My classroom

My only bulletin board.  I am going with a travel these the first quarter of the year.

My attempt at hot air balloons!

I chose to have to clumps of desks like these with a bookshelf at the end for extra binders, books, and supplies. 

My little area behind my desk.

I made these chevron-patterned curtains.  I tried to use red, brown, yellow, and turquoise for the main colors in the room.

It's hard to see in this picture, but we do not have desks.  We have plastic tables.  So I made a table skirt, lined on the top with turquoise ribbon, and I used velcro to attach it to the top of the table.

Happy owl pencil holder!

I cut maps and used yellow ribbon to make map pendants across the ceiling.

My door: "Let the Journey Begin", with each child's name on a license plate.

A gift for the students on Open House.  Rolos and hershey kiss pencils.

Framed Leonardo da Vinci sketches line the window.  He is the subject of our first artist study.

Refreshments for the parents.

Artist study wall.  I hope to add more soon!

These pictures do not capture my entire classroom, but they do show a few of my favorite spots.  I took these pictures on Open House night, so there were refreshments and flowers.  I try to keep fresh flowers in my room because I love them so much.  We will see how long that lasts! More on the classroom and school soon...

The first day of school

The 4 of us at 6:15, ready to roll!

We were so very excited about our first day of school.  As I have written, we prayerfully decided to end our homeschooling journey and join a private school.  Not only did the children go to school, but I joined them, as I got a job at their school teaching third grade.  This year will be an enormous transition for all of us.  I have not worked out of the home since Jackson was born twelve years ago!  And we have been homeschooling for four years!  But we feel called to this school and we are resting in that confirmation from God with eagerness and expectation.

My gift to my three sweeties the night before

It was a wonderful first day for all four of us!!

A few fun back-to-school parties

Our school is a classical, Christian school.  This makes it different in many ways to traditional schools.  One way is that the elementary school is called the "grammar school", the middle school is the "logic" school, and the high school is called the "rhetoric" school.  The entire student body, K-12, is on one campus, on various levels of the building.

When a student enters the logic school (6th grade), there are many transitions that are very exciting.  So this is a very big year for our Jack.  There are lockers, changing of classes, and special privileges.  Two of the favorite traditions are being inducted into "houses" (much like Harry Potter) and school dances.  The children learn four or five basic dances (swing, fox trot, waltz, etc.) and have many formal and informal dances.  They learn how to ask a girl to dance and how to thank the girl and walk her back to her seat.  Before their formal dance (cotillion), they take etiquette classes during lunch and more ballroom classes during p.e.  It's a big deal and the kids love it.  They also learn fun line dances, too.  Little did we know that at the back-to-school luau, Jackson would be dancing!  So we arrived 30 minutes early and the upper class men helped the sixth graders learn the dances and learn the way to treat the girls.  It was SO PRECIOUS.  Here he is at his first dance.  (This dance was the Saturday before school.  He knew NO ONE.  And there he was, expected to dance with girls!  Can you say BRAVE??)  Afterwards he said, "Wow, Mom.  Who knew dancing could be so much fun?"  All I could say in reply is, "Jack, you are amazing!"

That week I also attended a little party.  My sweet friend and fellow teacher hosted the grammar teachers in her beautiful home for a luncheon.  Her home is amazing, cozy and adorable from top to bottom. And she had the tables and the house all decked out in a back-to-school theme.  Our devotion and prayer were so inspiring.  I could not quit thanking God that this year I will be teaching with a TEAM!!  What an answer to prayer!

Jack's big day...12!!

Jackson turned 12 on July 31st.  We enjoyed celebrating all day long with him!  I put some tissue for him to break through on his birthday morning.  This treat was a big hit with the kids.

Birthday morning fun!

Here he comes!!

Breakfast of champions.

Simple m&m cupcakes on his actual birthday.

For breakfast he chose biscuits, french toast, eggs, and bacon.  And then he opened his presents from us.  He asked for a Lord of the Rings lego set.  He read the books this summer (with Andy's guidance) and loved them. He also got a signed copy of the Superman movie script which he saw at a local antique store.  He always has loved books and movies!

That night we had our annual tradition of taking him out to eat.  This year not only was it our own little family, but our three college friends from Atlanta (who are like family) went with us.  He chose Flip Burger for his special meal.  It was really fun and yummy, especially the Krispy Kreme and Nutella milkshakes for dessert!

Andy with our kids and our college "children"!

Sweet boys!

Later that weekend we had his party at the lake house.  We invited two families from Atlanta who we love dearly to come and spend the entire weekend.  We also invited cousins, grandparents, and a few close friends and our neighbors.  It was great fun!  The group was so large that we had "all hands on deck".  Some kids road jet skis with my brother, others went on the tubes and boat rides with my husband, and the ladies took a group to the pool, too.  We served burgers and chips and had a fishing theme for his cupcakes and decor.  He had a really wonderful time. (Pictures soon)

I cannot believe he is twelve!  One more year and we will have a teenager on our hands!  I have nothing new to say about this precious guy, only that we adore him and he brings us joy every day with his tender, servant heart.  I think he enjoyed his special celebrations and we enter another year with him praising God for the gift he is to us!

Jack's lake birthday party

Some of Jackson's favorite people!

Fun fishing-themed cupcakes: pretzels for the rod, with gummy fish tied to the ends, blue icing for water

So easy and inexpensive!

I used fishing lures and twine for decoration, along with more gummy fish

I tied the plastic utensils and napkins with twine and a single white life saver "preserver".

This year we celebrated Jack's birthday at the lake house again.  Jack invited his cousins,aunts, uncles, and grandparents, along with two families whom we love from Atlanta, and three friends from homeschool classes.  It was a great day with jet skis, boating, and swimming.  Poor little brother slipped in the bathroom and chipped his two front teeth and busted his lip, which added a little unwanted drama.  But we affectionately just knick-named him "Shark Tooth" for the weekend and Monday morning he went to the dentist and came out as good as new.  Jack really loved introducing his two new best friends, Jacob and Caleb, to his two best friends Wes and Will from Atlanta.  And we all had a blast spending the entire weekend with these two precious families at our lake house!  It was a treat and really fun.  I cannot believe Jack is 12!  One more year and teenager-hood will be officially here!  He is very responsible, tender, hard-working, and funny.  He is so much fun and I love him so dearly.  What a delight he is to have for a son!  I think he had a great birthday and felt very special.  We will treasure these parties and encourage them as long as he will continue to let us throw them for him.  His sweet childhood is fleeting!!

The countdown until school...

Wow, what a summer.  Our sweet helper Charissa left last Thursday after spending a month helping me with the kids.  Her last week we had two other visitors from our Atlanta youth group.  It was a fun week.  I haven't gotten out my camara a lot this summer, but here are a few other memories that I  captured.

We took our neighbor to the science center for a fun day.

Lydie learned to swim underwater recently.  She has to pop up for air, so she still can't hang out in the deep end.  But she is going under like a fish, a big improvement for her.  I still did not get her to swim lessons...maybe this winter at the YMCA?

The boys loved the high dive at the public pool in town.  The kids went with Charissa to the pool a lot this summer.  Good times.

This past weekend we hosted two families from Atlanta at our lakehouse for the weekend.  It was Jack's birthday.  So on Saturday we had other friends and family over for his party.  Such good memories!  I cannot believe my oldest son is 12 and going into middle school this year.  I am so proud of him.  He is an amazing kid.

Now we are fully focused on getting ready for school.  I am still working a lot in my classroom.  The kids have uniforms and backpacks on the way.  Today we are buying shoes and socks.  And summer review work and reading are in progress.  In less than 2 weeks summer break will be over and we will be part of a school!  We are almost ready and so excited.  The kids met their teachers at an event called "Popsicles at the Playground", and I met my students.  That night made us all really excited for this year.

Lydie all ready for Popsicles at the Playground!

Life is about to change tremendously for us.  We cannot wait!

Sweet confirmation

I only have a moment, so I know I won't be able to write all that is on my mind.  But I wanted to document here what a joy this summer has been as I have been preparing for school.  Sometimes in life we pray and pray, and ultimately we just do not know with 100% certainty what to do.  So we do our best and step out in faith that God will see us through.  (And He does, of course.)  And sometimes we forget to pray or we act in selfishness or haste and make mistakes.  And those lead to consequences and difficulties.  BUT, sometimes, we pray and we know without a shadow of a doubt that God is pointing us in a certain direction.  I like those times.  And this teaching job was one of those.
God has confirmed that this is His will for me in so many huge ways this summer.  The biggest is the way he brought our lovely, sweet friend Charissa to stay with us this month.  We didn't even ask her to come, she asked if she could come and help.  And she has truly made this month wonderful for all of us.  I have been gone some days from 8-5 working in my classroom or at the school for meetings.  This time away would be such a disappointment for my children who have never had to deal with me working outside the home.  But Charissa has eased this burden for them by playing with them, taking them out for ice cream and swimming, and in so many other ways.  She has truly felt like a part of our family and we all love her so much.  My daughter tells her every day that she loves her.  I keep pinching myself.  The entire month of July she has/will be here...and I didn't even have to search for her!  God just brought her to us!  Can you believe it??

Lydie's new sidekick, the boys new friend, and my life saver!

Besides that enormous blessing, I am enjoying the preparation for the school year so much!  There really aren't words for how blessed and excited I feel.  I love the other teachers, many of whom are my age and stage.  (Women who are both my age and stage in life have been extremely hard for me to come by since I moved.)  Also, the staff challenges me with their passion for learning (and teaching).  I could write a book about all that I have learned.  This group of men and women are so godly, brilliant, and funny!  I love their company and really look forward to their friendship.  It feels amazing to be part of a team-this team.  God has fulfilled a deep desire for me by giving me these people!  And the anticipation of meeting the children is so exciting!  I cannot wait!
My husband and children are all so happy for me.  Well, Lydie is a little more self-centered, typical five year old.  But Charissa is doing a great job loving on her when I am gone.  But Andy and the boys have been amazingly supportive and excited about all that I am bringing home and talking about.  I have had to keep paper and pencil by the bed because I wake up at night with ideas or questions.  It's kind of crazy.
I am so excited for the adventure of another week.  Praying for discernment in the juggling of it all.  And praying prayers of gratitude for the wonderful things God has orchestrated for us.  Wow!

"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 9:10

The wonderful vacation (all pictures taken by my phone)

We seem to do so much better when we are thrown into things.  This trip to the beach was a wonderful week.  We played and rested, while enjoying the best beach weather ever!  The weather was in the 80s all week, with a couple of afternoon showers.  The seaweed was almost non existent.  And the water was beautiful.
We spent a lot of time with my brother's family.  My cousin's family was staying at the same resort, as well, and it was fun to run into them at the pool or beach.  And my parents came for a couple of days.  So the kids had so much fun with playmates. 

We enjoyed long hours on the beach and in the ocean, and many hours at the pools.  This resort has a water slide down on the sand, lots of pools, and a restaurant and bar right by the pool.  So really, you could spend an entire week and never get in your car.  There is also golf and tennis, which we said we were going to do.  But the kids love the water too much.  And now that we do not have a pool in the backyard I also wanted to take full advantage of it myself.

Some of the other highlights of the week were mini golf, the water park, looking for crabs, fishing, and good food and shopping.  Andy and I enjoyed a date night on Thursday, while the kids spent the night with my brother's family.  And then on Friday we had his children over for the night and they went on a date.  Those nights were very special and sweet.

For our date we drove through Rosemary Beach and Seaside, and finally ate at a restaurant in Grayton Beach.  This area of Florida is spectacular.  So much beauty in the beaches, architecture, art, and city planning.  It was a feast for the eyes!  If you are ever in Grayton Beach, try Pandora restaurant.  It is not the most lovely in the decor, but the food was outstanding. 

On our night to keep all of the children, we took them out for pizza and mini golf.  We didn't get them in bed until after midnight.  Oops.  But isn't that the fun of being with your aunt and uncle??  One of my nieces was begging to go back to the condo and go to sleep before the night was over. :)

Although our trip went off without a hitch (except the night that my brother ran out of gas, but let's not count that night), we still came home with a hilarious memory.  We seem to be magnets for these types of things on trips.  Andy went out on the pier to fish one day.  He had the rare treat of seeing a very large manatee swimming around the pier, which is very unusual for this location.  All the people on the pier noticed, and many were amazed.  There was one family that began yelling, "Shark!  Shark!" down in the water, and running for shore.  They were of a different ethnicity and not quite able to say the "r" sound, just for extra perspective.  So Andy yelled, "No, no!  It's okay.  It's just a manatee."  The man looked dazed and confused and then began frantically yelling, "Sea monster!  Sea monster!", with the accent, remember.  His whole family ran out of the water in a jiffy.  It made Andy's day.

The boys are ocean lovers.  But this girl prefers the sand.

The beach on our first night while we were waiting for a table at Sharky's.

Sunset

The kids loved this water slide that was set up on the beach in front of the resort.

The bay by Boondock's restaurant.

My sweetheart

Greyce and Lydie- attached at the hip

More beautiful snapshots

Anna and Lydie

Our view on our date night of the sunset in the car on the way to Grayton Beach

All the girls hanging on Uncle Rick in the pool

Lydie finally discovered that she can swim with her head under the water.

The cousins and the kids the night we kept them before dinner.

And playing mini golf.  So fun!!

On our way home we marvelled at the fact that this vacation was completely unexpected and fell right into our laps.  It was such a gift, a treat!  And we came back a little tired from the traveling, but so refreshed.  It was the perfect way to begin July!  Praise the Lord for such sweet gifts!!