Life Lately- March 2011

I am so sorry that I have been neglecting our family blog. If you are ever wondering what is going on with us, you can always check out Baby Gator University. I update the homeschool blog weekly because that is how I keep our records.

So...what is new with us??

Family

• I am in awe that it has been a year since we found out that we would be relocating to Georgia. In someways it feels like a lifetime ago, in other ways, it feels like yesterday.
• We are still plugging away at our debt- sticking to the Dave Ramsey plan (sorry, I need to update the ticker). It is HARD! I think the biggest change for us has been eating out- which we don't do anymore. Mike and I both are couponing like crazy. Mike is still working Saturday mornings and one night a week. Although this continues to be a struggle, we can see God working through us.
• We have finally found a church!! Wow, was this a struggle. Our new church is nothing like I expected we would be called to. I tried so hard to find another "Colonial Heights" (our much loved and missed church in Mississippi) in Georgia but that is not what God intended for us. In just the past 3 months, I have seen the whole family grow so much in the Lord. We feel so blessed!
  

Micah

• I can't believe that he turned 15 months old this week!
• He is walking everywhere now. He tries so hard to keep up with his big brothers.
• Micah has absolutely no fear. This drives mommy crazy ;-) He will climb right up to the top of the playground equipment and attempt to go down the big slide- HEAD first. If you ever need a laugh, find us at the park one morning and watch me fitting down all these tiny slides, ha ha! The park is most certainly not a relaxing experience for mommy anymore.
  
• Until recently, he had been a quiet little guy. Now, he is constantly squealing and "talking".
• He is all "big boy" now and no longer eats any baby food or takes a bottle. He has never taken a paci, sucked his thumb, or been attached to a "blankie". I kind of wish we had a touch of baby to hold onto :-(
• Micah also reminds us of Caleb in that he is not a big snuggler. He never wants to be rocked. He is so independent already, boo hoo!
  
• He is such a joy and we love him so much!
  

Jonah

• Jonah is our "snuggle bear"! He just loves to cuddle up and read a book with whoever has the time.
  
• He has a smile that can just brighten your day!!
• His favorite things right now are: snack time, reading books before nap time, the cartoon "Little Einsteins", and playing with his big brother.
• Being a little brother, Jonah has completely skipped the "Thomas the Train" stage and moved right into playing "Star Wars". Poor little guy, somehow he always gets stuck being Darth Vader, ha ha!
• Even though he is one of our most sensitive boys he is still very much in the two year old tantrum stage. Many days he finds himself in Mommy and Daddy's room for time out just so the rest of us don't have to hear it ;-)
  
• Jonah absolutely LOVES school time! He has already met and exceeded my goals for him this year. His favorite thing to do is sing his ABC's and count.
  

Caleb

• Seriously this kid amazes me! I love homeschooling him and he is just a joy to teach. I think he has read more books during his first grade year than I read throughout all of elementary school (even ones that I hadn't read until 5th grade or later).
• Many days, Caleb is too "smart" for his own good! Right along with the 3Rs, each day we are working on character training. Caleb is continually working on: respect, obedience, self control, kindness, and gentleness.
• Several times a day,completely out of the blue, I hear: "Mom, I love you". UGH! He is so sweet!
  
• It is just a joy to watch him be a big brother (most of the time).
  
• He LOVES all things Legos and Star Wars.
• Caleb's best friends are Jonah and the little boy next door.
• He is growing up so fast and every time I look at that toothless smile, I am reminded of that fact :-(
  

Six boys, 6 years-old and under!

• The first week in March, we had a wonderful visit from the Wells brothers.
  
• Seriously it was a perfect visit! The boys got along SO well and had so much fun playing together.
  
• I can't help but think that there is a reason that God blessed each of our families with 3 boys all of similar ages AND called each of us to homeschooling (with us being quite a surprise)!! I pray that we will one day live closer ;-)
  

Spring has sprung!

• We have been enjoying our first spring in Georgia. It is so beautiful!
• One Sunday after church, we had a great visit to the Atlanta Zoo.

Homeschooling

• Like I mentioned before, you can always visit our homeschool blog to see specifics on what we are doing but I couldn't do a family post without talking about it. Homeschooling has become an everyday part of our life and I LOVE it!
• Just because I love it, doesn't mean that it is perfect. Like almost everything else in our life, it is a lot of hard work! Most days I struggle with wanting a break from the boys but I am always reminding myself that God called me to this and He will equip me for it.
  
• I am in the process of swapping the playroom ("formal dinning room" off of the kitchen) and the classroom (upstairs "bonus room"). I needed the classroom to be closer to the heart of the house ;-)
• I took these pictures this week in our messy classroom. These pictures of my boys learning and playing together are great reminders of one of the reasons I wanted to homeschool in the first place.
  

Until next time!