Really can’t believe that we’re heading into Year Four of this homeschool journey. Honestly, I can’t believe that I have a fourth grader and a second grader. A nine year old and a seven year old. Kinda mind-blowing. I saw an old, very poor quality cell phone pic of them this morning with their cousin Tallon at Disney. Miss CB had the two tiniest little pony-balls you’ve ever seen. With matching itty-bitty BOWS in them. She was two. Mak had a balloon covering his face because he was already in his “I hate pictures even from a cell phone” phase. Do you know what I would give to sling that little girl on my hip again and take her big brother by the hand? It hurt my heart. Can’t believe how fast these years are flying by.
But that’s not why I started this post. I started it because we did school photos with the kids this year. As homeschoolers that’s something they miss out on. Tragic, I know. Feel sorry for them. The last time we did school pictures was our first year of homeschool. 1st grade and 4K. They’ve changed a little since then and I needed updated photos for the schoolroom wall, so we threw this set together and made it happen.
My Mak is in the fourth grade this year. We’ve reached the point where I frequently have to turn to google to help explain math to him. His mind amazes me. He can create intricate machines with an old toilet paper roll and half of a cardboard box. Usually you can’t walk into his room because it’s a maze of “forts” that he has built. He still writes “NO Girls Allowed” on the doors of these forts and for that I am thankful. He’s stinkin’ HILARIOUS and he makes me laugh countless times a day. Even when I’m frustrated with him, which makes me even more frustrated. He is so brave. Very often too brave, and there are many times where these brave endeavors leave him a little broken or bloody. Builds character, they say. He can make a friend with a post and isn’t afraid to ask anything, EVER. I love that about him because it’s a quality that I do not possess. Last week while we were camping he said “You know what would be the best thing ever? If one day we went camping and ALL of the campground friends that I have ever made were all there at the same time.” He just loves people. He likes to pretend that he doesn’t like to read. He really does, though, as long as the book has a dog in it or is a mystery. He HATES fantasy. If it can’t happen in real life he doesn’t want to read about it. Yesterday while on the way home from the doctor’s office (ear infection) he asked me why I still make him do reading every day. When I asked him what he meant he responded “You know we can read. Why do we still have to do it?” And he was being serious. He has turned into a SPENDER. Money burns a hole in that boy’s pocket. In fact he’s pretty far in the hole right now. But he’s also a hard worker and will beg anyone he sees for a job. He can’t wait for the day when he’s legally old enough to work in the back at Tomlinsons. Neither can I. Right now he’s got about five serious careers that he’s working toward. All of them involve working with people. None of them involve any kind of creative writing. He hates writing. I can’t wait to see this boy grow up. His heart makes me so happy and I am so thankful for these years I have had teaching him. I pray for many many more. I know without a doubt that I am closer to him because of it.
My CB girl…she’s a lover. She is always with me. She craves cuddles. Every morning she still snuggles up beside me or crawls into her Daddy’s lap while we drink our coffee. She asks for (and gets) hundreds of hugs and kisses throughout the day. She professes her love countless times. She talks and talks and talks…constantly. She loves make believe and pretending to be a mommy. She’s still very young acting and I’m so okay with that. She loves to read and comes up with incredibly interesting stories and ideas. While her brother can make friends with any and everyone, she is much more reserved. But she LOVES her friends. She stands back and observes a situation before jumping in and taking part. She’s so like me in that sense. She loves creating things, whether it be a pretty picture or a car for her American Girl doll. She is a SAVER. Girlfriend will hold on to a dollar and won’t spend it on anything. We asked her what she was saving for last week. Her response? “My first house.” Bless it. She’s dead set on being a baby nurse and a dance teacher when she grows up. She even has her schedule all worked out in her head. She’s very detail oriented. I mentioned before that she’s always with me. She is, and I like it that way. She’s really into “girly” things. She loves watching me put on make up and we have the best chats then. She likes Girls Night, girl movies, girly restaurants…femininity is very important to her. She hangs out with Collin and me in the studio and she really helps out a lot. She’s wonderful at making babies and little kids smile when we can’t. Her heart is so sensitive and kind, and I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t get to spend every day with her.
The days are NOT always easy. Things are not peachy keen happy go lucky over here all the time. I feel like I short change them with my time almost every day. I lose my cool and act like a jerk and have to ask forgiveness all the time. They are certainly not perfect little cherubs and frequently need a good tongue lashing. The four of us bring nothing but junky, sin-filled hearts to the table. But because of LOTS of grace from our great big Savior named Jesus, we are doing this homeschool thing. I’m so thankful that it’s a part of our life.
I intended to catalog our curriculum in this post so I could go back to it years from now and remember what I taught them in the 2013-14 school year. Honestly, though, ten years from now I don’t think I’ll care that this was the year that they learned about Charlemagne or created a biome. But it will be fun to read back about what they were like at ages nine and seven. This verse was read last night at our Classical Conversations co-op orientation:
Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
YES. Amen!!! Praying that this school year our home will be filled to overflowing with rare and beautiful treasures.
