What we have been up to lately.

Okay all, it has been so long since I have posted anything so I thought that I better let you all know that I am alive and well. I will kind of hit the highlights for the last couple of months.
Me: I am an aunt again. My little sister had her baby yesterday. She named her Sophia Anne. She is spending some quality time with her grandpa in the picture below.

I have been helping to coach my son's basketball team. What a joy it is to be involved in his life in this way. I get to see him step up and be a leader for his team. I have also been having quite a difficult time health wise. I seem to be getting sick every few days with different things. Not very fun. In addition to getting sick I have also been having quite a bit of trouble with my knees again. I have to see the doctor on the 12th of February to see what they will do. I have never really had trouble with my right knee, but favoring it for the past few years while I had trouble with the left one has apparently aggravated it. Luckily I don't need my knees to crochet, lol, which is also taking up a lot of my time. I enjoy crocheting in the evenings when the house is quiet. I even sold a few items in my Etsy store!! Okay well I think that about covers my life the last few weeks now on to someone else.
Kurt: my wonderful husband. He is busy, busy, busy. He is still working (we are so very thankful that he has a job) while taking several classes online toward his degree. He seems to have just as much school work as the children some days. He is still searching for a job in South Dakota. His family is there and after visiting in August we decided if he could get a job there we would move. I must say that I am thankful to have one more winter in North Carolina. He has decided not to play baseball this year. He loves it but it is demanding on his time.
C: He is currently playing basketball and preparing for the start of baseball season. He has always had a great love for sports and seems to do well. He was voted as one of the captains by his teammates.

J: He is my assistant in the house. He stays home and takes charge of the house while basketball consumes my time. He is a very responsible young man. He also enjoys his video games.
K: Big news for K is that she is getting baptized tomorrow!! I am so excited for her that she has made this decision. She is growing up so fast. She is still enjoying public school and making new friends.
A: She is really enjoying Kindergarten, although there are some days lately when she asks if she can stay home and home school so she does not have to get up so early. She still loves going to gymnastics once a week. Oh, I almost forgot. She has lost her first two teeth. The two on the bottom. They were ready to come out since the grown up teeth were already half way in behind them.
Well I think that about covers everything that has been happening lately.

Happy Birthday C!!

I can't believe that he is 15 today!! I love this boy. I have so loved watching him grow up. He has definitely kept us on our toes. But that is what makes life interesting and gives us great memories. Thank you Lord for letting me be his mom.

Coaching Basketball

I have been so busy these last few months coaching my son's basketball team that I have not had much time to post to my blog. And I also must admit that I am now a Facebook addict. I really like getting on there and catching up with all my friends.

I am really enjoying coaching basketball. I played basketball when I was in elementary school all the way through 10th grade. I enjoyed my time on the court and now I am trying to give back a little bit by coaching. I have really enjoyed getting to know these boys. Of course we have our moments, but overall it has been an awesome experience. I can't wait to do it again next year. We play at the regional tournament this weekend, so pray that we have a good game with no injuries.

Speaking of injuries. . . this happened in January. We were in the third quarter of the game and he and another boy went out of bounds to save the ball. They both fell. He came out of the game briefly and iced it then went back in to play the 4th quarter. It was a rough game so I am thankful that we only had one injury. However, this game was on a Friday evening right before we left for a weekend in the mountains and so we did not find out until Wednesday of the following week that it was broken for sure. He was not happy at all about not being able to play the rest of the season.

Conversations with C

About a week ago C was having alot of trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. Since I am home schooling, I would just let him sleep and when he got up we would work on his lessons. As long as they were done before basketball practice, no problem.

Well about 11:00 C came downstairs and said to me, "When I woke up there was someone in my bed with me."

My first thought was the cat. He has a habit of getting in bed with people and he likes to lay on C's bed and look out the window. So, in an attempt at humor I said, "Was he orange?"

C said, "No, she is Chinese."

I started laughing. I never knew that A had crawled in his bed. He asked her why she was in bed with him and she said, "because I want to be just like you!!"

All Star Pics

We finally got some pictures of C playing in the All-Star Games last month.

He loves those diving catches.

C's All Star Games (part 2)

Well C's second game didn't go as well as the first. They lost 21-7.

They won their third game played on Tuesday (7-5) and their fourth game played on Wednesday (14-3).

We all traveled back down on Thursday morning for the game that would decide who would play in the Championship game. Unfortunately they lost this game (11-7). So overall they took third place out of all the teams in the Tournament. Not too bad!!

C's All Star Games (part 1)

C was supposed to play his first All Star game in Southport, NC yesterday, but because of a tropical storm pounding the area with rain off and on all day the games were cancelled. He played his first game today. THEY WON!!!! The score was 13-3. They played an awesome game of baseball. Unfortunately the rest of the family had to come home but Kurt stayed with C. They are staying on Oak Island. We were able to get a few pictures of the children at the beach. I will post them soon.

Happy 4th of July!!! C's All Star Team was in the Parade!!

Like Father. . . Like Son!!

C Made the ALL STAR TEAM!!!

C has played so well this year that he made the All Star Team. He will travel to Southport, NC from July 18-21. More to come!!

Baseball

C's Baseball Game

C's favorite sport is baseball. He has really been doing well this season. His team has two games left and so far they are undefeated!! During the game last night as C was sliding into third base his left knee went right into the other players cleat. He has a very nice gash across his knee to show for it. But like a true sportsman--He did not let it stop him from playing!!

Some clips of C

These are a few clips of C playing basketball. He is the type of player that will definitely save the ball no matter what. He will give 110% and not think of what injury he may sustain. You can see his "wild" side in these clips. He is number 10. He (thankfully) always gets right back up and in the action.

C turns 14!!!

C turned 14 today!!!
I hardly feel old enough to have a 14 year old. LOL

C had a few friends over for the night and had a good time.

He also got to have a lot of fun today at the Annual Church Picnic. He used all his birthday money to buy an IPOD! He is really enjoying it.
He also got his hair colored. He has streaks of bright red through the top. Doesn't he look great!! I know the 18 year old girl that saw him at the store thought so. She walked right up to him and told him that she really liked his hair. LOL

My children/Why Homeschooling?

(Taken when we had A's 4th birthday party. This photo was taken by C.)

(This photo was taken at the boy's soccer tournament. The girls were supposed to be cheering for the boys.)

(For Christmas 2007, C got his own drum set. Here he is playing at church.)

(C really likes to be active in sports and in addition to playing soccer for the home school team he also played basketball.)

(In 2007, C and J both got to play soccer for the home school team: the Crusaders)

(In 2005, J's painting was entered into an Art Competition.)

(J really enjoyed his time at the art competition, especially when he got to make a clay pot.)

(taken in 2005, before K took a class to learn how to knit.)

Well, you may all be asking yourselves, "Why in the world would she home school her children?"
I always rejected the idea right away, always made excuses as to why I would "NEVER" do it. My favorite excuse was, "I don't have the patience for it?" They say "never say never" for a reason.
Just before bringing A home from China in June of 2007, we were asking ourselves what we would do the following year. The children were attending a local Christian School and I was working in the office. My entire paycheck was going back to the school for tuition, sports fees, uniforms, lunches, etc. After looking at many options--none of them being home schooling--it was time to make a decision. I really felt lead one day to look into home schooling. I knew where the feeling was coming from but wanted to reject it. REALLY wanted to reject it. But after some prayer, investigation into curriculum, research about the laws for homeschooling in our state, and more prayer, I began to get excited about the idea.
It's kind of a funny story that when we asked the children about it they were all on board right away and I kept asking them, "Have you prayed about it?" They would say, "Yes! We did and we still want to do it!!" For about two weeks my response to them was, "Well, go pray some more!!" I was still in denial about what God was telling me to do.
After much prayer we made the decision to home school all of the kids. We named our homeschool: Soaring Eagles Academy. We had a little inspiration for choosing this name.

We know that the decision to home school was the right one. Although we have had a few trials and errors this year, we have drawn closer and have had a very good year.
I am currently very excited about getting prepared for next year. Researching curriculum can be very exciting and can give you a major headache all at the same time. In addition to researching curriculum I am also working on a new schedule for our day. I try to be very organized--it just doesn't always show through.
We have also been busy during the year with sports, extra curricular activities and much more.
The boys both played soccer for the home school team. C played basketball for them as well. C is getting ready to start baseball for the Parks and Rec and has taken drum lessons this year. J took an art class that he enjoyed very much. Ever since he was able to go to the Art competition in 4th grade, he has really enjoyed doing different art projects. The boys are also becoming more involved with their youth group at church. K did gymnastics for a few months then decided she would wait until the fall and get back into jazz classes. K also took a knitting class and made a couple of good friends. A is in gymnastics and is very much enjoying it. Needless to say, we do stay very busy and the kids have lots of social time.
I believe it is one of the greatest joys of my life that I am able to home school my children.

"Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23