May 2014 in Status Updates

The beaches of North Carolina, May 31

5/1 Made a new dinner last night (Mexicana Veggie Bake) and it was a winner! Thankful for the friend who passed on her used cookbook to me (Speedy Suppers by Gooseberry Patch), and thankful for cheerful responses from my family. Music to a cook's ears!!

5/2 While weeding in our front garden (bordering on communal land, with no fence between), I came across a gold ring that has a fancy E engraved on it. I'm trying to figure out how to find its owner, but in the meantime, Ethan has gained much pleasure from wearing it (it says E after all) and pretending to be invisible. Can you tell he's currently reading Lord of the Rings?

5/5 Simultaneously proud of and happy for my husband Steve getting accepted into a funded PhD program in Islamic studies at Georgetown University, and wondering what the next few years will look like...

My heart's been breaking for those who loved the 2000+ people who died in Friday's landslides...  (in Afghanistan)

5/6 I have two new students today -- both in geometry -- yay! Thankful for Wyzant Tutoring connecting me with students who need help. Don't like giving away the commission, but at least I'm getting work! (later...) Wonderful students!!! Fun material!! What an awesome job I have!

5/7 Josiah discovered the 'voice recorder' function on my new cell phone today, and saw that I'd used it a month ago (while in IL) to record my piano dabbling. He got inspired and used it to record HIS piano playing (while I wasn't around) and even made it my new ringtone.

It just gets worse and worse. Possibly hundreds killed in another horrible attack by Boko Haram.   

5/9 My kids are thrilled with their consignment sale treasures ... stuffed animals, novels, and plastic soldiers all bought with their own money. I'm happy with my "new" books and games too, some of which will help me teach, and many of which will keep the kids happy while challenging their minds! They've already been playing Taboo Jr. this evening.

5/10 Coats, duvets and all winter apparel are now in the attic; windows have been open everyday; meals are being enjoyed on the back porch; guinea pigs are getting lots of outdoor time -- so are we I love Spring!! 

Hard to believe that my child who has struggled so much with speech difficulties is about to be in a short homeschool drama, which will include many individual lines for him to say ... I have the feeling that he might even outdo his brother and sister, since he has such a naturally loud and dramatic personality.

Scraping a deer hide in the Powhatan village at Historic Jamestown, May 11

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg, May 12

5/13 My kids just had the Best.Time.Ever. They got to take friends of theirs to the creek that they so love, AND it was hot enough (and the Moms were lenient enough) for all the kids to get to swim and enjoy natural water 'slides.' AND they found tadpoles, a frog, and a newt. Thankful!!!

5/15 The kids' drama teacher was so sweet to compliment each child individually at the end of today's final rehearsal for next week's skit. When she got to Ethan, she said she'd never heard him speak better and more clearly than today, and she and all the children clapped for him in particular. Made my mama heart proud and brought tears to my eyes.

5/16 Steve's helping with Georgetown's graduation this morning ... I presume their outdoor ceremony will be moved into the gym due to rain. He can't figure out why their Plan B is a gym instead of their nice hall, but oh well. At least he won't be standing in the sun!

Oh my goodness. Josiah's just discovered Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books and he is *tearing* through them!! So fun to see the kids get excited about good books! (I haven't read Le Guin myself, but she got raving reviews. I might just give her a try now!)

After torrential rain this morning, the beautiful sun has come out, allowing the kids to cheerfully look for worms and the guinea pigs to enjoy fresh grass. Think we'll take a creek walk to check out the water level and get some natural water for our tadpoles...      

5/18 Why did I decide to "Spring Clean" my closets and bookcases today? Bit off more than I could chew and now just want to collapse in bed early (like I did last night). Maybe the piles will just have to stay overnight... 

Progress made; job unfinished; going to bed anyway. Oh, and hoping that our troublesome guinea pig, who escapes every chance he gets and is currently 'missing' under our back deck, survives the night despite cool temps. I wouldn't miss him at all, but the kids would be heartbroken...

5/19 "I’m angry that some of the most genetically gifted women in the world – actresses and models – are still considered not good enough. I’m angry about what that means for the rest of us." Some good thoughts. I was just sitting in church yesterday looking at all the dyed hair of middle-aged women sitting next to their grey-haired husbands, thinking along similar lines. 

TIRED. Horrible night of sleep, followed by *long* day of errands and work. At least dinner was fun as we laughed over memories as we ate hamburgers at our picnic table. Love laughing with my family!!

Why do my children complain about going to library events? Today's program featured a local nature center, and despite Ethan's bellyaching all the way there, they had fun once it all started. They used nets to catch various pond creatures and then heard a naturalist share interesting facts about each critter. They saw a ghost shrimp, a pregnant mosquito fish, a baby snapping turtle, and baby clams, among others. Our world is an amazing place!

5/21 First day of "Couch to 5K" ... not totally successful, but anything active is more success than failure right now! Enlisting my daughter to be my partner, since we're equally out of shape. Now to hang on and keep going ... Jogging/walking the creek path was highly motivating!!     

So looking forward to seeing my mom's side of the family in just two days, as we gather for my cousin's wedding!! It will only be my second cousin wedding to attend despite the fact that I have 20 cousins.

5/22 Homeschool co-op end-of-the-year field games and picnic this morning, followed by final drama rehearsal and skit performance to a small audience of parents and friends. At home, trying to fit in teaching my neighbor how to care for our guinea pigs while also tutoring two students and packing for our trip. I'm tired Think I'll lie down 'til the next student comes...

My cousin Kelly and our grandma at Kelly's wedding May 24

Mom, cousin Alyssa, sister Saralynn, uncles Bob & Brian, me, in Georgia for my cousin's wedding, May 25

5/26 Getting mosquito bites INSIDE the condo (in Kitty Hawk, NC). Was only here 15-30 minutes and I had at least 5 or 6 new ones. My kids say that the mosquito is the one animal they'd be happy to see extinct.

5/27 Beach: best way to spend a vacation. Today saw dolphins, pelicans, a fish, and my three happy children, building in sand and trying a bogie board for the first time. Water was only 55*F -- so cold I could only take one-minute dips at a time -- but it was nice to cool us off on this warm day!

Josiah tries out a bogie board in Kitty Hawk, NC

5/28 Falling in love with the Outer Banks (North Carolina). So much less commercial than Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Spent a total of an hour in the freezing ocean yesterday -- perfect for me, who hates hot temps. Visited the beach in the dark, too, and saw big crabs scuttling across the sand in the light of someone else's flashlight. Went right out to buy my own flashlight so I can take the kids to see the crabs another night...  

Visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial today, and saw the spot where Orville and Wilbur made the first controlled engine-powered airplane flights. Interesting history!

Success today: getting all my family INTO the ocean! Naomi and Steve joined me in the chest-high cold water, and Josiah was out there too, but mostly on his bogie board. Ethan got as wet as he could, but didn't come out to the same depth. The cold water was totally refreshing, and the squeals of glee from my children made my week!

5/29 Josiah seems to have gotten sick, and Ethan might be ill too. Bummer way to spend a vacation...

5/30 To prolong our beach vacation by one more day, we're camping tomorrow night -- for the first time in 3 years! Here's hoping we figure out our tents okay, that the boys feel better and that we stay warm enough to not be miserable. Oh, and it would be *really* nice if we spotted some wild horses -- would thrill Naomi's 11-year-old heart if we did! (6/1 Well, the only "wild horses" we saw in Ocracoke were the penned descendants of a wild herd. At least it was something! We also saw rabbits, something resembling a woodchuck, and a cool crab that buried itself in sand when frightened (Naomi even pet it!) (But the boys felt better and we were warm enough -- yay!) 

 Visited the location of the "lost colony" of Roanoke (1587) today ... not much to see but still fun to walk in their footsteps! Unfortunately the boys are still under the weather. You know when they choose a nap over swimming in the pool that something's not quite right!!      

We visit the first English (unsuccessful) colony in America.

6/1 Such a fun weekend!! It was the vacation we didn't want to ever end. Very hard to say goodbye to the ocean this afternoon, but we'll cherish the memories of falling asleep to crashing waves (while camping), star-gazing in a very black sky, seeing the sunrise over the shore today (though sand was blowing in our faces the whole time!!), and riding the kids' (and Steve's) first ferry (for cars). The boys have felt great and everyone liked camping (despite we adults not sleeping the greatest). Thankful!!

Love the lighthouses in North Carolina!

Highlights of today: waking up to melodic birdsong (we camped right next to a stand of bushes and trees to protect us from the strong winds), seeing the sunrise (which this night owl hardly *ever* gets to do), and eating Carolina BBQ (pulled pork sandwich) & fried okra -- DELICIOUS!!! Enjoyed every bite...  
 

The kids took their first ferry ride. May 31

We love the sand dunes of North Carolina! May 31

June 1

Naomi's Pics

1) Naomi sports an Easter hat she made at a playgroup.
2) Naomi and church friend Imogen dress up in pink!
3) & 4) Naomi loves caring for her friends' guinea pigs!
6) Naomi dressed up as Rapunzel for a friend's birthday party
7) First she caught the moth; then when she let it go, it sat on her hair for a minute or two!
8) On a winter walk
9) & 10) On a spring walk

Disco Fun!

When Naomi was invited to her friend Izzy’s 7th birthday party, we were thrilled! When we were told it would be a disco dance party, and that all the others coming were from Izzy’s school class (of which Naomi is not a part), we were a bit nervous. I asked Naomi if she really wanted to go to the party, knowing these details, and she replied that she would go if I would go too and stay with her.

So on Saturday, the two of us went to our first disco … and had a blast!

Naomi was shy at first. She stood against the wall, watching all the other kids. I offered to dance with her, figuring she would be happy with me as a partner, but she stubbornly stayed glued to the wall. The music was loud, the room was dark (with fun, multi-colored, moving lights), and there were about 20 other kids racing around. I did not blame her one bit for hanging back and watching! I would have done the exact same thing probably.

Then Izzy’s mom Emily (whom Naomi knows fairly well) got all the kids to grab hands, forming a big circle. Naomi and I joined up with the others and we all ran around in a ring. This seemed to break the ice for my shy daughter, and I smiled inside to see her laughing. After that, I couldn’t stop her from dancing!!

She played the few organized games (musical bumps and pin-the-horn-on-the-unicorn) and creatively did her own dance moves to the free-dance music. She was even one of the winners of the “dance competition.” (Thank you, Emily, for affirming my daughter in that way!) I made a few bathroom runs with small groups of girls, and Naomi stayed behind in the dance studio, dancing away (instead of clinging to me like I was afraid she’d do). I could kick myself for not having brought my camera along. I don’t know when I’ll next see her being so free and having so much fun!

We had a nice “tea” (sandwiches, chips, veggies, grapes, cakes), took a group photo, and then Naomi helped Emily and me pack the goodie bags. (I’ve discovered that in England, you send home a piece of the birthday cake as part of the treat bag. Note to self for Naomi’s upcoming party!) When we got home, she said it was the best birthday party ever. (I asked her why, and she said it was because of the food.)

I could not have been more proud of my Naomi. All the kids there knew each other super-well, having seen each other everyday at school for the past few years. There was my daughter: American, new, home-schooled, and a stranger to all but Izzy. But she’d jumped right in and had a great time. Maybe her shyness is gradually receding…

Invitation from Naomi

My kids absolutely love having people over to our home. I guess we've had a lack lately because Naomi and Josiah began planning their own social get-together this morning. They decided to invite their Sunday school class over next week (which is only 3 other kids besides themselves), and wrote out invitations while I was still getting up and showering! Most of them were sealed in envelopes before I got a peek, but here is one I found still open, addressed to a classmate named Imogen.

Imogen, luv Naomi

Pleez com to or hows on next sadr da. 39 Faree rowd.

Love Naomi

She drew a picture of the front of our house next to the words, and the details she included were her bedroom windows, our dining room windows, the handle of her scooter which just barely shows above our short wall, the number on our door, and the big bush we have out front (which had spherical, dried-up flowers all over it until I pruned it just a few weeks ago).

I love seeing my kids use their writing and reading in everyday life. That's what it's for, after all! (In fact, I'm beginning to think I might try "un-schooling" for a while, but more on that later....)

February '09 Update

My 2 year old Ethan is still not talking, but he sure can communicate. He has the most priceless facial expressions and ingenious ways of getting his thoughts across to us. Ethan also is ga-ga for trains and makes the loud tooting sound every time he sees a picture of one. When he draws, he likes to do complicated “train track” loops while making train sounds the entire time!

Ethan also loves hot drinks (tea, wassail, hot chocolate), clementines, reading books (often upside-down), nursing, going for walks, and taking baths. The other day he was in the tub for almost 2 hours while I got stuff done in the kitchen (I can see and hear him the whole time). It was great! He loves to help people – bringing them things that belong to them, setting the table for me, cleaning up, etc. He’s a sweetie!

Josiah (5) is great at geography! He can identify all the continents, several countries and several states. He loves to point to the map and show you what he knows! He also loves riding his scooter, learning about the ocean, and playing make-believe with Naomi. They create all kinds of scenarios with their mega-blocks, Wow toys, and stuffed animals.

Last week was a special one for Josiah (and Ethan) since it snowed on four different days. (Our weather was the worst in 20 years, I heard!) Josiah was an expert snowball-thrower and never complained, even when his pathetic gloves were soaked through. He also continues to be patient with his little brother and teach him lots of good things. Ethan copies everything Josiah does.

Naomi (6 ½) is really taking off with reading. She reads more smoothly and cheerfully, often picking up random books or papers and figuring out what they say. (Josiah is doing this, too.) She loved watching the snow fall last week, and played outside in it for a little bit, but does not like cold and is more sensitive to it than the boys. She constantly asks me to read the next chapter of whatever novel we’re on (we just finished “The Stream that Stood Still” and “Dolphin Adventure: a True Story.”) I have the feeling that once she reads fluently, I’ll never be able to get her nose out of a book!

Naomi also loves make-believe and if she’s alone, I can usually hear her singing her pretend conversations and stories. Just recently she’s begun helping me cook more often. She actually comes to me asking if she can cook with me, so I let her work on whatever I’m doing. It’s nice to have company in the kitchen!

Steve is making progress in Arabic and just completed the last essay for his Islamic History class. He’s grateful to have more time now to devote to studying Arabic, as it really does just take so much time. There’s no way around it!

I’ve been enjoying having at least one family over for a meal every week for the past month or so. I appreciate getting to know some church folk better that way, and I also enjoy trying out new recipes on everybody! I worked in an office at Steve’s college for 20 hours during the last two weeks (as a temporary fill-in) and had fun being with other adults, doing administrative grunt work. It was a good break from parenting and housework!

We’re all looking forward to Steve’s parents coming to visit us at Easter time, and we’re also hoping winter ends soon so our house warms up a little. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Naomi Misses Home

Naomi said today that she likes our home in Virginia better than our home here. I asked her why and she said, "Because in Virginia it was summer. We could swim in our wading pool. We played with [cousin] Owen a lot. I liked going on walks and playing with the neighbors' dogs."

Sigh... She forgets how few walks we took during our winter in Virginia, and she forgets that until we lived with Mimi and Papa, we didn't have any neighbors with dogs. It was really our short summer living with Steve's parents that she remembers so fondly. And I told her today that it's true: we probably won't have a time just like that again; it's a treasure in our memories.

But this afternoon we have a girlfriend from church over playing. Izzy is also 6 and they've enjoyed decorating handbags, making bracelets, and sorting nature pictures. I'm sure that's raising her spirits =)

Naomi: Looking for a Park

November '08
It was a sunny day and we were on a hunt to find a new playground. Mom had looked at a map which indicated there would be a playground at Angel and Greyhound Meadow, in the St. Clement’s area of Oxford. That wasn’t too far from home, so we set out on a Friday morning for an exploring adventure.

Even though it was a bit of a walk (25-30 min.) we each found a stick on the way and had fun pretending they were swords or walking sticks. When we got to the busier part of town, Mom had to keep reminding us not to play swords because so many people were walking by us. She also was a little worried we’d fall in front of a car or bus if we weren’t paying attention.

Mom guided us through an alley and a parking lot, over a little bridge, and we saw the meadow, just beyond a copse of trees. Yay! We love running and jumping in woods and grass. I was so excited!

I had not taken too many steps into the grass, however, when I realized this was very WET grass. And a few steps further indicated I was walking in MUD. Mom saw the mucky state of the ground and apologized to me, saying that this meadow must be a floodplain. (I know all about floodplains because we walk through one every time we take the footpath through University Parks into town. And I’ve seen light flooding there!)

My brothers, mom, and I own “wellies” (rain boots) but we hadn’t worn them on this adventure. We thought we’d just be playing in a playground. The rest of my family was wearing sneakers, but unfortunately for me, I was wearing socks and crocs. Yes, well, I can tell you now that mud squishes into crocs VERY quickly. My feet were immediately wet, cold, and dirty. Yuck!

Mom took pity on me during the worst bits and pushed me in the stroller (which Ethan had vacated for the obvious pleasure of squishing through mud!) We eventually made it to the other side and walked along the edge of the meadow, which was slightly less muddy than the middle. I thought our “adventure” was a failure until I saw the river.

Ah, flowing water. There are so many things one can do next to a river. Josiah and I used our sticks to stir muddy water by the banks, pretending we were making chocolate milk. Ethan tried to throw leaves into the water, but mostly the wind would blow them right back onto him! We threw pebbles in, comparing splashes and sounds. We even cheered Mommy on as she lugged a great big huge branch, and flopped it into the water. It didn’t move at first, but we nudged it with our sticks and then watched it slowly go downstream.

Mom told us about currents, wind and gravity. We learned that the water going down the middle of the river moves more quickly than the water on the banks of the river. We could see that clearly, since there were so many fallen leaves on the river’s surface. And remembering the bad effects of pollution, I was determined to get an empty beer can out of the water near the bank. Using two sticks, Mom and I managed to do it!

Now, remember how I said we were looking for a playground? Behind some trees, Mom spied a fence. And since playgrounds here are always fenced in, we happily ran through the trees, sure we’d found what we were looking for. Imagine our disappointment when we got close enough to realize that the playground had long ago been dismantled. All that remained was a fenced-in patch of grass and a lonely bench. Not a play-thing in sight.

Oh well. We had lots of fun by the water, and despite my wet feet, I knew the adventure had been worth it. In addition to the fun, I learned two important things: 1) it’s always wise to walk along the edge of a meadow, instead of through the center, and 2) I should always have my wellies with me!

Missing Pictures from June '08

1) Josiah and Steve at Natural Bridge; 2) Ethan riding his trike; 3) Naomi having fun posing; 4) Naomi displaying butterflies that we drew and painted; 5) Josiah on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just above our town of Buena Vista, VA.

Housing Hopes

We think we may have found a place to live. It took hours of searching online and calling Oxford realtors. We did not originally realize that landlords would be so picky about allowing children in their properties! As we were told "no" by realtor after realtor, we decided we probably needed to just take the first one that said "yes."

Our friend is viewing it for us tomorrow, and unless something is hugely wrong, we'll put a deposit down right away. It's a 3-bedroom (no one allowed us to rent a 2-bedroom) furnished place, in walking distance of Steve's school and the church we plan to attend (Magdalen Road Church). We really really hope it all goes through okay, as it will be a load off our minds to know we have a new home (though it won't actually be available until 10 days after we arrive!)

Naomi received her new glasses today. They are pink and stylish -- much cuter than my first ones! She looks very grown up with them on.

Naomi's writing

Naomi has just finished writing about 12 thank you notes, completely on her own. Her words are:

thanufor
kumento
mibrthda
irilelit
urprezns.

Anyone want to guess how to interpret that? I'll post the answer in a few days =)
I'm so excited that she's writing on her own initiative finally. She read a story about kids having a "tag sale" and really took to the idea. She's been making signs and labels for her own ong0ing tag sale ever since. She's just learned how to write the symbol for "cents" and now we tell her that the Brits don't use cents! She gets to learn about pounds and pence! All part of being a "third culture kid."

Our Pet Toad "Germy"

My kids have always wanted a pet, and for the past 6 weeks they have finally "owned" one ... well off and on, you might say. At the end of May Steve and I captured a toad and brought it home for the kids who thoroughly enjoyed playing with it. However, Toad escaped within a few days. Since then we have caught, lost, and caught Toad again numerous times. In fact, our current toad "Germy" is not the same as our first one, but it doesn't matter to the kids.

Naomi loves Toad so much, she wantes to greet him first thing every morning, and give hugs and kisses goodnight. She and Josiah both carry him around, play with him in our wading pool, watch him jump around on the lawn, and love him to pieces.

Yesterday I took the kids to a place called Boxerwood Garden, which has a nice exploratory area for young kids. Naomi insisted we bring Germy with us so that he could see someplace new. So we did! The other kids who were also at the garden loved seeing and holding our toad. They all thought we'd caught him there, but Naomi informed them that he is our PET and that we brought him from home.

To keep food costs down but keep Germy from starving, we'll probably have to let him go today. Naomi says she's okay with this, as long as Dad and I promise to keep an eye out for Toad when she's in bed at night (this is the pattern for when we've caught our previous ones) and catch him again soon.

Kid Update

Naomi turns 6 in two weeks and has become a little author. She stapled together post-it notes and made wordless books called "In the Light" (in the let) and "In the Dark." She was making these same books over and over again, and talking about how she was going to have a "book fair" and sell them (can you tell what my latest business is? yes, I'm selling books in book fairs and to friends!)

I broadened her scope two days ago, though, by suggesting that she write a book about her toad. She grudgingly changed gears to write more words and actually have a topic, but now is thrilled with her "toad book." She takes it with her everywhere. She's not done yet, but she has three pages written. "mom and dad fownd a toad. i put it in a box. it was cuqte. it jumped a way. i put a toad in a boat. it wus a box."

I've suggested other topics as well, so I'm looking forward to seeing what my budding author puts out in the next few weeks.

Josiah really likes learning French. I'll hear him (occasionally) counting things in French on his own. He gets excited, too, about the idea of teaching our friends French! He still loves his animals and tells everyone that he is going to be a zoo-keeper when he grows up. He can spend hours playing with plastic and/or stuffed animals, in the sand-pile out back, or on his bed and floor, or in the bath. It really doesn't matter!

He has heard me recount many stories of our family when I've said that one of our kids was still in my tummy. I'll tell about something happening and they'll say "Was Ethan there?" "No, he was in my tummy." Well yesterday I was telling the kids about a trip I took with the two older kids when we were in Scotland. Josiah asked if Daddy had been there. I said no, and Josiah replied, "Oh, he was in your tummy, right?" Then he smiled as we laughed.

Ethan loves to go outside. If we mention anything about going anywhere, he runs to get his shoes, brings them to us and then stands by one of our doors, waiting to be let out. It doesn't really matter what he's doing outside; he just likes to be there. He likes throwing pebbles, watching bugs, riding a three-wheeler, pushing the stroller, playing in the sand, playing in the wading pool, watching people mow their lawns, etc.

He is enthralled with trains and cars right now, especially of the matchbox-sized variety. When we see him walking around (or going to church, heading to bed, sitting down to eat...) he usually has a vehicle in each hand. He makes engine sounds as he pushes them around, but still doesn't say the word "car." In fact he hardly says any words at all, which at 18 months, is a concern to the pediatrician, but not to me. Josiah didn't talk until 23 months, and Steve didn't talk till he was almost three!

All three kids like creepy-crawlies. Naomi likes catching them and putting them in "The Bug Box" (a cheap plastic container from Wal-Mart). Josiah does that too, but then wants to let them go. Ethan doesn't like to touch them, but enjoys watching them walk around the box. It's been fun to see what they've found, and watch their excitement.

Spring news

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The days are getting longer. The air is getting warmer (but not too warm). The trees are all in bloom... purple, white, pink. The kids are playing outside (now all three of them can run around together) and I serve many a dinner on our front porch. This is the life. Too bad it only lasts a few weeks!

Naomi has fallen head over heels in love with Narnia. Steve has been reading her the series for months now, but she's only just decided that her new identity is "Lucy." She actually corrects me every single time I call her Naomi. She's also named Josiah "Edmund," Ethan "Peter," me "Susan" and Steve is sometimes "Caspian." Whenever she plays, she talks about Narnia, pretends to fight the White Witch, and includes imaginary friends Eustace and Caspian in any activity.

Josiah enjoyed this for one day and then grew tired of the pretense. He insists his name is Josiah, not Edmund, and he tells Naomi he doesn't want to play Narnia outside. He enjoys riding his tricycle and kicking the soccer ball around. He is also still engrossed in his "animals," often categorizing them or grouping them in families or zoo stalls.

Ethan has maintained his infatuation with cows after all these months of cold indoor living. He escapes out our front door every time it's left cracked open as he adores being outside. He climbs onto the picnic table for better cow-viewing, enjoys our little slide, and takes things like pebbles in and out of containers.

Steve is coming close to wrapping up the Muslim/Christian history class he's been teaching, as well as the Arabic class he's been taking. He's working with his dad to finish out their basement a bit more before we move in (in 6 weeks). He also continues to pursue any leads for financial aid, still hoping to begin a PhD in the fall.

I'm tired, but mostly happy. I've decided that I much prefer homeschooling my own kids to someone else's highschooler. My geometry student is not doing very well and I have a hard time deciding: is it my fault or hers? How do I determine how much is enough, in terms of my teaching, and then how do I let go?

Eclipse Memories

On February 20, there was a full lunar eclipse, and thankfully my brother called me to let me know! I would have missed it otherwise. It was a fairly clear night, cold but bearable. Naomi was awake in bed so I asked if she wanted to watch the moon with me. We put coats and hats on, made hot chocolate, and wrapped up in a blanket on our porch. I found our binoculars, too, so we could get a closer view of the moon’s surface.

Naomi was tickled to be up late with me and she called it “girl-time” since Steve and Josiah didn’t want to watch with us (at least, not for more than a couple minutes – it was cold and Josiah had been fast asleep in bed). I not only enjoyed the beauty of the night sky and the eclipse, but relished the special role of being Mom. I loved having time with my little girl, when we could cozy up together and share a memorable event. I loved showing her something new and explaining the science of it to her.

We watched until the eclipse was full and then came inside to check on it again from our couch. I suggested we take a nap and then look at it later to see how it had changed. I can’t remember the last time I had lain down with my daughter snuggled on my chest. She started laughing and told me that it was funny to have her head move up and down with each of my breaths. We got the giggles for a few minutes and then settled down and actually both fell asleep.

We never did see more of the eclipse. Steve put her to bed an hour later, at which point I also crawled into my own bed, tired but happy from a special sky-gazing night.

Eating Struggles

I had always sworn that I would not raise picky eaters. I grew up eating a large variety of food, I still enjoy diverse tastes, and find whiny eaters incredibly frustrating. I thought that I could determine this characteristic in my children by making both usual and unusual foods, and not giving in to their limited whims. Ha. Goes to show what you think you know ahead of time about parenting!

Naomi started out a great eater. When she was one, she ate anything put in front of her.

Not so anymore. Now it seems we battle over at least half of our meals. Do you know how tiring that is? Today she decided to just hide during our dinner so that we wouldn’t make her eat. I actually enjoyed the first few quiet minutes of our meal, minus her whining and arguing. Unfortunately, I concluded that I really should make her take a few bites before rejecting the entire meal, and thus ensued yet another noisy struggle.

It would even be preferable if she would just say “no” and then sit there refusing to eat. But instead she goes on and on, either asking us questions (Does this fish have blood in it? Does it have its eyeballs in it? What’s that black thing?) or giving us reasons why she can’t eat something. Today her brother jokingly said there were bugs in her oatmeal, and wouldn’t you know it, she refused to eat the rest of her bowl. Unbelievable.

Five years into parenting, I’m becoming a little more relaxed about my responsibility for my kids’ eating habits, but also a bit more determined to not give up yet! I allow that people will have all kinds of preferences and dislikes for various tastes, but I insist that dishes be tried before opinions are formed. It sure would be easier to not care and just give her chicken nuggets for every meal.

December family pics

Naomi loves wearing her Little Mermaid crown so much that sometimes we wonder if it's actually attached to her head!






Ethan playing with some flour (while I cook). I thought he'd enjoy feeling it, but didn't anticipate it being dumped so quickly!













Grandpa and Ethan at Wendy's in Charlotte. The Sunday after-church wait at Cracker Barrel was WAY too long. We gave up and did fast food instead.








Naomi, Lisa, Grandma, Grandpa with Ethan, Steve, Josiah
on our last morning together Dec 28












Josiah with his face painted. The kids got face paints for Christmas and I loved doing them up!

Kids' Update

Naomi sang in her first choir concert on December 1. She knew all the words to her songs and did a great job of singing out. She was scared ahead of time, but said that once she was up front singing, she wasn’t nervous anymore. I’m glad she had a good time. Our extended family was there to hear her, as well as her Sunday school teacher and another church friend.

Josiah’s reading! I’m using Hooked on Phonics, and starting him on the first unit (Naomi’s halfway through the second unit.) He’s only read words in the “at” and "an" families so far, but he’s getting it! He’s also doing great at Bible memory verses, coloring in the lines, and making up his own songs (usually praising God for “making all things”).

Ethan is walking all over the place. He took his first steps a month ago and hasn’t stopped since. He is increasingly aware of what we’re doing or eating, and usually wants to join in. He has 8 teeth now and is really a joy to play with. He has a great sense of humor and still loves cows.

Naomi lost her first tooth!!

My little girl is growing up. On Friday, October 26, she lost her first tooth. She’d been wiggling it for two days and as she showed Steve that morning, he watched it pop out! She was tickled pink, and as you can imagine, it was the topic of conversation for the rest of the day.

We talked about who she would tell and who she would show. She said she thought she was extra-special because she lost her first tooth at age 5 instead of age 6 (I informed her that I, too, had that “honor” as I’m sure many other kids do too). She was worried about how she would eat with a hole in her mouth. And how would she talk when all her teeth were out?

Her Papa gave her 53 cents and told her to put the tooth under her pillow and the Tooth Fairy might bring her a dollar. I now had an expectation to live up too. Unfortunately Naomi was still awake when I went to bed at 10:30 PM, but as Ethan’s been waking me up at 5:30 AM everyday, I still had an opportunity to secretly leave a few quarters for her (not an entire dollar!). I overheard her excitedly telling Josiah about her money when they woke up and she rushed in to tell me the fairy had come.

I told her that I’d run into the fairy and let her know that Naomi wanted to keep her tooth. Now she was incredulous and asked if I wasn’t just tricking her. She remembered that I’d told her earlier that fairies weren’t real. I told her the fairy was real, but was someone she already knew – ME! She laughed and said that someday she would be a tooth fairy for her little girl.

Kindergarten!

Naomi had her first day of kindergarten two Fridays ago! She loved it so much that she wanted to do more school the next day, and couldn't understand why we take Saturdays off ("I know we don't do school on Sundays because we go to church," she said.)

I have the aim of reading through Mark with the kids, so that first day, they learned about John the Baptist. Then they both did a coloring/listening activity to learn about Vivaldi. They heard a little about the man and a little about Venice while listening to "Spring" and coloring a picture of Venice. Then we danced to the music, imagining different "Spring" pictures to go with the music. I'd like to make that a weekly part of school.

Then we did an alphabet game where the kids walked around the room, stepping on letter squares, until they heard the music stop. They called out to me the name of the letter they were standing on (or the sound that it makes) and then we kept going.

For math, we're just doing free exploration for a while so the kids get used to describing things and learning about various characteristics. Our first activity was making playdough and playing with it. (Although we also read a picture book that involved counting.)

Later with Naomi, I did the first lesson in a learning-how-to-read book, and an art lesson from "Drawing with Children."

I'm feeling very overwhelmed -- not with how much I NEED to teach, because I have no doubt that my kids will learn what they're expected to -- but with how many great ideas are out there. I've checked out a bunch of books from the library, and want to do everything! My next task is to pare it down to just a couple books and then go with those, so I don't drown myself in ideas!

I'm trying to find a support group in the area to join, so Naomi has kids to see regularly. And I'm also trying to find more information about various teaching methods and philosophies so I can have a long-term framework to work within.

Ethan (8 months) has five teeth now. He's also holding onto our push-train and walking around while pushing it. I can't believe it. The kid seems to be born on his feet. Will he walk before he's a year old?

Everybody’s Learning!

I’ve just begun learning Arabic! We bought the Rosetta Stone computer tutorial for oral, written, and spoken Arabic and I began working on it today. It’s a great system (so far) for learning a language on my own (which I admit is highly inferior to learning it in context). Even Naomi worked on it a little with me, but got frustrated and stopped. I was really worried about learning a new language because I never was able to speak or comprehend French very well when I studied it in school. But I’m liking this so far.

Ethan is learning how to get around! He began crawling a month ago and now also pulls/pushes himself to a standing position whenever he can. Sometimes he waits until there is something above him to hold onto; sometimes he just pushes onto his feet from a crawling position. He loves to move!

Naomi is learning to face her social fears and get to know new people. She attended her first Vacation Bible School in mid-July, at a Baptist church in town. She was so scared ahead of time, and even threatened to throw fits if I made her go. But we talked about it a lot, and I managed to convince her to give it a try. She ended up loving it, and even made a new friend. This week, she and Josiah are both attending another VBS at the Gertzes’ Baptist church, and again are loving it.

Steve is learning about an early 20^th Century British missionary to Egypt named Temple Gairdner. He’s considering switching his dissertation topic to this man (instead of Raymond Llull) in part because he would not have to learn Latin in order to read Gairdner’s writing. (He would only have to learn Arabic first!) We’re also trying to learn that though God doesn’t answer prayers the way we hope, he is still listening and providing for us. Steve did not get a job we hoped he would, so we’re unsure what this year will look like, though perhaps it will be a good time for Steve to take Arabic classes and study Gairdner.