Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Year End Review
What a year?! For someone who does not handle change well, my year was packed full of it.
We started 2012 off BIG and welcomed our little girl Rhylee into the world. Although we were anxious about the unknown and our 9 month birth plan was thrown out the window, looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.
The next few months were filled with sleepless nights, meltdowns, carpooling and trying to maintain some form of normalcy so it's really just a blur. The saying, "the days are long but the years are short" would define these months well (:
By June, we really found our rhythm with our new family. Trevor just completed his first year of high school...as an honor roll student I may add (: Kenzie was almost finished with her last year of elementary school and was counting down the days until she was done. She hadn't had the best year, personally or academically. She was more than ready for a break. We spent our summer with friends, at the pool, movies, Great Wolf Lodge, Myrtle Beach, parks, and museums. This summer was the first time I've been able to spend so much time with my kids. It wasn't as easy to transition into the roll of SAHM as I thought but there were moments that God pressed on my heart that reminded me why this was so important to our family at this time.
Jarrod and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary in June. We took the kids and our mother-in-law to the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord. We enjoyed an anniversary dinner, just the two of us, at one of our favorite places, Texas Land and Cattle.
July was emotional for me...my baby, my first born, was turning 16?! 16, was this really happening? As much as I hate to let him grown up, I couldn't be more proud of the man he is becoming. He is now old enough to understand and is fully aware that he learns and interacts with people differently because of his Aspergers. I have loved watching him work so hard to not allow his disability to be an excuse for why he can't do something but the reason for why he tries so hard. He is in such a better place than I was at his age. He loves the Lord and you can tell by the way he chooses to live his life. He encourages me in my walk.
And mini-me...can't forget her big birthday in July. Mackenzie turned 11 which in her words, "is practically a teenager". She pushed so hard for a cell phone and was greatly disappointed when she didn't receive one. She is at that age where she is trying so hard to be grown up but still loves being a kid. DON'T RUSH...be a kid as long as you can. I gave up my childhood way too early. I love that she plays with her dolls and still has an imagination. To celebrate both birthdays, we spent a few days at Myrtle Beach with grandma and Chris.
August brought new adventures for our family. I finally got to visit the west coast and I spent my birthday with my bestie in California. After returning from Ca, we kicked off our new school year at Monarch Prep. Although my husband had been encouraging me to home school for some time, I was extremely hesitant. I'm still not 100% over the moon with excitement about homeschooling but I can say that I do find great joy in doing it...even on the difficult days. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be but it's easier than I expected...if that makes sense (: I realized early in our school year that the kids were really good at memorization but not so good at comprehension. I love the flexibility in our days and that I am able to encourage them in areas they love and in areas they struggle.
The last few months of the year were spent focusing on our big move to Virginia and homeschooling. I did get to spend a birthday weekend with two of my favorite people at the beach in September. Just a girls getaway and much needed for all of us (: Rhylee had her first Halloween and was Cinderella. We spent thanksgiving day at the house, just the 5 of us, relaxing and watching movies. We did get to eat and visit with family the following weekend. We were hoping to be settled in our new home before Christmas but that didn't happen. The holidays looked a little different for us this year; no decorations, no gifts and all my kids weren't home. As hard as this was for me, to not have my ideal Christmas, it was a great reminder about what the holiday is really about. Trevor reminded us that Christmas is not about trees or presents. He kept quoting the Grinch to remind us that Christmas isn't about material things. Gotta love that boy (: Mackenzie spent December with her dad in Illinois. This was her longest time away from home and I think it was harder on me than her.
So here we are...the beginning of this new year. We are counting down the days until Rhylee's first birthday.
Welcome 2013!! My prayer is that I will embrace the trials of 2012 and learn to appreciate the lessons I gained from them.
We started 2012 off BIG and welcomed our little girl Rhylee into the world. Although we were anxious about the unknown and our 9 month birth plan was thrown out the window, looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.
The next few months were filled with sleepless nights, meltdowns, carpooling and trying to maintain some form of normalcy so it's really just a blur. The saying, "the days are long but the years are short" would define these months well (:
By June, we really found our rhythm with our new family. Trevor just completed his first year of high school...as an honor roll student I may add (: Kenzie was almost finished with her last year of elementary school and was counting down the days until she was done. She hadn't had the best year, personally or academically. She was more than ready for a break. We spent our summer with friends, at the pool, movies, Great Wolf Lodge, Myrtle Beach, parks, and museums. This summer was the first time I've been able to spend so much time with my kids. It wasn't as easy to transition into the roll of SAHM as I thought but there were moments that God pressed on my heart that reminded me why this was so important to our family at this time.
Jarrod and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary in June. We took the kids and our mother-in-law to the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord. We enjoyed an anniversary dinner, just the two of us, at one of our favorite places, Texas Land and Cattle.
July was emotional for me...my baby, my first born, was turning 16?! 16, was this really happening? As much as I hate to let him grown up, I couldn't be more proud of the man he is becoming. He is now old enough to understand and is fully aware that he learns and interacts with people differently because of his Aspergers. I have loved watching him work so hard to not allow his disability to be an excuse for why he can't do something but the reason for why he tries so hard. He is in such a better place than I was at his age. He loves the Lord and you can tell by the way he chooses to live his life. He encourages me in my walk.
And mini-me...can't forget her big birthday in July. Mackenzie turned 11 which in her words, "is practically a teenager". She pushed so hard for a cell phone and was greatly disappointed when she didn't receive one. She is at that age where she is trying so hard to be grown up but still loves being a kid. DON'T RUSH...be a kid as long as you can. I gave up my childhood way too early. I love that she plays with her dolls and still has an imagination. To celebrate both birthdays, we spent a few days at Myrtle Beach with grandma and Chris.
August brought new adventures for our family. I finally got to visit the west coast and I spent my birthday with my bestie in California. After returning from Ca, we kicked off our new school year at Monarch Prep. Although my husband had been encouraging me to home school for some time, I was extremely hesitant. I'm still not 100% over the moon with excitement about homeschooling but I can say that I do find great joy in doing it...even on the difficult days. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be but it's easier than I expected...if that makes sense (: I realized early in our school year that the kids were really good at memorization but not so good at comprehension. I love the flexibility in our days and that I am able to encourage them in areas they love and in areas they struggle.
The last few months of the year were spent focusing on our big move to Virginia and homeschooling. I did get to spend a birthday weekend with two of my favorite people at the beach in September. Just a girls getaway and much needed for all of us (: Rhylee had her first Halloween and was Cinderella. We spent thanksgiving day at the house, just the 5 of us, relaxing and watching movies. We did get to eat and visit with family the following weekend. We were hoping to be settled in our new home before Christmas but that didn't happen. The holidays looked a little different for us this year; no decorations, no gifts and all my kids weren't home. As hard as this was for me, to not have my ideal Christmas, it was a great reminder about what the holiday is really about. Trevor reminded us that Christmas is not about trees or presents. He kept quoting the Grinch to remind us that Christmas isn't about material things. Gotta love that boy (: Mackenzie spent December with her dad in Illinois. This was her longest time away from home and I think it was harder on me than her.
So here we are...the beginning of this new year. We are counting down the days until Rhylee's first birthday.
Welcome 2013!! My prayer is that I will embrace the trials of 2012 and learn to appreciate the lessons I gained from them.
- Don't sweat the small stuff
- Don't let my wants exceed my needs
- Find joy in my circumstances
- Remember that as much as I try...I am NOT in control
Friday, August 10, 2012
Adventures in Homeschooling - Day 5 (FrIdAy)
Rhylee's Review
ty6g65r5bn tyg y
\jmn6tjm ,nm mkjhu j 'l
(I liked when I got to watch The Letter Factory and when aunt Lisa came to visit and when my sister taught me about the alphabet)
Mackenzie's Review
School this week has been fun so far. I learned Math, Language, Spanish and Bible. I also learned alot of spelling. My favorite lesson in Math was learning about properties. My favorite lesson in Language was the four types of sentences. My favorite lesson in Bible was all of them. And last is Spanish. My favorite lesson in Spanish was all of them because that's my favorite.
Trevor's Review
My Week at Homeschool
So far this school year at home has been easy as apple pie. This week was really cool and I understood alot of my work. Mom was a really good and nice teacher this week. I learned so many new things and mom learned some things that she didn't know.
So if I were to describe homeschooling it would be, HOMESCHOOL IS AWESOMEEE!!!!
Mom's Review
I did it...I completed my first week. I'm sitting back now wondering why I was so afraid of starting this last year. I am so thankful for the support of my friends and family. I'm thankful that my husband lovingly pushed me and believed in me enough to do this. For my friends who didn't call me crazy when I told you and sent encouraging messages during my first week, thank you <3 My mom and sister who are a constant source of support, thank you. And thank you to those who were patient with me while I asked you a BILLION questions, for pointing me in the right direction and for encouraging me along the way (:
Adventures in Homeschooling - Day 4
We took an impromptu field trip to the Animal Control Center to rescue our dog, who apparently had been there since going missing on Friday. He slipped through the cracks somehow and they forgot to post his info on their website until Wednesday. Thank God they remembered because as of yesterday he was eligible for adoption :/
Trevor took his first Geometry quiz today and only missed one! He was so proud and so was I. I am pleasantly surprised at how well he has transitioned into this new school setting. Yesterday he took it upon himself to do extra work in an area that he has struggled in for years (:
My mini me (Kenzie) is loving being home but not loving the fact that she has to do ACTUAL school work. Her resistance is putting my patience to the test. We talked yesterday about what she thought homeschooling would be like. I shared some of my fears about it too. Change is not easy for me and apparently not so easy for her. I guess we are going to need some time to work out these misconceptions and get into the groove.
We watched some videos about some misconceptions and had a good laugh (:
Lisa stopped by for a visit today!! Kenzie was excited because she got some help with her work from someone who was a little less frustrated (:
Rhylee has been such a trooper about sharing her time with her brother and sister. She's even getting in on the action and getting some lessons from her big sister!
I do think vowels are a little advanced for a 7 month old but Rhylee seems to enjoy it!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Adventures in Homeschooling - Day 3
Day 3 is complete...not as easy as yesterday but all in all, not a bad day.
I'm getting some resistance from a certain student and I'm having to remind myself to be patient because this is new for all of us.
While going over Trevor's English lesson today I gained a new respect for those trying to learn the language. There are so many rules and some of them make no sense to me. Thank goodness for Google!
It's only the third day and I'm already noticing where the kids are struggling with things they should have learned years ago. It's great having that one on one with them because we can take as much time as we need to make sure they really grasp the concept. I love seeing that "aaaahhhh" moment when they finally get it. There's alot of high fives and corny dancing going on around here (:
The biggest accomplishment of the day came from my tiniest student. She learned how to eat puffs without choking AND finally figured out how to get her drink out of her sippy cup.
Very exciting day around here (:
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| Our little cheese-burger |
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Adventures in Homeschooling - I SURVIVED DAY 2
What a difference a day makes!!
I started our day prepared for anything to go wrong and EVERYTHING went so right!!!
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| Rhylee joined us for part of our Bible lesson |
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| Trevor working on Geometry |
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| Rhylee watching The Letter Factory while I finished up Language with Kenzie |
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| Kenzie was excited to learn that she could bring Kanani to school (: |
Day 2 - Kenzie's Review
Today I had lessons in Math, Language, Spanish and Bible.
My favorite subject was Spanish because it was alot of fun. I liked learning new Spanish words.
In Math I learned about place value.
In Language I learned how to write a correct sentence. The incorrect sentences they used were funny.
And in Bible I learned all about Adam and Eve's family tree. I also learned that Noah named one of his kids Ham! I like ham (:
Kenzie
My favorite subject was Spanish because it was alot of fun. I liked learning new Spanish words.
In Math I learned about place value.
In Language I learned how to write a correct sentence. The incorrect sentences they used were funny.
And in Bible I learned all about Adam and Eve's family tree. I also learned that Noah named one of his kids Ham! I like ham (:
Kenzie
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