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.

J is 13!!

Happy Birthday John!!
I can't believe that I now have two teenage boys. Goodness I am getting old.
He is a very creative child. He loves to draw or create things and he loves animals, all animals. He is also a gentle soul. He even doesn't mind spending time with me. Imagine that. I have been so blessed by this child. Thank you Lord for allowing me to be his mom.
We are going out to a special dinner tonight to celebrate his big day, then back home for gifts and Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake. YUM!!!

J's First Soccer Game

J played really well during his first soccer game of the season. He played goalie for half of the game and didn't get a whole lot of action but got to do more the second half of the game.
The score--4 to 0. His team won!!!

Surprise!!!

We had a surprise birthday party for J on Saturday. He was completely surprised!! It was great. He spent Friday night with a friend and came home to the party on Saturday. Because we home schooled last year he has not seen some of his friends for a whole year. He was really cranky all week thinking that we were not going to do anything special for his birthday. We had such a good time. It was great fun.

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