Snapshots to Remember

We ended our soccer season in the spring with a pizza lunch and cookie cake celebration.  Coach Steven handed out medals to each of our little soccer stars. 

Clean babies in their new Pottery Barn towels from Grandmother and Grandaddy. 

Some days this kiddo still needs a nap! 

A trip to Petsmart is the cheapest entertainment around! 

The kids have gone through a big fort making stage.  Especially McClain.  They love to build forts in their rooms and then beg me to let them sleep in them.  I don't know how the floor can be comfortable  but they love being in their tents.  

Zoo trip with Sarah Anne, Reece, and Carson! 

A walk on the beach right before a storm.  I love this picture because of how McClain is looking at Lucy Mills.  He has adored her, and looked up to her since day one.

An afternoon at the library, princess crown and all. 

In July the kids attended a wonderful VBS at the local presbyterian church.  Lucy Mills teacher is also our director at Classical Conversations.  She loves Lucy Mills and sent me this picture of her.  They were acting out the bible story of the blind beggar and Lucy Mills felt so sorry for him.  He begged on the roadside and no one paid him attention or helped him.  She felt so bad for him that she took him her own coins so that he would have money to buy food.  I love the tender heart the Lord is planting in our sweet girl.  

We love having Maggie with us in the school room! 

One Saturday afternoon Travis and I treated the kids to a day at Frankie's Fun Park.  They loved every second.  On the race car track we decided to divide up girls vs. boys and it was a blast going round and round the track bumping each other's car out the way.

Inside the arcade. 

A trip to the mall isn't complete with a spin on the merry-go-round. 

Love an unprompted sibling love. 

Back to School!

We are currently in our second year of homeschooling and the kids are rocking it out! 

Lucy Mills and I had a great first year getting our feet wet in this homeschooling journey.  I will always treasure that year where we had that one on one time.  This year looks slightly different - I decided to keep McClain home from 4k preschool this year so that we could all be on the same schedule.  I was a little anxious about how homeschooling two children would be, with one reading and one not even interested, but it has been great.  

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday both children do school at home with me.  We are usually finished around 11:30.  Then we enjoy a picnic and park with friends, attend a gymnastics class, get to a piano lesson, or plan a field trip.  

Also new to our schedule is Tuesdays at Excelsior Academy.  The kids attend a school for homeschooling from 10-3pm where they have classes in Literature, History, Spanish, Art, Music, Theater, and Science.  I love that they get a day in the classroom with peers and teachers who are experts in their field yet maintain a sweet, Christian environment.  (And added bonus - mom gets a day to run errands in peace!) 

So far Lucy Mills and McClain have been all smiles at pick up time.  I'm so thankful for this sweet school. 

On Thursdays we have stayed with the Classical Conversations program.  I stay on campus this day and alternate being in Lucy Mills or McClain's class.  We have an encouraging group of friends at this community and I am amazed at how much the kids learn.  The main part of our homeschool during the week revolves around the CC program.  

Each Thursday the classes do a science experiment, discuss and do either Art or Music, Geography, History, Latin, Math, and English Grammar.  

McClain's class is taught by the wonderful Mrs. Sara who has the patience of Jesus.  She teaches the 4/5's class and all of the information she gives them always points back tot God and His design. 

She teaches them catchy tunes to go along with the memory work.

McClain loves when the "Gertie Goose" puppet comes to teach Geography. 

Lucy Mills'  class is all girls and taught by my dearest friend Mrs. Mary Catherine!  

Here is Mrs. Mary Catherine putting on something silly out of the costume box for every answer the girls get correct! 

Lucy Mills brought be the picture she learned how to draw in CC Art.  We learned that you can make a picture by using a straight line, a curved line or a dot.  And here is her owl! 

Homeschooling has been a blessing to our family.  Some weeks are extremely challenging and I fight feelings of being overwhelmed.  But most weeks I adore the time learning alongside my children.  I love the quote from Sarah McKenzie's book Teaching From Rest: 
"Can we live and teach from a state of rest? My prayer is that we will.  But we must approach the Holy Spirit every single day, asking Him to lead us and quiet our anxious souls so that we can really bless our children - not with shiny curriculum or perfect lesson plans, but rather with purposeful, restful spirits." 

McClain Finishes 3K

Our sweet McClain had a wonderful year at three year old preschool.  I love the end of the year performances that the preschool puts on - the kids practice hard to learn their songs and hand motions.  Here is McClain walking in with his class, giving his fan club a sweet wave. 

He did so well remembering everything.  For some reason when I see either of my children up on stage I get hit with a flood of emotion.  I'm so proud of the little people they are, all they have learned, and I am reminded about how fleeting childhood is.  My four year old is on stage one minute and in my mind I can imagine him being a grown man all too soon. 

Sissy and Suggie were there to support our Buddy. 

McClain and Jack. 

McClain with Mrs. Pack. 

Thankful for Daddy. 

My arms full of blessings. 

Another great year of preschool at LBC in the books! 

Cousins at the Beach

The first week of May we headed back to the beach to meet up with Uncle Daniel, Aunt Rachel and Henry.  Aunt Tutu also came down to join the fun. We were blessed with a week of beautiful weather and sweet babies who love the beach.  Here are some scenes from our week.