It's been over a month since I updated--wow!
Doodle and Buddy had great birthday's parties last month. Still can't beleive they're 7 and 1!
Buddy's personality is budding, and he's getting into everything--and I mean everything. We used to keep an ice chest in the hallway near the kitchen, well he quickly realized he could scoot it to the counter tops, climb on top and then reach anything on the counters. We have since moved the ice chest to the locked laundry room. He's keeping us on our toes :) He's also immitating the older kids more and more. This morning at breakfast Little Man was making a "mad smiley face" where he smiles, growls, then pushes his cheeks in with his index fingers. It didn't take Buddy long before he started trying to do the same thing--so cute.
The girls two week break from school is now over. We realized it wasn't too great for Zoe, she's writing some of her letters and numbers backwards again. Next break time we'll have to keep doing just a little bit with her daily.
Work has been crazy. Well no, that's an understatement. I had training the end of August, then the first of September one of my employees fell and broke her foot. She's been out of the office (doing very well thankfully and had a sucessful surgery) but trying to manage her duties with mine has almost been overwhelming. Tack ontop of that all the dentist and doctor's appointments the kids have had and my school, too and September has been a blur. Ryan has also been very sick. I took him to the doctor on Tuesday, they've run a bunch of tests and we'll get the results back this afternoon. Hopefully good results.
I'm reading through Genesis right now and man I love this book! I skipped it when I started reading straight through the Bible because I had just read it previously, but man--there's so much I had forgotten. Ryan and I are going through Jon Courson's sermons on Revelation twice a week and I don't think we've even gotten into chapter 2 yet. So much richness!
Well, now that things are quieting down, hopefully I can update this more frequently again.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hello, Love
It's been a few weeks since I updated this, so I figure I'm due for a post.
Things are going well. The girls (and Ryan) have eased into their homeschool routine and I've fielded tons of questions from friends, co-workers, etc. on how to homeschool, requirements, and the never-ending socialization questions. :) It's amazing how people react to homeschooling, some people just turn and walk away while I mention we homeschool our kids and others are fascinated with it. I remember growing up and thinking that all homeschoolers were weird-only knowing about 2 and basing my assumptions on them. Now looking at it I feel so blessed to actually be able to do it. There's almost nothing more satisfying than being able to see your children learn and grow, knowing that you've had a big hand in teaching them things. I can only imagine how God feels when He sees us "getting" things He's been trying to teach us over and over.
Our big excitement this weekend is that Doodle has a birthday party to go to on Saturday. It's for a girl she's been friends with for three years now and they are such sweet girls when they get together. We were afraid we missed her party because we hadn't been to church much in July (when her birthday is) due to illnesses. Last Sunday when she got the invitation she came running up to me and said "Look Mama! An invitation to Megan's party!!!" Wow, she was super excited. I'm hoping we can have her over to play soon. We don't have people over very often, but maybe we can change that.
We're getting ready for Doodle and Buddy's birthdays next week and week after. Can't believe they'll be 7 and 1.. My how the time flies!
Work is really busy. I'll be in training three days next week and hope my brain can contain all the information without exploding or oozing over.
My school starts Monday and as usual, I'm not ready for it.. but I only have five classes left.. I can make it.. I can make it...
Other than that it's life as usual at the Sanders' house; busy, chaotic, and wonderful.
Things are going well. The girls (and Ryan) have eased into their homeschool routine and I've fielded tons of questions from friends, co-workers, etc. on how to homeschool, requirements, and the never-ending socialization questions. :) It's amazing how people react to homeschooling, some people just turn and walk away while I mention we homeschool our kids and others are fascinated with it. I remember growing up and thinking that all homeschoolers were weird-only knowing about 2 and basing my assumptions on them. Now looking at it I feel so blessed to actually be able to do it. There's almost nothing more satisfying than being able to see your children learn and grow, knowing that you've had a big hand in teaching them things. I can only imagine how God feels when He sees us "getting" things He's been trying to teach us over and over.
Our big excitement this weekend is that Doodle has a birthday party to go to on Saturday. It's for a girl she's been friends with for three years now and they are such sweet girls when they get together. We were afraid we missed her party because we hadn't been to church much in July (when her birthday is) due to illnesses. Last Sunday when she got the invitation she came running up to me and said "Look Mama! An invitation to Megan's party!!!" Wow, she was super excited. I'm hoping we can have her over to play soon. We don't have people over very often, but maybe we can change that.
We're getting ready for Doodle and Buddy's birthdays next week and week after. Can't believe they'll be 7 and 1.. My how the time flies!
Work is really busy. I'll be in training three days next week and hope my brain can contain all the information without exploding or oozing over.
My school starts Monday and as usual, I'm not ready for it.. but I only have five classes left.. I can make it.. I can make it...
Other than that it's life as usual at the Sanders' house; busy, chaotic, and wonderful.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
What a weekend
The kids and I made some homemade ice cream this weekend (recipe courtesy of NickJr.com http://www.nickjr.com/recipes/ice-cream-in-two-bags.jhtml). We put in some chopped up frozen peaches and used Lactaid milk. It was so yummy!! I couldn't believe how easy it was to do, five minutes and we had soft serve peaches & cream ice cream. Wonderful!
Buddy, who turns 11 months old today, is now walking with a vengeance. He still looks like a drunken sailor, but he goes longer and longer distances and has a big opened mouth smile the whole time. He has SUCH a sweet personality. He loves to play peek-a-boo, point to things, throw balls and blocks, and terrorize my in-laws dog. He is actually saying quite a few things now (only distinguishable to us): look, what, Dassah, Gareth, bear, water, and can roar and moo. We moved him into his crib and into the kids room two weeks ago and he's been sleeping and doing fantastic. We've been blessed with such a good sleeper.
The girls started school yesterday, Doodle's in Second Grade and Lulu's in Kindergarten. They had a really good day and were both worn out when I got home. I do math with them in the evenings, so some days it's a challenge because they're tired but last night they were all into it. Lulu sheepishly said "I get to do math now" then proceeded to tell me that she was too tired to do it (an attitude Doodle displayed at the end of last year) which didn't last long. I'm hoping to better manage their math lessons this year.
It's been two weeks since we've been swimming and we're anxiously awaiting going back to the pool.
Other than that, it's been normal stuff; getting ready for school, rearranging our room, watching some lovely classic movies (Audrey or Katherine Hepburn anyone?), and listening to sermons with Ryan.
It's a good life.
Buddy, who turns 11 months old today, is now walking with a vengeance. He still looks like a drunken sailor, but he goes longer and longer distances and has a big opened mouth smile the whole time. He has SUCH a sweet personality. He loves to play peek-a-boo, point to things, throw balls and blocks, and terrorize my in-laws dog. He is actually saying quite a few things now (only distinguishable to us): look, what, Dassah, Gareth, bear, water, and can roar and moo. We moved him into his crib and into the kids room two weeks ago and he's been sleeping and doing fantastic. We've been blessed with such a good sleeper.
The girls started school yesterday, Doodle's in Second Grade and Lulu's in Kindergarten. They had a really good day and were both worn out when I got home. I do math with them in the evenings, so some days it's a challenge because they're tired but last night they were all into it. Lulu sheepishly said "I get to do math now" then proceeded to tell me that she was too tired to do it (an attitude Doodle displayed at the end of last year) which didn't last long. I'm hoping to better manage their math lessons this year.
It's been two weeks since we've been swimming and we're anxiously awaiting going back to the pool.
Other than that, it's been normal stuff; getting ready for school, rearranging our room, watching some lovely classic movies (Audrey or Katherine Hepburn anyone?), and listening to sermons with Ryan.
It's a good life.
Friday, July 24, 2009
And......
Buddy has been "stepping" for over a month now (maybe for almost 2 months now.. don't remember). On Tuesdsay he took eight steps from my dad to the couch. Later on he took five steps from Ryan to me. It's so great to see his chubby little legs walking across the floor!!
God is Good!!
The girls had dental check ups last month and they both need some work done. Doodle needs four fillings (her first cavities :( ) and Lulu needs a frenectomy (snipping the gum that is making her have buck teeth). We had to send paperwork to our dental insurance company to see how much they'd cover (which isn't usually very much.. sometimes I wonder why we have it...). Last Monday we got a letter in the mail stating they will cover all except $100 for the procedure and won't cover the anesthesia at all. What? They cited that they don't think it's necessary.. on a five year old girl... yeah, anyways. I decided to look at the bright side and instead of paying over $500 for it, we'll only pay $155. So, not too bad.
Then on Tuesday, I was on my way to work and was at a stop light when the van died. The motor cut off and everything was dead. I couldn't get it cranked. Long story short, I was able to get it jumped to Wal-Mart (thanks Mr. LCSO and to my father) to check the battery. I just bought the battery in October, so it was still under warranty--I was REALLY hoping it was just the battery. I went ahead and got an oil change, too.
So 45 minutes later I pick up the car and they say the battery is fine, nothing is wrong with it. I have this really bad feeling and get in the car to drive to work again. Then about 2 miles down the road, boom.. Dead again. I get it jumped a few more times (thanks to my dad) and get it to my favorite mechanics shop (no sarcasm--I really do love them). They say they'll look at it and give me a call when they find the problem. I don't hear from them for hours, so I call and inquire--they don't know what the problem is. Repeat this for the next few days.
Back to the car... THREE DAYS LATER... they finally find the problem, it's a computer problem - the crank shaft sensor (which is so hard for me to get out of my mouth to say) just needed replacing. Ok, so now's the great part.. I was expecting a bill well over $500 and Ryan and I were even thinking about what we should do if the costs of repair exceed the car's worth... Well, the bill was just under $200. We had the money to spend without dipping into savings and the car is running very well.. Yay!!
So many more things could've been wrong with the car, of I could've stalled out on the interstate going to work, or I could've stalled out in the middle of the road.. Every single stall, God kept me safe and allowed me to get pulled over without too much hastle.. He IS GOOD!!
Just wanted to take some time out and say that.. Yep, He's awesome :)
Then on Tuesday, I was on my way to work and was at a stop light when the van died. The motor cut off and everything was dead. I couldn't get it cranked. Long story short, I was able to get it jumped to Wal-Mart (thanks Mr. LCSO and to my father) to check the battery. I just bought the battery in October, so it was still under warranty--I was REALLY hoping it was just the battery. I went ahead and got an oil change, too.
So 45 minutes later I pick up the car and they say the battery is fine, nothing is wrong with it. I have this really bad feeling and get in the car to drive to work again. Then about 2 miles down the road, boom.. Dead again. I get it jumped a few more times (thanks to my dad) and get it to my favorite mechanics shop (no sarcasm--I really do love them). They say they'll look at it and give me a call when they find the problem. I don't hear from them for hours, so I call and inquire--they don't know what the problem is. Repeat this for the next few days.
To top that off, Wednesday evening Ryan drops our laptop. The screen is gone.. Looks like a great piece of modern art--but not useful at all.. ALL of the girls home school worksheets, schedule, etc are on the laptop. I rush out and buy a flash drive and we're able to use some cords to connect the laptop to my dad's computer screen so we can save all of our files... Then we have the task of trying to find a new PC/laptop.. Man have prices come down!! We were able to buy a fanastic laptop for less than half the price we paid for our original laptop a few years ago.. Thank You, Lord!!
Back to the car... THREE DAYS LATER... they finally find the problem, it's a computer problem - the crank shaft sensor (which is so hard for me to get out of my mouth to say) just needed replacing. Ok, so now's the great part.. I was expecting a bill well over $500 and Ryan and I were even thinking about what we should do if the costs of repair exceed the car's worth... Well, the bill was just under $200. We had the money to spend without dipping into savings and the car is running very well.. Yay!!
So many more things could've been wrong with the car, of I could've stalled out on the interstate going to work, or I could've stalled out in the middle of the road.. Every single stall, God kept me safe and allowed me to get pulled over without too much hastle.. He IS GOOD!!
Just wanted to take some time out and say that.. Yep, He's awesome :)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Success!
Doodle bug had her annual home school evaluation done on Wednesday and passed with flying colors! She is above grade level for reading, has VERY strong reading comprehension and is right on grade level for everything else (although we do need to work on her money counting skills---I see "playing Wal-Mart and Publix" in our future). She was nervous about it, but did fantastically. We should have the official report on Sunday. :)
Today the girls are going out with my sister-in-law to the movies and are SUPER excited. They haven't gone off with her before, but now that their carseats are removable, they can go places they've never gone before.
I'm finishing up my English Class, and like every semester am wondering "Why am I doing this again?" Then remember, oh yeah.. because every year gets harder and harder to finish, so if I can just get it done, I'll be glad it's over (at least I hope I'll be glad it's over).
Reading through Ephesians right now and man, I love the Bible. So awesome, so applicable, so true. God is awesome!
Today the girls are going out with my sister-in-law to the movies and are SUPER excited. They haven't gone off with her before, but now that their carseats are removable, they can go places they've never gone before.
I'm finishing up my English Class, and like every semester am wondering "Why am I doing this again?" Then remember, oh yeah.. because every year gets harder and harder to finish, so if I can just get it done, I'll be glad it's over (at least I hope I'll be glad it's over).
Reading through Ephesians right now and man, I love the Bible. So awesome, so applicable, so true. God is awesome!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fourth of July
What a wonderful weekend.
Friday we had a nice lazy day, went grocery shopping, had a two hour nap, played, and made some crafts.
Saturday we made some pink lemonade cupcakes (with red, white, and blue icing of course) and some super yummy chocolate chip cookies. The girls and I painted our fingers and toe nails in honor of the holiday, red on fingers, blue sparkles on toes. Gareth was adament that he did NOT want his nails painted this time, it's only "girl stuff" he said. Last time we painted our nails he felt left out, so I painted his thumbs (pink or purple). Ryan wasn't too happy, but got over it quickly. Uncle Bobby came over for fireworks in the driveway and root beer floats.
Sunday we overslept and missed church :(, but had a great time watching some cartoons, playing board games, visiting with the in-laws and the 28 pound watermelon, cleaned off the back porch so Gavin has a place to play outside, and didn't glance at the clock until bed time. Loved it!
That's one thing I love about being home, we don't generally have to look at the clock for anything. When we get hungry, we eat. When we get tired, we nap. It's so much easier and there's not the rush rush rush of the work week. I don't have to rush the kids through getting dressed because I have to go to work. I don't have to rush the kids after dinner because we need to go to bed so we can wake up early the next morning.
But I guess it's the hectic work week that makes me truly enjoy the weekend and time off :)
Gavin now has five teeth (three on bottom, two on top). Can wave, blow kisses, and jabber up a storm. He can sign: nap, milk, more, water, all done. Can say: mama, water (wawa), more (ma), papa. He hasn't been walking much the past week, not sure why. He'll start to, then just fall on his knees and crawl (easiest route to go). He LOVES to play peak-a-boo. In fact, we played it between my parents recliners for about 30 minutes yesterday and Saturday.
Gareth is such a sweet little gentleman. We do have some episodes of him not being so sweet, but he's only 3.. so we're trying to give him some slack and keep correcting him. One thing I just love is how he just walks up to me and kisses me, on the arm, the leg, wherever, just as long as he can kiss me. He also just looks at me with eyes full of love. If he keeps this up when he gets married, he's going to have one lucky wife :)
Zoe is a smart little cookie. She's adding more and more numbers now and reading lots of different words (three letter words). She cannot wait until Kindergarten starts in August and keeps asking "Mama, do we have school tomorrow?" She's going to VBS next week (with Gareth and Dassah) and is looking forward to that as well so she can sing and dance :)
Hadassah is my doodle bug. She can read just about anything in sight now, although does have trouble with long words. She's doing pre-multiplication also (taught herself), which thrills me because I'm hoping it'll be easier to learn multiplication this next year. Her annual evaluation is Wednesday, and I'm a little nervous. I know her reading, math, science, and social studies are fine, but she doesn't have a lot of experience with writing. So I'm hoping she'll be ok.
Life is moving along nicely here. Thanks be to God for that.
Friday we had a nice lazy day, went grocery shopping, had a two hour nap, played, and made some crafts.
Saturday we made some pink lemonade cupcakes (with red, white, and blue icing of course) and some super yummy chocolate chip cookies. The girls and I painted our fingers and toe nails in honor of the holiday, red on fingers, blue sparkles on toes. Gareth was adament that he did NOT want his nails painted this time, it's only "girl stuff" he said. Last time we painted our nails he felt left out, so I painted his thumbs (pink or purple). Ryan wasn't too happy, but got over it quickly. Uncle Bobby came over for fireworks in the driveway and root beer floats.
Sunday we overslept and missed church :(, but had a great time watching some cartoons, playing board games, visiting with the in-laws and the 28 pound watermelon, cleaned off the back porch so Gavin has a place to play outside, and didn't glance at the clock until bed time. Loved it!
That's one thing I love about being home, we don't generally have to look at the clock for anything. When we get hungry, we eat. When we get tired, we nap. It's so much easier and there's not the rush rush rush of the work week. I don't have to rush the kids through getting dressed because I have to go to work. I don't have to rush the kids after dinner because we need to go to bed so we can wake up early the next morning.
But I guess it's the hectic work week that makes me truly enjoy the weekend and time off :)
Gavin now has five teeth (three on bottom, two on top). Can wave, blow kisses, and jabber up a storm. He can sign: nap, milk, more, water, all done. Can say: mama, water (wawa), more (ma), papa. He hasn't been walking much the past week, not sure why. He'll start to, then just fall on his knees and crawl (easiest route to go). He LOVES to play peak-a-boo. In fact, we played it between my parents recliners for about 30 minutes yesterday and Saturday.
Gareth is such a sweet little gentleman. We do have some episodes of him not being so sweet, but he's only 3.. so we're trying to give him some slack and keep correcting him. One thing I just love is how he just walks up to me and kisses me, on the arm, the leg, wherever, just as long as he can kiss me. He also just looks at me with eyes full of love. If he keeps this up when he gets married, he's going to have one lucky wife :)
Zoe is a smart little cookie. She's adding more and more numbers now and reading lots of different words (three letter words). She cannot wait until Kindergarten starts in August and keeps asking "Mama, do we have school tomorrow?" She's going to VBS next week (with Gareth and Dassah) and is looking forward to that as well so she can sing and dance :)
Hadassah is my doodle bug. She can read just about anything in sight now, although does have trouble with long words. She's doing pre-multiplication also (taught herself), which thrills me because I'm hoping it'll be easier to learn multiplication this next year. Her annual evaluation is Wednesday, and I'm a little nervous. I know her reading, math, science, and social studies are fine, but she doesn't have a lot of experience with writing. So I'm hoping she'll be ok.
Life is moving along nicely here. Thanks be to God for that.
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