Summer Vacation

Last week I reached my breaking point. There wasn't any one particular thing or event that caused it--just the stresses of life that keep piling on top of each other. The pile got higher and higher---and finally came crashing down. So I made an executive decision---no more school until the fall!

For the past 17 months I have been homeschooling Miss L, pretty much non-stop. We didn't have a summer break last year. We've taken off time for the holidays and birthdays and some time when Baby C was born. But even then, I'd sneak in some phonics or some workbook stuff. I had planned on taking the summer off this year, but not until the normal school break--mid June to late August. But I just couldn't handle another day of it.

We have been on "summer vacation" for only two days---and it has been heavenly. In the past when we've had time off from school, we've been traveling, or I've done record keeping or researched curriculum. And I always had this guilty thought in the back of my mind, telling me that we should keep moving forward with school. I've never really shoved school aside completely, until this week. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I cannot believe the amount of time I have...and the energy I have (even being sick). And I cannot believe how wonderful it has been. I have had time to play with each of my children, cook a healthy dinner, and even do a little deep cleaning. I've had time to lay down in the middle of the day while the younger ones are taking naps--even if it's just for 15 minutes. I have had virtually NO WHINING from Miss A, which is an absolute miracle. And at the end of the day I don't feel guilty for not doing this or that--because I've had time to do it! I could go on and on. It has been so wonderful.

So now what? Let me tell ya, life is so much easier with four when you don't add the dimension of home schooling. I might even be tempted to forget it all together--except that our neighborhood school is ranked 4 out of 10. Yuck. And I think my husband would have a heart-attack if I said I wanted to send our girls to public school. :) So I guess I'll stick it out for another year until we move to AZ, and see what happens then. But let me tell you---I'm gonna ENJOY MY SUMMER VACATION!!!!

Party Time

Miss R turned two years old!!!

The night before her birthday (for a Family Home Evening activity) we all pitched in to help make the cake. This year I decided to do The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I'm not a great cake decorator at all, but I was very happy with the way it turned out.

Since we made it the night before, we had to cover him up--in a cocoon.

Miss R LOVED her cake.

And she loved the attention.

Miss L & Miss A made decorations for the party. Can you tell what they drew?

Miss R received lots of small presents, and some fun things for her baby dolls. She loved everything she received. Here are a few pictures. We tried to capture her excitement, but getting a 2 year old to smile and look at the camera is pretty much impossible.

She has been playing non-stop with her new stroller. It's so fun to have a girl who will play with dolls. For years our doll stuff has been collecting dust. And of course, now that Miss R is interested in dolls, Miss L & Miss A are too! :)

Happy Birthday Miss R!

My Beautiful Rose

Two years ago I had a very quick (and somewhat traumatic) delivery--ending with the most beautiful result.

It has been such a joy watching her grow from an infant....

to a toddler...

to a beautiful little girl.

It took us 3 days to come up with a name for Rose, and we feel her name fits her perfectly. She is tiny, delicate, and beautiful, but a tough little gal who has survived all the abusing of two older sisters and still holds her own---just like a rose! Happy 2nd Birthday, Rose. We love you!!!

P.S. So much for keeping her anonymous. I just couldn't write this post without using her name. :)

Mother's Day

Well, I've been TERRIBLE at blogging lately. I have composed at least a dozen posts in my head, but have yet to actually put them in writing. :) So today's post will include Mother's Day along with a billion other thoughts I have had in my head lately.

My girls made me these adorable gifts at church today. I LOVE THEM!!! The Primary kids decorated pot holders--so cute AND useful! :) And I love what the nursery did with Miss R. It is so precious!

Miss A's potholder (a picture of mommy & Miss A)

Miss L's potholder

Miss R's handprint. The poem says:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing-

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away

So here's a little handprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

It made me cry. I love my children and I don't take enough time to enjoy them. I often get involved in the planning and organizing side of motherhood and forget to LIVE in the moment. I hope to improve on that this year.

And of course I have to mention my OWN wonderful mother, who taught me EVERYTHING I know. She is such an amazing woman. Shortly after giving birth to Miss L, I realized I will never be as good as my Mom. She continues to be my perfect example. :)

On a completely unrelated note, here are some things I have wanted to post recently.

Miss L: Mom, when I get older I want to be in a show and be on the stage and make people cheer for me.

Mom: Wow! That's sounds like a good idea. Miss A, what do you want to be when you get older?

Miss A: Ummmm, I want to be a MUSKETEER! (thanks Barbie)

Listening to the girls talk in the car--

Miss L: Did you know Hannah Montana is a rock star?

Miss A: Yep.

Miss L: I mean, she is a REAL rock star. She plays the banjo and everything.

Listening to Miss A, playing house--

Miss A: Just a minute, I'm nursting (nursing) my baby.

Three weeks ago we started a TV/movie strike--no television on school days. I have to admit that I have caved on occasion, but my kids haven't watched more than 30 minutes--and it has been an educational show as opposed to Barbie or Disney. I can tell a big difference in our house. My kids are back to spending more time reading and pretending--which I LOVE to see! One morning I woke up to find my kids like this:

It was so nice to find that they had voluntarily brought out books to read instead of putting in a movie. Yeah, we're forming better habits!

Also, we had a near ER visit. Miss R fell and hit the corner of her eye on a picnic table. The picture is kind of washed out. Believe me--it was purple! Poor little girl.

Baby C is growing fast. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. I can't believe how fast time flies when you get old! She continues to be a very relaxed, easy going baby. I just wish she'd sleep better at night. Actually, her Mother's Day gift to me was sleeping 13 hours straight last night! She has never slept that long, and she hasn't slept through the night in months, so it was definitely a NICE night of sleep! She is not very interested in baby food, but she is SLOWLY getting the hang of it. She is also pretty mellow when it comes to reaching and playing with toys. She is getting there---but takes her time.

And last of all, here are some recent pictures I took of the girls. It is pretty much impossible to get one of them all together--so here are some individual shots.

Miss L. Is it just me, or does she look like she's posing for a 80's fashion magazine? haha. When we curl her hair, I have to make it poofy, because it loses it's curl in about 10 minutes. My sweet husband says (in remembrance of Joe Jr.), "Her hair is looking awfully BIG tonight." :)

Sweet Miss A. She was SO excited about the glittery pink headband in her hair. She looks so grown up to me in this picture. I can't believe how much she has matured in the last few months. She's turning into a school girl too fast!

Miss R. It is impossible to get her to look and smile at the same time. And of course she has cheezits in her mouth. This tiny girl eats constantly and still isn't on the growth curve. She will turn two next week and she's still wearing 12-18 month clothes. And check out those curls!!! I LOVE, and I mean LOVE her curls. On a side note, my family is living proof that genetics play a huge part in determining one's metabolic rate. Some people (like my husband and Miss R) are just DANG lucky. :)

And here is Baby C, so proud of herself for sitting alone. She can't wait to crawl--but we're not encouraging it at all. If you're a mom, you know why! haha.