Catching my breath!

That's how I feel most of the time. I have to remind myself to stop, breathe and just take it all in slowly.

We've now completed our first week of homeschooling and I have to say that we love it. Yes...you heard right, WE love it! I have heard on occasion at the end of our school day, "Why is it over?" or "Can we have more school?"

There's been a little adjustments we've had to do here and there, especially with little brother, who although has been working with me on his alphabet, numbers, etc. for the last year, has not had really any structured schooling. The little man has been fighting a battle of wills, but I know in time it'll "click" and he'll realize that it can't all be fun and games, but if he works hard, the rewards are endless.

Anna Grace has moved up like a trooper. She's still lagging a bit behind in the reading/writing department but she is working very hard and the pride in her eyes when she's met another milestone is worth every second of effort on both our parts. I look at her sometimes and just sit in awe thinking about what a completely different little girl she is from the baby that was placed in my arms a little over 3 years ago. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments!

Kai is, well...Kai. Nothing bothers the boy. He plows through obstacles and challenges like there's no tomorrow. I call him my little sponge. He absorbs every bit of information he can gather. What I plan on being 20 minute lessons, now frequently turn into an hour lesson because of all the "Why?" or "What?" questions that he has. His memory is amazing and can recall details of what he learns, days later, even if it was just mentioned as a quick comment.

I love the fact that homeschooling gives me flexibility to take the time to answer all those questions, to be silly, to make it fun, to take breaks when needed and not necessarily when scheduled. We're very structured, with a pinch of throwing caution to the wind every now and then. I am completely in awe of how much they have learned, and want to learn, in just one week.

Science seems to be the favorite subject. We've made "Slime" to recreate the feeling of a frog's skin when we learned about amphibians. We've learned about the planets, the stars, and the solar system. We've sat for over an hour ooohing and aaaahing over pictures taken by the Hubble telescope and so much more!

My biggest baby, Amanda, is also doing great in school and ended her sophomore year with a 4.2 GPA. I am so proud of her! She is now taking AP Economics, AP Government and Politics, Pre-Calculus Honors, Chemistry Honors, Spanish 1 Honors, and AP English Literature. Needless to say, she's very busy nowadays.

So, while we continue to settle into the new place with lots to keep us occupied, I will try to keep up with the blog and my friends, whom I have missed dearly and am trying to work my way back into their bloggy lives.