Unicorns and Elvis

In certain social settings, I've discovered telling someone either "I was homeschooled" or even better, "Yes, we homeschool" is the conversational equivalent to adamantly declaring one's belief in the existence of unicorns, or the imminent return of Elvis, who by the way, was never dead (He's buried somewhere? Conspiracy bunk).  The above statements will either immediately shut down the topic or elongate  conversation to the point of exhaustion.

Example 1 - Nice, Friendly Person: "Where did you go to high school?"  Me: "I was homeschooled." N.F.P.: "What? Oh, that's nice," meanwhile displaying a slight drop of the eyes, and obviously thinking, "New topic, new topic quick!".

Example 2 - Nice, Friendly Person: "Where did you go to high school?"  Me: "I was homeschooled."  One hour later, I am still answering a bajillion questions and diatribing on whether only children should be homeschooled and the vast options for curriculum choices and what really is the role of the school system related to homeschool families and would I do it for my own children (answer: Yes, as in, not only do I believe Elvis is returning, but also every other dead rock star).

I loved being homeschooled.  I love homeschooling our son, and I hope to get the chance to homeschool our daughter.  Do I think homeschooling is perfect for everyone, or will guarantee the output of a perfect, knowledgeable, obedient child?  Of course not.  As Simcha Fisher very accurately put it recently, a perfect education is an illusion which will not be gotten anywhere, at least not for real people living real lives.  Does homeschooling work for us?  It did for the past two years and we're hoping for a third year.  We'll take it year by year, and so long as it lasts, I'll be professing unicorns and Elvis Lives.

Summer

Three cheers for summer!  There is never enough of it, but we soak it up while it's here.  I'm so sad it's August already, but will continue to enjoy every warm day.

The Boy had golf lessons and swimming lessons.  He enjoyed both, perhaps the swimming a bit more.  He needs another year in his level, but I feel he learned and progressed more than he has in previous years.  He had a really good teacher who pushed him and taught him a lot.  His legs are so long that he can stand up in a lot of the pool, so it's hard for him to keep kicking when he can just put his feet down.  He has mastered riding his bike without training wheels and likes to ride every day.  Taking corners is still a little hard for him.  Unfortunately he has inherited my lack of coordination so some of the physical skills are a little slow in coming, but he is trying hard and making great strides.

Won a reserve champion at the fair for his artwork!

 My handsome boy

 Science project - volcanoes are popular around here.

He is such a character... still.  Lately he wants to be an inventor when he grows up.  He is obsessed with flying machines and hopes to build a flying car.  He has generously offered to give me one for a reduced price once he invents it.  He spends a good portion of his mornings building Legos and listening to Adventures in Odyssey in his room.  Baby Girl has learned where his room is and frequently goes to find him, also in hopes of snagging a few Legos for herself.  The Boy did the summer reading program, and this year, did the majority of reading to himself.  I still read to him a lot but he is able to hold his own nicely.  We have spent a lot of time at the library stocking and re-stocking our book selections.  Our library also sponsored an adult summer reading program.  It's been hard for me to focus my attention on pretty much anything (since about October or so... I wonder why...), but I tried to exercise those neurons on something other than English literature (Sayers, Austen... my comfort blankies).  I made it through some Steinbeck and had to force my way through Absalom, Absalom (Faulkner).  That one was challenging but also very rewarding, gave me a lot to think about.  Now back to my English friends.

 My big boy!  New shirt from Grandpa fits just right.

 An accomplished pianist - he played for Festival, an achievement program, and a recital - all this spring.

What a character!

We had a quick but fun visit out West with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces.  Thanks for hosting us and for the great visit!  We really enjoyed getting to meet some of their neighbors and friends at their country church, and an evening camp-fire, s'mores, and the new swingset.  Their garden was especially impressive!  Baby Girl and Cousin M. played together well - they passed drooly toys back and forth happily.

 Cute cousins!

 Fun on the rocking horse.

  More cousin fun.  It was really hard to capture four little ones in constant motion.

Last month we used our airplane tickets (third try - long story) to visit Grandpa and Grammy down south.  It was Baby Girl's first big trip and she did very well.  She did cry on the descents for the two flights going there because her ears hurt.  But on the way home she didn't cry at all - just slept and played - good girl!  She had a lot of fun in the airports standing at the windows and watching the airplanes and airport workers.  Of course we think she is the cutest baby ever, but other people think she is terribly cute, too - so many random people stopped to admire her all throughout our travels.  Grandpa and Grammy spoiled the kids the entire week, and of course the kids loved that!  We so very much appreciated all their kindness and hospitality - it was a wonderful visit.  We drove up through the Ozarks, visited Eureka Springs and Branson, and saw so many beautiful sights along the way.  Baby Girl got to meet her southern aunts, uncles, and cousins - fun!

 Having fun with Grandpa!

 Beautiful ladies!

 Grandpa loves Baby loves Grandpa

 Kids on a plane!

Baby at the airport

Our beautiful baby girl is growing and thriving.  She can crawl very quickly now and pulls herself up on everything - dishwasher, mom's legs, benches, chairs, bookshelves.  She just cut her sixth tooth and is much happier now that it is through.  She loves to eat and likes most of the fruits and veggies.  She is interested in everything - books, pictures, outside, swinging, anything and everything The Boy is doing, helping me work, and growling contests with Daddy.  She sang along with me today when I was painting her toenails and singing her songs - her favorite song by far is "You are My Sunshine".  She is a very motivated little girl and I have a feeling walking will not be far-off - she already likes to take steps when we hold her hands.  Even though she is busy she still has time to snuggle - best part of my day.  

 Happy Girl!

 Cruising around under the table

 Helping with the hairstyling - her hair is so long now it needs to be up or it hangs in her eyes.  She has the cutest curls around her ears and neck.

 Stayin' cool

 Stuck.

 Happy girls!

 Going for a stroll on the deck

Yay!

Mother's Day

So this is a super-behind-the-times post, but we had a special Mother's Day.  We were able to visit Grandma K. and take Baby Girl to meet her.  Sweet Baby Girl made strange at Grandma, but they did get to know each other a little, and it was wonderful to see Grandma.  My wonderful man was with his dad visiting Israel, so it was nice to have some family time to pass the days without him.  We did some yard work at Grandma's that Saturday and then took a little road trip to visit my aunt/uncle/cousins.  The Boy had a ton of fun playing with my cousins.  Dad treated all of us moms so nicely on Mother's Day - we each got packages with nail polish and chocolate so we could "sit around and paint our toenails and eat chocolate all day" (inside joke).  He made us a delicious lunch and the kids served.  The Boy even helped Poppa get things ready.

 Meeting Grandma K.

 Four generations - Grandma, Dad, me, and the great/grandkids

 All dressed up! Two lovely ladies

 Scooping out pickles for lunch.  How did he get that tall?

 Two amazing chefs

More beautiful ladies

It was a really special Mother's Day.  Thanks, Dad, for all the lovely touches!  

When we got home we unpacked and had a picnic in the living room (one of The Boy's favorite "special things" to do).  The Boy camped out in our room the entire time DH was gone.  His trip went quickly, thankfully, but we sure missed him!  The 10 days apart gave me a renewed appreciation and admiration for military families, their frequent separations, and sacrifices they make.  We were so happy to see him the day he came home, and we have been loving seeing his photos and hearing his stories.  Maybe someday (many, many years from now) we can return as a family.  It was a special trip for him because he was able to be with his dad and experience the Holy Land with him. 

Baby Photos

Dear Hubby took some lovely mid-year photos of our Pretty Princess.  Isn't she gorgeous?!