Saturday, September 7, 2013

School Life

Well, since my last post some things around here have changed (and this post should explain my absence from blogging).  We found out the day before Kindergarten/KR started that my middle son did not get into the KR program.  Since I did not have a deposit down anywhere in case he didn't get in (and nothing seemed to indicate he wouldn't get into the program), I felt really really depressed and sad, didn't know what I was going to do, but I did not want to send him to Kindergarten (he was not emotionally ready).  To make a long story short, I decided I would home school him this year and he can start Kindergarten next year.

Here is the cool thing.  I didn't want to do it, but God had other plans for me that were better.  I was planning on this year being 1 more year with Jacob and maybe taking some education to get me back on track to go into the work force in a few years.  Every school I called didn't have a spot for Mason or was super duper expensive.  As my husband said, stop fighting it and just home school him this year.

After lots of prayer, I decided if I was going to do this, then I was going to treat it just like a school environment (he needed help with structure and learning to raise his hand and sit still for 7+ hours a day with breaks in between).  I have a syllabus every day and have had some awesome church friends who home school help me by giving me books to copy, ideas, etc.  We started as soon as Kindergarten started (so we are almost 4 weeks in).  He didn't like having to sit for so long and would tire to begin with but he quickly learned to endure the work load (so check 1 on my list of success).  Jacob is also getting to learn with him, but he is not made to sit still as much, he is only 3 (so this is good for both boys on being with others in a classroom).  The next success took a little longer, but now he raises his hand when he wants to ask a question (success number 2).  He has also learned to use his inside voice more and rest on a nap mat (success 3 and 4).  Now we are working on not talking all the time (he is a chatter box, but it is getting better).  He has also started to talk to me about his day and what he did and wants to do (this has been a long time coming and I couldn't be a happier Mom).  It makes me smile that my son wants to interact with me and we can have a conversation.  I have loved seeing both boys learn from me and I get to see how they are growing and maturing.  It has given me the confidence to home school Jacob for preschool and KR for the next few years.  I believe Mason needed me as much as I needed him this year (this has been a special year so far and we are both learning so much).

My oldest child, Rebekah, is wanting to learn what Mason is learning (she didn't even know which state she lived in on a map).  This has encouraged me to do educationally fun activities on the weekends as a family.  So, we will probably take a trip to the local Frist art museum, Cheekwood, the symphony, local parks, etc.  All 3 kids are so eager to learn and it is fun to see that love for learning (it makes me smile).  Rebekah even spent her Saturday after cheerleading working on worksheets from Mason's work this week and wanted to learn more about frogs from the Internet (one of the books we read this week was Jump Frog Jump so the activities were around that book).

Also, we celebrated Jacob's gotcha day yesterday with some dear friends who have an adopted son who has the same gotcha day (he is from Russia).  Since her husband is part Korean, we celebrated with Korean food and cake (the kids loved it)!  Such a special day for our little guys and our families.  It is hard to believe it has been a year since Jacob became our son.  Happy gotcha day Jacob!!!  We love you!

Below are pictures of what has been going on around here (enjoy)...
Happy Gotcha Day! 

 All 3 Playing

 All 3 Learning Together

Brotherly Love  

Cheerleading 

Cupcakes 

1st Day of 1st Grade 

Happy 3rd Birthday Jacob! 

Our Home School Area 

Learning At Home 

Jacob's Reward From Chuckee Cheese 

Mason's First Field Trip (Helping Mommy Retreat Plan) 

Microwave Shopping 

Sense of Hearing Day