Our First Day of School, Homeschool

Today was Stevie's first day of preschool....at home.  At this point in time, we have decided not to go the regular preschool route.  I may or may not write about our reasons, but if you're really interested, I'd be glad to talk or email about them, so just leave a comment.  Anyway, I decided to do some of the regular first day things because we'd do them if he were going somewhere else, so why not do them here too?  I wanted his picture, we had a pancake breakfast, I still need to trace his hand (put it on a ring and do it every year to see how he grows), and...we had to make an emergency milk run to Wegmans.  Oh well.

In case anyone would find what we're doing useful, I thought I'd post what our school day generally looked like.  Stevie's 3, so it was short and to the point.  We're only doing 2 planned days a week right now with a few extra activities sprinkled in through the week.  Afterall, learning takes place all day on a variety of topics....so I don't need to press the seat work too much at this time. I am also trying to be conscious of his weekly therapies...and those demands on his little self...he needs time to play and be a 3 year old boy too.

Our little school room:

Ok, nuts and bolts:

We began with morning prayer.  Then we did the weather chart: looking out the window, singing "What's the Weather?", and spinning the wheel to match the weather.  The calendar was next, which Stevie loves from Sunday School.  We used an unsharpened pencil for a pointer today.

Next month, the calendar will be filled in for each day, but we're only technically doing 2 days this week, so I decided to just do the final week in August until September.

Then we moved to our pockets.  Stevie liked this!  

We are going through the alphabet for most of the year, one letter a week. Stevie only knows a few letters, so I wanted to do some basics.  (He struggled so much with speech and saying nouns for his needs, like milk, that abc's were certainly not on our radar.)  So, in the left pocket, is a letter A flash card from the Dollar Tree (the pocket envelopes and many posters are from there too).  I loved the crispness of them and the realistic photos instead of cartoons that are hard to distinguish.  Stevie was able to pull the card out and tell me it was an "apple."  We talked about how apple starts with A....super brief phonics...and how A is the letter of the week...showing him the A's on the flash card.  (I also liked how they highlight the beginning letter of apple...you will see in the pocket chart.). 

I then told Stevie to take the sticks out of the envelope on the right.  One has "A" friends and families (cousin Abby for example) and one has our A verse, "All things were made by Him." John 1:3.  We talked about how we'll pray for the A's during prayer time.  Then he repeated the verse broken up after me, as I did simple motions.  He's never been into the motions, but I will keep plugging away because they help for memorizing the verses.  I used the big craft sticks...instead of paper or whatever, so that when we have finished our A week, they will be placed in the little black pail shown on top of the bookshelf ($1 in Target dollar bins).  When they are inevitably carried off or pulled out (by Miss Lydia or intentionally by us), we can review our verses and remember the A people in prayer again...as well as whatever other letter sticks may get pulled as time goes on.  

Then while on our blanket, we read about God's creation to go with our verse...and God creating Adam (A) and Eve.

We repeated our verse and moved to the table with our A box...and A sticks and flash card.  The craft sticks and card were put in the pocket chart.

Inside the A box were items we had on hand and colored pictures from a phonics teaching book I had.  He was free to explore the things, saying what they were, and I would say "a, a, apple, apple starts with a."  He repeated.  He loved the box...obviously recognizing some toys, but he thought it was fun, taking them out and setting them up on the table.  We talked about how God made the apple, acorn, ant, etc.  All of the pictures went into the pocket chart ($1 at Target in their seasonal dollar bins...I also got a super cute apple pocket chart for a dollar at a garage sale...wahoo!).

The black A on the outside of the A box is a bulletin board die cut letter from a pack at the Dollar Tree, and the blue foam A is from a foam abc puzzle from the Dollar Tree (umm, I love that store).  The additional letters from the pack and puzzle will be used each week in the box and for other letter activities!  Getting our money's worth!  I put the toys and A objects back in the box...but since school time, Stevie and Lydia keep diving in because they love it.  I would like to have it for review on Thursday and through the week...we'll see, haha.

Then we made our A craft, the alligator, with music playing.  This craft idea is from here:

After the craft, we moved back to the blanket with our A friends stick and closed our school day with prayer, including the A friends.

Stevie really wanted to do more, so then I set up the painter's tape A on the floor for him to drive his trains on.  Sort of a pre-writing skill and extra emphasis on our A theme.

I will probably have similar activities and sensory play things for the end of our time if he wants to keep going.  I think he just really soaked up my attention and wanted more (Lydia was napping).  He didn't have therapy today either, so he had more brain "steam" and energy.  We also already had snack before we began...just due to the time we can start (around 9:45 or 10am)...again dodging therapy sessions and trying to coincide with Lydia's nap...as long as she will. :)
Basically, the plan is for Day 2 of the week (Thursdays) to be a repeat...but the book will be about apples (the basket on the floor contains all A books, ours and from the library, and Stevie's Bible).  I will do another post after that day to show our project and "stuff."  That is also our basic schedule for the rest of the abc's.  We'll have a new verse, Bible focus, craft, pre-writing practice, and extras for each letter.

The sprinkled activities (that happen outside of our "classroom time") planned are: nature walks to find things God made, looking at apples inside and out (cut open) and eating them, watching a movie about airplanes from the library...probably more times than I can count, reading extra library A books, reviewing our memory verse each day, and praying for A friends...as well as making a note or picture for them to let them know we love them and prayed for them.  Obviously, throughout our day there are unplanned teaching moments too. :)

That's our plan for the next 26 weeks in a nutshell, haha.  Sorry for being long winded...just didn't know if other people would be interested.  At the end of those weeks, my general plan is to move into counting with Creation and colors with the Fruit of the Spirit, which will end our "school year."  We'll see!

Still smiling after day 1! I need to print this picture...because it shows exactly how I want our mother-son relationship to be!

Vacation #2

We had the best week last week at a family camp. I grew up going to this camp, and I dreamed of bringing my kids there. Check!

We had such a good time...sure, it could've been longer, Matt could've had time off from work to spend the whole week with us, and Lydia could've kept her cute chubby hands out of the toilet a few more times, but our time there was so worth it. We really needed that family time.

 Stevie would sum up his favorites this way:
*The hayride...well, the tractor
*Ice cream
*His 3-5 yr old class...he was SO excited to go every day! (I am SO proud of him! I cried picking him up the first day because 6 months ago I was worried sick about how he would do and how it would go with him in class. He's come so far, he played with other kids, and didnt want to leave every day!) *The playground
*Going down to see the water
*Ice Cream...that boy is his father's kid

Lydia would sum up her week this way:
*Swishing in the toilet
*Playing peekabo with the cute girl in the mirror in their bedroom
*Getting bumps and bruises
*Throwing cup and toys in the many trash cans throughout the cabin
*Wrestling in Mommy's arms or the front pack for every chapel and class while Mommy hoped I would sleep. I gave in a few times.
*Greeting everyone with a smile and a runny nose.

We had a good time, but I was so tired. My arms were physically sore from holding ...restraining?...Lydia every morning and evening for 1-2 hours. We also had nasty colds...great timing. By midweek, we started skipping morning chapels. This Mom needed arms for the rest of the day, especially with Matt working. We all had better mornings after that, haha. Yeah, they had nursery, but the morning time was nap time for her and so I'd rather hope she gets a little nap, and I hear something in the lesson time, than stay at the cabin missing everything while she napped. I wasn't ready to go a week of her missing that morning nap!

 We had a great time connecting with old friends, and I enjoyed the snack bar goodies after the kids went to sleep!! I just can't say enough about what a good week it was for Stevie. He just plain thrived in that environment! And unfortunately, the pictures we took just don't capture the enthusiasm he had for everything, and we forgot the camera for the hayride...oh well. It was a rough week for Lydia on the other hand, haha, but it can be tough being 15 months. She still had a good time overall, and I'm sure next year will be even better for her.  She sure had a blast checking everything out in the cabin and outside!  None of us wanted to leave and really hope to be able to go again next year!

Dear David,

My dear David Zephaniah, I love you.

 I never knew I'd have a David Zephaniah. Your name was never considered until I needed it, until I needed you...until you were slipping through my fingers. I never knew I would be writing to you and not know if you'll ever see these words. Maybe there are pockets or treasure boxes in heaven for words and prayers of a mother to her children. Even boys in heaven could use pockets! Ok, so you may not have pockets to hold my letters, but I know my God can write it on your heart.

I have so much to tell you that I want you to know. You see, even your name is so special to me, and I don't often call you David. You are my Zephie, my Zeph. (And if you are my little lady, in fact, be patient with Mama, and I will find a more fitting feminine name...but I love you the same.) Zephaniah means treasure of God. I cry because you are my treasure, but God has you in the palm of His hand as his dear child too. You are my baby in heaven, still being formed by our loving Creator, or sitting on the lap of a loved one, or zooming through the fields with the rest of the children. I don't really know how all of this works. Part of me aches even harder not knowing, but through it all, I know you are being perfectly cared for, and I rest in Him, as He carries us both.

I poured through names on July 8th as I feared the worst. I feared I wouldn't see your precious face here, I wouldn't hold your little hand, and I wouldn't kiss your sweet head.

 I found Zephaniah.

 I found God's treasure.

 I found you.

I scanned below the meaning of God's treasure, still recovering my breath, recovering from finding your name so perfectly. And as I did, the love in my heart, the sadness and fear, and the praise to our mighty and loving God mixed together in salty tears pouring down my cheeks...as I read the verse that accompanies your name. The verse for your name spoke volumes to your Mommy, and I know God knew your name long before I did: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:19-21)

Immediately, I knew that Zephaniah was your name, part of it anyway. That verse, so old to me in many ways, had such new life...and summed up my everything. I have no need to worry over you (yes this Mom can be a pretty good worrier). No death or pain...or rotten mothering days... can ever touch you again. You have been saved!

And oh how my heart is with you, my treasure. You see, I have prayed for my children, for their hearts, long before I was ever a Mom, long before I was ever a wife. God has answered my prayer for you, Zeph. He has never let you go...even if this wasn't the way I'd always hoped or dreamed. My heart is not only with you in heaven, but with Daddy, Stevie, and Lydia here on earth, and their eternal souls. I pray fervently that we all will be together one day.

Your first name is David. That's what we call you around here most because, silly or not, it's a more common name in this world. But I laugh, because I'm sure Zephaniah is nothing in heaven when it comes to crazy names...so there, you are my Zeph. David was specially chosen though because it means beloved. It is also a family name, and you will forever be a part of this family. You are wanted, you are special, you are dearly loved! And now, you are part of an even greater family. You have been taken in as a child of the King! ("How great is the Love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God!" 1 John 3:1) I think that's one thing I struggle with most. I want everyone to know you. You are my dearly loved child, even though you will never share our earthly home. People can't see you...but I know you're there...you are a life, though only weeks with us, you are a life that matters!

I'm working on your name plaque to add to our family one. Your name will have two stars, one on each side of your name, instead of just one. One star for your life with us, and one star for your eternal life in heaven.

We talk about you often with your brother and sister. Stevie smiles and repeats, "David." Before it was confirmed I was pregnant with you, Lydia began lifting up my shirt to touch my belly. I remember Stevie had done that exact thing when I was early pregnant with Lydia too. Only, she still pats and rubs me, and I feel so empty because I wish you were there. You are so special to us, and we hope you are helping them know how much we love each of them because you echo in my heart and in my days, that

life
is
precious.

You remind me of what's truly important...my children and where they will spend eternity. I have no other treasures I want...my family, and altogether as one in heaven, praising Jesus. You have brought me closer to the heart of God in that as well, because I know that is His desire..."not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9b

Your little life has broken me, has taught me, has renewed me, has instilled a greater trust in our heavenly Father, has brought me peace. Only a treasure created by the hand of God can do that, Zeph. Have a great time, learn lots, and be patient for us. Save some walks so I can hold your hand, and you can tell me all of the wonderful things you've learned and experienced by Jesus' side, and I will kiss your head and share of all He's done for us. Remember, you are always and dearly...and now perfectly, loved.

Love always and through forever,
Mom


David Zephaniah
*July 9, 2012*

Dear Stephen,

Tonight I kissed you and said good night to my 2 year old little boy. Tomorrow, we practice saying you're 3!! I just can't believe it. It's a little hard for me to lose my baby boy, but I'm so excited and so proud of my 3 year old!

 Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, anything chocolate (with chocolate chips especially), pancakes and eggs. You still like cows, and fish (like "Nemo fish") and turtles...and puppies. Trains (Thomas), trucks, and tractors occupy much of your indoor time...and yes, basketball still too.  Outdoors, you are in love with your bike that you pedal with one foot and the slide (more the fort on top of the slide...you feel so big and proud up there). You also love to run or bike on the trail by our house. You still request "Holy, Holy, Holy", and now "The Wheels on the Bus," the Fire truck song, and "Rockin My Soul" (in the bosom of Abraham), haha, you like a little soul in your music! Your favorite books are your Bible (you often request to read from it before naps), "When the Relatives Came," and any books with trucks or trains.

You have befriended the older girls in church and are showing such love and sweetness toward other babies. You've become quite the strong gentleman, loving to open the car door or house door for Mommy and Lydia. You are learning to share and often offer Lydia some of your snack or blocks all on your own.

Yesterday, you gave me a special treat. Lydia was tired and fussy, so I asked if she wanted to snuggle. You answered for yourself saying "yes" and hopped up on the couch next to me and sat with me. I told you how special that was and how much I love being with you. It's not so often you like to sit close, so I soak it in. The three of us even sat together close for oh, 3.5 seconds, until Lydia was off being busy. 

Stephen, I don't ever want you to wonder how much I love you. I love you so much! Being your Mom (and Lydia's too) is what I'm most proud of. There's no place I'd rather be than with you two and Daddy.

One of my verses for you this year, is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Each month your confidence is growing, and it is a joy to watch. God has wonderful, incredible plans for you. You aren't going to be able to do it on your own. None of us can, but with God, all things are possible!! He has already done so much through you in 3 years. You are such a gift. You can rest in Him knowing He has what's best for you in mind, He knows all about you, and He gives you the strength and ALL you need for life and godliness. What a perfect plan He has, He is, in that I can rest in that too...as your loving and protective Mom that wishes nothing but the best for you.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Stevie!!!

Love always and with a kiss,
Mommy

Dear Stephen, You are growing up and making so much progress in your speech and the way you play with others, friends, cousins, and children we don't know. Daddy was out of work for a time recently, and it was hard on Mommy and Daddy, but during that time you seemed to take off. One of our verses we had been working on was just what Mommy needed to be reminded of frequently, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). You don't say much yet or repeat much yet during verse time, but you get a big smile and sometimes will say "good" after me with the big thumbs up sign we make to help us remember. We may never know exactly what God was up to last month, but Mommy and Grandma have one shared hunch, that it was just the right time for you to have extra Daddy time. Maybe it was just what you needed to launch you to where you've come. We sure would endure it again for you if we needed to. Daddy was able to see you in action in your Speech and OT sessions, play with you in Kids Gym, and share your love of planes, trains, and helicopters that much more during the day. I'm so glad he was able to witness your relationship with Mrs. Drew, who we see after Kids Gym each week. Adults can be difficult for you, especially adults you don't know well. But from the first time you met Mrs. Drew, you loved her. Of course, she gives you cool stamps on each hand, but you talk with her and say goodbye. For Easter, you made her a special card with stamps all over it to thank her. That week, you ran to her desk and handed her the card yourself. I know what a big deal that was, Stevie. I was so incredibly proud of you. I know how special she is. I stood there with astonished tears in my eyes... It's as if Mrs. Drew can just reach inisde you and find the real you in there...she brings out the best in you, the most genuine little boy I know. You feel comfortable and safe with her. It's such a treasure. Mrs. Drew is a pure gift from God in our lives. You really enjoyed your first trip to the children's museum, and even interacted with some other children. It was such a fun family day, and all that mechanical stuff was right up your alley. You're so much like Daddy in that! Today, you wanted the phone. I always ask if you would like to call anyone, but you don't. Today, however, I asked if you'd like to call Grandpa. You got so excited, and said, "ok!" Well, you talked and talked and talked (and listened too). You talked with Grandpa, Grandma, Annabeth, and maybe others I don't know. You ended them with "love you too, bye.". This is so big, Stevie,.so, so big for you. Grandma told you that you made her day by calling, and you said, "ok" haha. You cried when I talked with Grandma because you wanted to keep talking. Poor Grandma had to get some things done, but she loves you so so much, she kept talking and at the end, you were satisfied and hung up the phone yourself. You must've talked for a good 20 minutes! You are just growing up so much. We pray you continue to grow in courage and strength to keep trying and keep persevering. We're so proud of you! Last weekend, I made a rough list of your vocabulary these days. You have over 200 words and are mimicking so many more and using phrases and sentences sometimes. You were even trying to play out your own Thomas the train story like you see other boys online do this week. In October, you only had 30 inconsistent words. All I have are tears of joy and thanks and praise to God for how far you've come. You're working hard and doing so well. I love you so much, Stephen Matthew. I'm so thankful to be your Mom. Love always and with a kiss, Mom

1 Year

Precious Lydia, You are 1 year old!! My baby is shedding her baby-ness and growing into a beatiful little girl. It's taking me a bit by surprise, you growing up. I'm absolutely loving it though. You will always be my baby, but I'm so excited to have you as my little girl too. I catch you following me around the house and pulling up to stand near me, and I realize you want to be doing what Mommy's doing, and it's so brand new to me to see your girlyness after your big brother's boyishness. You love faces and baby dolls and playing with little kitchen sets other places. It melts my heart to see the girly and loving play. You hug your babies and stuffed friends so cuddly and lovingly. You make Mommy feel so good...and you make me giggle...every time I read to you, you look at me instead of the pages, fascinated by the story I'm telling/reading and smiling like it's the best thing ever! You now have 6 words. Hi, bye, Daddy, duck, ball, and Amen. Each one cracks me up. The hi and bye because of your social personality. Yesterday on our errands, your little voice rang through the van over and over,."bye. Bye. bye." Stevie got a kick out of it and joined in too. The Daddy because you say it all the time and look just like him. The duck because it's the duck from Wonder Pets, a pass down from Stevie that you like to nap with...and it's just too funny. Ball is a typical early word, but it's also your word for anything kinda round like all those plastic Easter eggs. The Amen because you interrupt our prayers frequently. You are a girl ready to eat at all times! Your first cupcake at your birthday party, you ate in probably 15 seconds flat. Yes, the whole thing. I only got like 2 pictures. Cupcakes are probably now your favorite food (Stevie requested them for breakfast the day after your party too), but there isn't much food you won't eat. You make a quick trip to Stevie's snack or drink as soon as he leaves any behind, or even before he does. Yes, you are very fast. You are able to stand on your own..you have since you turned 11 months and have taken a couple of steps but still prefer to crawl. You love to walk with the push toy (for over a month now) and now your little doll buggy we got your for your birthday. The extra bag of brown sugar we stuff under your baby to help weigh it down and hve less tipping incidences doesn't seem to bother you so much either. You like to join right in with whatever Stevie's doing or playing with. We're working on smoother and more joyful and selfless interactions in that area, mmhmm. Mostly, you two enjoy each other very much, even often in wrestling on the floor. You are a determined little lady. After refusing to take your morning nap ths morning, Mommy decided to try plan b. I got out the air mattress and we had family time with Nemo. You just wanted to crawl and play...but the bottle won you over to the sleepy side, and I enjoyed snuggling with you...as Stevie bounced and crashed into us. Your smiles, your giggles, and your sweet girly voice add so much joy and specialness to each day. I love to see you in your little dresses or your little jeans. You've been sporting one tiny pigtail for a couple of weeks, or sometimes a frilly hairclip. Your hair is growing and Mommy's excited for the ponytails and braids that await you. No matter how long your hair is or what you're wearing, you're our precious princess. We love you so much and can't wait to see what each day of this year will bring with our 1 year old. Happy Birthday, Lydia!! Love always and with a kiss, Mom

2 Month Catch Up

It's been 2 months since my last post, and apparently so long, I have no idea what I'm doing on blogger...or my tablet for that matter. It wants to type this in Spanish. So, all the words not in the Spanish vocabulary are underlined as misspelled. Fun. Yes, typing on a tablet is just as much fun. We've had an intersting couple of months. We have a tablet because our little Lydia did a number on our laptop we could not save. Matt was unemployed for that time... 5 weeks maybe, so we couldn't just go out and buy another laptop even though we had the bottom of the line before. We got one of the bottom of the line tablets instead because you just can't do job searches without internet. We aren't fancy folks with fancy phones with those capabilities. I cried a fair bit about the broken computer deal, Matt not having a job, and my baby girl's 1st birthday approaching and ending...and how they were tied in together emotionally for me. I just don't know if I'm ready to get into all that and what a difficult time it was for me...for us. We are still in a difficult season in many regards. Though things didn't turn out (or haven't yet) the way I hoped and prayed, we still were and are blessed. So to explain the blessed maybe I will share a little. I don't think I have any readers left anyway, haha. This might sound a little petty or silly, but it is what it is...where I was. Easter was coming, Matt had been out of work for a bit at that time, and Lydia desperately needed some little dresses for church. In the grand scheme of things of course it's not that important.. But this was my little girl's first Easter at church (she was 1 day old in the hospital for her first one), and I ached to get her a little Easter dress. I'm not so frilly. So this is silly, but it was true. I didn't want to put her in one of her winter jumpers she was outgrowing. I cried because I just couldn't. That's when cousin Megan came swoopong in with some of Nicole's dresses to borrow...really cute dresses! Well, Lydia didn't wear one of those on Easter. My mom ended up getting her one and some shoes too. The kids looked cute, Stevie in his outfit from Uncle Andy's wedding and Lydia in her new dress. Unfortunately, the fog of stress seemed to be thickest for us that day, and it's one we'd rather forget. Fast forward to Lydia's birthday weekend, and she wore one of those Nicole dresses and looked so cute. I was so thankful to have a cute dress for her to wear to church the weekend before her birthday. Her birthday came, and simple outfits and fancy dresses have come pouring in from extended family members!! All of the cousins, and my mom who got her dresses probably have no idea what a blessing it's been...well, my mom probably has an idea. God provided when I couldn't for Lydia's needs...and even my wamts. To wrap this up, Matt is working again, and we are thankful for his job, but we're continuing to pray for something he would be more happy with. Ironically, the military might be in our future again in some capacity. We will see.