Basketball and Cheerleading

Lydie and Josh chose to do winter sports, while Jack has spent his extra time in drama rehearsal preparing for his big play in April.  We have really enjoyed the sports this season.  We chose to do Upward this time, which only requires one evening for practice, plus weekly games.  The coaches very kindly scheduled Lydie and Josh's practices on the same night and time.  This favor was a life-saver for us!

Joshua had a coach whom we really loved and admired.  He was extremely hard on the boys, but also willing to pat their back and point out their accomplishments.  Although Josh did not begin or finish as the best player on the team, his coach did tell him that he was the most improved on the team.  This was a huge compliment, we thought.  He worked really hard.  He still needs to learn how to be more aggressive on the court.  But he seems to understand the strategy of the game really well.  He is a very sharp player.

Joshua loved defense!

Lydie loved cheer leading.  She was the youngest and smallest on the team.  But she had no problem keeping up.  In fact, she did outstanding at the games when she was head cheerleader.  She seems to thrive in situations where she is the youngest.  She wants to continue cheer leading...and doing ballet, gymnastics, art, and trying soccer next year.  Her enthusiasm is over the top!

Her friend's mom made cute polka dotted cups and buckets for the squad.

Lydie is the last one on the right.

Cute little cheerleaders!

We are really proud of both kids for a great season!  We are glad they learned teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship.  Looking for to more games next year!

Piano competition

At some point, between the Sportsmen's Blast with the men and his basketball game, Joshua participated in his first piano competition.  While basketball takes a lot of work, piano is just like school work for Joshua- a lot of success with very little practice.  None of us really knew what to expect.  But he played beautifully and received a superior rating.  I really think with his right-brained talents that he will do very well in music.  I hope he keeps on enjoying the piano and takes after his Granny, Mimi, and Uncle Rick!

Valentine Luncheon

My precious friend Leigh Ann had the grammar faculty members over to her house on Valentine's day.  She has the gift of hospitality and encouragement like no one I have ever met before.  She is also very artistic.  Her house is a masterpiece!

She made chicken salad, garden salad, soup, and a fabulous dessert.  Every room of her house had precious decorations for every holiday.  Have you ever seen a Valentine tree?  Her dining room had one!  And garland and hearts, galore.  She picked a variety of containers, from tea cups to silver pots, and put an arrangement of succulents for us to take home.  I am telling you it was the sweetest day!  I whispered to her that our husbands were doomed, how could they top this for Valentines?

Our lovely principal presented a devotion.  It was based on a verse that is now one of my favorites:

"Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on new plants."

Deuteronomy 32:2

Isn't that the perfect prayer for me to pray every day as a Mom and teacher?  I left refreshed and excited.  Right now, I cannot fathom my life without my new, sweet friends and all of the friendship, wisdom, laughter, and encouragement they bring to me every day!  It feels so amazing to be settled at a place that I want to plug into for a long time...until someone drags me away!

When the cat's away...

Andy went out of town one weekend and we just randomly decided after basketball and cheerleading games to go to the Birmingham Zoo.  We were underdressed for cold weather, but it was sunny and a great day.  I do miss these impromptu trips.  We used to go on a field trip every month together when we homeschooled.  Although the pros far outweight the cons of being at a private school for our family, these days are one of the things that I miss most!

The train...same one I rode at their age!

Quiet, but full of life!

The reptile house...shivers.

One of my favorites

I am always struggling to keep up!!

Our little Saturday adventure!

Jack's Cotillion

Jackson attended his first school dance in February.  Wow, it's just crazy to imagine that we are in this stage of life.  He sure is a kind boy, full of integrity and talent.  But will he REALLY be 13 this summer??

All spiffed up and ready to go!

The sixth graders, or at least most of them, met at the park before the dance for pictures.

Pretty girls, handsome boys!

He was so excited for his big night.  The sixth grade class has been taking etiquette classes during their lunch hour and ballroom dance classes during p.e.  So he felt confident and prepared.  At the dance, they get dance cards with some of the partners filled in and others they get to choose.

Lovely tables!

A couple of Jack's buddies before the dance.  Next year I am going to try to talk Jack into a bow tie.  Love!

The dance begins with thirty minutes for the parents to take pictures and a professional photographer to take pictures.  The gym took my breath away.  It was filled with candles and white lights.  The tables were gorgeous with red table runners and roses.  Every detail was attended to, from the place cards to the napkins.  It was really lovely!  The girls looked so sweet and beautiful, yet age-appropriate.  The boys all wore ties and coats, some were in suits.  They looked so mature and handsome.  I don't know if all of the classes are like this, but Jack's group loves to dance, boys and girls alike.

When I arrived, the teachers (in black) had joined the kids in a line dance.  The teachers wore black, along with a few volunteer parents, and served the dinner and helped clean up.

After the parents leave, the kids have a four course meal.  They are seated with various ages and both boys/girls.  Jack was a little worried that he wouldn't know the people he was seated with.  But they had a blast and he loved the food.  He said there was "no awkward silence", so that was good. :)

After dinner, the tables were all cleared away and the gym became a dance floor.  They dance around a dozen dances, I think, including the swing, the waltz, etc.  They also do a bunch of line dances, which is really fun.  He said is was formal, but laid back and really fun.  The parents are allowed to come back 15 minutes before the end of the dance to see the last dance.  Jackson chose to dance with a sweet little sixth grade girl whom he is friends with.  They looked so sweet and innocent.

The last dance with his friend.  This is a sweet stage in life!

This picture is one side of the booth when we went out for milk shakes.  10 boys, 1 booth!

I am so grateful that he is learning how to be a gentleman...and enjoying it!  I am so thankful that his idea of fun is a classy, innocent night with his friends.  Afterwards, a big group of his friends went to get milkshakes and discuss the night.  On the way home, he said, "Mom, this was the best night of my life... so far!"  So far, it has been PURE JOY to be the parent of a middle schooler.  Love, love, love it!

Daddies and Donuts

Lydie and Andy had a special day at school today.  They celebrated Daddies and Donuts, a kindergarten tradition.  I love the pictures that they took together!

This little girl has captivated her Daddy's heart.  Over the years, his heart has softened more and more for her.  She is pretty delightful, I must say.  I was so glad that they had a special day to enjoy each other and celebrate their precious relationship.  She will have a tough time finding a husband who will be able to love her like this man.

Mega Rome Day

Both third grade classes together at Mega Rome day!

One group making bullas (a child's necklaces), at 1 of the 6 booths!

Each group had a special colored "Eagle standard" to represent his or her group for the day, much like the Roman army.

Reclining and eating like Romans!  The children LOVED lunch!

My sweet friend's beautiful daughter making a mosaic piece of art.

One of my sweet students playing Roman dice games.  So precious!

Mega Rome day is the highlight of the third grader's year.  Although we begin with Creation and study history through Constantine, we really focus the majority of our time on ancient Greece and Rome.  On Mega Rome day we spend a day in our togas in the gym.  There are 6 booths with art projects and games that are Roman in nature.  Lunch is prepared on trays and the children recline on blankets, just like the Romans.  It is an entire day of fun and learning!  I loved the laurel wreaths and togas.  It was so exciting and a tradition that will be the highlight of my winter for years to come!

Indelible Grace, Compassion International, & Sherri

Tonight we went to a sweet, intimate concert at a local church to hear Matthew Smith and Indelible Grace.  What a worshipful, lovely night we had with our boys and a few neighbors, along with families from our church and the community.  There is no musical genre that I love more than old hymns set to modern guitar music.  It feeds my soul and draws me close to Christ.

Matthew Smith shared his passion for the children who are sponsored by Compassion International.  We decided to sponsor this little precious girl named Sherri.

She is a beautiful little girl living in Guatemala who needs to hear and experience the love of God.  We are thrilled to be instruments of His grace in her life.  What a privilege!  Joshua really wants to meet her someday.  You never know what the Lord will do!  Until then, this sweet child is in our hearts and prayers!

 

It was a real treat to have a family night away from the farm.  The pace of our life right now doesn't lend itself to these nights as often as I would like.  But when they come, they are a treasure!



Out for ice cream afterwards...a rare treat these days!
 

Spelling Bee

At our school, there are two spelling bees in January.  One is for the 2nd-5th grade classes and the award is the title of "Grammar School Spelling Bee Champion", along with a trophy.  Then the Logic school (6th-8th grades) also have a Spelling Bee, and the winner goes on to compete in the county Spelling Bee.

Each grade has 3 representatives (there are about 30 students in each grade), which are chosen through a series of class spelling bees.  Both of our boys earned the honor of being one of the three representatives from his class!  We were so proud!

The Logic spelling bee was first.  The children drew random numbers, and Jackson was the first one up!  The entire school was watching, along with three judges.  I think he let his nerves get the best of him.  His word was "cloudy" and he spelled it "c-l-o-u-d-l-y".  We were so afraid that he would be mortified.  But he was a good sport and said it was no big deal.  He seemed to shake if off way quicker than I would have.  Any way, the logic spelling bee was very exciting and it got to a point where the words were much too difficult for me!  (The winner went on to the county spelling bee and got first runner up!)

Then it was time for the grammar spelling bee.  Andy and I were NERVOUS.  Josh doesn't shake off embarassment so easily.  And he is shy and quiet.  We were afraid the judges, audience, and microphone would really embarrass him.  Well, this kid is ALWAYS surprising us!  He got up there and acted like a professional.  He took his time, asked for the judges to repeat the word, give alternate definitions, etc.  He spelled words that I would not be able to spell correctly.

After a long battle, HE WON!  And the sweetest moment was the celebration from his class.  After awards and pictures, they erupted with hugs and cheers.  They kept saying, "We won!  We won!", claiming his win as their own, too.  Andy and I were just so excited for him.  He is a brilliant boy, and he doesn't even realize all the gifts and talents that the Lord has blessed him with.  He is always so shocked when he wins something, or gets another 100 on a test, etc.  This day was really special for all of us!  Way to go, Joshua!!

Little House on the Prairie day for Lydie

This little sweetie had her special Little House day today.  Her class read Laura and the Big Woods and today is the big celebration.  Another parent loaned me this darling dress and we were just barely able to make two brades with her hair.  We have been watching Little House episodes at Nana and Poppy's house on Tuesday nights when we spend the night.  This show has made her even more excited and interested.  I know she will have a wonderful day!

Back to school: Winter decor

"God makes all things new" winter bulletin board.  Tried using opened cupcake liners instead of border.

Winter wreath for the door with glittery snowflakes and penguins.

White stars and...

and snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.

In the hall..."How will I honor God in 2013?"

The kids went crazy over the party blowers.  Winter decorations were fun!

Looking back on 2012, part 2

 June-August

June brought heat and lots of work on the farm!

Lots of  work on the farm=lots of work in the kitchen.  Good, dirty work!

 

Joshua's birthday celebration at the Lego Discovery Center...

Lydie's art birthday party...

and Jack's party at the lake!  Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!!!

The boys went to camp for the first time and had a blast!

The boys discovered the high dive at the pool!

Our precious Ms. Charissa spent an entire month with us!  She was a life saver for us as I was getting my classroom ready and having in-service classes and Andy was running the farm!

We are LOVING the lake house!

We took a wonderful trip to the beach.  Lots of fun time with the kids, my brother's family, and just Andy and I!

 September-December

Our first day at school!!

Jack's first dance!  Wow, he's growing up.  Love the way the school teaches them all the basic partner dances and helps them along.  So sweet!

And a whole faculty of precious friends for me!

And days of fun with my third grade class like this day on spirit day!

And lots of projects for all three kids, like Josh's viking ship!

And lots of dress up days for Lydie in kindergarten!

Fall meant lots of field trips!

And, as always, sweet time with family, like this Thanksgiving dinner!

Fall brought a new smile!

And a new spine!

And the memorization of loads of verses, poetry, and beautiful songs.  Seeds planted.

And a quiet Christmas with cousins...

and good time together!

And then quiet, sick days at home.  But still, good times!

2012 has been amazing!  Decisions made this year have changed our course completely.  And I love where we are headed.  The children have friends, new mentors (teachers and other adults), and receive an extremely challenging classical curriculum within the context of a community.  We are so happy!  I love the ministry I continue to have with my own family, as well as the fifteen families of my students.  Andy is healing and ready for a new year with little back pain!  And our children are all involved in many areas where they can expand and build on their gifts and talents.  Praying that this year we continue to become who God has designed us to be, always looking to bring him glory!  I am looking forward to 2013 with excitement and hope!!