Well, today is the day...

The day that I update my blog, that is. I've been meaning to update this sucker for the longest time. I've felt compelled several times, but it seems inspiration and energy don't necessarily go hand and hand. These past two months have been, well, exhausting. It seems that the weeks just creep by, only to find that it has actually been a month since I even thought about another week. We are just living every day. That is about all I can say.

Noah is doing well in school. We've been pushing through SOTW and seem to have hit a brick wall as far as energy with it. I think I've been looking so forward to the "Knights and Castles" section and it has taken us so.long to get through the chapters before that, that we're losing steam. I've made the executive decision to skip right to that after Christmas. I know there are other important events in history, I'm just finding myself a little bored of it all. I picked up a fantastic book on paperbackswap called How to Brush Up on the Bible. I must confess, I wasn't the first to stumble upon this little gem. My friend, Jody, told me about finding it at Half Price Books and after hearing about it, I knew our school needed it's own copy. I think we will be putting it to good use this next semester. We have been just using little devotionals every day, which is good for Caitlyn, but I am feeling like Noah needs a bit more. I'm sad to say that AWANA has sort of fallen away from us this year, and since I mainly have used that as a basis for our Bible study, I've been feeling like I needed to beef it up with something else. For Noah we have completely switch gears with math, and I am so glad we did. We went from Saxon 5/4 to Math Mammoth 4a. I can't put into words how this has revolutionized our school day. I hear little to NO complaining about math anymore. I'm not sure what has made the change for him (from spiral to mastery method, workbook type to printed worksheets), but honestly I don't even care! I am so happy NOT to have to drag him whining through math I could seriously dance a jig (and I might at the end of the year). I hope this is not just the honeymoon period. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I even told him today that we would have to switch to three pages per day (this is usually the amount of one whole lesson and we've only been doing two up to this point) and I didn't even hear a groan. I almost fell out of my chair! Latin is going well for us. Noah is taking it in stride. We're a little behind where I wanted to be in grammar, but we'll be doing some on weekends to help catch up. I probably will just keep going with math and grammar through the holiday, because I'm just like that. (No really, it is better for him if I keep the routine.) We are rolling right along with Chemistry also, although I've had to slow down a bit to re-learn some of the concepts myself, and so that I can make sure he's really getting it. Noah has found another love, Horrible History and Horrible Science books. I've tried to figure out how to link Horrible Ray's website (where I order the books), but haven't gotten it yet. Noah absolutely ADORES these books. He's "made" me order almost all of them. The only problem that we've encountered is that they are produced in the UK, so we have to special order them from Ray in San Diego. Daddy has revolted a little bit, but I just remind him to peruse the shelves to see all the books he's amassed over the years. He hasn't complained too much actually. I just claim they are for school, which they are ;). Noah is so cute, the other day, I had asked him to put his books on the shelf and instead of just filing them in, he built a display of all of his favorites instead. I almost cried. What a way to warm my heart, my child's demonstration of his love of books!

Well, I attached some pics of our Thanksgiving at Pap-pa's. Hope you enjoy the little pilgrims as much as I did!

Caitlyn is doing well. She has just passed that milestone with her writing that she is initiating writing on her own and I am there simply as her personal talking dictionary. We do copywork most days, we read, we play, we do math. She is using Miquon Math and, frankly, it is going wonderfully. I was hesitant about such a different program for her, but she is already adding on the first grade level (using the manipulatives). I recently subscribed to Headsprout Reading for her. I got a good deal on it through mamapedia, I thought it would be just what she needed. She is getting a little bored with the bob books and I felt she needed more phonics review than what she was getting with Explode the Code. She could probably skip the last book (Go for the Code) and go straight to Book 1, but I really don't want to skip around any with her, to make sure she hits all the letters she needs. She also has been gearing up for The Nutcracker. She is really looking forward to that, and so are we. Pap-pa is coming tonight so he can see the dress rehearsal tomorrow night. Then next weekend Grandmommy and Granddaddy, Uncle Jack and Lainy are coming. Totally psyched to see my little girl on the stage again!

Aiden is well, Aiden. He's making messes, demanding attention, learning new things every day. He is always willing to stop for huggies, but kisses have become a thing of the past, much to my dismay. I was expecting that type of behavior at 7 or 8, but at almost 3 that is totally unsat! He surprises me everyday with how smart he is. He can count to about 14 and he knows many of his letters and letter sounds (thanks to the Leap Pad shows). He and Caitlyn and I played a game the other day where we drew alphabet cards and took terns saying the letter and it's sound. He actually got them right!

We began an Advent study last week and the kids and I are loving it. This is the first year that we have really focused on Advent. We are doing a unit study by Amanda Bennett, along with a lapbook that coordinates and I think it is going to be great. I'll post pics of it as soon as we finish. We did a lapbook at Thanksgiving and it turned out really cute. I do almost all the cutting, Noah does most of the comprehension/reinforcement, Caitlyn does most of the coloring. By completing one as a family, we are able to focus on the strong suits of everyone.

Caitlyn's math page from today...

Week in Review - Oct. 4-8, 2010

Well, it has been quite a week. Bitter sweet at times. I choose to focus on the sweet rather than the bitter, so here it goes.

Attitudes and History

The week started out a little down. We had lots of moans, groans, and whines. This has been an on-going problem for the past couple of weeks. It seems like since we came back from the lake with Chris' parents, the kids have been in total vacation mode. Okay, I must admit, maybe I have been too. Anyway, this week was the time for a "come to Jesus" meeting. I used to have these little chat sessions regularly in my classroom when I felt like students were slacking off. So, the attitudes in the Foster household called for an object lesson. I have to confess, I got the idea from my bff, Paula, who stole it from another master mind whom I do not know. I called the children around the dining table and presented three items: little white puff balls (of the crafting variety), larger empty pill bottles, and a little dolly hair comb. I asked them to close their eyes and rub a little puff ball on their faces and hands. I asked, "What does that feel like?" The responses varied from soft/good to nice/tickly. I told them to keep their eyes closed and I rubbed their hands with the teeth of the comb. Noah jumped and wailed. I asked them how THAT felt. They both said scratchy, hurts, bad. Then I asked them how these words made them feel, "You're stupid, NOOOOOO, I can't do THAT!" Then I said, "Good job, I love you, Awesome!" I asked which words felt better to them. After a bit of prodding with Noah, he finally agreed with Caitlyn that the positive words felt better. (As a side note, right after I said the positive words, Caitlyn ran over and said, "Huggy!" - more evidence that her love language is words of praise.) Then we talked about how we have the opportunity every day to bless people with positive words. We can make someone feel good or bad simply by the words or reactions we choose. I told them how their "rough" words lately had made me feel really bad, like I had been rubbed with a rough comb. I encouraged them to use positive words with me and with each other. I also told them when their responses were positive, they would get little puff balls for their jars. The first day they filled up their jars and it was a WONDERFUL day of school. So, we had milkshakes for snack that day. That day we also had time to incorporate some fun things into our day, like making a Viking brooch with Caitlyn (Sonlight Core K - from our Viking activity book) and making hanging snakes from the valley of the snakes from the Sinbad story (SOTW 2 Chapter 7) I think both of the kids learned lots that day. I know I did!

Writing, Writing and Math

Wednesday we had to tackle another obstacle. It began with my whiny call to Jody about how I had taught 9th grade English for 8 years, yet I had no idea how to "dumb it down" to 4th grade. Everytime Noah wrote any type of "paragraph" I was just stuck feeling like it was terrible. And, to my defense, it was terrible according to 9th grade standards. I just couldn't get a grasp on how to go about helping him, on the 4th grade level. My friend Jody is a teacher as well, but I think she has done more homeschooling application of her writing instruction than I have, so I called her to whine and for advice. She told me she just started with her son by giving him a piece of paper and telling him to fill the page with anything he could remember about the subject they had studied that day (a la Charlotte Mason narration style). I was intrigued by the open-ended approach since I had mostly "given the topic" to my students instead of letting them choose their own. Humm, I thought...So, the same day, I implemented the instruction into our day. Noah was a little hesitant at first and I made the mistake of saying, "write five sentences" instead of just having him fill up the page. So, after a consultation with my educational advisor (Jody) we tried it again today. And, BOY did Noah do well! I was shocked that he almost filled up a front and back of a sheet (mind you, this was unlined paper - although I think he feels a little intimidated by all the lines on the wide ruled paper)! What a whopping success! Now I just have to get him to go back and edit his draft and do a final draft! The day before we practiced outlining (IEW style) with Noah's science topic - Black Holes. He did GREAT with that too! I think from now on, we will be working on writing at least twice a week (formally, we do it informally all through the week). Caitlyn had a great success also this week. We have been going through Miquon math (orange book) and working with the Cuisenaire rods this year. I decided to go with Miquon after a LONG self-debate about what program would be the best for Caitlyn. I had used Horizons and Saxon with Noah (Still using Saxon with Noah), but I really wanted to encourage Caitlyn to see beyond the numbers and picture what the math "looked" like. I was (and still am not) never good at math, and I really wanted more for her. We have been playing games and learning about numbers. We have made trains with the rods to explore addition and subtraction. We have worked a little on the writing of numbers, but I haven't really pushed that. She gets overwhelmed by a line of 3s or a page of writing numbers 1-10, but today I pulled out the adding 1's drill sheet. She had been watching Seth intently the other day doing his drill sheet. I thought at first that I might just have her figure out the answers to each problem and I would record her answers, but she quickly assured me that she could, "do it" by herself! As you can see from the picture, she had some inventive ways of making her numbers. She turned her page sideways to make the 8, but she got most of them correct. I was so very proud of her. I think she's doing great in math!

The Man Who Loved Books by Jean Fritz

We read a wonderful book today from our SOTW 2 book list, The Man Who Loved Books, by Jean Fritz. It was a delightful tale of an old Irishman who loved books so much that it sometimes got him in trouble. Last week we had been discussing how books were copied by hand and we had even done our own illumination letters, so this little tale was very timely. Noah and Caitlyn both liked the story. After a few pages we read, we discussed the major themes in each section. After our discussion I sat Noah down with pencil and paper and had him tell me the story. He did it like a champ!

Overall, this week has been great! Can't wait to see what next week holds!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the kids made up a jingle for Addie while they turned her into "Letter Dog". It was cute how she endured it. I just told her that was the price she had to pay for being a kids dog!

Introducing Letter dog!

Birthday week success...

Well, even though I had to come home from vacation, this week was a success. We had an AWESOME time on the lake with Chris' parents. I didn't realize how much I needed a vacation (after only two weeks of school), but once I got there I just felt my stresses melt away. So nice to have a break from planning, teaching, cooking, cleaning, etc. Curtis did all the cooking, which was such a blessing. I LOVED not eating out every meal or having to make any decisions about food. I was so blessed by her homecooking! We got to catch up with our friends, Clayton and Peggy (from Beaumont times) over dinner and it was such a treat. They now live in Conroe, so it was lucky for us that we just so happened to be there. They invited us up to their house for a visit before we leave for Florida. We didn't have the kiddos with us, or they might not have extended the offer, ha ha. They live out on some acres with a pond, and it sounds like it is a place the kids would love, kind of like Pap-pa's house. In fact, since we were going to A lake, the kids (especially Aiden) just expected to see Pap-pa there. Aiden kept saying, "Pap-pa's house!" Then Caitlyn observed a weeping willow tree just like the one Pap-pa has in his yard, and Aiden was then totally convinced that we were close to Pap-pa's lake. The kids had a great time at Lake Conroe as well. I love the fact that nothing spectacular can happen and they are content with the little things, being with loving grandparents, feeding ducks, swimming in a pool, observing nature. Even though we live in the "city" I feel like I have done a good job of instilling a love of nature in them. Our backyard is so small, you can almost touch the house and the back fence at the same time. We do most of our observation and playing in the front yard, although we do have a nice "observation deck" (our back patio with the torn screen - all kinds of critters get caught in there and we get to watch and then release them).

It's 9:34pm, where are your kids...

Mine are telling ghost stories in Noah's bedroom. Every once in a while I hear shreiks and screams coming from in there. It really is music to my ears because I know they are sharing together. They are actively playing and loving one another. One thing that I love about homeschooling (okay, there are many th

Go order some earrings...

I forgot to mention that my good friend, Jody, had some disheartening news this summer when her sister was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Though they are in the early stages of deciding the course of treatment, there seems to be some question as to whether is is actually cancerous or not. We are praying for NOT! Jody's mom has set up a blog to help raise some money for her up-coming treatments. Jamie does not have insurance, so they are looking up at the mountain of treatment costs and trusting that God will provide the funds that they need.
Please help them if you can. Every little bit helps.

Here is the site:
www.jewelsforjamie.blogspot.com

Hopefully that link will work for ya. Now go order some earrings!

Well, how do you sum up a summer like this one?

I haven't had the chance to update this blog. It seems like summer just flew by. This was a strange summer for me, one of extreme highs and extreme lows. There are really no words to describe it except for the proverbial roller coaster. If any other summer could compare to it, it would be the summer of 2004 when we loved, then lost our Emily. There is nothing like family drama to really zap your spirits and your energy. But, I am going to focus on the positives of this summer in this post. What was that old song, "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative..."

The kids and I had some great adventures this summer. You may have seen some of the pictures. Two of our highlights were our trip to Ft. Worth to meet up with our friend Christina and her kiddos. The journey was supposed to include the Fasnacht family (I still don't know how to spell it, sorry, Jody), but some unfortunate tire blowing caused a major snafu. So, it was just the Foster children and myself. We had a great time seeing the Haleys. We went to another jumping place, a homeschooling bookstore, and we loaded up on some pillow pets. Everyone was happy. Pap-pa joined us for one of the nights and the kids always enjoy seeing him. Christina and the kids had to leave on Friday, so I took my gang to the museum. We had a great time. I think it was the first time I've taken the kids by myself to a really busy place. We loved the new additions to the Ft. Worth Museum and I got some good ideas about how to implement some of the exhibits into our school. We had sort of hung out in Ft. Worth because the weather was supposed to be bad between there and Corpus, but it turns out, it was clear. Oh well, it gave me more time with the kids, which I always enjoy.

Another one of our favorite things we did this summer, was an EARLY trip to the Padre Island National Seashore so we could watch the releasing of the newly hatched sea turtles. This trip was AWESOME! There is something about watching new life starting out on the journey that really connects me with our Creator. Being there as the sun rose over the wave tossed horizon, was just breathtaking. The kids were so excited to go. I thought I would have to drag them out of bed, but they (Noah and Caitlyn - Aiden stayed home with Daddy for this visit) were bright- eyed and bushy-tailed as soon as I got them out of bed. I pulled out one of my "working mother" tricks and dressed them in their clothes for the day before they went to bed, that way they just had to get up and go. We went with Melissa and her kiddos and felt so blessed, not only to have that incredible experience, but with good friends. We saw Jody and her kids there, so almost the whole gang was there. The kids (and I) thought the turtles were so cute! They decided to name all of the ones that the rangers brought around. I think there was Carlos, Rubber (because he looked like rubber from your tires), Princess something-or-other (I'll have to check with Caitlyn on this), and several others. Oh, and we named the last two Pokey, since they were slower than the rest. Overall, it only took the little ones about 45 minutes to find their way to the waves. The rangers said that they were pretty fast considering the batch the day before took 2 hours! I was so glad that it didn't take them that long. I think Caitlyn and maybe even Noah would have lost interest after that long. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip and I am so glad that we got up at 5:00am to do it. It did take some coaxing on Melissa's part; but I am happy she convinced me to do it.

Next up, was Caitlyn's 5th birthday party. It was actually the day that we went to see the sea turtles release. THAT was one long day! She had a strawberry shortcake party. It was so neat that she wanted a strawberry shortcake party, since that was one of my favorite characters growing up. Nothing better than a sweet smelling red-headed doll! As always Caitlyn loved having all her friends over. I think the highlight was playing a rousing game of musical chairs (who knew that old game would be such a hit), then making strawberry shortcakes afterward. A great way to celebrate our Berry special girlie!

After celebrating Caitlyn's day the whole family headed to B-port for our annual cousin-fest. Did we ever have a good time! I always love seeing Stephen and his kids (we did miss Sanae, though we did get to skype with her a couple of nights). This was the year that Caitlyn and Ashley really became friends. Before this year, I think the girls were still figuring out how to "play" with each other. Well, this year they became fast friends. It was so sweet to see their little friendship blossoming. Of course, no trip is complete without some fun on the boat, and swimming in the lake. Aiden was even able to join us this year. He is still talking about Pap-pa's lake, saying "Pap-pa, boat?" He's already ready for next summer. Noah and Sean played well too. We brought the Wii and all the kids had fun playing together. There was also LOTS of time spent outside with the dogs. One of the highlights of Pap-pa's house is all the critters there. Paula and Steve came out with their boys and we had a nice swimming time at the Simpson's house. I really could not have asked for a better time with all of them. It was fun and relaxing, a beautiful combination!

Unfortunately, summer has already come to a close. We started back to school two weeks ago. Chris and I decided to start a little early this year, since this will be our last year in Texas for a while (sniff, sniff). We will be moving to Pensacola next May-June (most likely - you know the Navy). We want to get going on getting the house ready so we can get this baby on the market. Hopefully, we won't have any trouble selling it. So, it is back to work for me and the kiddos. Caitlyn has begun kindergarten and is already reading! We are using a combo of Sonlight/Five in a Row with her and Noah is following a classical schedule according to The Well-Trained Mind. Aiden is just tagging along nicely. The other day Caitlyn was playing a phonics game and Aiden was copying her. I said, "Look Caitlyn, you're already teaching him phonics!" and she just beamed! One of the beautiful aspects of homeschooling is your childrens sharing the joy of learning with one another. I think they are so much closer because of this. I am thankful that God set us on this journey, even if I was a bit, ahem, resistant.

I have chosen as our verse for the year, Matthew 5:3-10, the Beatitudes. Our theme will be "bees" to help us remember how we want our attitude to "bee". I think focusing on our attitudes will be good for all of us. I think overall this will be a wonderful year. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than to be here, in this moment, teaching and learning with my children. Although there are times I'd like to run outside and catch that yellow bus and put my kids on it, I mostly feel blessed by this opportunity. I guess it just really goes to show you that anything worthwhile has it's difficulties... I am just glad that God has put this spirit within me and that I have the ability to stay at home and teach them. I can't think of any better students than these...

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled"

Our experience with the babies...

We finally did it. We finally got up at 5:00am to drive out to the National Seashore to watch the release of the baby sea turtles. They have a rescue program for the sea turtles that is awesome to witness. We got up early last Saturday (the day of Caitlyn's 5th birthday party) to witness our first release.

Carlos?

My miracles watching the little ones...

All the dark spots are precious miracles...

Flipping home...

The last two...

Our adventure at the science museum...

Aiden and his new Blue...

My angel posing

Bounce house fun

Noah and Caitlyn on the big slide

He warms up with some baskets

Aiden's not sure about the bouncing

Aiden wakes up...

Sometimes my dreams inadvertantly involve other people's kids...

This week my dear friend, Marsha, came over to help me organize my school room. This is the next room on the list, if you've been following my progress on facebook. If not, I've done two rooms so far, and Caitlyn's closet. I've been purging and donating everything I don't need. This process began a few weeks ago when my other dear friend, Melissa, came over to get this big, bad project started. Melissa started me on my organizing journey and really can't thank her enough. She was the voice of reason I needed to hear when I was just hanging on to things for emotional reasons. Like the little rattle toy that all of my kids have played with as babies. Did I really NEED it? Melissa said that if it was really special then it belonged in a keepsake box. I sadly handed over the rattle and told her I would not look if she made it disappear. What a lifted burden to get rid of a bunch of stuff that I don't need that can bless another family! All of my items have been taken to Ronald McDonald House near Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi. We are so lucky here in south Texas to have a children's hospital locally. We have had some wonderful doctors there. We love Driscoll and RMH is a charity dear to my heart, as I began supporting it back in college.

Anyway, back to Marsha. We were busy cleaning out my schoolroom and I was purging right along and I came upon a plastic recorder that my mom had given Noah so long ago. I remember when Noah got it, he was really excited, as was I. I envisioned him tooting along, teaching himself songs, like "Mary Had a little Lamb" or "Twinkle, Twinkle little Star". My dream was quickly shattered by obnoxiously screeching squeals from the recorder as Noah ran through the room. That was the beginning of a very loud, raucous relationship. The recorder became a sword, a dog whistle, a battle horn, a telephone, a police siren, a calculator; none of which I had envisioned. So, I shelved the recorder in hopes that Caitlyn would someday toot peacefully teaching herself the nursery rhyme songs. With Caitlyn it became a key ring, cell phone, lip stick, and microphone. Dream deferred...
When we passed over the recorder, Marsha commented, "Oh, Nathan has been begging to learn one of these." I seized the opportunity..."Do you want it? I even have books!"
A day later I was talking to Marsha on the phone and overheard beautiful tooting. Marsha said that Nathan had already taught himself two notes and was practicing them. It was music to my ears! I felt so good to bless her son with this (and to have my own dream fulfilled). Who knew my dreams included the kids of my friends?

VBS fun

Caitlyn petting the snake at VBS!

Modesty...a must!

The last morning of VBS I was getting dressed and Caitlyn came in while I was examining my progress in the mirror. I had gotten so far as my shirt and realized that I would not be able to dance and jive on stage with the blouse I had chosen, so I removed it and was searching for another in my closet. Caitlyn had come in to tell me that she really liked the first blouse and asked why I was changing. I was busy explaining the shirt dilemma and she interrupted me to say, "But, you ARE going to wear pants, right Mommy?"
Thank you, Lord for letting me plant the seeds of modest dressing into my little girlie's heart, but did she REALLY think I would NOT wear pants, ha ha ha. That was a good morning laugh! Thanks, Caitlyn!

The advantage of being the third...

The advantages of being the third child in a homeschooling family are vast. I've always thought Noah's reading level was quite a bit higher than average. Caitlyn just has such a social gift (and the gift of words, if you know what I mean), not to mention her natural dancing abilities. Aiden, well, he just ceases to amaze me. I am constantly in awe of his drawing abilities. He can already draw a circle and write the letter M (for Mommy, of course). Well, tonight we were playing with the new Bananagrams set that Grandmommy got for us and Aiden surprised me once again. I pulled out the letter A from a group of tiles and asked him if he could find the other As. Well, he found every one of them! I then continued with different letters and he found the matching letters each time I asked him. So, I guess when you are the youngest of three homeschooling siblings you have the advantage of doing 4th grade work, K work, and 2.5 year old work all at the same time! At this rate he'll be heading to college when he's about 13! (Okay, maybe not, but I'm sure he'll be gifted in many ways just like his brother and sister!)

Fun with bananagrams...

Finding A...

Billy from the botanical garden brings critters...

It didn't work...

The human seat at VBS!

"I like Vacation Bible School..."

As I prepared for the first day of VBS, I had that little song in my heart. I remember my dad teaching that little song to many children over the years, including me. For those of you who didn't have the privilege of attending one of my dad's VBSs, here are the words:

"I like Vacation Bible School,
I like Vacation Bible School,
Learning Bible stories and the many things we do,
I like Vacation Bible School!"

Simple, sweet, to the point. I am amazed how much VBS has changed over the years. I don't ever remember any "themes" to VBS, with the exception of the main theme (Jesus as our savior). I am happy to report that even though we now have themes, decorations, and snappy music, the message is the same. Praise God, Jesus does NOT change. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever! I am so glad to have this opportunity to share His beautiful message of salvation with my children. Caitlyn even came up on stage yesterday to help me sing the songs. She remembers them from VBS at Asbury UMC last summer. It is so neat to see her really participating this year. Noah is not attending VBS this week. He is going to Tae Kwon Do camp. He did go to VBS at Asbury last week and will probably attend another one later this summer with Gidget's kids. He loved TKD camp last year so much that we wanted him to have the opportunity to do it again this summer.

We realized a month ago that this would be our last summer in Texas, sigh... That's the life of the military family, I guess. As I was driving down our street a few weeks ago, I started to think about not being here and it made me a little sad. I have loved our stay here in Corpus. Even though, the city itself is not the best, I will fondly remember the wonderful relationships we have experienced here. I always tell people, "We came to Corpus with one child and are leaving with three, Corpus must have been VERY good to us!" And, truly, it has. We have made life-long friendships here that I hope will set the tone for our future friendships. I could not have asked for better friends for myself and my children. I know we will so miss our little chapel here at NASCC. What a wonderful blessing that loving environment has been for us! The dear retired members there will leave a lasting imprint on my heart. So much to learn from military wives who fear the Lord! They have given me the guidance that I have so needed, being a new military wife when we arrived in Corpus. They have advised me about so many things over the years. I will so miss that wise counsel. I just thank God for leading us here. It is not the city we chose, but wow, has it been the BEST city for us!

If you get a moment this week, say a little prayer for our VBS. We had 20 unexpected guests show up yesterday, which we were thrilled about; but we did have to do some last-minute scrambling. I am constantly amazed that no matter the level of preparation for VBS, everything ALWAYS turns out great! God has a way of taking care of all the details! I praise God that He is a God of big plans AND details! He's got us all covered! Pray that we can meet the needs of these very special children and show them God's love in a very clear way. I'll be sure and post pics later this week!

Our new friend...

A new adventure...

Well today we disovered an awesome find, a thee inch caterpiller on
our door! Of course the kids immediately wanted to put it into our
habitat, so we did. We added lots of leaves for her to choose from,
but so far she has just inched around her new home trying to figure
ways to escape! Pictures to follow!

Sent from my iPhone

Today is a new day...

I often wake up saying these words to myself, as sort of a mantra. Sometimes life will hurl problems at you from every direction. I praise the Lord when I get up the next morning. Ms. Bea, in my Bible study says, "God didn't take me and the devil won't have me, so I guess I'm doing alright." I love that. Some days you just need that new start. Some days, that fresh pot of coffee, just makes you smile, knowing that yesterday is done, and now the journey continues.

Today was a day like that for me...

After my last long post, I had many phone calls from good friends, checking on me. What a blessing it is to have true friends. I had to assure them, that, yes, I was fine. And I am. Just continuing on my journey...pressing on toward the goal. Yesterday was a beautiful day here in south Texas. The weather was PERFECT, sunny but not too hot, a slight breeze that didn't knock you down, a great day to be outside. Noah and I took schooling outside. It filled me with such joy to see him reading his book on Paul Revere, on the bench in our yard, while Aiden ran back and forth, back and forth... I felt blessed to be there in that moment with my two favorite boys. It was a pure moment of true being. Anyone who has studied the acting theories of Eric Morris will know what I'm talking about...what, there are none of those people following my blog? Anyway, I just had a warm feeling about the day and about my boys and about homeschooling and being able to enjoy this day with them. Well, today I got up with my "today is a new day" attitude, leaving behind any negative thoughts or feelings and was greeted by sheer joy at the ridiculous hour of 8:36.

Aiden woke me up early - like before 7:00am - I know you public school moms are not feeling sorry for me, but in my book, that is early! I put on a pot of coffee and began my morning rituals, turn on Blue's Clues for my addicted son, make sure everyone had something for breakfast, etc. etc. etc. I was about to change Aiden when I wandered over to the window seat for a diaper (no, now is NOT the time to tell me that diapers don't belong on window seats and that you can't believe how messy my house is, and that you can't understand how I can live that way), when I looked at what I thought was the remnants of caterpillars passed when I noticed a little wiggle. I was so excited to see ANY sign of life that I immediately yelled for Noah and Caitlyn. By the time the two had scurried over, the butterfly was starting to emerge from her cocoon (Caitlyn insists that it was her Lovey that had changed first). I was filled with excitement at this miracle that I was about to behold and began to shout, "It's coming out, it's coming out!"

I was immediately transported back in time to the delivery room when I was having Noah, my first-born. I felt as though I didn't get to enjoy the miracle as much as Chris did, what with all the pain and all. I can remember when Chris saw Noah beginning to crown and the look on his face was utter excitement as he said, "I can see him, I can see him!" as if to say, hurry, hurry, here he comes! At that particular moment I wouldn't exactly characterize my feelings as excitement, as much as relief; so I felt a little gypped of my feelings of extreme excitement. Well, today, I felt it, just as Chris had when I gave birth to Noah. I couldn't believe that God not only was giving us the gift of life in the butterflies, but also allowing me to WITNESS it. Wow, how good God is. It was at the EXACT moment that I walked over to get that diaper, that the butterfly was emerging from her cocoon. That my friend is not coincidence, that is a NEW DAY.

2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

To this!!!!!

From this...

Noah breaking the board at his last belt test.

He earned his red belt!!

Jessie Kabotz and me...

Caitlyn at the awana awards...

Grief measured in caterpillars...

You know, grief can be a strange thing. Difficult, unpredictable, unreliable. You can work through your "issues", feel like you're in a better place one minute, then something so minuscule, like say, a caterpillar or a cup of them; can just throw you into a tailspin and leave you wondering where this latest wave of grief came from.

You see when we lost our Emily almost six years ago, it was devastating. You can't imagine the impact that a tiny baby who only lived a few short hours, could have on your heart. I had never felt such grief before. It enveloped me. It changed me from who I had been to someone new. I had a new "normal", which I hated. I wanted to be the naive woman I had been before. I wanted to worry about my hair and my how my skin looked, instead of pondering eternal questions, seeing small white caskets. Slowly I began to create my new self. Day by day I spun my web, wrapping myself up in my new identity. Wishing all the while I could go back to my former stage. I know what you're thinking, right about now. You're saying to yourselves, "Ah, I see she's weaving a metaphor about herself and the caterpillars..." Well, you're wrong. That's not it at all...

You see I was awoken this morning to Caitlyn's scream, "AIDEN --You've made the caterpillars NOT turn into butterflies!!!" I knew immediately what had happened. Just yesterday I had marveled at the little changing caterpillars myself. I have been awe struck through out this entire last week, watching them grow and grow, getting ready for their big change. Just yesterday the first one hung himself up on the top of the cup, and the others were soon to follow, they would probably be up there this morning...and they were, before the tornado got to them. I ran into the living room to find Caitlyn's little hands wrapped around the cup, "Mommy LOOK!" Aiden had thrown down the cup and had dislodged all of the crysalids. They were now lying in the muck of food and whatever that stuff is...I was immediately struck with sadness. I had so been looking forward to watching the entire life cycle of these little critters. I was so anticipating watching them emerge from the cocoon and having that beautiful moment with my children. Then it hit me. That was exactly the feeling I had when I found out that our beautiful Emily would not make it. I had so looked forward to first steps, dance classes, reading books, the prom, her wedding and in a flash it was all shattered. Her "life cycle" was cut short by some strange twist of fate and here I was this morning experiencing it again...Wow, what a way to start a day. Most days I am in a good place with her loss. I know it sounds crazy, but I know she is with her Savior and has been made whole and really I would not have it any other way. But, every so often I am taken back to that place in which my life was forever changed, and the feelings well up again, such that I must take a moment and embrace that grief.

So what did I do? Well, I spent the afternoon (crying and) scouring the internet trying to figure out how to save those little caterpillars. I followed the directions that I found, carefully removing them from their comfortable, little cup to a new, foreign habitat. I'm still not sure if they are going to make it; but at least I tried.

Caitlyn said, "Mommy, I think they are just asleep right now. I think they will be butterflies." Bless her heart. She is such an optimist. I praise God that He saw fit to bless me again with another sweet girl. I am so lucky.

I may not be the woman I once was, and I may struggle at times, but I know that after the cocoon is the final, beautiful stage. For now, I'm still tightly woven into my little cocoon, no longer the caterpillar, but in a delicate process looking forward to that someday when maybe I'll be a butterfly...
(okay, so I'm a sucker for a good metaphor)

The Foster trio...

Spring has sprung in my heart...

Not too long ago I ordered Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study and eagerly awaited it's arrival. From the moment I cracked the spine, I knew it was true love. I am my father's daughter, and as such, I just adore nature. Being close to nature reminds me of the wonder of God's creation. I feel blessed by every tree and flower, even when they make me sneeze. As I held the book in my hands, I had this overwhelming desire to read all 900+ pages from cover to cover in one sitting. Knowing that at some point the baby would cry, Noah or Caitlyn would also need something, I resigned myself to simply go at a snail's pace, but soak in every moment of it. I want to bask in every "nugget of knowledge" that she has for me about this wonderfully complex gift that God has given us. When I first started reading it, Chris asked me, "Why are you reading that?"


Shyly I answered, "Um, because we're studying rocks soon."


"But why are you underlining stuff?"


This one caught me off guard. What could I possibly answer without sounding totally nutty.


"Um, because I want to remember it," I answered with a questioning inflection in my voice. You see, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I actually LOVE learning about nature.


There are so many topics of conversation that I am simply ambivalent about. I could really care less about the stock market (although I know I should and that it does affect me). I am only mildly interested in pro football. The current fashion can only hold my attention for so long; but a nice flower, now that is something to look at.


The other day the kids and I took a trip to Houston. On the way we marveled at the bluebonnets in bloom. I am so going to miss March in Texas. A nice field of bluebonnets can turn even the worst day into a success. We stopped in Refurio at the TXDOT building and there right beside one of the palms was a nice little patch of bluebonnets. I made the kids all jump out and pose for a picture (which consisted of just getting the older two to sit, while I chased Aiden down, placed him in the picture, then quickly snapped a shot). Chris would have thought I was crazy. He's always so pressed to get to where we're going by some self-imposed arrival time. I know where he's coming from, as it is only a matter of time before Aiden begins to scream, "Out, out, out". But on a day like that, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy such beauty.


Then the following week, my friend Jody and I took the kids to a local church that has a nice bluebonnet patch for more pictures. I can't express the joy I felt watching the kids frolic through the field. That my friend, is what homeschooling is all about. I love the fact that my kids get to go out and experience nature instead of making paper models of it in the classroom. There is no substitute for experiencing nature first hand. It is the beauty of which Anna Comstock speaks so eloquently in her book, and why I am so enjoying this book with my kids. I have been searching high and low for some sort of science text book to use with them. Today after our nature lesson, I realized, I don't need a text book, I just need nature (oh, and Comstock's book).


Today was such a wonderful school day. No we didn't finish our math; no I didn't get to that story that I wanted Noah to finish writing; but oh, the discussions of nature that we had today were simply priceless. Our discussion began with the purpose of flowers - the fruit (see my last blog entry about the fruit). We began talking about what a plant needed to feel "comfortable". Caitlyn was very attentive as she has also been covering plants and flowers at play-school. We acted out what a wilted plant looks like, how it's leaves, flowers, and stem droop. Both kids enjoyed this activity, by the way, which surprised me a bit. We talked about the direction that the roots and leaves grow. Then, after discussing the different parts of the flower, we headed outside for some hand's on lessons. I took out several different ziplock baggies with different items listed on them: roots, leaves, flowers, seeds. I sent the kids in all directions for each of the items listed on the baggie. It was so neat to see all the kids looking for interesting leaves. They scoured the yard (ahem, and the neighbor's yard - sorry Doc Tom). Even Aiden got into it, examining every handful then bringing me the evidence. We had an especially nice look at one of the flowers from our "hummingbird tree". I'm not sure of the technical name for it (sorry Anna), but I did get some nice pics and will post them soon. I also had Noah and Caitlyn sketch the flower in their nature books. We even had the chance to discover the "milk" from milkweed and that stickerburrs are actually soft when they are just beginning the bud.


After all of this we headed into the house for a snack; but our up-close and personal look at nature was not quite over. Noah and I noticed that a squirrel had made it's way onto our porch and couldn't seem to be unable to get out. We have had many birds fly in there, but never a squirrel, to my knowledge. So I ventured out there, giving Noah express instructions to call 911 if I suffered any giant gash from teeth or claws, and the little one was startled and found his way out. I thought he had learned his lesson; but he returned later, feeling ever more confident than before and this time he was brave enough to walk along the tile, eyeing us behind the French doors, instead of scurrying along the ledge. As it turns out, he was in search of our bird seed, the little rascal. So, I guess we will have to find a bin with a lid to hold our seed so that we don't end up with gnaw marks all over the porch from our curious friends.


We have recently put a bird feeder in our tree that is viewable from our dining table and that has provided many moments to enjoy birds that had not previously visited out yard. Noah and I commented how glad we are that we have invited more variety in our yard.





So, there it is...I'm a nature junkie. I've said it. I won't be ashamed anymore. People have always suspected my green-ness. Now they know for sure. Thank you Anna Comstock for encouraging me to release my inner nature lover and enjoy these post-Easter blessings anew.

Birthday girl

Or maybe this is the triple threat...

Triple threat on the milkshake...

The birthday girl

Lainy's party at Fudruckers...

At the Houston Zoo...

Focusing on the fruit...

The other day I was reading in The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna
Comstock and I came across a quote that struck me. She was discussing
the gentle art of introducing your children to plants and she
remarked, "the children's attention should be focused on the
developing fruit instead of the fading and falling petals." I stopped
right there and read the line again. I underlined it and put a star
next to it. Could she have been talking to me? There it was, my
truth for the day, right in front of me. I have spent the last few
months of my life constantly thinking about my fading and falling
petals! I look in the mirror and wonder where my beautiful hair went,
when my prominent chin fell into my neck, and when I morphed from a
girl with NO junk in my trunk into a woman who now sports junk
EVERYWHERE. What happened to me? I used to be pretty, smart, quick
witted. Now I feel like the only time I'm quick is if one of my kids
are running into traffic. The other day it took me well over 30
minutes to come up with the word planetarium (and now I'm not even
sure if I spelled it right)! Then I had the moment of realization, I
may have lost some of my appeal (praise God for my awesome husband who
loves me dispite my metamorphasis), but look at my developing fruit!
I know my petals have faded and fallen because I've been busy growing
fruit. I can't preserve those petals, no matter how much Botox Tricare
might approve. And you know what? I don't want to! Beautiful,
fragrant flowers and fruit are much better than petals any day in my
book! I just hope I can nurture those little buds so that they can
grow as big and beautiful as God has planned for them. Lord, help me
to nurture those little buds!

Sent from my iPhone

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet Aiden!!!!

My Dear sweet Aiden,
Two years ago today our lives were changed forever, for the better! I can't believe how quickly time has flown. It seems like just yesterday we were loading 3 kids into our van for the first time. How exciting that was! Life with two kids was very, well, settled. We had the boy, we had the girl, now we should have been content, right? Well, if we wanted just a comfortable, settled life, yes. But, I for one, have never been good with comfortable or settled. Daddy and I like excitement! We like a challenge. So, we decided to have you. And boy, oh boy has life been exciting since then!

I remember so well the day you were born. We were so ready to have you here. We had a brief moment of panic during your delivery, then we were holding our little angel in our arms. We have praised God for you since then. Even when we struggled with your tongue tie, and feeding issues, I was determined to give you the best and praise God still through the trials for you. Can you believe that we made it 23 months of nursing? That is my second longest record! Who knew we would push through so many trials to succeed? I guess you did, right? I think that is a nice look at what is to come in your life. Your determination will be an asset to you, my dear one.

You hit 16 months and FINALLY learned how to walk. Then came your next phase...the TORNADO phase (your current phase). You seem to toddle around the house like a runaway train, leaving messes in your path. But, anytime I get frustrated with you, you just flash that dimpled smile and my emotions subside and again I am captivated by your sincere joy. You have such a love and joy of life, it is difficult to be upset with you even for a little while.

I have loved you being such a mommy's boy, but I can say that it has been nice to see your love for your daddy growing as well. The other night Daddy came home late after a long day of flying. You had almost been asleep in your chair and I had just planned to pass you off for a quick hug before tucking you into bed. Once you got into Daddy's arms, you gave me the hand and said, "Uh uh!" So Daddy sat with you on the couch and you fell asleep on him. Such a sweet time.

As we move into your third year, Caitlyn's fifth year, Noah's ninth year, we have an exciting time ahead of us. We will be moving this next year and I anticipate that will come with its own set of challenges. But, I am so glad God gave you to us, Aiden. You have blessed us more than we could have imagined! Carry on my little tornado boy. I hope that we will be able to keep up with you this next year!

Our Chinese/Japanese day!

Quick snapshot from a few weeks ago...

Basho and Haiku...

This week we are rowing The Grass Sandals (as well as A Pair of Red Clogs, for Caitlyn) and have been enjoying studying Japan and some Japanese traditions. Today we studied Haiku and Noah tried his hand at writing some. He really does have a gift of writing, if I do say so myself. Don't let me color your opinion, though, see for yourself!

Dewdrops on the webs shine
Beauty is everywhere
Plants look toward the sun.

Leaves are shuttering
They're shadows in the night moon.
Water flows into streams.

Notice that inversion in the first line, a natural I tell ya'!

Introducing..."A um"

Aiden learned how to say his name today!!!!! Yipee! I'm so happy. It's sort of like the turkey sandwich incident when he learned to eat. Any time you fear there is an issue with one of your children, when you are proven wrong, it is a wonderful day. So, today Aiden said his name, "A um" and we couldn't be happier for him!

They will be elible, Mommy...

Last week we went to the science museum for a much needed field trip. I just LOVE the fact that my kids feel so at home in the museum. It feels like a home away from home for them. We were about to board the Columbus ships when Aiden got a sudden case of vertigo. He would go up the ramp to the ship then run back down telling me, "Uh, uh!" Anyway, Caitlyn joined us on the last run back down and she became facinated with these little seeds that were from some pods off a local tree. She began collecting them, scooping them up, pile by pile. She then informed me that we could could cook them for dinner after we washed them, then they would be "elible". I thought it was wonderful that her vocabulary included the word edible, even if it was Caitlyn-ized! Good job sweet girl!

Noah riding for the first time by himself!!!!

More iPhone pages...

Homeschooling fun...

Look what we did today!

A little messy...

Sometimes everyone needs preschool!