Back To School Picnic

 Well well, once again the pictures have uploaded out of order and I am too lazy to go back and fix it. 

In early August we had our back to school picnic. I like to start the school year a little earlier so we can have some wiggle room to skip days here and there during the year. This year our school theme is "Be Strong and of Good Courage" from Joshua 1:9. I feel like there is so much wickedness and turmoil going on in the world right now. I am so grateful for the promptings I've had to keep my children at home, where I can ensure they have a solid foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ before they leave my home and go out into the world. We may not always excel at academics, but I have to remind myself, I'm building people, not robots. I am much more concerned about the softness of their hearts than with academic rigor. Not to say that I don't teach academics, I definitely do, I'm just trying to do it in a way that builds lifelong learners, instead of just checking off boxes. 

 Leland gave each of the children a back to school blessing, and I told them each their strengths some of my favorite things about them. I know there are hard things coming for us (there always are for anyone who is a follower of Christ) and I hope we can face things things together by being strong and of good courage. 

Moses was uncooperative for pictures, so I had to get some of Leland throwing him up. 

A failed attempt at a family photo. 

My little Mosey baby. God knew our family needed him. I got pregnant with him when we had five children ages 6 and under. It wasn't logical. It wasn't a reasonable thing to do by any of the world's standards, but of how we needed it. I'm so so grateful he is in our family. 

Esther is growing up into a big kid right before my eyes. I love how attuned she is to details. She loves to create and excels at bringing to life all her ideas, usually in the form of cardboard and tape. She is our free spirit, our wild child, and our animal lover and caretaker. If I'm ever looking at her she is probably to be found outside, cuddling a cat or a chicken. 

Israel, oh Israel. He is our determined child. He is the funny one of the family and always has me laughing over his little sayings. He can play by himself with legos for hours upon hours. He loves "company" during whatever task he is doing (including sleeping). He is a lover not a fighter, and whatever emotion he feels, he feels it down to his bones. I know he's going to go far because he never, ever, ever gives up when he wants something. 

Julian is our all boy, boy. He hates pictures and he loves the superheros, the knights and the heros. He says he wants to be a soldier when he grows up. The fight and protect instincts go deep in him. He also loves legos and magnatiles. He generally gets along well with everyone and is happy go lucky. He wants to keep up with his sisters and is a monkey, constantly giving me anxiety with his climbing feats. We made it through the summer without him breaking a bone or needing stitches which feels like a feat in and of itself. 

Adele is our nurturing and sensitive child. For the past several months, Moses has had bad separation anxiety, but if I leave him he is okay as long as Adele is with him. He clings on to her the entire time I'm away, and she loves it too. She is a little mama through and through. She wears dresses exclusively, and pioneer dresses are her preference. She loves reading and can often be found pretending to read chapter books, typical kid picks like Jesus the Christ and Jo's Boys. 

This year we have a third grader, a first grader, two pre-k-ers and one mischief maker (and yes I know I spelled it wrong on the sign! What kind of a homeschool teacher even am I?)

The girls are getting older and school is actually getting easier. They both know the drill and we can get the main subjects done in about two hours in the morning. I feel like for the first time we are able to reasonably get everything done and even have time for fun subjects like sewing and fun history and science projects. The three middle kids started a music class this year and they love it. Esther is continuing piano and she likes it too. Those are the only extracurriculars we have this semester and it's been great. We do have activity days for Esther and I, therapy for the boys, homeschool co-op, and forest school each week too. Some of those things are optional. We have a lot of friends through homeschooling and foster care and church so I never feel like the kids lack social opportunities (in fact I have to work hard to make sure they don't take over our week so we actually have time to do school work!) I have found that simplifying our schedule is key to me not feeling overwhelmed with homeschool. It is still hard, but it is so worth it. I can already see the rewards I'm reaping with keeping my kids close and being very intentional about pouring into them and each of our relationships. I feel very blessed to be able to teach them and especially to be their mother.