The start of the school year

My computer crashed or semi-crashed about 3 weeks ago, which has left me unable to download or post pictures.  But as the days and weeks are clicking by, I know that so many happenings are slipping by unrecorded, though not unnoticed.  Yesterday as I watched Lucy climb the big stairs up to her classroom with her "Lucy" back pack, water bottle in tow, lifting high legs for every step, marching boldly toward 5 years old, my heart ached a little knowing that this moment will be fleeting.  She is blossoming this year.  She's absolutely loving being in her own CC class.  Mrs. Greer is her tutor and Lucy spends our home days telling me what "her teacher taught her" at CC.  She's been doing her presentations, participating in class, and generally loving every bit of it. What has really amazed us, though, is her sudden drawing ability.  Our first 6 weeks of CC are always focused on drawing during Fine Arts, and Lucy has taken off.  It's delightful to watch her copy and create!  The other day at church, she drew a group of camels having a birthday party (including party hats).  Wasn't it just a few months ago that she was drawing cucumbers in church??  I have also discovered that homeschooling is SO much easier without a baby or toddler.  This is year 7 of homeschooling and year 1 of doing it without a baby or toddler.  I guess life in general is a bit easier without a baby or toddler, but it has been striking as we've started our studies.  My baby participates right along with us and is very capable of doing something else for a while if we need her to.  She has also started her first dance class.  Having 2 little dancers is a stretch for our wallet, but an absolute delight for the girls.  This is the first time Lucy has done her own activity, and she LOVES dance day.  She's doing ballet, tap, and tumbling and eats it up.  And she's still full of entertaining comments -

At 4am:
"Mom!"
I go in, and he tells me she's ready to get up.
Me: "Honey, it's night time.  It's not time to get up yet."
Lucy: "But you're awake!"

Lucy: "What does a 10 year old do to a buffalo?  Kick it, then kill it."

Lucy: "Something you don't know about me is that I don't like cheese at all.  I just like cheese quesadillas and string cheese."

Noelle is thriving in 2nd grade.  This is her first year in CC without me as her tutor.  She was a little sad to start, but it's good her to have Mrs. Green as her tutor this year.  She hardly checks in with me the whole day on Tuesdays as she bops through class, lunch, play time, and Essentials.  She's learning how to be a good friend, consider others feelings and include new kids.  Her arm is loaded down with friendship bracelets that she has made herself.  She recently learned a few techniques and she's loved making these little creations.  Her mouth is still in the cutely chaotic stage of big teeth appearing at various speeds and a display of baby teeth waiting their turn to vacate.  It's been exciting to see some math concepts start to click for her in the last weeks and she's writing in cursive!  She is also loving dance and was so excited to get 3 (!) pairs of new shoes for her class.    

Isaiah is in his element now that CC and school are up and running.  I'm his tutor this year, which has been a fun experience for me.  Those 10-11 year olds are a different beast!  It's taken some adjustment on my part to realize all that these kids are capable of.  But, wow, they are capable of a lot!  Many of these kids have been in CC for a handful of years and they are well equipped for the process.  I think I was most surprised by how easily they all hopped up for presentations.  They all spoke clearly, stood still, made eye contact, and made sense!  My younger classes couldn't hit all of those marks, but I'm struggling to find ways to challenge these big kids.  In the afternoons, Isaiah is now in Essentials, which includes English Grammar and Excellence in Writing.  It was kind of like potty training or walking when we started... If a child is ready, they catch on very easily.  Isaiah was ready and he's hit the ground running.  It means some extra one-on-one time for the 2 of us at home each day as we work through sentence patters & purposes, diagramming sentences, creating key word outlines, and writing paragraphs.  I so appreciate this program!

And Luke and I are surviving the start of the school year.  We had a few big church events we were responsible for at the start of the school year.  Luke started the school year already feeling behind and, while there are great things going on in his classroom, there are plenty of stressors at school that weigh him down.  The heat is wearing me down.  Still in the 90's.  Sigh.  But I can feel the slight hope of fall in the air and I can see 4 red leaves from my kitchen window, and that always gives me an extra boost of energy.  (I'm planning on a "Fabulous Fall Day" this week regardless.  We may just have to turn down the AC and put on sweatshirts for the fun of it.)  With 2 nights of soccer, 2 nights of dance, 1 night of church, late nights for Luke and early mornings for me, we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like.  Yet, we have been able to go out on a few dates to birthday parties and do some co-yardwork.  And we are co-teaching on Mark at church, so we have a little time preparing for that each week!  All in all, life is good.  We are tired.  Days are long and often challenging, but life is sweet and we're thankful to be walking through these days.