Eight years of marriage. I am grateful to God for each day, each moment, of these eight years.
This past year Trent and I have been to funerals of people we believe died too young. People in the midst of raising their families. People who could be us.
Through the tears during the funerals and after, we think of their loved ones left behind. Left to carry on in the midst of their pain. To raise their families without the support of their spouse, but with the help of God.
I imagine myself in their shoes. What if something were to happen as unexpectedly as these deaths occurred to my dear Trent? Would there be anything I would do differently with the time we have?
No.
Both Trent and I realize how precious life is.
James 4:14 says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
I don't intend for this post to sound sad and morbid, but this is something that needs to be thought about, if only to remind us to celebrate the little moments. So we celebrate the little things, a child loosing a first tooth, a girl learning to read, a chubby hand writing her name all wobbly, each smile, each hug, each whispered and exhausted "good night". Because this is life. As each of these small moments pile on top of each other, always stacking higher and higher, they create this beautiful, precious life. Eight years of moments. Is there pain in the midst of these moments? Of course! A frustrated word, an irritated look. But those are followed with forgiveness, with love, acceptance, sometimes tears. And always, always, the love of God in the midst of all we do.
So today as we celebrate eight years, we are grateful. Grateful for each of these tiny moments stacking ever higher. Giving praise to God for the beauty of life He has blessed us with. We strive to find beauty in each day, as exhausting as it may be. Because whenever our time comes to meet our Lord, we want to have said we lived a life of no regrets.
No regrets. Only love.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Restricted and Released
At our sonogram last Wednesday we learned that we officially have another "Growth Restricted" baby. Intra-Uterine Growth Restricted is a term to define any baby below the 10th percentile. This percentile is the average of two measurements: the head and the abdomen. December Baby is now in the 8th percentile (head was 12% and abdomen was 2%). I was not shocked to learn this.
Our doctor has amazing bedside manner and was extremely kind. We really don't know why this happened again. Where we go from here is to the doctor, weekly sonograms with the specialist, and two or three more appointments with my OB before delivery. We will be scheduling delivery for the week before Christmas. It all seems somewhat cold and strange, but we are excited. Other than small size the baby is totally healthy. I cannot ask for more.
Also this week I had this urgency to learn something of our foster children. I debated whether or not to contact the foster mother who they went with after leaving our home. I finally decided to take a chance and hope that she didn't think I was a creepy stalker.
I will be forever grateful to her for her kind response. She told of our foster daughter doing well in therapy and in preschool. Of our foster daughter having fewer outbursts of tantrums. She told of our foster son "asserting his independence" and I could just picture him getting into all sorts of mischief like only a soon-to-be two year old boy can. She told of him still enjoying snuggles after his nap.
My immediate response was hard to describe. In some bizarre way I was hurt. I had pushed for our foster daughter to be in some sort of therapy or counseling and was rebuffed by the caseworker. I was told that "not all children in foster care are in therapy". I was sad that I was not the one who was snuggling this sweet boy after his naps and disciplining him when he misbehaved. More than anything I realized just how sad I was, and how much I really missed these kids.
After praying about this while I painted that evening I was hit with two things. First of all, I was being selfish. Second of all, I had not released this irrational hope that some day our foster son would return to us. The selfish part was easier to let go of. By the time I went to bed that evening I no longer held onto those feelings, but was instead SO SO grateful for the improvement in our foster daughter and grateful to her new foster parents for working hard and poring so much of themselves into her. The second part was not as easy for me. I had never dealt with grieving for someone I loved so dearly, let alone releasing them into an unknown future.
As I fell asleep that night I was praying for release.
And I dreamed.
Those of you who have read my blog before know that I have occasionally had dreams that I believe have significant meaning. This was my dream.
I was in a sort of hospital waiting area for adoptive parents. Many babies and children were being brought in but I was not being chosen for any of these children. Then a call came in that a newborn baby was going to be dropped off. I rushed to the entrance of the building with the "director" of this program.
It was cold outside and as the automatic doors opened a blast of freezing air rushed into the building hitting me in the face. Lying on the ground was a newborn baby, naked except for a heavily soiled diaper and a blanket that the wind had whipped off of him. I rushed outside to scoop up to the baby and comfort him in my loving arms.
The director and I went back to his office. He sat at his computer and began searching for a family for this baby. As I stood holding and comforting this precious baby who I already loved I got so angry!! Didn't the director see that I was the perfect mother for this baby? Didn't he see how much I loved this little boy?
When I shouted something along those lines in my frustration at the director he just calmly turned and looked at me. He said, "No. I have already chosen a child for you. But this is not him. You need to wait."
I think even within my dream I realized that this director was no ordinary man, but God, or an angel of God.
It dawned on me that this is what I was doing with our foster son. I rushed in to take things into my own hands and ended up hurt and resentful when things didn't go my way.
I woke up with an amazing feeling of peace and a "God-like" understanding of the situation. Eight months after our foster son left us physically I was finally able to release him emotionally.
I won't even look into what the messenger in my dream meant when he said he had already chosen a child for me. I am just so so grateful to God for this dream, to the foster family who has had the children longer than we did, and am trusting in the Lord to be with them wherever they go.
Our doctor has amazing bedside manner and was extremely kind. We really don't know why this happened again. Where we go from here is to the doctor, weekly sonograms with the specialist, and two or three more appointments with my OB before delivery. We will be scheduling delivery for the week before Christmas. It all seems somewhat cold and strange, but we are excited. Other than small size the baby is totally healthy. I cannot ask for more.
Also this week I had this urgency to learn something of our foster children. I debated whether or not to contact the foster mother who they went with after leaving our home. I finally decided to take a chance and hope that she didn't think I was a creepy stalker.
I will be forever grateful to her for her kind response. She told of our foster daughter doing well in therapy and in preschool. Of our foster daughter having fewer outbursts of tantrums. She told of our foster son "asserting his independence" and I could just picture him getting into all sorts of mischief like only a soon-to-be two year old boy can. She told of him still enjoying snuggles after his nap.
My immediate response was hard to describe. In some bizarre way I was hurt. I had pushed for our foster daughter to be in some sort of therapy or counseling and was rebuffed by the caseworker. I was told that "not all children in foster care are in therapy". I was sad that I was not the one who was snuggling this sweet boy after his naps and disciplining him when he misbehaved. More than anything I realized just how sad I was, and how much I really missed these kids.
After praying about this while I painted that evening I was hit with two things. First of all, I was being selfish. Second of all, I had not released this irrational hope that some day our foster son would return to us. The selfish part was easier to let go of. By the time I went to bed that evening I no longer held onto those feelings, but was instead SO SO grateful for the improvement in our foster daughter and grateful to her new foster parents for working hard and poring so much of themselves into her. The second part was not as easy for me. I had never dealt with grieving for someone I loved so dearly, let alone releasing them into an unknown future.
As I fell asleep that night I was praying for release.
And I dreamed.
Those of you who have read my blog before know that I have occasionally had dreams that I believe have significant meaning. This was my dream.
I was in a sort of hospital waiting area for adoptive parents. Many babies and children were being brought in but I was not being chosen for any of these children. Then a call came in that a newborn baby was going to be dropped off. I rushed to the entrance of the building with the "director" of this program.
It was cold outside and as the automatic doors opened a blast of freezing air rushed into the building hitting me in the face. Lying on the ground was a newborn baby, naked except for a heavily soiled diaper and a blanket that the wind had whipped off of him. I rushed outside to scoop up to the baby and comfort him in my loving arms.
The director and I went back to his office. He sat at his computer and began searching for a family for this baby. As I stood holding and comforting this precious baby who I already loved I got so angry!! Didn't the director see that I was the perfect mother for this baby? Didn't he see how much I loved this little boy?
When I shouted something along those lines in my frustration at the director he just calmly turned and looked at me. He said, "No. I have already chosen a child for you. But this is not him. You need to wait."
I think even within my dream I realized that this director was no ordinary man, but God, or an angel of God.
It dawned on me that this is what I was doing with our foster son. I rushed in to take things into my own hands and ended up hurt and resentful when things didn't go my way.
I woke up with an amazing feeling of peace and a "God-like" understanding of the situation. Eight months after our foster son left us physically I was finally able to release him emotionally.
I won't even look into what the messenger in my dream meant when he said he had already chosen a child for me. I am just so so grateful to God for this dream, to the foster family who has had the children longer than we did, and am trusting in the Lord to be with them wherever they go.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
A Turn of Events
At my 20 week ultrasound we saw an awesome baby in the 43rd percentile. The Maternal-Fetal specialist doctors said we couldn't have a more perfect looking baby. Because of my history of Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) with Magdalena they recommended we come back in another 6 weeks just to be on the safe side.
Last week I headed into my ultrasound appointment excited for another peek at our cutie. I saw this amazing baby, so perfect with it's little heart thumping away. The tech gave our baby an estimated weight of 1 pound 10 ounces which sounded great to me! After the routine check the ultrasound tech said that one of the two doctors will be in to chat with me shortly.
The doctor kindly informed me that unfortunately our baby has dropped to about the 12th percentile. I was very shocked and very disappointed. Not crushed. Not devastated. I now have to go back every 2 1/2 weeks for ultrasounds to check on baby's growth.
The doctor suggested that I add about 250-500 calories to my diet. I have added about 350 by drinking Ensure boost (I really feel like an old person), but I'm willing to do it for baby. The bummer is that the doctor said it may not even help, but it is worth a shot.
At this point they have no idea why the baby would drop so drastically in percentile. We already knew the baby would be on the smaller side since the baby will be delivered around 36 weeks. Our prayer for baby is similar to our pray for Magdalena, "Grow, grow, grow!"
As strange as it may sound, I am grateful for my experience with Magdalena because so much of my pregnancy with her was spent in fear of the unknown. Since she came through the pregnancy and delivery small but mostly healthy I am not fearful for this baby. More than anything the thought of all the extra appointments just makes me feel tired.
I am remaining optimistic and joyful despite the small size of the baby and the fact that the baby is breech (another wild one?). We were prepared for the fact that we will be having another C-Section so that also takes away a lot of the fear that I had in preparation for Maggie's birth. All in all, I am grateful for the opportunity to carry another child and am trusting God in all circumstances.
Last week I headed into my ultrasound appointment excited for another peek at our cutie. I saw this amazing baby, so perfect with it's little heart thumping away. The tech gave our baby an estimated weight of 1 pound 10 ounces which sounded great to me! After the routine check the ultrasound tech said that one of the two doctors will be in to chat with me shortly.
The doctor kindly informed me that unfortunately our baby has dropped to about the 12th percentile. I was very shocked and very disappointed. Not crushed. Not devastated. I now have to go back every 2 1/2 weeks for ultrasounds to check on baby's growth.
The doctor suggested that I add about 250-500 calories to my diet. I have added about 350 by drinking Ensure boost (I really feel like an old person), but I'm willing to do it for baby. The bummer is that the doctor said it may not even help, but it is worth a shot.
At this point they have no idea why the baby would drop so drastically in percentile. We already knew the baby would be on the smaller side since the baby will be delivered around 36 weeks. Our prayer for baby is similar to our pray for Magdalena, "Grow, grow, grow!"
As strange as it may sound, I am grateful for my experience with Magdalena because so much of my pregnancy with her was spent in fear of the unknown. Since she came through the pregnancy and delivery small but mostly healthy I am not fearful for this baby. More than anything the thought of all the extra appointments just makes me feel tired.
I am remaining optimistic and joyful despite the small size of the baby and the fact that the baby is breech (another wild one?). We were prepared for the fact that we will be having another C-Section so that also takes away a lot of the fear that I had in preparation for Maggie's birth. All in all, I am grateful for the opportunity to carry another child and am trusting God in all circumstances.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Perfect Parenting
Since school has started and the "back to school" excitement has worn off for most parents and children, I've started to hear a lot of complaints about what is expected on the parents' end of schooling. Things like: each child has a different colored folder that they are supposed to bring back to school on a certain day of the week; the child has to wear a specific color for a specific day of the week; they don't to any Science, History, or Geography until 3rd grade; there are so many papers to remember to sign every night; we are so busy with AWANA, sports, gymnastics, music, etc.; once you have multiple kids in school the paperwork seems to be insurmountable; and the list goes on.
I am the only mom in my mom's group who homeschools. When the other moms are talking of these things they look at me and throw up their hands and say, "I don't know HOW you homeschool!!" They go on to list things that I must be in order to survive homeschooling: super-organized, extremely patient, "super-mom" to get everything done, practically perfect.
The fact is, I am none of those things! I don't have to remember for my children to wear a specific color for "spirit week", I don't give them different colored folders for each day of the week, and the only extracurricular activity we do currently is piano lessons one day a week and our piano teacher comes to our house. We do Science, History and Geography every day in addition to Bible and a Bible memory verse for each week.
I'm not super-organized, but I do try to have some semblance of order to our day. The kids are responsible for their own papers. I will punch holes in them but they are responsible for putting their papers into their folders.
I am not extremely patient. Just the other day I got frustrated and yelled at Anne for repeatedly saying that 1+1=11. I showed her physical objects and said, "If you have one bottle of paint and I give you one more, how many do you have?" And she said, "11". AGGGHHHHHHH!!!! So frustrating!! I definitely yelled at her in my frustration. No, certainly not patient.
I am not super-mom. If you could peek into my house this morning you would find dirty dishes, dirty bathrooms, toys and books all over the floor, unmade beds and a very untidy house. Because the reality is this - I can't do everything. Today we are going to be starting school late in order to catch up on housework.
I am not practically perfect. I have many parenting flaws; I have many teacher flaws. All that to say that I am glad that we are homeschooling. Despite the frustrations I really do enjoy teaching the children. Yes, our home is messy. Yes, I get frustrated. Yes, I am tired.
Before school started I made a sign that said, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. To Him be the glory." Has our Hess family done that so far this school year? Yes, I believe we have. We still have a long way to go to complete the year, but I have seen progress in our lives so far. I am hopeful that we will continue to grow closer to the Lord throughout this year. We don't know what the future holds, but we do know that we are enjoying living life together in these simple, everyday moments.
I am the only mom in my mom's group who homeschools. When the other moms are talking of these things they look at me and throw up their hands and say, "I don't know HOW you homeschool!!" They go on to list things that I must be in order to survive homeschooling: super-organized, extremely patient, "super-mom" to get everything done, practically perfect.
The fact is, I am none of those things! I don't have to remember for my children to wear a specific color for "spirit week", I don't give them different colored folders for each day of the week, and the only extracurricular activity we do currently is piano lessons one day a week and our piano teacher comes to our house. We do Science, History and Geography every day in addition to Bible and a Bible memory verse for each week.
I'm not super-organized, but I do try to have some semblance of order to our day. The kids are responsible for their own papers. I will punch holes in them but they are responsible for putting their papers into their folders.
I am not extremely patient. Just the other day I got frustrated and yelled at Anne for repeatedly saying that 1+1=11. I showed her physical objects and said, "If you have one bottle of paint and I give you one more, how many do you have?" And she said, "11". AGGGHHHHHHH!!!! So frustrating!! I definitely yelled at her in my frustration. No, certainly not patient.
I am not super-mom. If you could peek into my house this morning you would find dirty dishes, dirty bathrooms, toys and books all over the floor, unmade beds and a very untidy house. Because the reality is this - I can't do everything. Today we are going to be starting school late in order to catch up on housework.
I am not practically perfect. I have many parenting flaws; I have many teacher flaws. All that to say that I am glad that we are homeschooling. Despite the frustrations I really do enjoy teaching the children. Yes, our home is messy. Yes, I get frustrated. Yes, I am tired.
Before school started I made a sign that said, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. To Him be the glory." Has our Hess family done that so far this school year? Yes, I believe we have. We still have a long way to go to complete the year, but I have seen progress in our lives so far. I am hopeful that we will continue to grow closer to the Lord throughout this year. We don't know what the future holds, but we do know that we are enjoying living life together in these simple, everyday moments.
Friday, September 27, 2013
This Old Pair of Jeans
To the common eye they are nothing extraordinary. Just a common pair of dark-wash denim jeans. Size 4R. Gap. Flare. The backs are frayed because of my too short legs. But to me they are so much more. A small corner of my past that I never got rid of.
Today I dug these jeans out of the back of my closet and slipped them on. A perfect fit. Aren't old jeans just like old friends? You haven't seen them in a long time, but getting back to them is so comfortable and natural.
Under normal circumstances I would probably not be thrilled about adding two pant sizes to my thin frame, but this is different. It's like coming full circle. I hope to make this journey again sometime. From thin, to adding weight for a lovely new baby, to bringing a beautiful new life into the world, to thin again. Yes, I certainly hope to make this journey again.
These jeans have walked many miles with me. I remember the first day I saw them. I was preparing my outfit for a date that night. A first date, so it was important. I'm trying to picture that girl of so long ago. The choppy short blond hair, the athletic build, the excitement, the nervousness, the laughter that came so easily.
Nine years ago these Gap jeans were purchased by a 19 year old girl at Marshall's; the same Marshall's that this girl still shops at for her own children. The jeans were paired with a thick-strapped tank-top in bright pink and pink sandals.
That date was the start of something special. As Trent and I look forward to our 8th anniversary I wonder if I will wear these jeans again for that date. As my stomach continues to swell I don't imagine that they will be very comfortable in another 12 weeks, but maybe in 13 weeks, a week after our fourth baby is born I will wear these jeans again.
And as the weight continues to fall off as it always does when nursing a sweet new baby, the jeans will go back into their place in the back of the closet. Hopefully to resurface at another time. They serve as a loving reminder of the girl I was, and make me grateful for the woman God is slowly molding me into.
So to you they be just an old pair of jeans, but to me, they are much much more.
Today I dug these jeans out of the back of my closet and slipped them on. A perfect fit. Aren't old jeans just like old friends? You haven't seen them in a long time, but getting back to them is so comfortable and natural.
Under normal circumstances I would probably not be thrilled about adding two pant sizes to my thin frame, but this is different. It's like coming full circle. I hope to make this journey again sometime. From thin, to adding weight for a lovely new baby, to bringing a beautiful new life into the world, to thin again. Yes, I certainly hope to make this journey again.
These jeans have walked many miles with me. I remember the first day I saw them. I was preparing my outfit for a date that night. A first date, so it was important. I'm trying to picture that girl of so long ago. The choppy short blond hair, the athletic build, the excitement, the nervousness, the laughter that came so easily.
Nine years ago these Gap jeans were purchased by a 19 year old girl at Marshall's; the same Marshall's that this girl still shops at for her own children. The jeans were paired with a thick-strapped tank-top in bright pink and pink sandals.
That date was the start of something special. As Trent and I look forward to our 8th anniversary I wonder if I will wear these jeans again for that date. As my stomach continues to swell I don't imagine that they will be very comfortable in another 12 weeks, but maybe in 13 weeks, a week after our fourth baby is born I will wear these jeans again.
And as the weight continues to fall off as it always does when nursing a sweet new baby, the jeans will go back into their place in the back of the closet. Hopefully to resurface at another time. They serve as a loving reminder of the girl I was, and make me grateful for the woman God is slowly molding me into.
So to you they be just an old pair of jeans, but to me, they are much much more.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Musings
So much and yet so little is going on right now.
Earlier this week I was feeling upset that I am not "showing" like most other mom's do at 24 weeks. I know it may sound ridiculous, but I really do wish I had a nice round belly that would show that YES - I AM expecting my fourth baby!! It's actually a little embarrassing to me that other people don't realize that we are having a baby.
And then I heard that a very close family member overdosed and stopped breathing. Thankfully this family member is doing OK now, but it's so foolish to think that I was wasting my time feeling upset about something so insignificant as what my stomach looks like when this person I love so much could have died (technically did die).
It seems that I am not a very quick learner. Because just today I was comparing my life situation with someone else. I have always wanted to adopt, and so when I hear of others adopting I feel this twinge of jealousy. And yet I am well aware that we may NEVER adopt. After fostering my husband really has no desire to adopt, but I have those feelings nonetheless. And then I remember that the person adopting is in a very different life situation from myself. And that this person and her husband are on the same page.
And then I hear of another family member choosing to cut themselves off from another. And I'm angry. Before my spiritual conversion I used to get vehemently angry frequently. That anger was lifted after I had this amazing encounter with Jesus. Today was the first time I have felt that barely controlled anger rising up in me. I am thankful that after praying I was able to get my anger in check and pray for this family member instead of rattling off an angry message to them like I wanted to.
As I read some "mom-blogs" today I was reading of children who are struggling in school. I realized that what our girls are learning and the levels that they are learning at my come off as bragging. I certainly am very proud of each of my girls, but I know that even if they had a learning disability or struggled in school I would still love them just as much.
Of course, being prideful is a sin, one that I am constantly reminding myself of and working to correct in my life. Late last week we had a few incidents with one of our children being "sneaky". The child would sneak a piece of candy and hide somewhere to eat it. And trust me, this child certainly knows better. This happened multiple times. Sometimes the child would confess only when caught red-handed. And other times she would act very shameful of her actions (but wouldn't change them). After a discussion today on truth, trusting, and what our actions say about us, she has committed to working on this sinful behavior.
I guess there is more going on than I realized...
Earlier this week I was feeling upset that I am not "showing" like most other mom's do at 24 weeks. I know it may sound ridiculous, but I really do wish I had a nice round belly that would show that YES - I AM expecting my fourth baby!! It's actually a little embarrassing to me that other people don't realize that we are having a baby.
And then I heard that a very close family member overdosed and stopped breathing. Thankfully this family member is doing OK now, but it's so foolish to think that I was wasting my time feeling upset about something so insignificant as what my stomach looks like when this person I love so much could have died (technically did die).
It seems that I am not a very quick learner. Because just today I was comparing my life situation with someone else. I have always wanted to adopt, and so when I hear of others adopting I feel this twinge of jealousy. And yet I am well aware that we may NEVER adopt. After fostering my husband really has no desire to adopt, but I have those feelings nonetheless. And then I remember that the person adopting is in a very different life situation from myself. And that this person and her husband are on the same page.
And then I hear of another family member choosing to cut themselves off from another. And I'm angry. Before my spiritual conversion I used to get vehemently angry frequently. That anger was lifted after I had this amazing encounter with Jesus. Today was the first time I have felt that barely controlled anger rising up in me. I am thankful that after praying I was able to get my anger in check and pray for this family member instead of rattling off an angry message to them like I wanted to.
As I read some "mom-blogs" today I was reading of children who are struggling in school. I realized that what our girls are learning and the levels that they are learning at my come off as bragging. I certainly am very proud of each of my girls, but I know that even if they had a learning disability or struggled in school I would still love them just as much.
Of course, being prideful is a sin, one that I am constantly reminding myself of and working to correct in my life. Late last week we had a few incidents with one of our children being "sneaky". The child would sneak a piece of candy and hide somewhere to eat it. And trust me, this child certainly knows better. This happened multiple times. Sometimes the child would confess only when caught red-handed. And other times she would act very shameful of her actions (but wouldn't change them). After a discussion today on truth, trusting, and what our actions say about us, she has committed to working on this sinful behavior.
I guess there is more going on than I realized...
Saturday, September 21, 2013
This Homeschool Thing
We have just about completed four full weeks of homeschool. And, I've got to say, it's been pretty darn good.
Not all of our days have been perfect, but I think if you ask any school teacher anywhere they will say the same.
Some of the things I am enjoying the most so far are:
~flexibility: I have pregnancy-related doctor appointments and these often involve long waits. So, we pack up our read-alouds, some handwriting and a few other things to keep the kids occupied and learning while we wait. We also started back up at the mom's group I attend and on those days we do school after lunch OR we will do a little extra work the day before and the day after. **I think the first 2 weeks I was very rigid on doing Week one, Day 1 on THAT DAY, and I didn't allow myself to be flexible. It has been very much a learning experience for me as well.
~Sisterly-love: The three girls have always had close relationships, and these relationships certainly seem to be blossoming. If I send Anne to school half the day I know Anne would have entered a world that Abbey could not enter and therefore they would begin that gradual drift in relationship. In fact, this year they are in the same class during SMILE (my mom's group) and when the kids went around and introduced themselves and told their ages Anne said, "This is my sister Abbey and I'm so glad she's here!" and hugged her tight.
~Extra learning opportunities: Today Anne is helping Trent plant a tree and will learn to care for it. The kids all get to come to my appointments and hear the baby's heartbeat. Last week the doctor even let Anne use the Doppler to listen to her own heart and to hear how much slower it sounds than the baby's. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure most Kindergarteners aren't learning about Ancient Rome and Egyptians, or sediment and igneous rocks, or the Earth's rotation. We have an amazing opportunity to teach these kids really great information AND from a Christian worldview.
I'm sure there are more things, but I'm being called to inspect Anne's maple tree. I'm sure I still have lots to learn on the teaching and flexibility end, but so far we are all loving it. We also decided to place Abbey in Kindergarten along with Anne since she was accomplishing the same tasks as Anne and was thriving on learning more and new information. I definitely do some altering to make things harder for Anne as she is advanced in some of our subject areas. Abbey is determined to learn to read and has made quite a bit of progress in the past four weeks. In fact, just yesterday I spelled a word at the table and she figured it out. :) I believe I said, "Someone needs an N-A-P." And she chimed in, "Nap!" Maggie needs a nap!"
Not all of our days have been perfect, but I think if you ask any school teacher anywhere they will say the same.
Some of the things I am enjoying the most so far are:
~flexibility: I have pregnancy-related doctor appointments and these often involve long waits. So, we pack up our read-alouds, some handwriting and a few other things to keep the kids occupied and learning while we wait. We also started back up at the mom's group I attend and on those days we do school after lunch OR we will do a little extra work the day before and the day after. **I think the first 2 weeks I was very rigid on doing Week one, Day 1 on THAT DAY, and I didn't allow myself to be flexible. It has been very much a learning experience for me as well.
~Sisterly-love: The three girls have always had close relationships, and these relationships certainly seem to be blossoming. If I send Anne to school half the day I know Anne would have entered a world that Abbey could not enter and therefore they would begin that gradual drift in relationship. In fact, this year they are in the same class during SMILE (my mom's group) and when the kids went around and introduced themselves and told their ages Anne said, "This is my sister Abbey and I'm so glad she's here!" and hugged her tight.
~Extra learning opportunities: Today Anne is helping Trent plant a tree and will learn to care for it. The kids all get to come to my appointments and hear the baby's heartbeat. Last week the doctor even let Anne use the Doppler to listen to her own heart and to hear how much slower it sounds than the baby's. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure most Kindergarteners aren't learning about Ancient Rome and Egyptians, or sediment and igneous rocks, or the Earth's rotation. We have an amazing opportunity to teach these kids really great information AND from a Christian worldview.
I'm sure there are more things, but I'm being called to inspect Anne's maple tree. I'm sure I still have lots to learn on the teaching and flexibility end, but so far we are all loving it. We also decided to place Abbey in Kindergarten along with Anne since she was accomplishing the same tasks as Anne and was thriving on learning more and new information. I definitely do some altering to make things harder for Anne as she is advanced in some of our subject areas. Abbey is determined to learn to read and has made quite a bit of progress in the past four weeks. In fact, just yesterday I spelled a word at the table and she figured it out. :) I believe I said, "Someone needs an N-A-P." And she chimed in, "Nap!" Maggie needs a nap!"
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