gratituesday

My intention is to keep gratituesday-ing.  I think it's an important practice/pause.  We'll see...

We're 4 weeks + 1 day into 2018/19 school year, and things seem to be going well.  Starting in August means we really love ourselves in April when we can surrender to Spring Fever without regret.

While we really just homeschool, we're technically enrolled in Epic online charter school.  This only works because we have an amazing teacher who believes learning should be mostly hands on for littler learners.  She's vetted our system and trusts our process (because she can track our growth on quarterly tests).  Essentially, we're doing minimally more work for maximum rewards; for us, that's objective measures (those tests) which reassure me that we're on track and - what's really the driving factor for me - the learning fund which pays for piano lessons and the occasional art class.  A free day at Frontier City or Dodgers game is just the icing on the cake.

This year will be our 6th as homeschoolers.  I'm glad to be more certain and confident in the steps we're taking.  Listening to newbs who're trying to figure everything out reminds me of the mental exhaustion that comes with uncertainty.  It's not like we've got it all figured out, but it's much less a mystery these days, and that is so nice.

The kids are at such fun ages!  They can do so many things that make life easier (e.g., make a sandwich, put away their laundry, wipe their own hineys, etc), but they're still so easily amused and easy going.  I love how they are usually up for most anything.  Maybe it's because they realize they don't really have a choice and so they just go with it???  Not sure, but that's a good skill too. :)

Although I changed my schedule at UCO this semester this year resulting in one class not "making," I have plenty of work to do right now.  Out of nowhere home studies and updates keep me busy enough to make up for the lost income.

I was up late trying to knock out some semester preparations when I lifted a book that had my phone inside which was plugged into the charger whose cord was behind a glass that got knocked over ONTO MY KEYBOARD spilling tea everywhere.  Panic stricken, I turned my laptop sideways to drain the liquid off the keyboard and used my robe to wipe off/mop up what I could.  I had just read a story about a lady who had spilled her drink on her laptop and how everything seemed to be A-OK until 10 minutes later when she got the blue screen of death.  I immediately backed up the stuff I was working on and started copying everything most important over ASAP before going to bed with thoughts of "...bet that won't be working in the morning..." rolling around on repeat while I fell asleep.  Thankfully, here I sit 4 or 5 days later on that very computer having lost nothing.  Some of the keys were a bit gritchy the first day or two, but even that seems to have straightened itself out.  Whew!  That was a close one!

Oklahoma therapists/counselors are privy to a national pilot program resulting in 28 free continuing ed credits, and the training is actually really informative.  The goal is to increase adoptive/foster competent professionals across the nation, and the material is just so good.  I'm so glad it's worth the time invested.

Perennials.  I'm hoping our investment this year will pay off next spring.

Hazel had her first soccer practice last night.  This is our first foray into team sports, and it should be an interesting experience. :)  The beauty is that we're playing at the Y (hoping to avoid the most serious club team-type play), our coach is a close friend, and Hazel has 3 good buddies on the team.

I'm reading through 66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb, and it's providing an interesting walk through the 66 books of the Bible and the themes that run throughout.  I love just about anything that highlights God's creative ability to intricately weave His inerrant word using 40ish humans over thousands of years that is as applicable today as it has been at every point of history.  Incredible.

Our neighbor calls us when her mobile pet service is calling on them so that Betty can jump in and get her nails trimmed in a trailer across the street.  Not only is it convenient, it's proven very helpful in figuring out that Betty's nails had remained too long before we got her and now we can course-correct the issue (that would otherwise lead to skeletal issues in her legs) by getting her nails trimmed every 2-3 weeks.  We've already got her back feet in good shape, and her front paws are on their way.

The Stallings, some dear friends of 20 years, are moving to Wisconsin tomorrow.  It has been a possibility for years, but it has all actually happened in a startlingly short amount of time - 8 days from accepting the job to actually leaving.  40+ friends were able to gather Saturday for a "see ya later" party, and I was doing just fine (not really thinking about it) until the end of the night when Rachel hugged me long and hard and then pulled away with tears in her eyes.  I know it won't change MY day-to-day interaction with her since we haven't lived in the same city since college, but it's hard to see a good friend do hard things so far away.  Rachel said she'd told Monty that she'd be back in OK for our shared birthday in a few months, and I'm looking forward to it already.

Speaking of looking forward to it, after not having flown anywhere since 2013, I've made plans that include flying TWICE in the next two months!  I'm beyond excited.  I'm headed to Chicago with a couple friends in September to catch a live recording of a podcast and eat a good meal or 2.  That's literally all we'll have time for as we leave town Saturday morning and will be able to eat lunch with our families after church Sunday morning!  Wes and I have booked an anniversary trip to Oregon in October, and I'm beside myself with anticipation.

early Christmas

We let the kids open their "big gift" a little early so they could make use of their new Kindles on the family ski trip tomorrow.

a walk on the wild side

Sometimes when you go check cows, they come when you honk, they're all there, you drop a little cake, and you mosey on out of the pasture lickety split.

And then sometimes when you go check cows, you get stuck in a spot of sandy love grass and have to walk...

...and walk...

...and walk a little more until you get to the road and your knight in shining armor AKA Jimmy Callaway.

rodeo parade

The kids look forward to the candy grab rodeo parade all year, and this year was extra fun since Addy joined them.

Pearl's favorite part of the parade were the longhorns walking calmly down the street.  This unbounded herd always makes me a little nervous, but it's so cool to see.

I'm so glad I didn't know the boys next to us were trying to grab the horns.  There likely would have been an ugly public moment if I had realized how reckless they were acting right next to my babies.

And after the sirens and color guard and longhorns and rodeo organizers on horses came by, the candy came forth.

Make it rain!

Hazel said her favorite part of the parade were the horses.  She remembered the "spotty ones" most. :)

  Is there any such thing as a cowgirl plie?

Zeke first said he liked the candy best but later changed his answer to seeing the cowboys. :)

longhorns

 The longhorns were in town for the rodeo, so we needed to pay them a visit.  It's not everyday you can look a longhorn in the eye (unless you're a longhorn rancher, I guess).

MawMaw is always teaching, and she took the opportunity to show the kids the loading chute.  Two were more excited than one to test it out.  :)

1! 2! 3! JUMP!

OK.  Let's try that again.  1! 2! 3!

Hold on to your MawMaw's hand and sort of slide to the ground! Jump!

spring break 2016

A string of days off usually means that we make our way west to spend some time at MawPaw's.  Spring Break is no exception.

Can you spot the toilet in this sign?

 Once you see it, you can never not see it.

You're welcome.

We spent our time looking at cows, doing MawMaw's old candy math worksheets, visiting the museums complete with a blacksmith demonstration, taking walks/rides, and eating.  And then we ate some more. :)

natural bridge caverns

Nana's house is only an hour or so from the Natural Bridge Caverns, so we couldn't pass up the chance for a little homeschool on the road. :)

Nana's house

It seems impossible, but the ages of 8, 6, and 4, our kids had yet to meet their other greatgrandmother.   Ugh.

We finally got our acts together and took a road trip to Nana's house.

Hazel was so excited about their first night in a hotel, that she was inspired to create this art piece. :) 

I'm so thankful for the modern travel conveniences: AC, travel games, ipods, and movie players.  This was Wes's first long trip with the kids, and he was pleasantly surprised how well the kids did on the road. :)

We finally made it to Nana's house, and it took about .5 seconds to feel right at home. :)

To say the kids were happy about their first stay in a hotel is an understatement.  When they discovered the hotel pool, they barely kept themselves together. :)

 Our visit was short, but we enjoyed our time with Nana and Aunt Nancy.