Teaching & Learning ~ 2016-2017 ~ a year in review

Hurry quick! The 2017-2018 is fast approaching! Hilarious really, this post was started over a year ago BUT, every year of learning with this crew is worth documenting! Here is our year in review. SO MUCH FUN! These pictures were taken in the fall & I can't believe how much the girls changed over the year, especially Charlotte with those teeth or rather without those teeth.  Charlotte was in class with Mrs. Dys & Eloise with Mrs. Nerren. We were very thankful for their care of our children & dedication to equip & work alongside us mamas as we continue down the road of homeschooling.

 The youngest class could seriously not be any cuter! We learned about Biomes with pictures on their heads & guessing what they might be with descriptions by 4 & 5 year olds. You can imagine how entertaining that is ; )

I now teach this class & almost everything I learned was from my friend Sheri. I figured if I could just be a copycat, my little students would be in excellent shape!

Fine Arts time, specifically drawing or painting has been Eloise's absolute favorite since that first year. After learning Oils, the basic shapes of drawing, we moved along to drawing upside down. She creates with ease & I have so much to learn from her!

One of our science experiments toward the end of the year was to build an egg protector with given supplies. The final prototype was dropped from about 9 feet high. The other tested project was to build a bridge with limited supplies, rubber bands & straws. Placed between two tables, it could be secured with tape (if I remember correctly). Neither of these were to be parent directed. We did help with a little of the lacking fine motor skills but they did most of the work.

We found these ladies up late at night constructing plans & even building with things they sneaked up to their room. As you may deduct, the egg protector picture below was not very protective, ha! Eloise came home each of those weeks totally stressed out, expressing how difficult it was to work with certain people. LOL, welcome to real life honey bunny! It was a great learning experience for each of the kids.

The final designs by the two youngest classes in what we call Foundations. ages Pre-K to 6th grade, did incredibly well! Eloise's class actually beat one of the much older group of kids with their egg protector. That was such a boost for the self-esteem!

Here is the ladder they were dropped from.

One of our most favorite things about Classical Conversations is the 24 weeks straight of oral presentations for each child. I WISH I would have had this! While I am happy to write, read or even sing, I am still so uncomfortable speaking in front of certain groups of people. Eloise spent almost two straight years with me sitting in close proximity while she spoke to her class about a favorite book, animal, a beautiful rock or piece of artwork. One week her dad lost his mind ; ) & let her take his drone! She felt pretty cool!

 We learned about the solar system & each kiddo got to be a planet.

We had an instrument petting zoo during our six weeks of learning about the orchestra. This table looks a little boring compared to the brass table but percussion is an important group of instruments!

It is ALWAYS insane to get out the door in the morning so pajama day is my favorite!

 

You may notice this is the first picture of the little bubbies, proof they were there! Here is the proof they were loved on each & every week. So simple...Mrs. Sue. Don't let Little Bit's smile fool you, Arlo cried all 24 weeks! I often had to rescue him. This was new for us. All four older sibling never batted an eye when handed over to loving arms. He likes me, still does! 

There were crafts, silly faces & LOTS of affection dealt out by sweet, over-bearing Arlo. It was darling & most tight hugs were welcomed.

On thing that is fantastic about homeschooling is that our schedule is our own & learning happens just about everywhere! Hiking with the Stillers….that is Arlo's friend, Marlow. The zoo, the backyard, Grammy's house, & so on & so forth. 

We learned all sorts of things at the Nest....

Just for example, how to remove books from Daddy's shelf & how to cut out an absurd amount of scissors as a lefty using right handed scissors. Ironic right? 

 Elo worked on the go during breaks from Nascar. Charlotte learned about rotary phones.

Owen & Anson had a physics lesson or two.

The girls got their own library cards & we spent lots of time learning how to walk in a straight line to get in safely. I think we even got to pay some late fees! Just showing our support for the City of Richardson! Robby loves late fees.

Charlotte read about a million All About Reading flashcards & we even got to put them back in numerical order twice after each of us dropped them on the floor. Gaga got to teach some math. It sure is nice to have a sub every now & then. The kids agree ; )

We did a lot of Geography including some people eating their sandwiches into the shape of the USA. Charlotte at age 7 worked hard to draw the all the states after spending lots of time tracing.   

Owen & Anson practiced some fine motor skills. Some assigned & some as a surprise for the teacher....Owen ; )

Every day is not full of fun & exciting learning opportunities or at least I don't take advantage of them all. I fall into feeling selfish, wanting more alone time, or I am irritable in response to the never-ending neediness. Overall though, I am often reminded of how special it is to shape these hearts and minds day each & every day. It is a difficult task but we know God is working in us & through us as we lead them.

The last day of school is always such a great feeling... Arlo looks like he is ready to jump in the car & get it over with! 

 

Celebrating three Valentine boys

What felt like birthday season has ended, phew! Three in March, two in May & one in July. Now we have a break until October when the littlest Valentine turns three...where is the emoji face for feeling nervous? 

Birthday morning was pretty exciting when Daddy rolled the new wheels in! I will share the story of the bikes & the boys can read later about how they were pre-owned. We had decided around Christmas time that we would like to get bikes for Owen & Anson as birthday gifts. A friend called me in January to ask if they had bikes & if not, would I like to have two free bikes that have barely been used by another set of twin boys. Um, yes please! We hid them in nearly plain sight, under a cover in the garage that they walked by everyday. Those new, wheeled modes of transportation were a big hit once they got the hang of it! 

Birthday breakfast is simple, much like the rest of a birth-day & we all ate our daily allotment + 1 of sausage balls & cinnamon rolls.

Our day was filled with playing & riding bikes, low key to the max. They tagged along to choir practice & enjoyed the playground then we finished off the day with SPIN Pizza. Why are birthdays so much about food?

One day prior to the big day we invited a few other families to our favorite park, brought some donuts along (more food, right?) There was lots of playing & chasing in the chilly spring air. It was really just a few families, we just happen to have lots of kids!
After the party, I dropped the girls off to play with some friends, put Arlo down for a nap & spent some quality time with our almost 5 year olds. They got their first Lego sets & were adorable working through those directions so independently.

Batman has been a favorite for the O-Meister & he was enjoying posing the super-hero then copying his moves.

We dragged out the celebrations as long as possible & had GGran, Grammy & Grandpa over for cake. 

Our hearts are filled with joy when we watch two healthy boys blowing out their candles. Thinking back to that challenging pregnancy with so many opportunities to trust that God would help us persevere to the end, no matter what the final outcome would be, my heart almost aches just like it did for those 8 months. What special boys they are.

As we said goodnight to our guests, one of the boys pointed out a rainbow over our house. What beauty creation holds.

The twins aren't the only ones we celebrate in March! Robby turned 37 & is loved more than ever by our crew! His parents treated us to dinner out which we all enjoyed. 

The girls were convinced that a Chick-Fil-A giftcard was the perfect gift. I think they may have chosen that so he would take them for milkshakes ; )

Arlo was a pro at spitting all over the cake....we ate it anyway! I tried something new this year....branching out from good ol' tried & true, Betty Crocker. We love Nothing Bundt Cake's double chocolately chip so I looked up a recipe & made my own. It was a hit!

He requested that we plant flowers over the weekend so we grabbed a few to get started. Maybe it was a lame gift but he said that he felt very special. BIRTHDAY SUCCESS!

We Prepared Him Room, in December

Contemplating Christmas 2017 through pictures reminds me of a sweet, sweet time with our family.  Why not talk about the gift of Jesus all year long? That's a good reason this post is so delayed : )

For the first time EVER we enjoyed Advent reading nearly everyday. It was coupled with a fire, cozy blankets & a good amount of picking on each other & being sent to their rooms.  You can't have it all right? Even with the frustration that occurs every single day here, God really honored our time with conversations we have never had with our children.

Over the course of the month, we were able to Prepare Him Room which ended up being the album name which included our favorite song of the season. It is called Who Would Have Dreamed. I must share just a few of the lyrics:

Prophets had foretold it, a mighty King would come
Long awaited Ruler, God’s Anointed One
But the Sovereign of all looked helpless and small
As God gave the world His own Son

And who would have dreamed or ever foreseen
That we could hold God in our hands?
The Giver of Life is born in the night
Revealing God’s glorious plan
To save the world

A mighty King, God's anointed one, sovereign of all, God's own son, giver of life, rescuer of the world. What beautiful words to describe Jesus. We pulled out the old trusty stable & characters when we got out the decorations & within minutes that baby Jesus we just described went missing! More on him later. Thankfully, we had the long-lasting, wrapped in swaddling clothes with a Sharpie marked smile, Jesus from Celebration Community Church. We love it. He was just the right size to fit between Mary & Joseph.

One of our most favorite ways to prepare him room is to kick off the holiday season with a children's chorus performance. While three of our four choir aged children, were drop outs for the fall semester, it was fine by me....no complaining, cheaper & less time there on Thursday afternoons! Charlotte moved up to the Chorus Choir which has about 35 kids ages eight through eighteen. She was forced to wear a new dress. We found it on Amazon for a mere $20. I had her wear tights & convinced her that everyone else would too. Boy was I wrong, haha! It's good to be unique & tights or not, she looked beautiful.

We had lots of family join us including my cousin Zak. Charlotte really enjoys hanging out with him. 

One highlight of this performance was a song called Oh, Children Come by Keith & Kristyn Getty. There was a good amount of a steady stomping & clapping. Arlo learned it & spent a good amount of time on our coffee table doing just that! I have plenty of video, no pictures but it is burned into my mind forever. He actually impressed us with his rhythm & sure was excited when the real thing started! Every song was just lovely, lyrics, voices, the heart behind the singing, the directing, accompaniment, and on & on.

After celebrating Thanksgiving, I got into a big fight with our Christmas tree, like I had scrapes on my arms as I wrapped lights, took them off & started over twice. They healed & I was still able to smile while we put ornaments on ; ) 

This year we bought each of the kids the superhero ornament that went with their Halloween Costume. Four out of the five ended up in the ornament grave yard that seems to grow by the year. The worst damaged was actually because of me! I dropped Spider-Man & he shattered ALL over the kitchen floor. I was in tears & precious Anson wanted me to squat down for a big hug & kiss. He told me I was still the best mom ever even if I break his Christmas ornaments, goodness gracious I laughed so hard! 

Here they are before all the limb amputations began...

Charlotte was nominated to be the star putter-onner this year mainly because if we cycle through five years of this, she could be a little harder to hoist to the top. These two traveled to Colorado in August & she was smiling ear to ear when she presented me with our new family ornament for the year. I call it a Daddy moose & a Charlotte moose.

Two other new editions to the tree are anything but new. My Grandmother Alene & Grandpa Joe, who have both passed away, made these during my late childhood. Porcelain figurines & dolls became a hobby in their retirement which was fun for us when we visited & were able to paint with them.  These two Santas had been on my Aunt Debbie's tree all these years & she encouraged me to take some home. I quickly packed them into my bag before she could change her mind ; )  The one in the back is from a set of maybe six or seven Santas through the years dated back to the 1920s to present day. So special to have. Thankfully I secured them well & they escaped decapitation, etc.

I added mistletoe to our entry way for one purpose & one purpose alone. I had him trained to kiss me anywhere & anytime I even said the word "mistletoe!" He gets more kisses than anyone at the Nest! Who can resist Darlin' Arlo? 

We had JOY hanging on the bannister of the staircase last year but due to my mistletoe kissing 2 year old, they were relocated. 

The new book for the season....it was adorable. I will spare you the details, just check it out from the library next season!

We were treated to Gaylord ICE by Grandma Virginia. It was really cold & more enjoyable to spend time together than look at the sculptures. GG agreed!  It was a bit of a let down when it was over so quickly. The kids were frozen though (Florida babies) so we got outta there quick as we could & headed over to Uncle Julio's for some Tex-Mex. 

Delicious everything topped off with the infamous chocolate piñata!

There were Christmas cookies & no gingerbread houses (woot!) Those really stress me out mainly because the frosting is ALWAYS a dud. My favorite named cookies "night of the walking bread" coined by Rob. Tis' the season for zombies I guess ; )

I asked Owen to dust the bookcases, sent Robby the picture & he responded with "I thought we didn't do Elf on the Shelf?" He's a comedian & I truly never tire of his jokes. I tell the girls all the time how important it is to marry someone who makes you laugh harder than anyone else. 

We made a couple visits to GGran's house to see her Dickens Village set complete with the train ie stealer of the show! It was really hard to follow directions & keep little fingers off. They, just like my brothers did as kids, raced from one end to the other watching it enter & exit the tunnel. The hidden mouse, which is about 3/4 inch in length was illusive yet again. I struggled until I received many clues. 

Charlotte's choir graced a nearby coffee shop & a long term care facility with Christmas Carols. I was having flashbacks of my choir days! I loved every second of it!

Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle spent a long time with us on Christmas Eve & Christmas Eve Eve. Too much laughter to measure, multiple games of Twenty Questions which ended up being more divisive than anything...more laughter. Love those two.  

Now, we shall return to the beginning of the story. Baby Jesus was GONE the entire month. We looked everywhere. We asked the 2 year old if he took it, he would say yes & lead us on a wild goose chase. We quit believing him & what do you know? Minutes before leaving for the Christmas Eve service, Eloise stuck her foot in her boot & there he was! The timing could not have been more perfect, on the eve of his birth & we were all cheering.  Here is the proud finder... I bet Arlo was smirking around the corner.

For the first time in a long time we made it to a Christmas Eve service & it was absolutely wonderful. The Christmas story was read in multiple languages, we took communion, we sang, we prayed and experienced the result of preparing him room all month long. It was a win-win that no one caught on fire! Arlo was the most likely to do so with his quick, grabby hands, but I moved faster than him.

We all went to bed sleepy anticipating the following morning in which the kids gifted us by sleeping later than usual! I remember waking up at 4am as a kid. As a parent now, I feel that I should write apology notes weekly & that could be the subject of one of them.

Over all, we will look back & treasure this holiday season as we felt like we were in a bit of a new stage not having a newborn around & our oldest two able to grasp much of what we talked about.

the final verse of the song

Wondrous gift of heaven, the Father sends the Son
Planned from time eternal, moved by holy love
He will carry our curse and death He’ll reverse
So we can be daughters and sons