Milestone for Jonathan

Nope, not a tooth... Jonathan rolled over today from his back to his tummy. This may not sound like it is worth blogging about, but you can't tell that to my mom! Also, I think Jonathan is going to have the same voice as Daniel! And, I ask you, who's heart wouldn't be melted away by those baby blues?!


Abby had her first day of ballet class today. The classes are at the same place that Abby & Daniel had summer camp. I think she had a really big time. When I picked her up she told me that she definitely wants to go back. Actually, to be exact (we must be accurate whenever Abby is concerned)..."It only lasted like a few minutes, but I still want to go back!"

Oh. Here's some insignificant information but I think you'll understand why I'm including it... Daniel & Abby have discovered a new favorite snack. It is called, (are you ready for this?)...Pirate's Booty! Now, I'm not really sure if they love the way it tastes or if they just have fun saying the name!!

School News

Having a routine is oh so refreshing! We begin each day with breakfast and Bible time. Then we go to the classroom to do the pledge of allegiance and someone says a prayer to get us started. Daniel prayed today that "no one would be hitting each other"! The rest of our school day consists of some workbook pages for writing, reading and math (we have science and art on certain days), also some type of hands-on math activity, then we have storytime. You may remember that we initially ran into a bit of a problem with storytime... there was no rug. Well, there is a solution to every problem. We now have our storytime blanket which we spread out on the floor every day just for storytime. Only the students (Abby & Daniel, and sometimes Jonathan) are allowed to sit on the blanket. The teacher must sit in the chair. Oh, did I mention that the blanket must be perfectly laid out, no wrinkles (per Abby's instruction). Anyway, after story we move on to playtime while Mommy prepares the cafeteria for the students. There is usually a little more playtime or recess outside and then comes my favorite part of the day... QUIET TIME!! Everyone goes to their room to read or color. Abby usually gets to read a book. At the end of the week she writes her memory verse before reading. We are all still having fun with the whole concept of "homeschool" and I LOVE getting to share that part of our lives together.



I failed to point out that sometime during our desk time, we break so that Abby can lead us in some stretching exercises. These often include sit-ups, push-ups, and running circles in the house. Who needs the Y??!

The pictures below are from this morning. You can see that we are still working on the classroom. I promise it will look more like school soon! (PS - still no tooth from Jonathan)

Playing "Catch-up"

After reveiwing some pictures taken over the past week, I realize that we have been pretty busy. I saw several that just need to be shared.

First, as mentioned in our previous blog, Jonathan believes in the "grab-and-gag" method of eating as you can see in this picture...

Can you guess what normally follows eating? Yep, a bath. We kept this one mildly PG-13...

Too bad fat rolls aren't so cute as you age. Here's a little more from the highchair...

Now, after all of our "pets" have been near Jonathan's feeding station, they MUST have a bath too!

Switching gears, Abby & Daniel have been pretty busy as well. Everyone knows that football season is quickly approaching and that means football players and the cheerleaders need some time out on the field.

There is so much going on in this town, it is amazing. Not only did we get to meet TARHEEL football players and cheerleaders, but we also went to a really cool play about bugs. Not a bad way to spend a weekend in Chapel Hill. This play that we went to was like nothing I'd ever heard of before. It is hard to describe, and the pictures really do not do it justice. The title of the play was "I am an Insect." Of course, being in Chapel Hill, there was an environmental message not-so-hidden in the story. Despite the politics, Abby & Daniel (and Jonathan, too) were captivated through the entire show!

As you can see, we are keeping ourselves busy. I am sure there will be more to come very soon. I am signing off with another cute one of Jonathan. This is what happens when you have an older sister...

Just Getting Started

Well, the title says it all. I am brand new to the world of "blogging" so please be patient as I try to figure it all out.

We are "just getting started" with so many new things right now, I guess that makes for a good time to have some kind of record for it all. The reason for all of our new beginnings, Brian's job change, is going very well. It is a whole new world for us, but I believe we are adjusting. Working on Saturday could be considered a drawback. Okay, it is definitely a drawback but we do enjoy having Brian around more during the week.

Also in the world of "new things" for our family, Jonathan is growing and changing almost every day. He has gotten very good at grabbing things and pulling them straight to his mouth. We have also started him on baby food, so those two activities don't really fit well together. Every time I feed him, there is a consant struggle to get the spoon in his mouth before he grabs it and shoves it ALL the way into his mouth. I keep telling him that bypassing his tongue and sending the food straight to his tonsils will not make it taste any better. You know kids... they must learn the hard way! Other news in Jonathan's world, drool is very cool. He is a non-stop drool machine. I keep checking for teeth, but no sign of them yet.

Now to go from youngest to oldest, Abby (aka "little mama") just started 1st grade this week. We have only done two days so far, and plan to have a full week beginning Monday. I think this is going to be a great experience for our whole family. Abby is adjusting to the fact that we don't have storytime on rug, and she is teaching me to sing the really important stuff. If Mrs. Moses did it a certain way, then that is the way it must be done. I have very big shoes to fill.

And we cannot forget about our precious Daniel... he is really growing up quickly. He, too, enjoys school. He loves to ask what I have for him to do. As I finish giving him his set of instructions, he is quick to say "and then what." I find him going into the classroom all throughout the day to "do his work." His favorite things to do right now are tracing letters and doing matching worksheets.

As for Mommy, not much going on that you haven't read in the previous paragraphs. God has really been showing Himself to me through many things, mostly through the children, of course. I am really trying to have my mind open to whatever God wants me to learn. I wonder if He is waking Jonathan every three hours so that I will be completely exhausted and desperate for His help and mercy. It's working!

Well, duty calls. I promise to have more relevant pictures next time, but these are really cute...

Notice the saliva hanging from his chin!