Homeschooling

Our homeschooling is going great so far. Faith's reading is really picking up and she is learning more and more. Just seeing the look on her face when she reads a whole sentence is just priceless. With Samantha she is still working on letter sounds. She is really doing good too. She is actually younger than Faith was when I started with her, but she really wants to be included with the reading. I just don't push it with her and we just do a little bit a day.

We have really been picking up our nature studies since spring has hit and we have been learning about different insects.

And we are of course still doing our daily devotionals. I am amazed at how easily Faith remembers her memory verses. She still remembers verses we did last month.

I couldn't be happier at our decision to homeschool. It is so much fun to be able to teach the girls and watch their faces as they learn different things, and then seeing how well they recall the information later on in the day or even a few days later. It has been such a great experience, and we haven't even "officially" started yet!

Since Faith doesn't turn 5 until October we don't have to officially start until next September. She is more than ready now though and so come August I am going to start her on a kindergarten curriculum. She is going to be starting on the Heart of Dakota program and I am going to supplement what we do and learn with books from the library and with our little field trips. I want to keep it fun and light and don't want to do a "traditional" classroom learning style. I have been really impressed with the Charlotte Mason style and will continue to do my research there. While we are using a curriculum to keep me more on track, help with different ideas, and give me some kind of structure, I want them to really learn a lot from reading books and from being outside.

It's funny but even now I can tell a huge difference in the girls' attitudes when we start letting up on the learning (like when I was in the 1T). They just absolutely love learning!

21 weeks

It's hard to believe today I am 21 weeks. There are times I get so busy with the kiddos that I forget I'm even pregnant. Today I had my "big" ultrasound and everything looks wonderful so far. The baby is right on target and luckily it was a 3-vessel cord instead of a 2-vessel cord like last time. That means I won't have any extra appointments! I think I would have a nervous breakdown if I had to go back to 2 appointments a week for the next 19 weeks. I feel I can actually take it easy this time and I really think that will help with the stress level. I was a mess during Elijah's pregnancy because I was having to go in twice a week for monitoring and the girls weren't allowed in the specialist office. It was really difficult trying to set things up so someone was here when I had to go in. So yeah, HUGE relief!

So you are probably wondering what this little one will be...



...It's a baby! lol Sorry guys, didn't find out the sex! We will find out in about 19 weeks. =)

I'm never going back to church again

That's how it feels anyway.

All fevers were broke. Some still have a bit of a cough, but the girl's had really calmed down, for Elijah is mainly just his nose running so I was going to keep him with my in class. I am still coughing with the Bronchitis, but with some medicines it has calmed down a lot.

It was about 9:00 pm and I was going to get some clothes ready for the kids to wear to church tomorrow. I went in Faith and Samantha's room, was just giving some extra kisses while they were sleeping and was pulling their blankets back on. Kissed Faith on the forehead and what do I feel next? Why, she was burning up of course.

Seems it has come full circle and we are starting back at the beginning.

Church is off, again. I haven't been in 3 weeks. I was really looking forward to traveling with Chris tomorrow to a place he was preaching at. He preached there last week but we haven't been yet. I enjoy going to new places. Looks like instead I will be staying home. Again.

It's also going to be a beautiful week. In the 70's, either sunny or only partly cloudy. We haven't been anywhere in 2 weeks because someone has been sick. We WERE going to get out this week, even if it wasn't anything too big. Just going to the nature center to spend some time outdoors, anything. Nope. Looks like we will be home all week, again.

I want to go and have some fun with my babies. I want us all to enjoy our time outside like we usually do. I want my babies healthy again. What in the world is going on in our house?

The sickies

We are just full of the sickies here. Last weekend Faith came down with a cold. She wasn't too bad but was coughing for a few days. Then last Wednesday Samantha had a fever but nothing else. At nighttime she would cough, but during the day she was just sick with a fever. She still had a fever on Friday and so off to the doctor we went. Everything looked good with her, but since it is so hard to get a little child to breath in and out while the doctor checks their lungs, the doctor couldn't tell if she heard any rattling or not. So, off to x-ray we went. Samantha was really scared since I couldn't stay in there with her since I'm pregnant, but she could still see me behind the wall. She really listened to the guy and did exactly what he asked her to do. Then we walked back to the doctors office (can I just say I LOVE having this all in the same building!). The doc came in and said she had pneumonia but she didn't know if it was the contagious type. Luckily she seems to be doing much better. She was put on meds, her fever broke, which is when she would have been contagious, but she will have a cough for the next couple of weeks while it all breaks up.

Then, on Saturday Elijah got sick. He hasn't had a constant fever like Samantha did and so it seems as though it is just a nasty cold. His nose is like a faucet and he is really stopped up, just in the last few days he started with a bad cough. Since he isn't able to breath well he isn't sleeping well, AT ALL. With being coughed on, sneezed on, wiping everyone's noses 50 times a day, and then not getting any sleep taking care of Elijah I was just waiting for it to hit me. Since I'm pregnant I couldn't take any precautionary meds like I normally would (can I just say I absolutely LOVE Cold-Ez. Man does that stuff work good to shorten a cold, and it's just like a cough drop). Yesterday it finally hit me. I woke up and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. As the day went on, I started coughing more, and then my whole body started to ache. I have had a fever but luckily it has been a really low-grade one. Still, it's hard to take are of kiddos, 1 still being really sick, when you are feeling like poo yourself. All I wanted to do was get some rest last night, but alas Elijah wasn't sleeping well and I was up most of the night with him.

Since Chris knows I would never ask him to stay home from school, he made sure to tell me to let me know if I needed him home, that it would be all right, and to not push myself. I'm doing so-so right now so I told him to go ahead and go but I'm guessing as the day goes on the worse I will get again as I start getting wore out. I told him I would probably give him a call sometime today then and have him come home, as much as I hate to do that.

So, needless to say it's been a fun week. Usually the kids will pick up a cold here and there but they are generally very healthy kids. In fact, when I brought Sam to the ped we have have been using since Elijah was born, they hadn't ever seen her. And that's been over a year. I think the last time she was at the doctor was for a well check visit when she was 18 months, since she turned 2 right after Elijah was born. Faith hasn't been in to see her either and I don't remember the last time I've had to bring her in to a doctor for being sick. I am definitely very fortunate! Once everyone gets better I'm going to be bring Faith and Samantha in for well-checks though. I didn't want to bring Faith in right when she turned 4 because all of the flu stuff going around over the winter. I knew she wouldn't need shots and so I thought we would put it off until this spring.