Homeschooling

My Big 5 Year Old!

I am still kind of in disbelief that Cole has turned 5! We had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday the last couple weeks. We did a party with Brian's family and some good friends last weekend. We had about 27 people over for swimming, pizza, and cake. Fun was had by all :) On Cole's actual birthday, the 14th, my parents, Austin, Ava, and Adam came over for more swimming, a delicious meal cooked by Brian, cupcakes, and alot of playing with the neighbor kids. Brian and I started Cole's real birthday with a scavenger hunt around the house to find all of his presents. I left him rhyming clues that he had to read to find each gift. He had a great time! His last gift was the big surprise . . . a new ceiling fan for his room! Anyone who knows Cole knows that was a HUGE deal for him :) He told me today, "Every time I go in my room, I just look at my new fan."

I feel so blessed to have such a sweet, sensitive, smart, and funny little boy. As his Mom, I eat up all the affection he gives me and never miss an opportunity to give him a big hug. I love playing War or Go Fish or just hanging out with him on his bed making his stuffed animals talk. I love what Cole calls "a day at home" . . . basically a day where we have no errands, no appointments, absolutely no where to be. We can just play together at home all day. Those are special days for the four of us. I love doing school with Cole . . . watching him learn new things and make new connections. He and Noah both love doing Bible trivia and they amaze me with their knowledge of the Bible at such young ages. I praise God for my sweet boys and pray for strength to help them meet each new stage with excitement and energy for whatever God has in store. I can't wait to experience 5!

RSV

I am a little behind on posting . . . these pictures are from April when Noah had to be hospitalized overnight with RSV.  He couldn't stop coughing and was having a hard time keeping anything down, so I spent the night with him in the hospital.  He was such a trooper, getting an IV and needing breathing treatments every 2 to 3 hours.  We were certainly blessed with excellent care and attention.  It's never fun to be in the hospital, but I was definitely reminded to be thankful for my normally healthy boys.  I was also grateful that Noah was so resilient.  A few weeks ago we were back at the hospital visiting a sick friend, and I asked Noah if he wanted to see the nurses who took care of him when he was there.  He said, "No, Mommy, they might give me an IV."  

Sweet and Silly Noah

Noah has us all rolling these days with the funny comments he makes. He is such a verbal 2 year old and has a great sense of humor and very outgoing personality. Last night on the way home from the mall with the family, I told the boys that it was bedtime when we got home. Noah responded, "No, Mommy, it's not bedtime it's poopy time." We all laughed hysterically, because he was serious and did have to poop. He then repeated the phrase another 50 times much to Cole's delight. We normally do not condone "potty talk" but this was pretty funny. Whenever Noah does something mean to Cole, I explain to him that it not only makes Cole and Mommy sad but that it makes Jesus sad. I am trying to teach him that more important than pleasing Mommy is glorifying God with our lives. So, the other day he and Cole were really well behaved on an outing, and I was praising them for it when we got to the car. Noah smiled and said, "I made Jesus happy." He also told me the other day that Jesus likes to sit "criss cross apple sauce and drink almond milk" (which Noah was doing) and that riding on a ride at Busch Gardens made Jesus happy too. He is such a character! He loves to sing Bible songs, the B-I-B-L-E in particular. He has a great dance that goes with it that I will have to post at some point. It always ends with, "It's in the book . . . HUH!" Noah is SO friendly, and at the mall play area last night, he went around to every kid in there and asked their name and told them, "I'm Noah." Noah can get into some trouble but he has the kindest heart and is always the first to tell us thank you for dinner or his drink or whatever we've given him. He has an unending supply of hugs and affection for us too. I am so thankful God gave us such a sweet and silly and smart little guy :)

Park Days

With the nice weather we've had this winter, we have spent alot of days at the park. Sometimes we meet up with friends, but most times it is just the boys and me. I so cherish my days with them. We have so much fun just running around and playing, and both boys love swinging lately. I remind myself how quickly these days fly by, which makes me relish them all the more. I really try hard to keep us from getting so busy that we can't just enjoy a beautiful day at the park every week. I thank God for those days that always seem to refresh us and leave us with fun memories.

More Noah's 2nd Birthday

Noah's 2nd Birthday

Today is Noah's 2nd birthday! I still can't believe it has been 2 years since we welcomed him into the world. He is such a wonderful and unique little guy . . . so much personality and energy. Kind of a whirlwind of excitement, emotion, and, at times, destruction. He loves books, building blocks, and the Crocodile Hunter. Some mornings he wakes me up by yelling, "Crikey!" He is full of affection and still loves me to hold him all the time. I am okay with that :) He has done a pretty good job of transferring to his big boy bed. I think it has been harder for me than him. He just seems to be growing up so fast! It is funny to hear his bedroom door open and see him just come walking out with this look, like, "Is this allowed?" We had his birthday party last weekend with the neighborhood kids, my parents, Austin and Ava, and some other friends from church. We played games, had pizza, did a pinata, and had Noah's much anticipated cookie cake (with Lightning McQueen on it). Noah really enjoyed being with all of his friends. Today, we met my Mom and the kids at the park and went to lunch, and then Brian and I took the boys to Texas Roadhouse and Wiregrass mall this evening. The people sang to Noah at the restaurant and he was pretty excited! We will celebrate tomorrow night with Brian's family and Andrea and Tammy. What a blessing to be able to celebrate our little guy with so many friends and family. I love my little Noah so very much and thank God for each moment I spend with him. I look forward to watching him grow and change this next year, just hopefully not too quickly!