and he gets it."  As I listened to him sing, his words soaring straight up to Heaven, I could hardly hold back the tears.  It just makes me so happy.

God, you are amazing!  Thank you for your grace.  Thank you for your mercy.  Thank you for your never-ending love.

Create in Me a Clean Heart

Right now as I type, Jacob and Annabelle are on the floor behind me working on separate puzzles.  Annabelle is having a tough time as she has chosen a 101 piece puzzle of the U.S. presidents.  Jacob had the answer to her problem:  prayer.  "Annabelle, let's pray and ask God to help you finish this puzzle," he said.  Together, they prayed.  After the final amen, Annabelle opened her eyes, looked at Jacob and asked, "Do I have super puzzle power now?"

I don't know if she has super puzzle power, but she does have an awesome big brother.  He's opted to leave his puzzle for a few moments to help out his little sister.

It's been an exciting week for Jacob and it all began Monday morning during our daily Bible time.  I'll let him tell you about it.

He made this decision all on his own.  I didn't push.  I didn't prod.  I didn't even ask him if he wanted to.  He brought it up.  He told me he was ready and said his own prayer.  I was so excited and so proud.  Still am.  January 28, 2013 will forever be a day to celebrate.

Over the past few months, we've had some pretty lengthy discussions about this.  He has asked many, many questions and I have attempted to answer as best I could.  I, also, have asked him many, many questions and received some pretty amazing answers in return.  He is just so smart.  As my parents say, he's like a little Billy Graham.  :)  I attribute much of his knowledge to his wonderful Awana leaders and Sunday School teachers. He loves going to church and obviously soaks up everything he's being taught.

Monday morning, we read this book, as we do every Monday.  This week, we were on letter V.  The verse of the day was John 6:47 -- "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life."  After each verse, there is a story which helps explain the meaning.  At the end of this day's story, the little boy prays, asking Jesus to be his Savior.  As I asked Jacob and Annabelle to repeat the verse with me, Jacob said, "I'm ready!"  I said, "You're ready to say the verse?  Ok, let's say it..."  "No, I'm ready to ask Jesus to come into my heart," he said.  "I want him to clean up my heart."  His sincerity showed in his enthusiasm.  He was incredibly excited about this -- all smiles.  He said there were a "billion reasons" why he wanted to do this, including the fact that he would be able to eat the bread and drink the juice next time we had communion at church, but he made sure I knew that wasn't the main reason.  The main reason was that he wanted Jesus to "clean his heart."  After discussing this a few more minutes, any doubts I may have had about his sincerity were erased.  He couldn't wait to pray and he wanted to do it all by himself.  So, he did.  I didn't even have to tell him what to say.  He bowed his head, closed his eyes and prayed the sweetest prayer I've ever heard.

When he opened his eyes, he was thrilled and couldn't keep still.  He immediately wanted to call his daddy to tell him the good news.  And in true Jacob fashion, when he told his grandparents the news, the very next line  out of his mouth was "Now, do you want to know what's going on in Lego City?.........."  

Jacob, I love you and I prayed for this day even before you were born.  I prayed that one day, whenever that day was, you would choose to follow Jesus.  And now you have.  At age six and a half.  And I will continue to pray for you.  Your life will never be the same.  I pray that you will continue to follow God's guidance and live for Jesus everyday no matter what comes your way.  I pray that you will stand firm in your faith and remember all of God's truths that you already have hidden away in your heart.  I pray that your love  for Jesus will continue to grow and deepen and become the most important thing in your life.

.......And, of course, I'll support you in your quest to bring salvation to Lego City.

Sick Days

Jacob had a fever a week before Christmas.  It only lasted for a day.  He lost his voice the next day, but seemed to be on the mend by the third day, except for a nagging cough.  Then, on Christmas morning, Annabelle began to lose her voice.  She had a fever, too. Her temperature went up to 104.5, but by the next morning, it was back down to normal.  I figured she had the same virus Jacob had earlier.  I took her to the doctor since we were supposed to be travelling over the weekend.  It turned out she had a horrible double ear infection.  Poor thing.  She never complained about her ears.  She never said anything hurt.  I never would have known had I not taken her to the doctor.  Later that night, Jacob had a fever again - 102.  His temperature was still 102 when he woke up the next morning, so we went back to the doctor.  Just a virus -- no ear infection, but he did have a touch of bronchitis.  The doctor put him on the same antibiotic as Annabelle.  That night, his fever went up to 105.6.  I got scared and called the doctor.  He told me he had seen temperatures as high as 106 and that Jacob was going to be fine.  I trusted him, but it was still a little unnerving to see 105.6 on the thermometer screen.  His fever did eventually go down, but stayed between 101 - 102 for another day before returning to normal.

Today, they're both feeling much better.  They still have a cough, but that's to be expected.  Those coughs seem to settle in to stay...for weeks.  But, I'm not complaining.  I'll take the coughing over a 105.6 degree fever!

Funny Girl

Annabelle was frantically searching through the lower kitchen cabinet with her new Boo doll (the little girl from Monster's Inc.) laying on the floor beside her.  "What are you doing?" I asked.  Without looking up, Annabelle quickly answered, "I'm looking for a bowl for Boo's throw up!!"  Apparently, the doll was feeling sick.

I never know what to expect from that girl.  She makes me laugh.  The other night, she walked into the room and told Heath, "It's time to rock the house!"  We're still wondering where she learned that phrase.  And she's so thoughtful.  A couple days ago, as she was eating her sandwich, she let me know that she wasn't going to eat her crusts because she thought we should give them to the people in India who don't have any food.

She wanted a magic wand for Christmas.  Not a toy one, mind you, but a REAL, working, magic wand. She made this declaration while sitting on Santa's knee.  I thought, "Ok...a magic wand...that's doable."  It wasn't until several days later that I realized she wasn't talking about a toy.  We were sitting on the floor in her room playing with dolls when she said, "Santa is going to bring me a magic wand because I asked  him."  "Oh, really," I said.  I looked around her room and grabbed a little light-up toy she got from Disney on Ice.  "But, isn't this kind of like a magic wand?" I asked, waving it around.  "You can wave it around and it even lights up!"  She looked at me like I was crazy.  "That is NOT a magic wand, Mommy!" she replied.  "It does NOT turn people into things."  And that's when it hit me.  She didn't want a toy.  She wanted a real magic wand.  Oh, boy.  I had to think fast.  "But this IS a real magic wand.  Watch this...what do you want to be?"  "A pink piggie, Mommy!" she said.  (You have to understand, the girl loves pigs.)  I waved the light-up toy in the air, tapped it gently on her head and made a little chime sound.  "Well, hello little piggie!  Aren't you cute?!"  Trying to be as convincing as possible, I patted her on the head and hoped her imagination would follow my lead.  Annabelle looked up at me, unamused.  She felt her face, then looked down at her clothes.  "I am NOT a piggie, Mommy!"  Alright.  Plan B.  I tried to break it to her gently.  "Well, Annabelle, I think only fairies have magic wands."  Of course, she had a very quick response.  "Fairies AND princesses, and I AM A PRINCESS, Mommy!" On to Plan C...whatever that was.

Christmas morning, Annabelle opened TWO magic wands from Santa.  I watched and waited.  As I suspected, she was disappointed with these toys.  Enter Plan C.  "Well, Santa and his elves make toys.  So, I'm sure he had his elves make these toy wands especially for you.  Since they only make toys, I don't think they could bring real magic wands."  "Oh" was all she said as she turned around waving her wands through the air, pretending to be a princess.  It was that easy.  I love her.

I guess it'll do.  

dreaming of REAL magic wands...

All I want for Christmas...

What do you want for Christmas?  Have you thought about it?  In a moment of pure exasperation yesterday, I said (very calmly and quietly) to my children,"Do you know what I want for Christmas?"  No answer.  "I want my children to obey."  Annabelle smiled a great big smile and shouted, "WHAT?  Mommy, that is just a dream!"

Oh, Annabelle, you make me laugh.

To eat the candy or decorate with it, that is the question.

Can you believe we did this?  (I guess I should add...about ten minutes later, the house  fell apart.  The kids were content with telling everyone a hurricane came through.

Christmastime is here.  We're enjoying the music, the movies, the shows, the cookie baking, the special activities, the parties, making gingerbread houses, acting out the Christmas story with our Little People Nativity set, etc...  Annabelle and Jacob are enjoying adding new things to their wish lists each day.  With Annabelle, it's a mental list.  Anytime she sees something in a catalog or in a store or thinks of something she wants, she says, "Mommy, I want that.  Will you add that to my Chwistmas list?"  Yeah, sure...along with the hundreds of other things you've told me about.  I simply point to my head, and say, "I've got it."  :)  That's good enough for her.  The thing she most often asks for is bubble gum.  Easy enough, right?  But, when I ask her what she wants for Christmas, she won't tell me.  Instead, she whispers in my ear, "You'll find out when I go see Santa."  I sure hope I can be a part of this conversation.  :)  For Jacob, this list making stuff is serious.  He even wrote his letter to Santa, addressed it and put a stamp on it all by himself.  Luckily, I caught him just before he sealed the envelope, so I was able to read what he wrote.  He asked for three or four different LEGO sets, including the Death Star (Star Wars).  Oh my.  He also had one set listed that is supposedly for ages 16+ because of the difficulty level.  When I asked about that one, he said, "Well, Mommy, you told me that I am very intelligent, so I'm pretty sure I could do it."  Funny thing is, he's probably right.

...these are a few of my favorite things...

As the kids make their lists and see bits and pieces of toy commercials (I try my best to fast forward through them as we watch recorded Christmas specials) I find it more and more difficult to express to them that this is not what Christmas is all about.  They know the true meaning of Christmas.  They know this month we are celebrating advent and Jacob can even tell you what advent means.  They look forward to our Jesse Tree readings each evening and have fun placing the corresponding ornaments on the tree.  In a world primarily focused on gifts and Santa Claus, I realize it is my responsibility to share with my children that without Christ, there is no Christmas.  Each school morning, I let them choose a song to listen (and dance) to which gets our day started.  What?  Don't you start your day with music and dancing?  Their two songs of choice lately have been these:

I love these songs because they reiterate the message I am so desperately trying to get through to my kids.  They love these songs because they can sing along and dance to them.  Their favorite line is "I went to the coffee shop to get myself a mocha."  In any case, they are are hearing the true meaning of Christmas and that's what matters.

Japanese Banana

Because I know you're still wondering about the Japanase Banana song that Annabelle sang during her interview.......