It's a Sister!!

This pictures says it all.  For weeks, maybe months, the boys have had the same conversation each time we talk about the new baby that will be joining our family.  As though they were rehearsing a script Jacob would start, "I want it to be a girl," and before he had even finished speaking, James would come back with, "I want it to be a BOY!"

Well, it looks like Jake got his wish this time (he was hoping for a girl last time too), and James will just have to wait until the next round. :-)

Most people guessed it would be a little girl.  I'm sure that after two boys, people just assume that the odds would be in her favor.  But when my Grandpa Gordon, a patriarch for the majority of his life, enthusiastically questioned, "You know this one is a little girl, right?" I don't know why I ever doubted.

However, with the yuckiness of the first trimester behind me, I eased into a second trimester that felt just like my previous pregnancies with the boys.  Soon I began to justify those weeks of chronic nausea (and one early morning run to the bathroom) as a combination of getting older (I am almost 30 after all) and the inability to get enough rest.  I just couldn't picture myself having a little girl...Arthur, on the other hand, has had no problem picturing his little "princess."

Then, just hours from the big reveal, in a quiet moment my mind began to wonder.  I was making the drive to my appointment, listening to classical music, enjoying a little bit of alone time, and I saw her.  Maybe it was a day dream, but it has stuck with me a little too deeply for it to have simply been that.

Her back was to me, as she sat at a piano in our home (a piano we do not currently possess).  She couldn't have been older that 10 or 11, but I remember being impressed by how well she played.  Her hair was the color of her brothers, but it was long and wavy.  The image lasted less than a few seconds, before I came back to reality with the thought, "Yeah right, you are having another boy."

It wasn't until I heard the word "she" at the end of the ultra sound, and a tear ran down my cheek, that I remembered my beautiful little day dream.

I didn't realize how much I wanted a little girl, until the moment I learned I'd be having her.  I am still overwhelmed by the prospect of filling a closet with pink and lace (luckily her Daddy can't wait and her Aunt Robyn is already shopping), but I am so excited to meet this special daughter of our Heavenly Father.  I know that from the moment she arrives, we will all wonder what our family ever did without her...okay, we might have to give Jamie a little longer.

A day in the life...the homeschool edition

Today at violin, Jake was excited to play a piece that he has been "practicing everyday!"  And true to Jacob form he began to "talk" Miss Robin through his morning routine so she could understand just where his violin practice fits into his day.  Listening to his got me thinking that I should record our little routine.  It may sound silly, but finding a routine that works and runs smoothly (more than half of the time) has been one of my biggest successes of 2013.

When we made the formal decision to do Jake's education at home, the importance and challenge of a routine/schedule was probably the thing I underestimated the most.  It may sound silly, but it can be quite the balancing act.  

Our mornings usually start with family prayer and Old Testament study.  We are using Discover the Scriptures, and we are all really enjoying it!  I think my favorite aspect of the program is all of the scriptures Jacob is memorizing.  We are often told, by our church leaders, the importance of knowing scriptures by heart, and I feel like this experience is helping the boys get an early start.

Abraham and Isaac

I am excited to continue using their material in the years to come.  But aside from anything else, I can definitely feel a difference in our mornings when it gets skipped over.  More than once I have found myself yelling lovingly beckoning my children back to the living room so we can restart our day the right way.

The Old Testament has lots of great art project opportunities!
The Garden of Eden - Jake 01/2013

The Creation (maybe day 1) - James 01/2013

A two year old Rainbow :-)

Noah and the Rainbow Promise!

It took a really long time (like over a year) to find a time and system for a successful and cooperative violin practice.  But right after breakfast and scriptures seems to be just the right time for Jake.  All of his songs and exercises are written on pieces of paper, which I mix up and place around the living room.  James likes helping with this part, and he has even gotten in the habit of getting Jake's violin out of the case for him (James can hardly wait till that violin is his).

I think the system works because it gives Jake a clear start and finish.  It also allows him to move at his own pace and he gets to refocus between each song as he relocates from paper to paper.  James and I grab pencils or pens (our bows) so we can jump in for the fun stuff at the end.  We all like to sing "Up Like a Rocket" together and make tiny finger circles for one another as we practice our bow control.  James is going to have one awesome bow hold when it is finally his turn!  Each day that this routine works, I feel like doing a little happy dance.

Next, we move on to math.  Jake is just about to complete the 1st grade year of Saxon Math, and I am so proud of him.  Math seems to come pretty naturally to him, especially counting money (I probably have my Dad, the accountant, to thank for that).  But too much new information at once overwhelms him and generally causes him to shut down, usually in the form of a melt down.

Jake thrives on success, and he is very much a perfectionist (I have no idea where he gets it :-)).  He is already use to things coming easily to him.  When I had a walking/talking 9 month old, I already knew one of his biggest challenges would be learning to work hard and persevere in situations or skills which do not come as naturally (part of the reason for the violin).  So we are working on it and the Saxon program is working well for us.  There is plenty of review which builds his confidence and helps him to feel successful, and then just a few problems with the new skill are given.  It seems to be a great formula for Jake.

James is also working on his math.  Right now we are using hands on Montessori methods as he learns to identify numbers and the quantities they represent.  His favorite is the number cards and the rocks.  I give him a number and he gives me the correct number of rocks.  He has numbers 0-4 down, but we still need to get 5 and 6 before we can keep adding on.  If only that pesky 5 didn't look so much like a 2. :-)

He also loves to play with the Geo boards, counting bears, and puzzles, but lets me honest, turning the linking cubes into shot guns and rifles is the best (should I be worried that he already includes the site...where do boys learn these things?!?)

By the end of math, the boys are usually ready for some unstructured time, and I usually try to get myself out of my pajamas (no one said that being a homeschool mom is glamorous).  But this may or may not happen depending on how many breakfasts the boys want on any given day.

The rest of the day is a little less scheduled.  When it feels like Jake needs to refocus, we will pull out Hooked on Phonics and Explode the Code.  He prefers the latter, but I think the Hooked on Phonics offers a more complete reading experience...so we do both.  He is working on the 1st grade program which focuses on blends.  It is fun to be a part of this huge milestone in his life.  Okay, trying to overcome the usual resistance isn't very fun, but when I hear him sounding out words on his own or when he tries to spell things out just because...now that is very fun!  And in the last few weeks we have started a weekly spelling list.  I think it will be a great way for him to get even more familiar with common site words and because he loves to write, it is a win win.

James hasn't shown a huge interest in phonics yet so I am not pushing it...he isn't even three, after all.  Instead we just read together and review his letters in his dinosaur alphabet book (one I paid the library handsomely for when I thought we had lost it).  More and more he asks to be read to, and I need to be better about carving out time in the day to do it.  We are great at night time storytime, but I really want to include it in our day as well.  The days fill up so fast, but I know that opportunities to snuggle and read together are precious and one of my goals is to make sure, that no matter what other things come up, (because as you mommies know, there is ALWAYS something) that he and I get that special time.

I apologize if this is the most boring blog you have ever read, but this is a time in our lives I never want to forget.  These boys are incredible, I feel that the opportunity to homeschool is allowing me to get to know them in ways I may have otherwise missed.  It is not always easy...to be honest, the opposite is generally the rule.  But I know that this is the right choice for our family, and through lots of trial and error, and even more prayer, I think we will make it!

*Note: Pictures range from Nov 2012 - now