Merry Christmas

Goat farmer

I am hoping to add that to my many titles soon.  I never would have thought that would be my dream job but my excitement is hard to contain.  My first order of business is coming up with a farm name and registering a herd name.
It all started with these guys :) and I fell in love

I recently purchased my first registered doe to add to our little herd.  She has been "exposed" to a buck so I'm really hoping we will have some babies in March.  My plans for this next year is to add a few more registered does to the herd, learn as much as I can about the breed and possibly do a few shows.  I may consider adding a buck at the end of next year but we will have to wait to see.  I definitely want to take things slow because I have three little boys and I'm homeschooling Carson.  I do not know anything about running a business so I'm hoping to keep it a "hobby" farm right now and see how things go.

Birthday boy

My baby is one. Where has this past year gone? I can still vividly remember your fast labor and birth like it was yesterday. You have been such a blessing to our family. You are walking and into everything. You look at your big brothers with such love and adoration.  I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you.

Big day

Today is the day we exercise our right to vote.  We live in this wonderful country were we actually get to vote for our leaders.  I think most of us Americans really take that for granted.  I know I do.  It's hard to imagine living in a place were you can't pick your leaders, practice your beliefs, say what is on your mind.  I know we are extremely blessed.
I also know that no matter who wins this election, God is in control.  He is our leader and I pray that no matter who wins that he is glorified.
B and I took all three little ones with us to vote.  I'm sure that was a site seeing us rolling up in the church with our big double wide stroller.  I really wanted Carson to go and experience it.  We voted while they ran around and played.  Now we get to sit back and watch as the results roll in tonight.  I am praying for change and for our country.
Update:  Not the outcome I was hoping for :(  I pray for our leaders that they will have our best interests at heart.  I pray that Gods will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Logic of English

I decided to switch gears on our phonics approach.  I liked what we were using and Carson was doing really well with it but there was just something missing.  He was asking a lot of questions about things we were not covering yet.  I felt like I was constantly telling him we would learn that later or there was a rule for that and we would learn that later.
I was researching other approaches to teaching phonics when I came across The Logic of English by Denise Eide.  I loved what I saw but Essentials is geared toward older students and I wasn't really sure how to make it work for us.  I heard that the author was in the process of writing a foundations program for Kindergarten students but it was still in beta testing.  I inquired about it and found out they were opening up more slots for people to beta test.  I was a little skeptical about doing it because it's not finished and there are a lot of unknowns.  I decided to go ahead and try it after emailing with the author and asking some questions.
I am absolutely LOVING the looks of this program.  It teaches all the sounds of the phonograms up front.  It teaches spelling rules and incorporates handwriting.  It also teaches grammar.  I'm not sure I'll use it for grammar but it will be a great supplement to use if we choose something else.  The author has done a wonderful job of making this program so open and go.  We love that there are so many ideas and games to reinforce the phonograms and what we are learning.  I went ahead and bought the Essentials book and Teacher manual.  I doubt we are going to catch up but if we do and the program has not gone to press yet I wanted to have the other material to use.  The plan is to do foundations this year in Kindergarten and then start Essentials and work through it over a year and a half.

2012/2013 curriculum

I'm actually ashamed to admit how much curriculum I have for a Kindergartener.  I've heard some homeschoolers use the term "curriculum junkie" and now I understand.  I think I have learned my lesson and next year plan on attending a homeschool convention to look at the stuff I'm interested in instead of just buying it.  There is just soooo much good stuff out there it's hard to choose just one :)
My plan for Kindergarten is to just focus on the 3 R's (Math, Reading and Handwriting).  We always do Bible time while eating breakfast.  I also wanted to make sure we were reading a lot of good books.  I printed out several book list and we've been making our way through it.  So here is what we are actually using this year :)
2012/2013 curriculum
Bible-finishing 100 bible stories, 100 bible songs and then start Family bible story book
Singapore Math-Essentials A and B (almost finished), Primary 1 (standard ed) will probably start after the new year
Phonics/Handwriting-The Logic of English
Geography-reading a lot of books on countries and cultures, including:  Children like me, Around the world in 80 Tales, Atlas of the world, Stories from around the world
Science-we are reading a lot of books on bugs, birds, weather,etc.
Art-Draw Write Now
We are really loving our first year of homeschooling.

Draw Write Now

Carson has been asking to draw and color more lately.  I heard about this program called Draw Write Now and so I bought the 8 book set.  We are loving it so far.  It's really easy and it's a lot of fun for both of us.  This is our first picture, a hen.  I'm planning on scheduling this one day a week and then we can just do more if we want.

Morning time

This is how we start our day.  I love that my sweet boy wants to read his Bible with me.  I have so many hopes and dreams for my boys.  The most important one being a close personal relationship with God.  I have really worked on making this quiet time a priority.  It's really hard with three little ones and sometimes it doesn't work out like I hope but we are getting there.

My boys and dolls

The boys love to play with dolls.  They love to hold them and comfort them.  They nurse them, read to them, rock them and put them down for naps. 
Last year my grandmother gave me several dolls that I use to play with as a little girl.  I decided to bring them out and let the boys give them some love.  Carson can't believe that the dolls were mine and he seems to think that is pretty special.  It's really sweet seeing him love on them.
They are going to be awesome fathers one day.

Wordless Wednesday

Homeschooling pictures

I'm a little behind on updates so I'm just going to overload this post with pictures of what we have been doing. 

He was not in the mood for pictures :)

Making "clean mud" to play with

days of creation

Handwriting

Add caption

the littles destroying the house

Co-op

We are going to co-op classes on Friday from 8:30-12.  The boys LOVE it!  Co-op allows them to have some experiences that they would only get in a school setting.  He get's to have "school pictures" and buy a year book.  We will also have a Kindergarten graduation at the end of the year.  They put on plays and have talent shows.  They also do ton's of field trips.  The co-op is not ran through a specific cover school so we get the opportunity to join in on different field trip's.
It is also a great opportunity to get to know other homeschooling families.  I've met a lot of other homeschooling moms and it's great to get to learn from their experiences.
Carson has four classes that he takes.  They are boats of the bible, handwriting, PE and a phonics class.  He has made several friends and he looks forward to going each week.  He loves to tell me all about his school day when it's over.
Camron goes in the preschool class and he loves it.  We bought him a little back pack and he always asks if he can go to "cool."
I stay in the nursery with Calen.   The rules require parents of babies to stay with them.  I usually take Calen and go visit them during snack time.

Homeschooling update and pictures

We've been officially doing school for 6 weeks.  It's going great!  It has been hard some days figuring out how to get things done with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old.  I've had to relax and take it day by day.  Some days we get all or our work done in the morning and some days we have to wait until nap time.  Camron likes to do "cool" too so I try to include him in as much fun stuff as I can.
Brandon and I went to the Master's co-op parent orientation tonight.  Carson will be going to co-op classes once a week on Friday mornings from 8:30-12.  He will be taking a Bible class, Handwriting class, PE class and a phonics/reading class.  I will be working in the nursery/preschool room while he has classes.  We went to a back to school picnic out at Tannehill State Park last week and he met some of the other children that will be in his room.  I think he is going to have fun.

Homeschooling

Why home school?  I've wanted to home school my children for as long as I can remember.  I've been asked a few times about my reasons for homeschooling so here they are.

I love the idea of teaching them and learning with them daily.  We have so much fun together and I love having them with me.

I believe God gave me these blessings to raise in his way and I'm going to do the best job that I can.  I believe teaching my boys about God is most important and public schools do not do that.  Honestly, it's not their job nor do I want it to be.

I believe that family is important.  Call me over protective, I don't care.  I want to have the most influence over them at this young age.  They are young and I want to protect them and keep them innocent for as long as possible.

I believe that no one wants my children to succeed more than me.  I know I will do everything I can to ensure that they do succeed.  Can I possibly teach them everything?  No, but there are lot's of resources in our community and opportunities available to them that they would not have in public school.

I want them to be able to study those things that they are passionate about. I love that Carson is excited about learning.

These are just some of the many reasons homeschooling is the right decision for us.

Homeschooling update

We've been officially doing school for 6 weeks.  It's going great!  It has been hard some days figuring out how to get things done with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old.  I've had to relax and take it day by day.  Some days we get all or our work done in the morning and some days we have to wait until nap time.  Camron likes to do "cool" too so I try to include him in as much fun stuff as I can.

Brandon and I went to the Master's co-op parent orientation tonight.  Carson will be going to co-op classes once a week on Friday mornings from 8:30-12.  He will be taking a Bible class, Handwriting class, PE class and a phonics/reading class.  I will be working in the nursery/preschool room while he has classes.  We went to a back to school picnic out at Tannehill State Park last week and he met some of the other children that will be in his room.  I think he is going to have fun.

More conversations

Carson:  Mommy, Will there be birthday parties in heaven?
Mom:  I hope so.  I bet we'll have the best birthday parties in heaven.
He really seems to be fascinated with heaven right now.  He asks lot's of questions about heaven.
Carson:  We can't find a star scream anywhere.
Mom:  I'm sorry.  We'll just keep looking.
Carson:  Just go buy it on ebay :)

First day of school

Today was our first "official" day of Kindergarten.  Carson has been begging to start school since his birthday in May.  We've been doing "school" for a while but I ordered some new fun stuff for Kindergarten and he's really excited.  I was going to wait until August but it's been so hot lately we've stayed indoors more than usual.  I figured starting a few weeks early wouldn't be a big deal.
We went to Chick-fil-A for breakfast because that is what Carson wanted to do.  We all went out to eat and spent some time together before Daddy flew to Baltimore for 2 days.  We stayed and played for a while and then came home and I put Calen down for a nap.
I knew better than to pull everything out and try to do school in the morning.  I thought I had enough things to keep Camron occupied but I was wrong.  I quickly realized that school in the morning was not going to work :)  After a few meltdowns and a few talks we made it through our first day.
The rest of the week went really well.  Carson really enjoys doing "school."  His favorite thing right now is math and bible time.  He is doing really well with Handwriting and he loves to play phonics games.  We really love to read but sometimes I put it off and then forget.  We always read at bedtime but I want more reading throughout the day.  We have made it a point every morning to set a timer for 20 minutes and go curl up in bed and read.  I hope that he always loves to learn.

Conversations

Some recent conversations with Carson :)
Carson:  Mom, I want a starscream(transformer).
Me:  No
Carson:  Why?
Me:  Because you don't always get a toy just because you want it.  It cost money and you need to earn it.
Carson:  I can buy it with my check card.
I'm sitting in the chair pumping milk for Calen.
Carson:  Mom, Will you have to take your breast pump to heaven and pump milk for Calen?
Mom:  I hope not.  I'm sure that God will have food for everyone.

Fun week

This week we have had Vacation Bible school at church.  I'm working in the nursery with the bed babies and it's been fun.  I did not want to leave Calen so that is why I decided to do nursery this year instead of helping with a class.  Carson and Camron have had a fun week.  They love to come home and sing the songs they are learning and do the motions.  Carson has been afraid of the opening music just like he was last year.  It's so loud and overwhelming in the sanctuary so he comes in the nursery with me until it's over.  At the end of the week when we had commencement night he actually got up on the stage and sang his song in front of everyone.  I was so surprised and my heart was about to burst.  I love seeing my babies praise God.
One day I was having to pump some milk for Calen and Carson came and sat beside me.  He asked me "Are you going to have to pump milk for Calen in heaven?"  I giggled and said "I don't think so.  We are going to have the best food in heaven and God will make sure that Calen get's just what he needs."  I love those curious little questions he comes up with.  He is growing so fast and he is so amazing.

Potty adventures

I'm so excited to announce that Camron is now using the big boy potty.  I know that may sound unimportant to some folks but when if you had 2 in diapers you would understand.  I can't even believe how easy it was.  He asked to go potty a few times and then asked for some big boy underwear and that's it.  We had one little accident the first couple of days but I think that's to be expected.

Birthday fun

We went to the zoo with some friends today for Carson's 5th birthday.  We had his birthday party Saturday and today he wanted to go to the zoo.  We invited my friend Kristen and her three boys, Carter, Camden and Cooper.  I know, that is a lot of little boys with C names.  

I don't think they even really paid attention to the animals today.  They just enjoyed running around playing together.  They played in the water and of course Camron was trying to take his clothes off the entire time :). 

We were suppose to go out to eat tonight but since the little ones did not really nap we thought it would be better to bring some food home.  Well, B went to pick it up in the "hot rod" and of course he would get rear ended.  My mom had to go get the food from him and we ate without Daddy.  I was already putting the boys to bed when he finally made it home.  

Birthday boy

Today we celebrated Carson's 5th birthday.  His actual birthday is Wednesday but we are having his party today.  We have family and friends coming over to cook out and celebrate with us.  We rented a  big monster truck bouncer for the kids.  Tom and Deb are in town to visit so it was a great day.

I really can't believe how these 5 years have flown by.  I remember hearing people talk about their kid's growing up so fast and now I get it.  I'm so blessed to be his mommy.  Carson is a loving, gentle boy.  He has such a big, tender heart.  He is full of questions and wise beyond his years.  I love him so very much.  I can't wait to see the things God has in store for him.

Tired!

Did I mention that I am tired :(  Calen has had some major sleep regression and I'm worn out.  I know he is teething and I'm really hoping that he is back to his good sleeping soon.  B was gone last night so I had all 3 boys in bed with me and I think I had about 2 hours of sleep.  I really do not want to rush my children growing up but I dream about the nights that I have my bed back and can sleep all night.

My mom is gone to Florida so we went and spent some time over with my Dad.  I remember growing up that my parent's argued a lot.  It's funny because now that they are older and home together all day they hate to be apart.  I know my Dad misses her when she is gone so we tried to keep him company for a while.

The baby chicks will be 3 weeks old tomorrow.  Lucy is such a great mom.  She let's them jump all over her and she stays right with them protecting them.  I love to watch her teach them new things like how to scratch and look for food and how to walk up the ramp to the chicken coop.  The other girls kind of ignore them so that's good because I was worried about how they would act.

I started a spiritual journal this week.  There are a lot of thoughts that I don't feel comfortable putting on the internet so I needed a place to write them.  I also wanted to keep up with some of my favorite scriptures so I'm adding those as well.

Garden time

It's that time of year again.  I get so excited about my garden that I can hardly stand it.  It really is therapeutic working in the dirt.  We started planting today.  I like to space our vegetables out so I'm not picking everything at once.  This year I did some lettuce, spinach, green beans, black beans, corn, peas, okra, tomatoes, several different pepper plants, cucumber, squash and zucchini. 

Great day!

I've been neglecting the blog again, sorry.  I keep taking pictures and telling myself that I'll blog and upload them later and that just never happens.  I'll try to just give a quick update of what is going on around here. 
Carson will be turning 5 next month :(  I cry every time I think about it.  Seriously, I want to keep him little forever.  He is such an awesome little guy.  He is so sensitive and caring, a great big brother and helper to momma.  He also is feisty and has a mouth on him that occasionally get's him in trouble.  He is creative and a deep thinker and surprises me with just how much he understands.  We will start homeschooling this year and I think we are going to have a lot of fun. 
Camron is my little bear.  He is very hard to keep up with.  He is the cutest most daring little boy.  He doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.  I love his personality even though he wears me out on a daily basis.  He loves his momma and is such a cuddly little one but has a temper like his daddy.  He loves his big brother and asks for him constantly when Carson is gone. 
Calen is 5 months and is the best little baby.  He has the best personality.  He just sits and looks around absorbing everything going on around him.  He loves to watch his big brothers and you can tell he is eager to join them.  He has the best smile and he loves to cuddle with momma.  He rarely cries and as long as he is fed and well rested he is the happiest baby.  I'm anxious to see his personality develop as he get's older.
We broke up the ground for the garden last week.  I'm really excited about having an in ground garden again.  B and my Dad have been working on putting up a fence this week to keep the chickens and goats out.  I'm hoping to start putting plants in the ground some time next week.  I grew lettuce in a raised bed for the first time.  It is so good!  I've been eating salads for lunch almost every day.
The chickens and goats are doing great.  Lucy, the broody hen, decided she wanted to be a momma about 2 weeks ago so after doing some research I decided to get her 3 one day old babies from the feed store.  We waited until dark and put them under her and she has just loved on them ever since.  It really is amazing to watch her protect them and take care of them.  She is a natural momma.  All the animals are spoiled rotten.  All the chickens run after me like dogs.  The goats love to be out and around us while we are in the yard.  It's fun to have them all running around with us during the day.
B and I are doing great.  B is so good about trying to balance work and spending time with us.  He has really gotten into going to car shows.  He joined the Mopar club and he takes the Dodge and shows it off on the weekends. 
I think that is enough updating in one post.  I think my next post may just be pictures :)

Our Homeschool adventure

We started a very laid back preschool at home this year. I am really laid back about structured learning with young kids because I want my boys to be kids for as long as possible. I want them to explore things and figure things out on their own and just have fun. Carson would start Kindergarten this next school year and I honestly can't imagine my child having to be in school 8 hours at 5 years old. Sometimes I feel like this world is so "hurry up and grow up" that it bothers me.
I had planned on really waiting until Carson was closer to 6 before we started any "schooling" but he asked me to teach him to read. My boys love books and Carson has many of his favorite books memorized and will read them to me. He seems to be pushing me much more than I want him too but he is an eager little one so I'm following his lead. I'm a little OCD when it comes to organizing so of course I had to sit down and get a game plan in place. I'm one of those people that makes lists of my list :) It's a horrible habit! I had several weeks of stuff planned out for us just to see how it goes. It was fun stuff and we were using the "workbox" system.
I've made plans and guess what? We are not following them, LOL. We have been doing some reading lessons and they take 5-10 minutes. If we do other stuff it's strictly because he is asking. I have ordered a few things for him and will plan out some stuff for kindergarten but plan on following his lead with it. We will mainly focus on reading, writing and math.
A typical day around here looks like this

 and this

 and a lot of this :)

My oldest

Carson had Taekwondo testing tonight. He tested for his brown stripe belt. He has been taking Taekwondo for almost a year and he loves it. I can't believe he is going to be 5 in a few months. Where has the time gone? He is such a gentle boy, unless he is wrestling his brother :). He has a big heart and a smile that melts me. He is a great helper and actually enjoys helping. I told him I didn't want him to get too big so he said he would stop eating. LOL! He is also a FUNNY little boy.

A couple of memories from today that I would like to remember. One is a huge army helicopter that kept circling over the house. We've seen it before but today it fly by 3 times. It was so low and we were all running around in the yard yelling and waving our hands. They were so excited. Another thing is all the chickens were out in the front yard and the boys kept running around with them. They would bend down and dare the chickens to peck them :) I love just sitting back sometimes and watching them.

Random thoughts

B has been out of town for a couple of days and I miss him sooooo much. I really can't wait for him to get home. The boys ask several times a day if daddy is coming home today. They have done really well but they miss him. We've all been piled in bed together every night and I constantly have a foot or head in my back :)

I've been thinking a lot lately over our family. Everyone likes to ask if we are done having children and honestly I just don't know. There is a part of me that is ready to be done with pregnancy and birth but the thought of not having another little one makes me sad. I love my kids and would love to have a large family but I wish we would have started sooner. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what God's plan is. I keep thinking just one more but I'm sure I'll always think that.

I've been doing an online study of the book of Ehesians and loving it. I'm doing it through Goodmorninggirls.com and there are about 6 of us emailing each other. It's a great study and I love that I have other like minded women to discuss it with and get different perspectives.

Well, I need to go do some mommy duties

The Power of a Praying Wife

My title says it all..................
My God is Amazing! Prayers are being answered in HIS time not mine.