Homegrown

Here I am, suddenly embarking on my fifth year of homeschooling! I have a fourth grader... how is this even possible? In many ways, I still feel like I'm making everything up as I go. But in some very important ways, I am finally beginning to feel like I have a handle on things! Each year it seems that some little piece has fallen into place, and now, when my oldest is almost 10, we actually have a basic flow to our days. And I actually stick with my plan more often than not. Yes, I know, some people can make a schedule and stick with it like glue... I am not one of those people. If I could describe the perfect personality for homeschooling, in all honesty I am missing a lot of the traits I would list.

And yet God has called us to this path, and I am loving the journey! What I lack in organization, I make up for in enthusiasm. And I love, love, love to learn with my kids. I'm hoping they'll end up ok even if we don't do math every day at 9:30. Even if our chalk wall is a constant mess of scribbles and half-erased drawings. Even if lunch sometimes (often) consists of jelly toast and frozen peas.

Our first day of school seems so long ago now! But we followed our usual routine and began our school year by having a yummy breakfast, opening wrapped school supplies, and taking first day of school pictures. My crowns were a little haphazard this year... I may have been putting them together in the morning as kids were waking up. But they got done and the tradition continues! 

So without further ado, our yearly introductions!

Max, 4th grade

Favorites: Reading, drawing, paper crafts, puns and wordplay, Taekwondo, music

Goals: To earn an orange belt in Taekwondo, to publish a book like Grandma

Last Year's Goal Accomplished: Max acted in a play this summer!

Things to Remember: Max has shown amazing focus and dedication in his Taekwondo training this year. It is exciting to see him work really hard at something that is difficult but that he loves!

First Day of School Book: The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart

Lucian, 2nd Grade

Favorites: Soccer, the MN United, numbers and patterns, backyard sports, chess, board games

Goals: To beat his dad in backyard soccer and chess, to learn a new song on piano

Last Year's Goal Accomplished: Lucian has become a fluent reader!

Things to Remember: Lucian has the heart of a servant. Every time a sibling needs something- whether it be help with spelling a word or a comforting hug after an owie, he is there. He is receiving his first Sacraments this year, we couldn't be more excited!

First Day of School Book: If You Made a Million, by David M. Schwartz

Audrey, Kindergarten

Favorites: Ballet, gymnastics, biking, playing princesses with Edith and the neighbors, curling up in sunbeams
Goals: To learn to read, to dance on pointe shoes...someday.
Last Year's Goal Accomplished: Audrey rides her bike like a pro with no training wheels!
Things to Remember: Audrey has become very affectionate this year! She writes cards and draws pictures for everyone she loves, and she is always asking for kisses and cuddles. I could get used to this!
First Day of School Book: Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

Edith, Preschool

Favorites: Hockey, Wild player Zach Parise, coloring, stickers, playing princesses with Audrey and the neighbors, singing, telling stories
Goals: To learn to skate, to cover the entire house in a layer of stickers
Last Year's Goal Accomplished: Edith is VERY close to being potty trained!
Things to Remember: Edith keeps us in stitches with her stories and adorable mispronunciations. My favorites are "Cinderella" (umbrella), "Alligator" (elevator), "Hole-and-Tell" (Hotel),
First Day of School Book: I can't remember! That was two whole months ago!... oops.

Blaise, Baby

Favorites: Balls and hockey sticks, peas, his siblings, toilet water
Goals: To learn how to get places faster, to figure out a way into the bathroom when the door is closed.
Things to Remember: Blaise was carrying around a hockey stick before he started walking. He is the sportiest kid I've ever met. His first word was "Ball" and he constantly has one in his hand or is pushing one around on the floor with any stick he can find!

We are a busy bunch! I hope to write more soon about the flow of our days, but for now I'll leave it at this little snapshot of my brood. What a great combination of unique personalities I have surrounding me! 

Wedding Bells

We have a new auntie in the family!! The first time I met Anne was at 11:00 at night after a seven hour car ride, when she and Patrick stopped at our house so Peej could finish a paper that was due before midnight, on their way to Chicago. She was sweet, funny, and laid-back, and I told everyone right away that if my impression of her was that good under those circumstances, she was sure something special!

Thank goodness those two hung on to each other, because now she's a part of the family! We celebrated Patrick and Anne's wedding in Chicago at the end of August. What a blast! Anne's family is delightful, I only wish they lived closer so we could get to know them better. 

We stayed at the same hotel with all of Paul's family, plus some other close friends. Max and Lucian even got to hang out and play some pool with the Fathers, which they thought was the coolest thing ever. We spent lots of quality time with cousins, aunties, uncles, Grandma and Grandpa between all of the wedding festivities. I wish we could do it all over again right away!

Audrey was excited and honored to be a flower girl in the wedding! After seeing her new auntie in all her wedding finery, she is now convinced that Anne is some kind of princess. To top it off, she got to watch Anne do Irish dancing at the reception in her wedding dress! Audrey thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Combine her love of dance with her love of all things fancy, and Anne is currently her favorite person in the world. 

The wedding itself was held in a beautiful Chicago church, and while I can't speak firsthand about most of the ceremony (I spend 90% of it chasing Blaise in the back), what I saw was prayerful and beautiful! The wedding was undoubtedly Christ-centered; I watched the couple humbly kneel before the altar for the entire Mass. Wow.

 The reception was held outdoors at a small zoo in the Chicago area. A few sprinkles at the beginning of the evening made people a little nervous, but then everything cleared up and the night was perfect! A low-key buffet dinner was followed by delicious cake and dancing. About halfway through the reception, my parents (who took a train down to Chicago for this purpose alone!) came to pick up the kids so Paul and I could have a few hours of carefree celebrating. 

Patrick and Anne, we are so excited for you. I can't wait to have a front row seat watch you grow in love over the years, and to hopefully watch your family grow as well! We love you both!!

  

 The mothers of the bride and groom                          Waiting for the newlyweds to appear

Liam and Audrey doing some Irish dancing

All the girl cousins!

My Summer Birthday Girls

 My two girls have birthdays just over a month apart, and in our busyness this summer I forgot to post about either one! Today I will finally remedy that oversight.

Audrey turned FIVE on June 17! She celebrated a ballerina-themed party with a bunch of her friends and family. It was so adorable to watch them all play freeze-dance, "Don't let the balloon touch the ground" and all kinds of games of their own creation. Audrey, of course, spent the day in full ballerina get-up, complete with ballet shoes... for one day only they were allowed outside, lucky girl.

While it was exciting to watch Audrey turn five, I didn't get the feeling that she's growing up too fast. She has a maturity (and an attitude...) beyond her years. If anything, five still seems too young for her! But I won't for an instant try to rush this time. I will cherish the fact that a teddy bear with its own wardrobe of clothing was the best gift she could possibly imagine. I will relish the memory of her opening a pink frilly nightgown and jumping with excitement. Sometimes in the midst of parenting my strong-willed little girl, I forget how young she is. I love the sweetness in these photos; they remind me that sweet and strong can (and do) coexist in my dear Audrey.

A month later, on July 27, Edith turned three! We celebrated with a "Snack Dinner" (Edith's choice), presents and cake. She received a Wild beach towel and fleece blanket, a new swimsuit, and a stuffed triceratops from her Uncle Ben that she promptly named "Jellycat" (Last year's gift from Ben was a stuffed cow that received the name "Puppycow"... so there's that).

I assumed Edith would choose a hockey-themed cake for her birthday, but she surprised me and requested a Thomas the Train cake! This was doubly sweet because her sister's third birthday cake was also Thomas-themed. Sometimes I notice more about my girls' differences than their similarities, but at the end of the day, they are best friends.

It is so fun to see how excited the other kids get when one of their siblings is celebrating. They love making the day special and going out of their way to show love to the birthday kid!

Happy belated birthday, girls! I love you lots and lots!

Family and Friends on the Fourth

Two months have already passed since our epic trip to North Dakota for the Fourth of July. Lots has changed- a new auntie has been added to our family, a new friend has been born, a beard has been lost... but I still need to pause and back up to that weekend among great friends and family before I move forward!

We are grateful that Patrick and Anne went to school so near Ryan and Maggie, because we could make just one drive and see eight amazing people! The first day we were there, Patrick and Anne generously offered to babysit all the kids so we could go out on a double date for possibly the first time ever. What a treat! Ryan and Maggie took us to a delicious spot for dinner in downtown Bismarck and we go to catch up without the interruptions from so many little voices... and Pat and Anne survived the evening. Good sign, good sign. 

Audrey and Edith fell in love with Mara and adopted her as their big sister. They were never far from her side the whole weekend, imitating her mannerisms and asking her opinion on every matter under the sun. She is a big deal in their book!

 

We kept ourselves busy during this visit, making two trips to two different lakes, visiting a fish hatchery (fascinating!), swimming at the public pool, watching a parade, watching fireworks, getting ice cream, and just being together. I'm exhausted thinking about it, but I'd do it again in a second.

We were well-fed throughout the week with amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Maggie was Superwoman, keeping everything running smoothly even when pregnant! Patrick and Anne joined us for as many meals as they could, and Audrey and I even got to go flower girl dress hunting with Anne and find the dress Audrey would wear less than two months later for the big day!

As always, the visit went too quickly and it was soon time to return home. Edith still talks about her friends "The Rells", and we can't wait to see them again!

Renting kayaks at the lake

Feeding the fish at the hatchery

Soon-to-be-Auntie Anne painting nails on the Fourth

Red, white, and blue!

 Buddies

 

Our sweet Godson, Kieran

Extra, Extra

Paul and I made the decision early on in parenting that we would actively guard our family's time together. We have had the kids involved in a smattering of activities over the years, but the bulk of our evenings and weekends are dedicated to time together. In the last year, however, our kids have started to show interest in very specific activities, so we decided it was time to follow their lead. I have always had a mild fear that my kids would miss out on their calling because I failed to introduce them to it at the right time, but it has become abundantly clear that they will find their way in spite of not trying out every activity under the sun.

In  January, Audrey started ballet classes at St. Paul Ballet, and it has been perfect! For young kids, St. Paul Ballet offers drop-in classes on Saturday mornings, early enough to not interfere with other weekend plans. The drop-in option was perfect for us! When we were around, she could go to ballet, but if we had other plans or were out of town, she didn't... and we only had to pay for the classes she attended! Her teacher Miss Siri became her hero, and she can't wait to start again in the fall!

Lucian took a soccer class at the YMCA this spring, and then his dream came true when we signed him up for Team Soccer this summer! He and his buddy Augustine are on the Yellowjackets, and it is a BIG DEAL. Actually the league is through West St. Paul Community education and is super low-key, but they get to play actual games, which is what Lucian has been waiting for his entire life. He is on cloud nine.

And then Max, my boy who just wants to perform, was given the opportunity to be in a real live play! Community Ed in a neighboring town put on a performance of Peter Pan and Max signed up and was given the role of Michael! He had to memorize over 40 lines, and I was a nervous wreck. But he remembered every line and delivered them with confidence and enthusiasm! Way to go, Max! Grandma Yantes was even able to make the trip up to see him perform, and we were so glad to be able to share the experience with her.

I think this year has marked the beginning of a new era. Next thing you know, I'll have a collection of "(Fill-in-the-blank) Mom" bumper stickers on my car!  In all honesty, though, it has been a joy to see them begin to express their diverse personalities and find out what makes them tick. They have also been incredibly supportive of each other, which just makes my Mama-heart melt. I have always known that I love my kids, but I am beginning to realize more and more how much I like them!