End of the year recognition: Lydia Joy, 3rd grade

And now for the final part 3. Lydie was kind enough to humor me and leave her beloved school for 1 special year with me. She is over the top excited to return in the fall. But I would not trade anything for our year all together. I think some precious seeds were planted.
She and I have spent most every day side by side. She had to put in a lot of effort to earn all A's in third grade! Her biggest strides have been in writing and math. She is this beautiful mix of wild energy ...and intentional self-control.
With these gifts she excelled in gymnastics this year. She also loved singing and dancing with Summer and Holiday Show-offs.
I deeply value her gift of encouragement. If we kept all her love notes and encouraging words they would require a room of their own! She loves the Lord and is learning the power of prayer this year. We are so proud of our FOURTH GRADER! May God be glorified for every way she reflects His beauty and goodness! I am so thankful for this year with my 3 precious children!

End of the year recognition: Joshua, 7th & 8th grades (!)

Awards day, part 2. Our Joshua did a pretty remarkable thing this year. He decided to work on 2 years of math as a 7th grader. By February he was finished with Pre-Algebra and by mid July he will complete Algebra. He did this in order to skip 8th grade! His final averages in school were 95+. He is a gifted student and hard to challenge.
Joshua was the first to start and finish almost every day. He took the high school level national Latin exam and received a cum laude award. He is the most affectionate hugger I have ever met. Quiet, deliberate, dry wit, well-mannered. What a joy!
He ran cross-country for the first year and learned so much about endurance. His faith has grown exponentially this year and his prayers melt my heart. THANK YOU LORD- for this sweetheart and his gifts and talents. We adore our FRESHMAN!

End of the year recognition: Jackson, 9th grade

This is my version of Awards Day since we homeschool. First up...Jackson. This amazing kid earned all A's this year as a freshman. He took 3 honors classes and scored 92,95, & 97 on those. His final average in Biology was 101! He ended the year with a 4.18 GPA.
In addition to his consistent study habits, he woke up every single morning and spent 20 minutes working on ACT prep, and he is only a freshman! He scored a 27, no doubt a result of his dedication! We were absolutely overjoyed!
He earned around 40 service hours this year, some through involvement in Key Club, and others through church involvement. He ran cross country and slashed nearly 5 minutes off his personal record over the course of the season.
He has been a joy to teach. I never have to tell him to get started or work harder. One of his most valuable assets to our family is his kindness and compassion. And when things get difficult or chaotic he reminds us, "It will be ok. God is in this with us." May God receive EVERY OUNCE OF THE GLORY for this sweet soul! We are so proud of our SOPHOMORE!

Hard worker

Sweetness of the day: My 13 year old taking care of the yard work for us. I pray these boys will always value and embrace a hard day's work.  They are amazing boys-always willing and offering to help.  Such humble, servant hearts they both have.  Dear future daughter-in-laws- you are lucky girls!

Catwalk

Lydia Joy was invited to a very fun birthday party.  There was actually a hair stylist, manicurist, and catwalk for modeling after the make-overs.  This was a pretty dreamy time for a girly 9 year old!  She is pictured above with the birthday girl in pink and below walking the catwalk.  This girl sure does love the spotlight!

The beginning of the end of our school year

The end of the school year is drawing near, and what a special year it has been!  Here is Lydia Joy by her timeline wall. Each card-most of which are not pictured-represent a history story that we learned together. Our lessons spanned from Creation to the Resurrection of Christ!  What an adventure we had together...on our sofa!

 The end-of-the-year Expo with our Cooperative was a fun time.  Lydia Joy made a history display.

 And Joshua made a science display.

Jackson was not required to make a project, but I think he benefitted most from his Biology class. He made some wonderful friends!  They all enjoyed Thursdays, as did I!
The funniest thing about this night was during the closing prayer.  I bowed my head and was wide awake one minute...and DROOLING the next!  I have been so exhausted from preparing to move to a new house that I fell sound asleep in a matter of seconds.  When the "Amen" was said, I snapped up, discovered that I was drooling and proceeded to laugh to the point of tears. My friends were then informed and they proceeded to laugh. It was really hilarious!  I need a good night's sleep. Obviously.

My resident biology expert and his sidekick

These two were the tour guides for the 2nd grade field trip to Ebenezer Swamp. Pretty amazing to have a biologist husband who can walk through any forest in the Southeast and randomly name the native plants and their uses.  He is pretty knowledgeable about animals, as well.  What an amazing gift.  According to the parents, they were a big hit!