Leah’s New Dance Class

 

The second thing that makes Thursdays so busy is Leah’s dance class. I like getting everything done on the same day but it does make for a long Thursday! We’re home from school around 2 and then turn around to go back 20 minutes at 4:45 to go to dance. It was a really good class, though—about 6 or 7 girls, mostly 6 and 7 year olds, and most who have had some dance experience. It will challenge her and continue to give her a creative outlet. She really loves being girly and said she loved the class. So this week we made a whole day out of it and went to our favorite library after school, then got ice cream as a special first day treat. Some days we’ll go home, some days we’ll kill time in town. They all did so well this week.

Parents are allowed to sit and watch her class from a little lobby off to the side, which I want to do if there’s a week I don’t have Abigail & Andrew with me. They looked like they were having a lot of fun.

First Day of CC 2014

Thursday is our busy day for the week, where we travel an hour to get to the church where our Classical Conversations group is held. Honestly, for what these kids learn and for the fun they have, it’s worth the drive. It will become our one day to get out of the house, run errands, and be around other people. And Leah & Andrew really loved it this past week. (Technically, we’ve been doing school at home for about 8 weeks now, but since we kind of school year-round, I will consider the first day of CC as the first day of school.)

Leah’s like an old pro at this now, and most of the kids in her class also have a year of CC behind them, so they seemed a little more comfortable, a little less shy around each other. Leah already met one girl in her class this summer—she lives close by so her mom and I made contact and set up a playdate. Leah & Fiona are now best buds! There are some other little girls in her class, as well, but she didn’t really take much time to talk to them yet!

This week they did a science experiment about blinking. The science will focus on the human body this first part of the year.

Andrew is still so young (in fact he’s the youngest in his class, but they are required to start at 4 if they are going to be on campus—he can’t be in the nursery) and I was a little concerned about how he’d do, but he joined right in, participated and was not shy. He did so well on his presentation (which was about his favorite stuffed animal, Scout), answered questions when he had to, and even did what little paper-work they had.

I love how he sticks his tongue out when he’s concentrating on anything. This boy can already write his own name! He picks up on things way quicker than I give him credit for sometimes.

They are also learning U.S. geography this year, memorizing the states & capitals. Andrew’s class used chocolate chips to locate the states.

   

After they have lunch together in their classrooms, they go outside for recess before we go home. This was of course everyone’s favorite part. They have a little play area but mostly the kids just run around and be together. And if it has been raining and you are less than 2 years old, you play in mud puddles. Abigail squealed with glee at this! I don’t have any pictures of Abi in her class because she screamed when I dropped her off. I was told she was fine within minutes, just wandering around sucking her fingers, but if I would have gone back in I’m sure she would not have let me leave again!

 

Homeschool Soccer

 

This week was the beginning of our new school schedule and our new “normal.” I want the kids to have plenty of opportunities to meet other kids and to learn the same kinds of things other kids are learning. Thankfully, there is a great homeschool group in the town nearby. They have organized a free soccer "camp” every Tuesday afternoon for all ages. They have a coach come to teach them some of the rules and skills of the game (although this past week, he focused more on the older kids while parent volunteers played with the younger ones). They don’t really play a “formal” game, and they aren’t really even expected to practice at home—it’s all non-competitive, just a fun way to learn the game, to get exercise, and socialize with other kids. I love that it gives them a chance to try out the sport and see if it’s something they may be interested in. I also love that it gives them a chance to learn physical education because that is something I would not be able to teach them well at home!

After a time of warming up as a group, the younger kids played some unorganized drills and games: a little tag, a little dribbling the ball around the cones, a little kicking into the net. They learned the right way to kick the ball and how to not use their hands. It was rather comedic at one point when they all took a break and all the little kids were digging in the dirt at the goal and putting it into the cones. We had lost their focus pretty easily!

Look at this concentration! I loved to see him excited about a sport.

Meanwhile, Abigail hung out with me on the sidelines, taking my keys, kicking a ball a little, but mostly causing trouble. Thankfully, in the homeschool world no one minds a little sister getting in the way!

    

Leah’s 6th birthday

I can hardly believe it’s been six years since this little girl first came into our lives! At six, Leah is full of energy and what I call “intense.” Her emotions are all big. When she is excited, she is excited. When she’s mad, she’s mad. When she’s happy, she sings and dances around the house. She has a love for life to the point where I really can’t tell her too far in advance when something fun and exciting is going to happen or she wouldn’t sleep! She is so ridiculously smart, observant, and really seems to empathize with others. She excels in school, figuring things out before I really even have to teacher her, although if things don’t come easily to her, she gets frustrated very easily. She wants to know everything immediately. She loves to read and be read to. She loves to make up stories with her dolls, or just play out movie-type scenarios in her head. (I will hear her behind her closed door in her room carrying on entire conversations with herself.) I am convinced she doesn’t sleep because she’s just as wide awake at 7am as she is at 9pm (if I let her stay up that late) and never seems tired. She has really become a great helper with her little sister because she can get things for me or help entertain her or whatever needs to be done.

I had to take a picture of her on her last night as a five-year-old. You can even see the big gap in her mouth where she lost her first tooth just this week. So many big girl milestones—it’s a whole new phase of life!

Of course the “in” thing this year is the movie Frozen. So her birthday was all things Frozen. Daddy picked her out a HUGE life-sized balloon with Anna & Elsa.

 

Her birthday was on a Friday. So we had our own family celebration that day and she had friends over for a party on the next day. Friday the girls and I baked some sugar cookies that we would decorate at the party. And a certain little sister ate a little more dough than she cut out.

 

As a side note, Andrew spent a big part of the week chopping wood down with his Daddy. He wanted to bless someone by chopping some firewood, and Andrew loved being his helper. He was out there with him for hours and loved every minute of it!

 

Friday night after we had a pizza dinner, Leah opened her gifts from us and her grandparents. Nana sent her a Sofia the First pillow & blanket set, as well as some shoes & jewelry. Grandma sent a Frozen sticker book, mini Anna & Elsa dolls, a dress, and some notebooks & colored pencils. We got her a Barbie Lego Pet Shop that has a hundred million (okay, really just 100) little tiny pieces to put together, an Elsa dress, Frozen pajamas, and a Princess Palace Pet cat. I just love her reaction to her presents. She just loves getting gifts and of course being the center of attention!

  

Of course Grandma sent Andrew & Abigail a little something, too!

 

On Saturday, Brett took Leah & Andrew for a ride on a plane with a church member who has his own small plane and pilot’s license. I didn’t get to go, so I don’t have any photos, but they loved it and I don’t think they’ll soon forget that experience!

Meanwhile, I set up our “party room” for a Frozen winter wonderland. The cake didn’t turn out as I’d hoped but it really was cute, especially once we added Leah’s new Anna & Elsa figures. We also ate snowballs (yogurt-covered raisins) & snowman noses with snow dip (carrots w/ Ranch), and we had blue ice punch and melted snowmen (water).

 

Leah had 5 girls at her party (including little sisters of her friends). They colored a Frozen coloring page, they decorated sugar cookies, they played Pin the Nose on Olaf, and destroyed Leah’s room in five minutes flat. Most of all, they had a good time together!

       

She got an Elsa doll, plus some hairbows, and a snowman building kit! The whole day as I was setting up, she kept hugging me as she got so excited about the things she saw for the party and kept telling me it was the best birthday ever! It made it worth all the effort that went into the party!

Here is Leah describing her life as a 6-year-old:

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That evening, we also had an Open House for our church family to visit our home and have a cookout. They all put so much work into our house when we first moved in that we wanted to give them a chance to see what it looks like now and just to get together and eat. It was a lot of fun! We had about 40 people show up, and everyone hung out in our backyard and played games, and enjoyed the campfire. We absolutely love spending time with our church family and are so blessed by their generosity and their spirit of love. I was filled with joy as I looked around at all the faces of the people God has placed into our lives and so thankful for what He has given us!