Elle Turns Two!

It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since that beautiful day in Flagstaff, Arizona when our family was completed with precious Elliotte Cathryn. It has gone fast, yet we've done more things than I ever thought possible in two years.

How could life have ever been without our Elle-girl? Could we have ever imagined how wonderfully sweet and delightfully charming she would be? I don't think we would have guessed how hard she'd make us laugh or how deep our love would grow.

Thank You, Lord for two wonder-filled years with this precious gift you have given us. May we have many, many more years with this sweet child. May we honor you as parents and love this child the way you would have us to. May we never forget how blessed we are. We thank You for her.

Seasons

I shouldn't be blogging right now. I have so much I "should" be doing.

(BIG Sigh....) I love this time of year! Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the unexpected coolness in the air and the wind in the trees. I'm just thinking about change and life and a bunch of other things.

I am so thankful that seasons change. We are on the brink of a new season ourselves as we plan to make our way back to my home state of AZ. I am so moved by the good and kind people we have met here. I will miss them so much. They have made us feel very loved and we will never forget them. We've made friends that we will always be in touch with. I am sad that I won't get to watch their children grow like I thought I would. I am sad that I only get to go to one more MOPS meeting. I'm sad that we won't be in our "normal spot" on Sunday mornings after October. I'm sad that I won't be able to visit one of my absolute favorite places in the whole world, Downtown Charleston, whenever I want.

I am excited, though, that my parents will get to see my children grow like they hoped they would. I'm excited to connect with a new (actually my old) community and see how God wants us to serve there. I also am excited to wake up to mountains, open air, cactus and the land I know as home. I am trusting that God wouldn't ask us to give up so much great stuff here if He didn't have something somehow better planned there. I realize it's probably not all going to be as I think it "should be". But I trust that it will be good and actually better than my own plans.

I'm getting ready for a new season.

Little Bitty Thing Called the Love Bug

I always thought the love bug was something that existed only in a George Strait song. Found out today that I was wrong. This is how the conversation went in the van after we had just seen two bugs "stuck" together, flying around.

Bryant: "Mom, did you know there is a bug that exists with two bodies and two heads?"
Me: "Oh yeah? Where'd you hear about that?"
Bry: "Claire (his friend) told me about them. She said her parents told her and if they bite you, you'll fall in love."

Caleb and I chuckled in the front seat because he was convinced that this was a particular species of bug with two heads and two bodies and that if it bit him, he'd fall in love.

Later this evening DJ brought up the subject again and said:
"If you get bit by a love bug, you'll fall down in love!"

So keep an eye out for those love bugs and be sure not to get bit by one of them. First you might fall down and then you'll be in love for at least a year, according to my kids. And for some reason those love bugs tend to only come out during certain seasons. Strange.

Bloggables

The other night Bry was singing one of the songs from The Lion King.
I completed the verse by surprising him and saying:
"Quick before the hyenas come!"
Bryant's response: "Actually, it's hyen-a, Mom."
Caleb confirmed: "He's right there's no s to make it plural."
(Kind of like quail, moose or cactus).
With my feathers ruffled, I said, "Oh yeah, how do you know?"
Caleb: "Jaime, I was a school teacher for 4 years. I know lots of things."
Me: "So what, I AM a school teacher!"
We laughed and I told him that was a bloggable moment.

Then, determined to prove his intelligence on trivial matters, he went on to ask if I knew where the word "blog" came from. He informed me that it came from the term "web log". If you say it fast, you'll hear the word "blog". Good to know in case you're ever on some silly game show like "Are You Smarter Than an Ex-Fifth Grade Teacher".

When I grow up...

A few day's ago I was helping DJ with some preschool work and she said,
"You're a good colorer, Mommy! When you grow up you should be an artist!" Glad to know I still have some marketable skills.

Tonight she was in her room pretending with a mask over her mouth and she said,
"I'm a doctor!".
I happily said, "Yes, you are. You could be a doctor someday, if you wanted to."
Appalled at the belittling thought, she declared,
"No way! When I grow up I'm going to be a ballerina and a superhero."
What was I thinking? Why settle for helping the sick when you can grace the world with your dancing and stun everyone with your heroic powers???

As for home school... Wow! What a blast we're having. Don't get me wrong, it's hard work, but it is so good and so worth it. I'm learning more than I ever dreamed... hopefully the kids are learning some too- ha ha! We're studying Native American Indians right now, which we are all loving. Also, we just read today about the Orphan Trains that were headed up by Charles Brace starting back in the 1850's. What a great idea on his part and such a great true story. Also, we're learning about 4 Spaniards who came to the "new world" to teach the gospel to the Natives and how these Christians healed them of many illnesses. That story is told in the book, " Walk the World's Rim" by Betty Baker. I feel like I'm absorbing so much history and I'm loving it. I think Bry is equally loving it.

We're using a curriculum called "Sonlight" and their motto is The way you wish you were taught, guaranteed. Now that we're doing this thing, I can honestly say, this is definitely the way I wish I were taught. It is simply amazing.

We're also doing phonics with DJ and of course Elle is tagging right along and repeating everything, even though she doesn't really understand it at all. The book, "A Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise totally inspired me to get her reading at age 4. It is so completely possible with only about 15 to 20 minutes of instruction time a day. She is ready and willing, so why not?

So, I've been thinking a lot these days about what I want to be when I grow up... definitely a mommy because in my mind that's the best job in the whole wide world. For now I guess I'll just keep playing school and then I'll decide where to go from there.

Big kid, big fun

Update on Bry... Bryant had a really great summer and now it's back to early bedtimes and more structure. He is growing into such a fun, smart, and kind young man. I can't believe he's half way to driving and almost half way finished with elementary school! He has become a serious book-worm this summer. It's really fun to see him get so excited about his book series. He is a joy in so many ways.

Here are a few pictures of our handsome 3rd grader and some various pics around here.

Fitting both legs into one of Dad's pant legs:








"How come Delainey got the last bagel???"


Everyone is going out and giving Mom some house cleaning time
"Peace out." -Bry

Change My Name to Nancy

For DJ's birthday back in June, one of our good friends bought her the book, "Fancy Nancy". It has become one of our favorites since then. Recently I went into DJ's room to find her kitchen all "fancied up".

Here's the book, which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone with girls or if you just like being fancy:


Here's her kitchen with beads and necklaces strung all over it:


Here's our fancy girl herself(one of them):