December Highlights

The 1st Big Snow of Winter was on Dec. 9!

We got 9.5 inches in one day!!!

 We celebrated Christmas with our favorite Minnesota Family!

Our families met over 5 years ago because of these two - 

Christian & Krista.  

Disability has a way of connecting us to precious people.  You heard of the saying "Home away from home".  Well, this is our "Family away from family."  We thank the Lord often for this family being in our lives.  

 

                                   

Maybe we'll submit this if there's ever a Cutest Scrooge Face contest.J

November School Highlights

Leaf Unit

Of course we had to start off by playing in the leaves!

Bean Leaf Craft

Spin & Graph Leaves

I combined two different ideas here: 1st she made finger painted leaves. Then she put them together to make a leaf wreath.

She also labeled the parts of a leaf & did leaf rubbings  

at the top of her Words to Remember handwriting sheet.  

Apple Unit

Apple taste test with a handwriting sheet to write her favorite one and the reason why.

Hand print Apple Tree in progress.

The Finished Piece!  

Since it was the week before Thanksgiving, we made it a "Thankful Tree". She wrote something that she's thankful for on each apple.  

My big girl is becoming such an artist!  

She drew this picture to illustrate the story, "A New House", in the book Grasshopper on the Road. 

She also labeled the parts of an apple & did apple printing

at the top of her Words to Remember handwriting sheet.

She ended the month with her Bible & Ballet Recital.  

October School Highlights

We had so much fun doing the Sun & Moon units.  My big girl asked some great questions (e.g."If the moon only reflects the light of the sun, does it make shadows of things?") & we took the time to search for the answers together.  One of the joys of home educating...an up close, personal, & first hand account of your child's learning experiences.
Another great thing about home educating; I'm not "stuck" with doing only what's in a given curriculum.  As you'll see from the pictures, I get my ideas from all over!  I find most of the activities on pinterest to accompany what we're doing in the MFW Curriculum.
It was so interesting studying the moon phases. One night on the way home, Carysse exclaimed, "It's not a waxing gibbous tonight, it's a whole moon!" Our God is so brilliant to create such wonders...the big white satellite in the sky & the human brain!  Gotta love His creation!

Sun craft

Handwriting sheet

My Little Sunshine

 Kalia doing her sun/moon craft.  For her "toddler school", I try to modify whatever I'm doing for big sister.
 Dot paints - a toddler's treasure!

Carysse using her Moon Phase Viewer to observe the moon for her recording sheet.

Btw, this is a waxing gibbous moon even though it looks like a Lima bean. :-)

 

Working hard on her textured moon craft.

My Sweet Moon-viewer 

While enjoying the nice fall weather, we found what we call the "Candy Corn Rock". Isn't that cool!

September Highlight: School is in session!

Oh how I ♥ fall!  The crisp air. The cool breeze. The colorful leaves.  

However, I started this fall with much hesitation because my big girl is in kindergarten & I'm her teacher!  You would think with an Elementary Education Degree & teaching background that I would be totally confident.  But, teaching your own child, while managing a home, keeping an active 2 yr old occupied, & caring for a nursing newborn, is certainly a cause for uncertainties!  Like many, many moms in my shoes, I stay super busy trying to juggle it all.  I'm so grateful for my homeschooling mentors who remind me that, "She's only in kindergarten; our state doesn't even require a child to be "schooled" until age 7."  They basically are telling me to chill out, read to her, have fun with her...you'll have plenty of time later to prepare her for the SATJ! My hubby has been so supportive and encouraging.  He daily reminds me that I'm modeling & teaching her the most important things she'll ever need to know--JESUS...His authority...His sovereignty...His love.  
We really like our kindergarten curriculum!  What can be better than a curriculum that has Jesus as the foundation & a biblical worldview! 
Our 1st unit of study was "Creation: The Foundation".  We had so much fun reading scripture about each day, doing activities, and eating special snacks.  I found this cute idea for an art activity for each day of creation.

While reviewing the days with the girls, Kempton said, "Kalia, what did God create on Day 5?" Kalia looked  up & saw the picture of flying birds & eagerly said, "Angels!" J

On another occasion, I said to Carysse, "Did you know that some people don't believe that God created man.  They think that men came from monkeys.  Isn't that silly!?!"  She immediately giggled & said, "They must think that fish came from elephants!"  
I shared our conversation with Kempton and he happily said, "There's more God in my daughter's Creation Unit than there is in 20+ years of secular formal education.  We're not here to make valedictorians, but to make disciples!  We're striving to implant truth in them in order to prepare them for the Day of Judgment."  Amen, amen!  That is why it is worth our sacrifice of home education.  

1st day of school pics

August Highlight: Our 4th Year at Family Retreat!

Once again, the Lord blessed us with a WONDERFUL time at the Joni and Friends Family Retreat!  We previously went in '08, '09, & '11.  However, I was not planning to go this year.  The plan was for me to keep the youngest 2 at home and Kempton would take the oldest 2 to the retreat since he was the Retreat Pastor & Speaker again this year.  I thought that only a crazy woman would take a 2 month old to camp.  But after our sweet month together, I desired to go.  I wasn't sure if the retreat facilitators could accommodate our desire for having a 2 room suite-like lodging in order to keep the baby separate from the other 3 kids.  I didn't want him to disturb them with his middle of the night feedings.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Well, we received much more than we asked for!!!  Our room was the perfect set up for our family of 6. God was sooo gracious to us in so many ways those 5 days.  I'm so glad that I decided to be the crazy woman & bring the youngest camper.  I would have missed out on so many blessings & precious memories with my family. Here are some highlights -

We walked in and found lots of goodies on each of the beds.

Here is the adults' room & of course Baby Caleb.

The kids each had a twin bed in the adjacent room.  

Kempton taught through Ephesians 2:1-10 during the 3 sessions which were all focused on the Gospel.  One of the key points was, "We don't grow up out of the Gospel, we grow into it!"    

Sister Lovin'

Christian's helper, Jonathan, serves us on a regular basis in our home as Christian's Personal Care Attendant (PCA) & gladly served again this year at the retreat.  We praise God for His love toward our Christian.  

Caryn with our friend, Joe, who we met last year.  Sadly, Joe's father died of cancer a couple of months before the retreat.  We were so happy to see Joe, his mother, & brother there.  

My little Kalia loves to swing.  You can often hear her chanting,
"Really high, really high!"  

Sweet Daddy-Son Dance

The girls posing with their new shirts from Grandpa & Grandma G.  

Christian's other favorite PCA, Luke, Jonathan's brother.  

Carysse's 1st time on a kayak with "Uncle" Bob & "Aunt" Mary.

Our Date Night photo before our delicious steak dinner.

Joe on Kempton's back.  He enjoys Kempton so much.  

He wanted to be around him the entire time.  

S'more makin' time!

S'more eatin' time!

Remember Christian's favorite friend, Elisa, from 3 years ago?
Well, she's still his favorite! 

We did flying/sky lanterns one evening on the beach.

Those things were cool!!!
They were so beautiful as they lit up the sky.

Kempton wrapping up the final morning session.

Precious Daddy-Son Moment

The youngest camper was a cute little trooper the whole time!