Open House

Late afternoon Jackson Elementary had Open House.  It is a time when all the students are invited to come to school, bring their school supplies and meet their teacher.  I saw a really cute gift on pinterest so the kids and I made them to give to their teachers.

We loaded up the backpacks and took the short walk to school!

We first went to Naomi's classroom.

She is truly a girl after my own heart and is SO excited for school to start.  Her teacher was super kind and she has some great kids in her class.  She was very excited to see things on the classroom calendar for her birthday!

Then it was on to Jacob's classroom!  He is going to have two teachers.  He spends the morning with his homeroom teacher and then he will switch classrooms and have his other subjects with the other 5th grade teacher.  We met them both and were so impressed with them.

We cut the last ring off the chain and tomorrow morning is the first day.

Micah started 7th grade today.  His teacher is the best I have ever seen!  Tomorrow morning we have orientation for him and his classes at Port Gardner.  This semester he is taking 7th grade math (I know when I have reached my limit), Middle School Block and Digital Photography.

Back to School is coming...

The other day Naomi and I made this really cute chain to countdown to the first day of school.  She really needs a visual to help her understand when school starts. The picture was taken a few days ago and we are now down to 4 links.  I found the idea on Pinterest and she had fun making it. 

Then on each side of the bus we hung their letters they received from their teachers.  Naomi's is on the right and the purple one is Jacob's on the left.  Naomi's 1st grade teacher is Mrs. Lusier and she has been teaching for 32 years!  Jacob's 5th grade teacher is Ms. Baker.

Yesterday we went back to school shopping.  Darrick had the day off which was a huge help.  We had a bunch of supplies to get and also new socks and underwear for everyone.  It took us a couple of hours and we got it all done.

We have also been working on cleaning up and clearing out our garage.  It has been sadly neglected since we moved in 2 years ago.  It became a dumping ground for all the stuff we didn't know where to put.  Last week Micah and I worked really hard going through all the stuff and cleaning everything up and organizing it to surprise Darrick.

He was really happy.  Now he is doing his part organizing all of his "stuff"-mostly tools.  I will post pictures when he is done!

Mohawk

Jacob has a best buddy and his name is Culver.  They are in the same grade and met when we started attending Port Gardner.  They met in Spanish class.  It seems like since the moment they met they have been stuck to each other like glue.

It is a blessing to me that Culver comes from a Christian home and I adore his mom and love their family.  When we moved from Marysville to Everett we moved really close to Culver.  It takes about 3 minutes in the car to get from our house to theirs.

Jacob and Culver have a lot of similar interests but different personalities.  They are good compliment to each other.  Jacob is crazy and Culver is more grounded.  As Jake's mom, it gives me great comfort to know that he has a friend is his corner that has his head screwed on right.  And Culver's mom appreciates that Jacob helps Culver be silly.

They spend a lot of time together.  It was really hard when we felt God prompting us to have Jacob change schools.  I met with Culver's mom and she encouraged me to follow God's call and we both committed to fostering the boys friendship and to be intentional at getting them together often.  It is easy when you have mutual place, like school, that you see each other every week. 

Jacob and Culver love soccer.  Two years ago they played on the same soccer team.  Then Jacob took a year off to try football.  This year he is playing soccer again and will be on the same team as Culver, as well as a couple of his other buddies from Port Gardner.

When Culver plays soccer he sports a mohawk.  So guess who wanted a mohawk too...Jacob.  So Darrick made it happen.  Here is the before picture.

And here is the after!

Wow! I was a bit shocked.  The sides have grown in a bit more now and I like it much better or maybe I am just getting use to it.

Here is Jacob and Culver at their soccer practice last Thursday.

A year of Growth

First Day of Kindergarten

Last Day of Kindergarten

First Day of 4th Grade

Last Day of 4th Grade

First Day of 6th Grade

Last Day of 6th Grade

Kindergarten Trip to the Zoo

Last week I was able to go on Naomi's class field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo.  They assigned two parents with a group of 4 children.  Here are a few pictures from the day!

Riding the Bus!

Our Group

Watching the Penguins

Check out the size of that Boa Constrictor!

Who's watching who?

Such a fun day!

Catching up

Our Internet went cuckoo last week and it would not work properly.  They could not send a technician out until Friday.  So now that it is fixed and we are back online I will catch you up on our week last week!

Tuesday I had another ultrasound.  The doctor wanted to check on things and see if there have been any changes.  First they did it from the outside then there was a special wand that had to be inserted, I will let you figure out where, and they also took pictures that way.  I also went to the produce stand and bought all this for only $33!

Wednesday  We attended Naomi's Kindergarten Potluck at Forest Park.  We brought an awesome salad from out garden.  We were able to meet some new families.  But the highlight was meeting a mom who had great dreadlocks in her hair.  I felt a bit nervous, wondering what she would think of Naomi's dreads.  But she said they looked great!  Another bonus was that she does dreadlocks professionally.  So I got her card and she said we could connect.  I have been doing my best by watching You Tube Videos but it will be so great to have some one on one lessons!

Thursday  We attended Micah's Open House at Port Gardner.  He had some cool projects that he worked on in his classes.  In his Middle School Block Class they studied Medieval Times and in his Science Class they studied Populations and Ecosystems.  Some of the projects below are his own and some he worked on in a group.

Comic Micah made about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Shield he made that represent him

What his group knew about Medieval times before they studied it

What his group knew about Medieval times after they studied it

Micah's Illuminated Manuscript

His Group's Medieval Manor

Food Web of Mono Lake

Micah's Self sustaining Ecosystem

 

 

 

Jacob's Field Trip

 Yesterday I went on a Field Trip with Jacob's class to Silverlake.  The goal of the field trip was team building and water safety.  Being a teacher myself, I have been on a lot of field trips and this was a really good one.  The first thing we did was ride the bus to Silverlake.  Jake was my partner.  It was about a 20 minute drive.

 I have never been to Silverlake, even though it is really close to our house.  It was really pretty.  In the summer they have a beach that you can swim at and some nice playgrounds.  I think it would be a great place to take the kids this summer!  The first thing our group did was a challenge course.  It took our group working together to complete each task.

 Then we went on to water safety.  The kids learned all about life jackets and how to have the right fit.  Then they learned about canoeing.  They had to practice their strokes on the dock before they got to try the real thing.

 I was not planning on riding in a canoe but Jacob wanted me to, so I did.  I sat in the middle and Jake sat on one end and his partner was at the other.

 The kids did pretty good but there was a lot of bumper boats going on...

 The next activity was survival skills.  Somehow I was picked to be the injured person and the kids had to carry me on a stretcher.  This was my view:

 It was actually scary.  I could not tell where we were going and I was scared the kids might drop me.  The came close a few times when someone could not hold up their end.

 Once we reached our destination we had to pick the best supplies, from a list, to help us survive.  It was fun.  At different times through out the day, I had my own group of kids.  I loved it and it warmed my teacher heart.  I just love kids and teaching them and interacting with them.  It was a great time.

Jacob's first day

Yesterday was hard.  Darrick stayed home from work so we could both take Jacob on his first morning.  I was SO anxious and nervous but he seemed okay.  As we walked to school he was quiet. 

When we arrived we went to the office and found out who his teacher would be and that he was in a 4th/5th combination class.  I found that interesting since I was in combination classes 4th-6th grade.  As the principal walked us to his classroom, there were many teachers for him to meet-music teacher, computer, PE teacher.  He found out that he would be having PE so that was a plus-he loves PE.  When we arrived at his classroom, the teacher was not there so we said we would wait while the principal went about her routine.  The kids were all lined up outside.  So we waited.

He started to get tears in his eyes and said he wanted to go back home, he wasn't ready.  It took everything in me to hold it together.  I wanted to hug him tightly and say "You're right, let's go back home!"  But Darrick and I encouraged him, told him we were so proud of him, hugged him and said he could do it.

The kids and the teacher all came a few minutes later.  Right away the teacher introduced him to his buddy for the day.This kid was a crack-up!  Have you ever seen the Princess Bride?  You know the guy who introduces himself with the long Spanish name...well that was just how this kid was.  He said "Hello.  My name is ________.  I am 10 years old and in the 5th grade, but I will not pick on you."  Jacob smiled and went into the classroom. 

I didn't want to leave.  I wanted to stay and make sure he would be okay.  I wanted to sit next to him and make sure he understood everything.  But I didn't.  After we gave the teacher his classroom supplies, we left.  Once we were out of Jacob's sight, I burst into tears and I cried all the way home.  It was so hard.

Thankfully I had a project to work on.  We are working on Naomi's room-getting it ready for a sister! (Pictures of the room soon!)  So I painted all day yesterday...and all day I thought about Jake and prayed for him.

I could hardly wait at the end of the day to pick him up and make sure he was okay.  He liked it and he had a good day.  He really liked his teacher and said she was very kind.  He loved PE.  He said he sat by some kids at lunch that had potty mouths which he didn't like.  The good thing was that he said he wanted to go back. Whew!

Making Hard Choices

I am very passionate about being a mom.  It is not a task I take lightly.  If I look at myself honestly, some days I am an awesome mom and some days I am a not so awesome mom.

I became a mom 12 years ago with the birth of our first born son.  Then we lost a child through a miscarriage, which brought me heartache like I had never known.  Then we were blessed with our second born.  The third time I became a mom was through adoption.  It has tested my skills as a mom and showed me sides of myself I never knew existed-good and bad.  Now I am hoping to become a mom a fourth time, to a child out there waiting to be adopted.

I have grown so much as a mom in those 12 years, it amazes me.  But what amazes me more is how much I am still growing and changing.  God is so patient and gracious and has guided me and shaped me through parenting my children.

And sometimes we just have to make hard choices.  The past year God has really been stretching me and it has been very uncomfortable.  I have cried and fought Him and even said "No!".  But then I am humbly reminded that these are not my children but His.

Right now we are having to make a hard choice.  Four years ago when we moved from Hawaii to Washington, God called me to home school the boys.  I was dead set against it but God softened my heart and I followed (dragging my heels at times).  But I am the first to say I was wrong.  I fell in love with it and wished we had done it sooner.  I became 100% pro home school!

Most of you know, but if you don't, when our daughter turned three, we moved to Washington and not long after that Darrick was deployed for 13 months.  These events triggered memories of her abusive past and it came out in violent rages, fits and abuse.  Only by the grace of God, amazing counselors at Bethany, and time (3 years) were we able to work through it.  We are no way out of the woods, but she is a child of God and He is healing her and we are loving her and supporting her along the way.

But I was worried...how am I going to home school this child?  By herself would be challenge enough, but with 2 other kids?  I struggled...we are a home schooling family...this is what God has called us to...this is what we do...but deep in my soul I was conflicted.

One of my closest friends, invited me to attend an adoptive parents conference called Refresh.  It was there that I first heard of Lisa Qualls.  She spoke directly to my inner thoughts and I couldn't help but weep.  My friend put her arms around me, knowing my conflict and hearing the words being spoken.  They were meant for me.  Lisa had birth children and adopted children. Some she home schooled and some went to traditional school...and it was ok to do different things for different kids.  I spoke with her afterwards and told her how much her words meant to me.  (I was able to reconnect with her at this years Refresh conference and give her an update).

It took a long while for me to come to peace with it but this school year our daughter started kindergarten at the local public school and she is doing AMAZING! It has been so good for all of us.  And I thought that was that, the boys are home schooled, our daughter goes to school, we're good...until recently...

 In December I became really sick and home schooling has become a challenge.  Our oldest is motivated and independent, easy.  Our second-not so much-by no fault of his own, just different personalities.  In light of recent health news and a possible surgery, Darrick and I knew we had a hard choice to make.  I met God on the wrestling mat and we have been going at it.  Why do I think I know what is best?  Pride, selfishness, stubbornness...I want to home school him, but God is saying not right now.  How can I accept that and deal with it?  Well, all I can say, through tears as I write this, I AM TRYING.

I finally went to my husband and asked him, as head of our family, if this is what he believes God wants us to do and he said Yes.  It was at that moment I decided to let go and trust him and God.

So tomorrow morning at 9:15 am our guy starts 4th grade and I will be walking him to school in faith, that my God loves me and my son more than I know.