I've come to the conclusion that...

We will not have a Christmas tree this year, sigh...but, I know it is for the best, as Aiden (the destroyer) has already unleashed his fury on my friends' decorations. So far the list includes: prickly pine cones, shiny Christmas balls, a very unsuspecting shepherd, several felt baby Jesuses, and the list could go on and on. I guess I am okay with it. I sure miss putting up the tree; but I'm not sure if we even did it now, it would even be worth the hassle (or carnage, as it were) for the two weeks that we'll be here. I warned my mom last night on the phone about the little menace and she suggested that I just tell him no, humm, I hadn't thought of that one, ha ha. I told her obviously it had been 30 years since she had dealt with a toddler in the house! I'll let her try the "no" thing and see if it works for her, ha ha. Oh, well. I am planning a "treasure" hunt for all the pieces of the nativity set. This year I finally broke down and bought the Little People one. I guess it is best that it is plastic, at least the shepherd will not lose an arm and the baby Jesus might stay in one piece on the Twirlin' Whirlin' Garden!

Baby Jesus takes a ride on the twirlin whirlin garden...

A precious conversation...

Last week while Chris was gone and Caitlyn and I were snuggling in her bed, the following conversation transpired:

Me: Caitlyn, when you get older and have your own family, will you still need me?

Caitlyn: Oh, yes, Mommy.

Me: You will (feeling very special)? What will you need me for?

Caitlyn: To clean my house (giggle giggle).

Is anyone else on twitter?

I just thought I'd join the twitter craze, mainly because I want to keep up with Sue Sylvester's tweets. I just need a little Sue nugget to get me through the week. I think she's hilarious and I need a little more hilarity in my life. My username is rishfoster (how original, right?). Anyway, become a follower and you can keep up with my life. Maybe I'll even use that format to bless you with hilarity or wisdom each day/week. Who knows?

A favorite of ours...

We have recently found a favorite site for homeschooling activities, Fortunately for You Books.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving projects that we worked on, so I recently purchased some Christmas activities for us to work on as well. I have gotten the sticker stories and the grammar by the book products. My son has trouble with handwriting so these products (a cut and paste approach) are perfect for him. Also, the literature with which the exercises are associated are perfect for the whole family, a double bonus! If you are looking for a literature based approach to comprehension and grammar, these would be perfect for you. I can't wait to try their other products!
Their Christmas products are featured on their home page. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Well, today is the day for an update. I should be cleaning my house, you see, and well, you know the rest of the story.

Thanksgiving was a great time with Chris' family. Chris' mom was nice enough to watch the kiddos for us so we got to go out and eat Indian food, yum. We also got to browse leisurely around Best Buy, which I haven't done for years, I think. I'm so used to chasing around kids that sometimes I just get a little antsy when it is just Chris and me. I guess it is so rare that we do things together alone, that it is strange; although being with Chris alone is great. It reminds me of the good old days. I love my husband. I know that someday when our kids are grown we will enjoy that stage of life too, just the two of us. I wish the kids had been better for Curtis. I think Aiden cried the whole time and Caitlyn was sassy. Oh, well, what can you do, that's kids for you, right?

Today Aiden came to me patting the front of his diaper. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said yes (raising his eyebrows). I took him to the potty and he went. I praised him and he leaned over and gave me a kiss. Again, I am so glad that I didn't have him first. Even though we have had some trials with him, overall he's VERY easy. He definitely is a mommy pleaser. You see, if I had had him first, the others would have been such a shock to my system! Not that the others were bad. Overall, they all have been pretty easy (except Noah and potty training - NIGHTMARE). I just feel so blessed as a mother. Over the holiday I found myself much of the time, on the couch with two kiddos hanging off of me and I stopped and thanked God for those moments. The sound of my children's laughter is the music of my soul. I can't imagine this life without them. Thank you, God, thank you.

Who loves mommy?

Aiden and the dinosaur...

These past few weeks...

It was my intent to blog ALL about our camping trip; but alas, life got in the way. It has been tough since we got back. First, there is all the laundry, putting away, sorting, etc. Then, there's getting back into the school routine. After all of that, life really got crazy. There was a plane mishap last week with two instructor pilots in a T34. It is sitll under investigation; but it seems that they crashed into the Gulf. They are not sure what happend; but they have found the body of one of the pilots. They suspended the search for the plane and other pilot; but some civilian friends have been doing land searches this week. This really seemed to hit home for us. I'm not sure if it was because it was the same plane in which Chris flies, or if it was because these two pilots were veteran pilots, or if it was because they were from our base; or a combination of all of these. So it was a heavy dose of the reality of the fragility of life. I was taken back to another time in my life when I was thrust into the harsh reality that bad things can happen to good people. I have been thanking the Lord these last two weeks for the many blessings He has bestowed on me and my family. I realize that we do live in a fallen, sinful world and that life can change in a split second. I have recommitted myself to living fully in the moment of these blessings. I want to live thankfully every day for this wonderful life that I have. I also want to stand on the promise that Jesus will be there for me, no matter the turns that this life can take and that when my time is up in this life, I will be with the Father in Heaven (and Emily - what a bonus!)
To remedy the stress of these last two weeks we decided to go to the beach. It was a wonderful day spent with the people that I love the most, my husband and my three beautiful children. Hearing the waves crashing on the shore was like a balm of comfort. Seeing the kids digging, laughing, splashing was just what I needed to calm the turbulence of the world and to remind me once again of the important things in life.

Three reasons I get up in the morning...

The most precious kids enjoying the beach.

"Teese!"

Digging

Noah's ready for battle

On the island

Noah's turn

Caitlyn amid Seashell Castle

Nothing better than a peaceful day at the beach...

After a stressful two weeks we decided to go to the beach today. It
is very quiet and relaxing. Glad we came today.

Sent from my iPhone

Yesterday Part 1...

Well, I didn't anticipate being at Brooks City Base in San Antonio,
but today we learned a very valuable life lesson: Sometimes it
rains. Yesterday we spent hiking, rock climbing, and wading/soaking
in the river and anticipating another full day. Last night we had a
nice camp in (we cooked over the fire; but Noah was having a
particularly tough time with the flies, so we ate in the Rv - I guess
that is one blessing of the Rv!). We played some games before our
cook out. Noah, Aiden and I played the most precious game of hide and
seek you've ever seen. When it was Noah's turn to count, Aiden would
put his hands over his eyes too!

Sent from my iPhone

Pardon the technical difficulties...

Aiden hit the send button on accident. I'll have to finish that
thought when I get more time. We are heading home tomorrow. Hope the
rain doesn't wake the kids tonight!

Sent from my iPhone

Well, day two was both a success and a failure...

Day two was met with great anticipation and anxiety. There are so
many "might happen" things that you have to prepare for, thar

Sent from my iPhone

For those of you who don't already know...

We're off on our first camping adventure as a family of five. We
rented an RV and are enjoying Pedernales Falls State Park. More
updates later...

Sent from my iPhone

Day one and we're already appreciating the scenery...

Look at all thar goodness...

Aiden feeds Noah some pie

Noah and Aiden sharing the chocolate cream pie...

Mmmmm pie...

We had to stop at the Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, TX for some
pie. Ohhh it was good!

Making the most of today...

We have been visiting with my family this week in north Texas. The
cooler weather sure has been a blessing. Our plan was to go to the
state fair in Dallas, which we did, but it didn't turn our exactly as
we thought it might. We had a downpour that day which lead us to the
science museum. We had a great time there. The older kids and Pap-pa
took in an Imax film on dinosaurs while Aiden and I played in the
kids' section in the basement. After that we went back out to the
fair and we played some of the games and each of the kids won a
prize. Caitlyn won a pink "catuar" which has been glued to her hands
since then! Today we are planning to have pictures made. We'll see
if that actually happens! But, I've had something else on my mind
today. I've been thinking about how blessed we are to be close enough
to the grandparents to share these moments with them. Whether it be a
TKD belt test, the rodeo, or a birthday, we've been able to enjoy them
together. Thank you to the Navy for that! But more than the
proximity is our comittment to enjoy the important relationships and
make the most of every day. You see there are MANY things that can
fill our days and times, but making the most of every day means
filling your day with the things in life that REALLY matter. I hope
and pray that we can continue to instill this basic principle in the
kids so they focus on the really important aspects of life-
relationship with Jesus, family, then everything/everyone else!

Sent from my iPhone

More dragonfly action

Noah and Caitlyn studying a dragonfly...

They watched and sketched it, but it flew away before we could snap a
good pic of it! It's a good thing that we have their drawings!

Noah's drawing of a dragonfly.

Caitlyn's drawing of a dragonfly.

Fun with the dogs...

Noah and Aiden love it here!

Aiden and the dinosaur...

Some days I'm just spinning my wheels, but then some days...

-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
-Cook, wash, clean, teach, diaper, clean, diaper, repeat.
There are times that my day feels like this. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round that just spins faster and faster until I feel queasy in the pit of my stomach. Then, there are days, like today, when I slow down and enjoy this homeschooling journey. Today I slowed down enough to have a nice chat with Noah about why he loves the game Spore so much. I told him that I thought he really enjoys the creative aspect of it and that I think he got his crave for creativity from his mommy. I can so understand the need to have that creative outlet. We (Noah and I) are wired that way. Creative expression, for us, is akin to breathing. Without the proper outlet we feel stifled, stilted, settled, a little too much so. It was so nice for both of us to realize how much alike we are. We had mutual understanding today…priceless. The opportunity for our little chat is just one of the myriad of reasons I love homeschooling. Would I have been able to have that chat with him, had he been away at school all day? Maybe. We may have had this chat in the afternoon after he got home from school. Weekends may have provided another opportunity. But, I love the fact that I have so much time to REALLY get to know him, to figure him out, to explore his personality with him, beside him. It’s days like today that I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. Another wonderful moment happened later this afternoon when we were working on some art projects. We have been reading The Giraffe that Walked to Paris and so we were creating some paper giraffes. Caitlyn selected a jointed giraffe and Noah selected a different one. Noah usually complains about too much coloring or cutting (I know it is difficult for him), and at one point he was getting frustrated and wanted to crumple it up. About that time Caitlyn offered him a, “Noah you are doing a great job,” and he kept going. Another time Caitlyn became weary of coloring in ALL the spots (giraffes have lots of spots, you know) and she wanted to give up and Noah said, “Caitlyn that looks REALLY good, you’re doing such a good job”. What a proud moment as the mother of these two blessings. Now, don’t get me wrong, they have their moments of bickering; but OH the joy I felt today witnessing this loving exchange between the two of them. I mean any peer could have offered the same encouragement to them; but for it to have come from his/her sibling…priceless. Just to know that my kids and I are given these opportunities daily to learn and to love one another makes me feel so blessed by the whole homeschooling process.

Come back Shane, Come back...

Today I’ve felt like the little boy crying for Shane to come back. (Is there anyone besides my dad who knows what I’m talking about?) I’ve been without my internet ALL DAY LONG, and boy has it been a LONG day. I couldn’t even check email. (Oh, the horror!) I’m counting down the minutes until Chris can come home to fix the problem. I may not even be able to have it fixed before after we go to Awana. It did get me to thinking, though. How dependent I have become on my technology! Last week while I was at TKD with Noah, the internet on my iPhone wasn’t working properly (and why doesn’t spell check recognize the word iPhone, the NERVE) and I was so irritated because I wanted to look up a phone number while I was sitting there. I had to occupy myself with a BOOK! Maybe it’s time that I gave up my computer time during the school day. I mean even though I limit myself to the computer ONLY at break times, maybe I could be using that time better. Maybe I could be enjoying a good read myself. Maybe I could use that time for dishes, um, no forget that one. Maybe I could use that time to spend time in prayer about my priorities, about my kids, about my marriage, about school, about well, just about anything. I think I’ll think on this a little more and have a chat with God about it.

Noah's giraffe...

Caitlyn's giraffe...

Summer in review...

Here are some highlights of our past year. Noah has advanced in Tae Kwon Do to a green belt. He is learning at Lumampao Martial Arts in Corpus Christi. He loves the instructor and is having a blast. Noah also earned his sparky plaque. He worked so hard all three years of Sparks to ear it. In three years he memorized over 160 Bible verses. Caitlyn took dance last year with Tippi Toes Dance. She loved her dance class and did very well with her first dance recital. She earned her Cubbie Bear pin for her first successful year in Cubbies. Aiden progressed by leaps and bounds this summer. He learned to walk, then trot, now he's at a full out run! He is growing and developing so fast, it makes my head spin! He also learned new words like: Wowah (Noah), Dog-dog, ball-ball . So the kiddos are doing well and so are the parents. I'm loving being able to stay home with the kids and Chris is doing well at work. He found out in August that he will be promoted to Lt. Commander sometime next year! Yea! My next post will be recapping the first day of school! Stay tuned...After these messages, we'll be right back!

Okay, so just share...

Well, I was trying to post a video to my blog from a friend's facebook page and it didn't quite workout. I did post the video on my facebook page, so those of you who are my friends, can come on over there an watch it. It is a hilarious video (made by a homeschooled girl) that points out the difference between being homeschooled and homeschoolers. It gave me a nice chuckle. Anyway, I tried to post it here, to no avail. Maybe Chris will help me figure it all out.

Share

C'mon! NO NEW FOLLOWERS?

Okay, so I'm trying to be rational about this. I've sent my blog address to people. I've posted it on my facebook page. I've even ASKED my husband AND my best friend to become followers; but there she sits, my one little follower, lonely in the top right-hand corner (Thanks, Mom, btw). What does a woman have to do to get a follower around here?

All our Five in a Row lessons end with, "I love you"...

In my former life I was an English teacher. I love to read, love literature. I never in a million years thought I would be homeschooling. When I was faced with this, then daunting task, someone told me about Five in a Row. I borrowed a manual from a friend and it was love at first sight. I loved the format of it. I loved the literature in it. I loved the freedom of it. I loved that it made learning less complicated than other curriculums. But, most of all I loved the gentleness of it. It seemed such a natural way to teach my child, through conversation, as we had been doing since he entered this world. Since the beginning, my son has loved FIAR. Our first row with Ping went so well, it gave me the confidence that YES, I could homeschool my son. Over the last few years my son has made little comments like our FIAR lesson is the best part of the day; but what has been happening lately has really impressed upon me the fact that I KNOW we are on the right path. We've been rowing [I]Arabella[/I] by Wendy Orr. We live by the beach, so "sea" books are always a good choice for us. We have been enjoying the lessons so much that I've noticed at the end of our lesson we've been ending with an, "I love you." FIAR truly is the highlight of the day for me and my son. I can't imagine any other curriculum where it draws mother and child so close together. I feel so blessed to have come across FIAR. I am so thankful to the Lamberts for giving me this opportunity with my child. Thank you, thank you, thank you and may God continue to bless your family and your ministry to homeschooling families.

Hummingbirds...

Well, today was a wonderful day of exploring nature. We had the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with some hummingbirds. We traveled to Rockport to the annual Hummingbird Festival. We chose to go on our own self-guided tour of the homes. We visited two sites. The first was a public garden and we saw maybe two hummers. The second site was a private home that had several feeders and a lots of hummers for us to observe. The highlight of the day, however, came on our last stop when the kids got to experience the banding of the birds. This is where they catch the birds and record data about them and place a tiny tag on them. This allows them to track the birds for future data. After each bird was recorded our kids got to release the birds. It was AWESOME!! I love hummingbirds to start out with, but today I realized why I love them so much. They are so delicate and dainty, beautiful creatures. They are spry little creatures too, flitting here and there almost faster than your eye can take them in. They remind me of my beautiful children, also wonderful works of God!

For everything there is a season...

Thank you to my beautiful friend, Jody, for keeping me grounded today. It just amazes me how only a brief conversation with a true friend can change your perspective. In a short amount of time, I have come to know this friend so well, that she says exactly what I need to hear. God blesses those of us who are so transitory with others who share our "plight". I thank God for bringing her friendship to me. Today was a real whopper of a day, at least it started out as such. We didn't get through one lesson until lunch, actually, I'm not sure if we ever finished it. Sometimes you just have to MOVE ON! After lunch things got better. I instituted a new event into our school, MUFFIN TIN MONDAY. It is an idea I had read on another homeschooling mom's blog. Basically the gist is that you put little food items in a muffin tin for the lunch meal. What's the big deal? You're probably asking yourself. Well, I guess it is the inventiveness of it all. How creative can I get? Today, not very. I had some ham slices (and, yes, Noah ate the ham - mission accomplished), nuts, craisens, crispy Chinese noodles, and some chocolate chips (and a yogurt for Noah). Some moms have themes and really get into it. I just like the idea that if you serve food to them in something unconventional you might actually get them to eat something out of their "safety zone". Aiden so wanted a muffin tin like the other kids, but he had to settle with a small bowl. There was no way I was letting him at a whole tin of anything. It would have been dog food for sure. Speaking of Aiden...he's added another component to his Marco Polo game. Before he would just say, "Mamaaa" and I would answer him, "Aidennn", and that would continue over and over and over and over until he got tired of it. Well, now it seems that "Wowahhhhh" has been added to the mix. And, it isn't just in a normal voice, it is about 3x the normal volume. Sometimes he even puts his hands on his cheeks (think cupping your hands around your mouth to make your voice project) sometimes and yells even louder. It is hilarious and adorable all at the same time. I just love that boy. He brings me so much joy. As do the other two...

Noah's love of reading has taken off. He has been devouring the series called The Spiderwick Chronicles. Tonight he read book 5 in less than an hour. I'm not sure exactly what the reading level is as it just says 7+. It is so amazing to see his abilities and his love of reading grow. I'd like to think that Chris and I nurtured that in him. I just hope we have with the other two.

Caitlyn did so well with school today. We've been working on her following directions instead of just doing whatever work she WANTS to do. Normally she colors everything pink (her favorite color). Today she actually colored an apple red, then commented, "I'm coloring the apple red, except for the leaf, they are green." I was overjoyed and a little saddened all at the same time. How I'd love to go back to the days where everything seems rosy pink! But today I just counted it as a success. We have been rowing (Before Five in a Row) Jessie Bear, What will you wear? and she's loving it. Aiden and Noah even sat with us while we read it and they had a good time as well.

Well, I better get to bed. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf as far as going to bed early. It seems, though, God set my internal clock a little differently. My most productive hours: 10:00am - 2:00pm and 4:00pm - midnight. Maybe God just knows I need a nap!

Another good day...

Today wa another good day. Today we talked about the elements of a
short story and identified some of the elements in our story,
ARABELLA. Noah is so good with literature. It makes me so proud
sometimes. Then, we looked through the book THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS
BURDICK and started writing a short story. Noah is all about the
dialogue, which is funny because I've always found it to be the
hardest part of a story to write. Well, I better end this for now,
have to watch Glee!

Sent from my iPhone

Aiden enjoys the Pixter...

Chris, read this

Okay, here it is...enjoy!

Sent from my iPhone

Why are boys just SO loud?

All the kids SHOULD be in bed already. Caitlyn is silently listening to her birds chirp on her mobile as she drifts off to dreamland. The boys on the other hands are squealing, shouting, laughing, roaring so loudly I'm amazed that the girl can even HEAR her music. When Noah was little I just thought maybe it was just Noah that was so loud. Now there's Aiden, and he's loud too. Maybe they just come by it honestly, I'll be the first to admit that I'm loud at times (no rude comments, Chris and Paula). Sometimes I just crave quietness. But, I guess that is what bedtime is for...when they actually go to bed. I have to admit, though, I do enjoy hearing their noises. It certainly is better than having no noises at all. In that sense, quietness makes me a bit nervous. I know that when there is quietness there is about to be glue in the carpet, my make-up smeared all over some little face, milk spilled EVERYWHERE. So I guess I really do like the noise. I guess I like to keep them within my hearing (instead of "at close reach").

Some days I just LOVE my job...

Today we started our study of ARABELLA by Wendy Orr (Five in a Row Volume 4). It is the beautiful story of a boy and his grandfather. The grandfather lives on an island, which the boy visits for the summer. Through out the summer the grandfather teaches the boy to sail. Noah and I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of living on an island. We theorized about where the story takes place, looking up all sorts of information in our atlas. We snuggled and shared and just enjoyed being together...I wouldn't trade a day like today for anything in the world. We read the poem, "The Tide Rises; The Tide Falls" by Longfellow and discussed how the repetition in the poem mimics the incoming/outgoing waves. Ahhh, heaven! After that lesson I felt as if today was a success. No need to do spelling...enjoy the success...Did I say how much I love my job?

Aiden gets his way

Notice how happy markers make him!

Marker fun

Labor day study

Anything he can do I can do better...

Aiden really thinks he should be able to do anything the older kids
can do. I gave Noah a highlighter to use while he read an article on
Charles Goodyear and Aiden had a fit to use markers! So, it was
markers for everyone!

Sent from my iPhone

Very cool...

I can't get over how easy this blog site is compared to homeschool blogger! I've now figured out how to change some aspects of my layout (notice my new Irish themed one) and even how to post from my iphone. Ahhh, technology! Well, I better stop playing on here and try to get Noah through his math. He's having a hard day with school today (Yes, we ARE having school on labor day - it's one way I can take a day off as needed later!). Evidently, he got up early this morning and started playing his video game, thus, supporting Melissa's theory that video games before 11:00 am turns your brains to mush!

Testing

This is mike number one, this is mike number one, isn't this a lot of
fun.

Sent from my iPhone

The first day of school for Noah (3rd grade). - 8/24/2009

The first day of school for Caitlyn (pre-k) - 8/24/2009

First post of my new blog...

Well, I've been trying to do better at documentation these days. This year I am tracking attendance for our homeschool, as well as keeping lists of books that the kids read for school and pleasure. I am also trying better to keep a record of Noah's grades. Texas doesn't require anything in the way of records, but I need to be in practice in case we move to a state that does require records. I also want to be in the practice of keeping a record of our everyday life. I recently read a blog entry by Steve Lambert (of Five in a Row - the curriculum we use), that encouraged homeschooling moms to keep a record of some sort; whether it be journal, blog or the like, of the daily happenings of our school. His post really made me start thinking about my lonely little homeschooling blog and made me want to pick blogging back up again. I can just print out my blog and keep a copy for the kids to read someday. For you see, the little moments are the beauty of homeschooling. I get to see my kids be silly with each other. I get to see the light bulb in their little heads go off. I get to teach them to read. How lucky am I! I want them to know what a blessing all of these little moments are to me! So, today is a new day. (Okay, it is really night, but you get the picture.) I am starting afresh with blogging. I am committing to making it better. I am dedicating time to keeping record of the beautiful little moments of our lives together. I know this life is fleeting. I know there are only blink-of-an-eye moments and then our precious ones are all grown up. I know that we must count our blessings daily!