Homeschool Week 7 In Review

Slowly, but surely, we are finally catching up with our homeschooling. I tell you...note to self -- "Do not get too far behind in the future." There, I admitted it...it's been tough to play catch-up. We've even had to incorporate some Saturday mornings for homeschool, but it's all good. We're almost there.

A look at last week:
Beginnings: We continued our Dr. Seuss theme by reading Dr. Seuss's ABC, Fox in Socks, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. These books allowes us to continue to talk about rhyming words and opposites. We also talked about alphabetical order and tongue twisters. Let me just say...if you're looking for a tongue twister, you have to read Fox in Socks. Admittedly, this was my first time reading this book, and geez....nothing BUT tongue twisters.

Math: Caleb reviewed the numbers 6, 7, and 8. He's doing well with the pre-cursive handwriting that he's having to learn. Basically, he has to "re-learn" how to write all his letters and numbers...not an easy task.

Music: We learned about fast and slow by discussing the movements of different animals.

Art: We reviewed the primary and secondary colors. Caleb made a fruit color wheel using pictures of fruit and paint to remind him of the primary colors and the secondary colors they make. I have a picture to post, but my camera is out of commission right now (Mr. Fix-it will have to repair a certain piece that just broke while I was sitting here typing this...can you say...Caleb is into things he shouldn't be into????)

Bible: We added question 9 to the First Catechism. Caleb's memory verse for the week was John 4:24. He's still going strong with his Bible verses and Catechism questions.

Homeschool Week 6 In Review

We are staying busy as we try to play "catch-up" with our homeschooling. We're almost caught up, so that's a blessing. Here's how this week went:

Beginnings: We took a break from our reading book, and we did a theme on Dr. Seuss. We read The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, and The Foot Book. Reading these books gave us the opportunity to discuss some different things. We talked about the "-at" family, rhyming words, and opposites. We'll continue this theme next week as we read more Dr. Seuss books. They are such fun stories to read, and Caleb really enjoys them.

Math: We reviewed the numbers "4" and "5." We also talked about ordinal positions first-fifth. This math curriculum is really good, too, because it continuously reviews material we've already covered (patterns, one-to-one correspondence, counting, etc).

Music: Caleb learned about different sounds by reviewing and listening to The Wheels on the Bus. He's really "into" music these days, and this just thrills us because Brian and I both enjoy music as well.

Bible: We learned questions 6 and 7 from the First Catechism. His memory verse for the week was 1 John 5:7. The Bible story this week was about Jacob and Esau.

Extra Stuff: My aunt and cousin's wife came down from Maryland to visit. Caleb enjoyed swimming and playing with his two cousins, Fiona and Tara. Fiona will be 5 this Sunday, so she and Caleb get along really well. They had lots of fun just being kids. We're hoping to go up that way and visit with them the next time we head up to Virginia.

Homeschool Week 5 In Review

Well, another week has come and gone at Childress Academy. Caleb is still doing extremely well, and we're super pleased with his progress. Here's how this week went:

Beginnings: We learned about healthcare workers. We reviewed the letter "e," and it's sound and how to write it properly. We added the word "a" to our list of service words, and we learned "my" and "this" as well. Caleb added "-et" and "-en" to his word families by learning the words "net," "set," "wet," "hen," and "ten." He also wrote his first sentence. He read a new book called Colors which reinforced all of the words he's learned thus far. He's really doing a super job with reading.

Math: Caleb learned about the numbers "0, 1, 2, and 3." He learned how to count sets of each number and how to show each number by writing the # and using tally marks.

Art: We reviewed secondary colors by doing a lesson based on the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Caleb had lots of fun pretending to use his mouse feet to mix the primary colors to form secondary colors.

Bible: He added First Catechism question #6. His memory verses for the week were 1 Chronicles 17:20a and Matthew 4:10b.

Extra Stuff: He attended Pirate Camp, and he learned all about pirates. He had such a good time. We're so thankful for these type of events because not only are they educational, but they also give him some social interaction.

Doctor visits

Micah and Caleb both had doctor visits today. It was time for Micah's 4 month check-up, and Caleb had his 5 year check-up. They both checked out super healthy and did really well. Here's how they did for weight/height: Micah weighs 16lbs, 14oz and is 25 inches long. Caleb weighs 54lbs, and is 44 inches tall. So, we've got some healthy boys for sure. Unfortunately, Micah had to get 3 shots, but he was still a trooper. Caleb was due for another chicken pox booster, but I chose to postpone it for a while. I just don't want to take the chance of Caleb having a pox reaction and then Micah getting it. That would not be fun. So, Caleb will probaby just get his 2nd dose once Micah gets his 1st dose at a year. We shall see... Micah's Zantac dosage was also increased due to his weight increase. We knew it had to be changed because he's been having some fussy issues due to his reflux. Hopefully the new dosage will put him back to normal.

Other news...Micah is officially getting his first tooth. Brian and I noticed it coming through this morning. It's his front/bottom tooth. So, that could surely explain why he's been a bit fussier. He's still doing really well with the baby food, too. He's tried cereal (rice, oatmeal, mixed), sweet potatoes, green beans (he does NOT like them), peas, and squash. He usually just gobbles it up. So, all is well.

Caleb's work

Caleb got a new notebook from the $1 bin at Target this evening. So, he came home and wanted to do some "reading and writing" in it. Needless to say, mommy quickly obliged. I would write the sentence, have him read it, and then have him write it. He did a SUPER job. He's really starting to learn so much in homeschool, and we couldn't be happier. Before we know it, he'll be reading his first novel. Anyway, I had to take a picture so I could share his work.

Playtime fun

Here are a couple of pictures of Micah enjoying his activity mat. As you can tell, he's now figured out how to grasp his pacifier. Now, if only he would figure out how to insert it back into his mouth. Luckily he still has his thumbs though.

Homeschool Week 4 In Review

Well, we finally finished our 4th week of homeschooling. I'm telling you...there have been so many interruptions that we are behind schedule. But -- we will catch up. That's the joy of the flexibility that homeschool provides. Anyway, here's how our 4th week panned out:

Beginnings: We learned about postal carriers and the post office. The letters "h" and "w" were reviewed. We added the new words "hit" and "win" to our word families. We also added "mother" and "the" to our list of service words. Caleb also learned how to change a word by adding the "s" sound to the end (ex. hit becomes "hits"). He read a new book called Blue or Green which reinforced all of the words he's learned thus far. He continues to do a wonderful job with reading and phonics.

Math: He reviewed all the concepts he's learned thus far.

Music: He learned about "forte" and that it means loud.

Art: We continued studying secondary colors by reading Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni. He then created his own artwork using yellow and blue to make green.

Bible: Caleb had to recite the First Catechism questions 1-5. His new memory verse for the week was Psalm 19:1. We also studied about Ishmael and Isaac.

Extra stuff: Caleb attended Ooey Gooey Science Camp. He learned about bugs, germs, eggs, and slime. He came home with nightcrawlers, which we later fed to the birds. They also sent home some slime, but we quickly threw it away because they informed us that it would carry bacteria, and we'd have to keep it in the fridge. Just what I need in the house...more bacteria...I think not. He had fun at camp, and he's looking forward to pirate camp which starts next week.

Caleb's speech progress

As most of you know, Caleb has been in speech therapy since he was about 3 1/2 years old. We go to Macon once a week to meet with Ms. Kathy. He enjoys going, and he really likes it when he gets to ride the horse. This a horse therapy program, and they work with all sorts of disabilities.

Anyway, he had to be re-evaluated today. Here's how he scored: Articulation was at 5 yrs old. Receptive (what he understands) was at 6 yrs, 6 months. Expressive (his vocabulary) was at 7 yrs, 5 months. So, the therapy is really paying off. He's improved so much with his speech; however, he does still have issues with conversational speech. So, the therapist will send in his evaluation to see if she can continue to service him. We're pleased with his progress, and we'll continue therapy as long as he needs it.

Micah plays dress-up

Tonight, Caleb was playing dress-up with the "costumes" he got from Uncle Patrick. He looked so cute, so we thought we'd put the little "bee" hat on Micah. It lookes super precious on him. He didn't seem to mind, either. Here's our little bumblebee.

Time for baby food

Today we introduced Micah to baby food. We started with rice cereal with applesauce. He gobbled it up. He knew exactly what to do with that spoon and food. Granted, he did make a mess, but we expected no less. He also kept wanting to put his thumb in his mouth. So, I guess the baby food just wasn't enough...he had to add something else to make it more flavorful. Here are some pictures of the little guy munching on cereal.

Happy 5th Birthday Caleb

Today was Caleb's 5th birthday. It's kinda hard to believe that it's been 5 years already since he first entered this world. We had a little party with family and friends for him, and he had a good time. He opened up gifts (Lincoln Logs, Wok 'n Roll Game, slip 'n slide, books, pajamas, drawing books, color pencils, fishing rods, tackle box, bicycle, keyboard, etc), and then the kiddos played on the slip 'n slide. They had a blast. After that, everyone came in to have cake and ice cream. Since he's been on a fishing kick here lately, his cake had a fishing theme. Everyone had a good time, and Caleb can't wait to use his new fishing rods.

Caleb opens up his new Lincoln Logs.

Caleb opens up his fishing rods...this is what he wanted most.

Caleb opens up his new tackle box.

Caleb on his new bicycle.

Caleb on the slip 'n slide.

Tina on the slip 'n slide.

Hunter on the slip 'n slide.

Caleb blowing out the candles.

The kiddos patiently waiting for their cake and ice cream.

In goes the cake...

In goes more cake...Caleb on his new bicycle (no, it's not stationary...Brian had to fix the training wheels)

Baby love, my baby love...

Today, Micah had his first playdate with his little girlfriend, Molly. Granted, all they did was sit and stare and then sleep. So, we know it was mostly for the mommies than the babies. But hey -- they'll learn more about playdates as they get bigger. Here's a look at the cute couple.

Happy Anniversary Honey

On our honeymoon in July of 2000

Well, eight years ago today, Brian and I were married. It's kinda hard to believe it's only been eight years. And -- I don't mean that in a bad way...it just seems like it's been much longer. I think that's what happens though...time kinda just flies by making it seem like longer than it truly is. It really feels like we've been together forever though.

In celebration of our anniversary, we had my mom come over and watch the kiddos Saturday evening. We went to eat dinner at Olive Garden, and we had a great meal (served by one of my friends who works at the one in town). It was great being able to enjoy a meal sans kids and have some adult conversation. We then headed to Blockbuster to rent some movies. After that, it was off to do some parental duty work being as Caleb's birthday is this weekend. We picked up some party supplies at the Dollar store, and we headed over to Publix to order his cake. The cake will have a fishing theme which is quite appropriate being as he's really into fishing these days. We then came home to relieve my mom of her babysitting duties, and we put the kiddos to bed. After that we enjoyed our adult movies. The evening was really nice, and it was a great way to spend time with each other.



Now, a little tribute to my sweet husband...



Brian -- you are a GREAT husband, father, and friend. I'm happy to call you my husband, and I can't thank you enough for being the man you are. You are a wonderful father to our two precious boys, and I'm glad they have you as their role model. Thank you for the past eight years. Sure, we've had our ups and downs like most marriages do, but we always come back stronger than ever. Here's looking forward to many more years together...I can't wait to see what our future holds. I love you honey!

June 28, 2008