Hannah is 18!!!!

 How did that happen? My baby...my miracle baby is an adult. 

Homeschooling Hannah

I know I have probably shared this before, but who would have ever thought I would be a homeschooling mom? Surely not me!

We just wrapped up our 3rd year of homeschooling. In that time we covered 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade! We still have a little catching up to do in math...I think. We just work until she knows it, and then move on. I have no idea what the "new" grade level math actually is, because TEKS have changed. I don't really even care. She will be on track before she graduates high school. It appears writing will be our struggle. The struggle is real too!!! Right now my plan is to work with her one more year, then put her in a writing class. Caleb just finished a class, and I think it helped him. My plan for Hannah is:
5th grade-here...hopefully I don't beat my head against the wall too much.
6th grade- Sentence writing class
7th grade- Sentence to Paragraph class (Caleb took this one)
8th grade- Paragraph to Essay class (Caleb is taking this one next year)

She will get there!!!

Wait what? My baby is a 5th grader!!!!!! How did that happen? Can I cry now? Time slow down!!! I remember those LONG days of toddlerhood and having 4 babies trailing me like ducks. Those days seemed like they would never end. Now here I am with an 18 year old headed to California Baptist in just a few short months. Time slow down! I have a 16 year old who will start dual credit at Lone Star College in a few short months. Time slow down! I have a 13 year old who is taking more classes with other teachers than me next year, as a way to start preparing him for high school and dual credit. Wow! Caleb is high school! Time slow down. My baby is in her last year of elementary.

I have never even thought about what my life would be like when I wasn't surrounded by my babies. Now, it seems like I am speeding down to the end.

And, I am going to stop now or I will start crying!!!

It's been a year!

I can't believe it has been over a year since I posted last. It has been a crazy, stressful, fun year. Looking back and trying to figure out what photos to add, I realized that Hannah has quite the life! She is one lucky girl…well, all my kids are great, but this is Hannah's blog. :) So here is a quick look at the last year.

I actually think this photo is older, but this is us at Celebration 2013. #CelebrationReturns this year, and Hannah is hoping for a special part. Wish her luck! Try-outs are Sunday.

This is Hannah in Mexico with Diego the Dolphin this summer. 

 Last October Hannah asked Jesus into her heart. She got baptized in December.

 Hannah went with me to vote.

 Just a silly photo in a home improvement store.

 Hannah's good friend Zoey, Hannah loved to hang out with her at church.

 Hannah got a kitten for her birthday.

 We homeschool. We started over to fill gaps. She finished 1st grade and moved onto 2nd. We are now more than halfway through 2nd.

 Hannah joined a homeschool choir. This group is the real deal!

 She spent a lot of time watching big sister play softball--league ball, all-stars, and select.

 She got to go to New Orleans for a day…to pick up big sister for a softball game.

 We watched softball all the way until 2 am, and back again the next morning…thanks rain/lightening!

 She found ways to entertain herself while I worked at church.

 She also figured out how to selfie-spam my phone.

 I'm in love!

 Teens…lots of teens---Hannah had a summer of teen invasions. How many 8 year olds have so many teenage friends? This isn't even all of them! Lucky.

 Formal night on our cruise…yes, we took a family cruise!

 Homeschool PE

 Hannah had her very 1st piano recital last December.

 She held and kissed a stingray in the Cayman Islands.

 She found a sea urchin in Jamaica.

I don't have a photo, but she also had her very first solo during Spring Weekend of Choir. She has the bug like brother, and is ready for more. Recently, she got annoyed because she doesn't get a chance to sing solos. I had to remind her that it is not about her. She also got to spend a week with grandpa and Mimi while I went to Florida with the big kids on a church mission trip.

The baby of the family sure does get to have lots of fun! We are waiting for the first REAL fall day in Houston to go to the zoo. Any other homeschoolers are welcome to meet us there.

Hopefully it won't be a year before i update again. I hope you enjoy the quick glimpse into the last year.

My sweet Hannah is blossoming

While I am not adhering to a strict homeschool schedule this summer, we are still doing some sort of learning 6 days a week. She missed 2 days this week, because she was sick. She struggled some the first day back. She has input…lots and lots of input. If we read about alligators, she stops me to tell me about what she learned from an alligator show she watched last year. We can not move on until she is done telling me everything. While frustrating for me, it really helps her process different things. It helps her relate what she is learning to what she already knows. This happens at least once a day. The beauty of homeschooling is that we have the freedom to discuss these types of things. One day last week she wore butterfly wings and wanted me to find a story about things that fly, so we did. She seems happier. She is more confident. She will read to me. She has memorized some Proverbs. I have been told that she is asking more questions during Sunday school. She is budding into a little learner. I am so proud of her. I hope to be able to start 2nd grade work with her in December.

Hannah is now a homeschooler

I filled out the official withdrawal forms at the end of the school year. She had a blast in Kindergarten. She also had a blast in 1st grade. She just didn't learn everything she needed to learn. I have discovered that she learns a little differently than my other kids. We have a window in the morning that suits her learning best. The later in the day it gets, the more she just has to move. If it is too late then she is just totally unfocused. The plan was to do 1st and 2nd grade over the summer, school year, and next summer and then send her back to school for 3rd grade. She was initially excited about going back for 3rd grade. Lately, she has been asking if she can be homeschooled for 3rd grade too. We have been having fun while learning. I let her move around…even though it drives me nuts. She is having fun and doing well so far. Hopefully, that will continue. We have started with some pretty basic stuff so I can identify any gaps in what she was taught. She is breezing though it right now, and even said it was easy. I don't want easy, but I want to build her confidence. 1st grade was suck a struggle for her. She was often frustrated and down on herself. I am ok with easy for now, because she smiles more. She read a book to me today. She was so excited that she could do it that she went and read it again to Marc.

Score 1 for Hannah!

Hello Blog World!

I have not forgotten about this blog. If I could blog without actually having to sit down at the computer, I would update all of the time. We are BUSY! I am loving this stage in life/family right now. More later...

Summer of 2013

This photo pretty much sums up our summer. I love it! The laugher is just there, and I can almost hear it. Due to some work related issues, this summer had the potential to be horrible. We knew going into it that there would be no camps, vacations, boat rentals, or weekly movie days. It just wasn't in the budget.

While I was preparing to homeschool Josh, I came up with a great idea. Ok...maybe not great to everyone else. My idea was to take weekly day trips around Texas and learn some history. Caleb and Samantha will study Texas History this year, so why not get a jump start? We didn't really go in order historically, but we did go, and it was great.

Ignore my long sentence, but here goes...

We went to the park, the Sam Houston Statue, the Sam Houston Museum, The Texas Prison Museum, the library, the pool, Blue Bell, the Cotton Gin Museum, Washington on the Brazos (Independence Hall, The Star of the Republic Museum, and Barrington Living History Farm), Lake Houston Wilderness Park (we got lost in the wilderness...for real), swimming, Millard's Crossing, the Stone Fort Museum, the Old University Building in Nacodoches, the SFA Interpretive Trail, Vacation Bible School, the San Jacinto Battleground, the San Jacinto Monument, the Battleship Texas, a church activity night (Caleb and Hannah had a field day and Josh and Samantha went to the circus), Summer Week of Choir, more swimming, the farmers market, more swimming, the USS Lexington, various beaches in and around Corpus, the dentist, the Y, more swimming, Spindletop Museum, Gator Country, Mission Espada, the Espada Aquaduct, the Espada Dam, Mission San Juan, Mission San Jose, the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and Hemisfair park.

Caleb and Samantha also went to church camp, and Josh went to Rush Week.

We also played games almost every night, and would watch movies together.

It really was a great summer. We had lots of together time, lots of laughs, plenty of arguments, and more laughs.

There was so much more we wanted to do, but we ran out of summer. It was so fun and the cost was very minimal. We are planning to continue next summer. Now we are into cheerleading, football, and CYT. The bigs got cast in Les Mis!

Now we are in back to school mode. I am trying to lesson plan for Josh. The others have meet the teacher tonight. I have a feeling we are going to be very very tired by the end of next week, since we have been just sleeping whenever all summer.

If you are interested in photos from our summer, they are on facebook in an album called "Summer of 2013". If we are not facebook friends, just friend me or send me a message.

Hello again old friend...

I realize it has been a LONG time since I have blogged. I would like to say I'm just too busy. While that is part of it, I think there is more to it. Sometimes I blog because I have things to say. Other times so I can remember something that happened. Then there is the whole reason I started this blog...Hannah, and the miracle of her just being here. One of the reasons I have not blogged is because I felt like I was being judged...ok, not really judged, but I would say something and others would take it the wrong way. Other times I would have someone say something like, "I didn't know that happened. Why didn't you tell me?" It just felt like a chore. It started to feel like I had a journal that the whole world (not really the WHOLE world) was snooping through. Let's face it, we all have a person that we feel like "stalks" us...ok, maybe that is not the right word. I don't feel like going to the effort to think of the right word. Right now I have my headphones in, and am tuning out the world...there is not much to tune out at 10:00 on a Sunday night.

Let me fill you in on what has gone on since August (I think that was my last post).

Hannah started Kindergarten. She is social, very social! That should come as no surprise to anyone! Sometimes her socialness and diva tendencies get in the way of learning. I don't want to say that she is having a hard time. She just learns differently than I do. She would rather sing, dance, or color than learn to read. She is creative minded (shoot me now)! We are working on it though. I am working on my ability to give positive reinforcement instead of frustration. She was a cheerleader in the fall for Caleb's football team. That was an EXPERIENCE!!! She is just Hannah! She has friends everywhere, and makes friends quickly. She is just precious!

Caleb is in 3rd grade. He played football in the fall, and is playing baseball now. He is growing up to fast. He is Caleb...you know what that means if you know him. We definitely have our moments, but he is a fun loving little guy. He is very smart, but we are not looking forward to the STAAR test this week. He hates reading stories and answering questions. We have learned that he loves reading and learning about things he cares about. He has checked out baseball and football books at the library, and will tell me all about them. He also checked out a book about the Titanic, and could give me facts and details. Too bad learning can't be tailored to his interests.

Samantha is in 6th grade. How am I the parent of a daughter that old? I am not ready to be there yet. We have had discussions that I have not been ready to have...didn't I JUST graduate high school? I guess not... She is playing softball, and is totally awesome!!!! In my opinion she is one of the best hitters on the team. I just beam with pride when I watch her. Her team is undefeated.  I am also proud of the young lady she is becoming...even if I am reluctant at the change. She is smart, sensitive, and caring. She has a big heart and genuinely cares for others. I love the talks we have while the boys are in the other room watching movies, even if some of the subjects are a little uncomfortable.

Josh is about to turn 14. How did that happen. It seems like yesterday when I was overdue watching the events at Columbine unfold on tv. He will be in high school next year. Ok, not really...I will be homeschooling him next year. Ignore my grammar errors, or correct them. I have had a lot of people support my decision. I have had a lot of others criticize it. I have had people spout off made up statistics against homeschooling. I have had people who think they know it all give me an opinion. Josh had someone tell him that it doesn't matter how smart I am, and even though I can do calculus and am very knowledgable in science, I can't teach him. Geez, thanks for the encouragement! Whatever education I can give him will be FAR better than what he will get at the crappy school where we are zoned. He learns just like I do. He is the BEST child for me to teach! We understand each other.  Enough of that rant, let's move on. Josh has some natural musical ability. I have been told this by many people totally unrelated to each other. We just have to hone that ability, and figure out what he can do. He is excited about playing in the orchestra at church on Sunday. He is also active in Christian Youth Theater. He was in "The King and I" in the fall; "Seussical" this winter; and is currently in "Grease". He absolutely LOVES it! He wants voice lessons, so he can get a good role in "Les Mis" in the fall. He does have a good voice, but he doesn't know what to do with it and I can only tell him what I think he should be doing. I am glad he has found something he loves. Um...he also has a girlfriend. HA...I'm not sure how I feel about that. She is a very sweet girl, and I see her mom at the Y all of the time. She has a GREAT voice too.

Marc is still working at Mattress Firm...for now. That is all I have to say about that!

I am busy as ever. I like the freedom of having all 4 kids at school. I spend my mornings at the Y. The rest of my day is usually filled with stuff. The only thing I long for is a good friend to have lunch with every once in a while. I had one, but stuff happens... Then again I won't have that freedom next year, since I will have Josh home with me. I guess I need to cram all of my "fun" into the next 7 weeks!!! Let's see...I ran the half marathon in January with Josh and Samantha. We didn't train, and it was raining, windy, and in the 40's...basically, miserable! Both of my kids want to do it again though. Did I give them the race bug? Recently, I have finally gotten back into running. I have had a few 8-10 mile runs in the last month. The ankle I sprained last year still bothers me, but I am to the point where I can just push on. I love getting to watch my kids at their activities. I love getting to have them talk with me. I love having Hannah read to me. I love just getting to snuggle with them. Today we went to the School of Fine Arts faculty recital, and Hannah sat in my lap and went to sleep. I LOVED getting to snuggle, hug, kiss, and stroke her precious little face. My baby is 6 now, so those moments are few and far between.

I think that is enough of a novel for one day. I will try to update more often. I might even try and put in a few photos from the last few months.

Please, do not take my "stalking" comments seriously. If you are reading and commenting, then you are more than likely not the person that was making me feel the way I was feeling.

Hannah lost a tooth!!!

My baby girl is growing up! About a week and a half ago Hannah freaked out, because she had a wiggly tooth. She was freaked out, because I am always telling Caleb his teeth are going to rot out if he doesn't brush and floss. Well, poor baby was terrified. Once I quit laughing and calmed her down, I reassured her it was normal. She was not so sure. Each of the kids showed them their big teeth and explained they once had small baby teeth too. She accepted that, but wasn't into wiggling her tooth. Yesterday morning she came in saying it was bothering her. I asked her if she wanted me to pull it out, but she was warned by her sister to NEVER let me pull out a tooth. She went back and forth and let me try, but once she screamed I let her be. Hannah doesn't move on if you "hurt" her. I told her to just keep wiggling it. She did, and came back about 5 minutes later. She was so excited. I can still hear her voice, "Mommy, I got out my tooth!" So sweet!!!!! Some of you may remember that I have a very bad tooth fairy. She needs to be fired, but she came through last night for Hannah. Hannah was so excited about her dollar. She has been carrying it around all day. Late in the day she said, "I have a lot of teeth. I am going to take them all out for dollars." Oh my...

Here is my beautiful Hannah and her new grin...taken on my phone in bad light. 

Oh my

Can I just say that life has been a whirlwind?  This summer has totally flown by! It started with football camp for Caleb. Followed by church camp for Samantha. Then Christian Youth Theater camp for all 4 of them. The next week Josh was at Baylor for band camp, and Samantha had softball camp. Then we finished out JUNE with VBS! WOW...that was only one month.

July has been a little less busy. Josh had a day trip to Schlitterbahn. We had Summer Week of choir last week. Josh is at Rush Week this week. We are going to the Rangers game Tuesday. Friday is the family mission trip, and next week Marc and I go to Vegas.

I can tell you that we have NOT been bored this summer.

Hannah--she seemed to have fun at CYT camp. She helped me sell a lot of VBS t-shirts. She was not happy about not being able to participate in Summer Week of Choir.

Caleb--he had his first solo during CYT. He really impressed me! He loved football camp. He got to be Jesus in Summer Week of Choir. I have been so impressed with him this year. He studied his CYT script every day. He practiced his solo over and over again.

Samantha--she ROCKED at softball camp. She was the best in the group. She also had a solo during Summer Week of Choir. She did great! She also had a solo in CYT.

Joshua--he has had a FULL summer. He had a few parts in CYT. He was the only boy with a low voice, so he had a big solo. He went to Baylor University for band camp. He had a blast, and learned a lot. He came home energized for music, and has not stopped practicing all of his instruments since then. He was a helper during VBS, and a helper during SWOC. I have heard that he is an excellent helper. This week he is in Missouri for Rush Week. I can't wait for him to come back, so I can hear all about it.

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over, but I think we will be ready for it.