Life Update: Preschool and Dancing

Kaelyn had her dance pictures this weekend!

How about a quick update on our lives?

 Kaelyn

Kaelyn finished up her preschool curricula this past week. We had fun making all sorts of Alphabet books this year together. Each time we learned a letter we added a page to a few different books: construction letter book, ABC art book, Q-tip letter book, and a "sounds like" book. We had a ton of fun doing crafts together and it was so great to see how much she learned this year. I had tested her at the start of her preschool in July and then again last week. It is amazing to see how much a child can change in nine months. She knows most of her letters (upper and lower case), can count to 13, can easily use scissors and glue, and has gained so much confidence in herself. She is very much looking forward to kindergarten and learning how to read next year.

For the remainder of this year I am going to be focusing on letter sounds, handwriting, reading lots of great books together, and doing art projects. I have already purchased both Kaelyn and Sebastian's curricula for next year, but I don't want to start kindergarten and third grade until July, at the earliest. We are having an easy "wrap-up the school year" for April and May. I hope we can spend a lot of time outside for some health and phys ed!

Sebastian

Sebastian danced at the mall for PRBallet!

I learned a lot this year with Sebastian. Just recently I had him take a test to see how he placed. He is doing incredibly well and I can just calm down! The school approach I took this past year was very parent intense and what was expected out of him was beyond his maturity level. He enjoyed part of it, but we are scraping it for next year. I found a more gentle approach for him that is completely planned out for me.

For the rest of this year I am focusing on getting Sebastian more confident in his spelling and writing. These are his least favorite subjects, so I am trying to make them more enjoyable for him. Right now we are working on a Snow Leopard book as a big research project. He is reading so much about snow leopards and has become quite the expert. His idea is that this book will be a manual that he can give to his baby brother when he is old enough. How cute is that?

Miles

My dear littlest baby is 13 months old!  I cannot get over how he has grown.  He is walking very well now, although he refuses to walk if I put shoes on him.  He will crawl instead.  He LOVES to eat, especially anything pasta. He only says "mama" but it can mean different things. My favorite thing he does is pointing at things. He can get so much across by pointing at things! He still refuses to nap (or sleep at all) so the parents are very tired, but there is no way I can stay mad at that sweet little face.

Me!

There really isn't much to tell about me. I am still plugging away with life. I have been trying to adjust my expectations while I am homeschooling, taking care of a baby, and maintaining a job outside the home. It is impossible to do it all, so I just do the best I can. I like to remember Proverbs 3:6. (NABRE)

"In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths."

At the end of the day, that is all I can do. If I place God first, and make Him a part of every action of the day, than I have done it all. It doesn't matter if the living room didn't get vacuumed or a load of laundry didn't make it into the dryer. This is one season in my life that is full of bodies in my house and I plan on enjoying it. In just a few years these little souls will be out on their own and I will have all the time in the world to keep my house perfectly clean and organized. For now I delight in the fact that we are LIVING and we are THRIVING as a family.

Phillipians 4:13 (NABRE) "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."