spring

Lately we've been in a more relaxed mode of home schooling. We are finished with our core curriculum and we're wrapping up math and phonics.

I've learned that education isn't the hard part about teaching at home. Loving each other 24 hours a day is. Putting down what we're doing and addressing a heart issue with patience is MUCH harder than memorizing times tables.

My ladies Bible study is doing an overview of the bible right now and I am soaking it up. We're still in the beginning and talking about God's covenant of grace with Abraham. I'm amazed by all of the ways Jesus is pictured and promised as the coming Messiah and how even then, Abraham knew that God would make a way for all people, not just the Jews. It makes me so hopeful for my future and my children's future the more I see God's faithfulness (despite the Israelite's weaknesses) to so many details in the Old Testament.

 John Patrick is almost 8. Will I always be in shock of kids growing up? He has a crazy ability to understand math to the point that it's almost silly to take more than 1 minute to explain a concept because he just gets bored and starts playing drums on the table with his fingers. BUT getting his understanding out onto the page carefully is another matter. I've started implementing (thanks to a seasoned mom's experience with this same thing) "understanding and challenge". If I ask him a math problem orally he can say it immediately most of the time. So we go through a bunch of those and that shows his "understanding". Now we can move on to the challenge. (with a lot less stress on me because I know he already has the facts mastered) the challenge is if he can concentrate long enough to get what he knows onto paper before he's drawing army men crawling all over the paper. :-)

Watch out! You never know who may be spying on you through the centerpiece doily!

things I don't want to forget

• Anella calls cupcakes "pupcakes"
• Hope called her cup for the longest time "mine da bup"
• They all say "hooked on" when describing being very intent on anything. "Mommy, I can't stop coloring, I'm just hooked on this new coloring book"
• Hope called baby's "wawa's" until the last few months (this is why you may hear any of my sisters call your baby a wawa at some point.
• Grammy is "mimi" to Hope
• John Patrick told me he knew how to do "boy signs" with his fingers. I was immediately concered about what signs he was describing. He held up two fingers and showed me a peace sign. I said, "oh yeah, that one. cool." and he said, "I don't know what in the heck it means though." 

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Families

A sweet family friend I took pictures for last week.

Come to find out Krohn's Conservatory now charges six dollars per adult to get in and seventy five for a photographer to use the set up! The park across the street is still free.

Five wonderful generations of Livingston ladies. John's...Grandma Dora, Aunt Gale, cousin Pam, second cousin Kelly and last but not least third cousin Piper Jane. What a blessing to see this with my own eyes! 

This is a picture we took for John's parents Christmas gift.

And yes, Anella looks more like John's brother and his wife than us.

Great News!

It was the annual date at the Nutcracker ballet and I'm happy to announce that wonder upon wonders, the Arabian dancing women had more clothes on this year! 

They had made lots of changes it seemed like to me. The Nutcracker himself was changed into a prince in an entirely different way. It shows me not to be so critical the first year because apparently there are lots of kinks to work out when a new ballet first makes an appearance.

 

 Lily came with us this year. She wore her ballerina costume, then a Christmas dress, and then finally a coat.

 We had a the great surprise to be sitting right next to two more friends! So much fun!

 Holding hands with Grammy as we walk to lunch. And then a little skip/twirling with Elly.

 Dora and I both LOVE the Nutcracker and you probably won't be shocked to know we twirl around our house for days and days afterward. Okay, we do that all year round but especially right afterward.
Next year Anella and Annie will have their first turn. I'm sure it will be a hit. THANKS GRAMMY!!!!

The weekend

If you want to pretend like this is Hope looking longingly out a window awaiting our first snow, you can.

In reality she's watching Curious George.

Friday we went to Taft Theater for a play/musical. We were given free seats from a friend and it was very fun. 

From the parking garage to the theater Hope kept pointing at all kinds of down town things (pigeons, TANK buses, homeless men...) saying, "wook momma! wook!"      

Nella's thoughtful face.

I'll leave you with some funny moments from the church nursery room this morning where I was working:

Me, while reading a storybook bible-"Well, this ark is pink. Do you think the real ark was pink?"
Nella, "NO!... It was purple."

Hope turned to the story of Moses parting the Red Sea and started singing, "OHHHH Santaaaa!!!" :-) I suppose they do resemble each other with the long white beards.

Our pastor's sermon can be heard from the nursery room and I was neglecting the kids while I listened and took notes. When I snapped back into reality and turned around I found Hope had created a water table and was pouring water back and forth between three cups and splashing in the spills. Man I'm a great teacher!