Sweet Girls

   Smooch!



Cosleeping is Love



Laugh til you Cry!  (Notice the redness around her eyebrows; probably the only thing she inherited from me)

Class of '06

 Congrats Kelsey, and the rest of Reeds Spring HS Class of '06!

I just want to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for making me feel friggin old tonight.  i watched alot of you grow up, being the "baby" siblings of many of my friends.  It's really, really wrong that you're all officially "grown-up" now.  Just had to say that.

Poor Hermit Crabs

Alright, WHAT is with our hermit crabs?  About a week ago, one left its shell, so we assumed it was sick and/or dieing.  We put it in isolation with food, water, and a couple of shells.  He moves around plenty (maybe even more than the healthy ones), eats and drinks.  If not for the fact that he's naked (which looks really weird, by the way), you'd think he was happy as a...well...hermit crab.  We still keep an eye on him, but have come to the assumption that captivity has just made him neurotic and suicidal (they were not pet store crabs). Then yesterday, we watched as another, much larger, crab climbed out of his shell!  WHAT is going on here?  We checked back in a couple of hours, and it was obviously dead.  Ryvre didn't want to flush it, so Dale took the kids outside and buried it under a tree.  Noone cried or anything, but Ryvre told me this morning "Mom, if i had one wish, i would want my crab to be alive again.  We could put a shell outside so he can find it"  *big sigh*

Deep Thoughts

How can homeschooling limit kids?  As long as parents are responding to their childrens' needs (physically, intellectually, and socially), i don't believe homeschooling does (or can) limit children at all.  The problem i have is with parents who "won't allow" certain things to be learned (ie: darwinism; you can, and should in my opinion, teach other theories too, but i personally feel it's irresponsible to censor it completely from a science curriculum), or use homeschooling as a way to keep kids from experiencing a normal, and healthy childhood (this point is obviously based on personal opinions, and one person's idea of normal and healthy is much different from any others.  i personally think its unhealthy to shelter a child from free interaction with children their own age, while another parent may think that taking their children to church, where there is plenty of adult supervision, is the only way to sheild them from negative peer pressure).  So that statement was totally based on opinion and my own personal standards; i fully admit that. i just think it's "weird" when a mom pulls her four daughters out of public school soley because that school was going to teach her 12-year-old what a period was.  First of all, why doesn't your 12/y/o already know?  And what is so terrible about it that she can't hear?  Honestly, isn't it worse to make such a fuss over it?  NOW she thinks it's something shameful.  Nice. Equally unhealthy is keeping a kid "cooped up" between home and organized religious activites, to the point that when he goes off to college, he hardly knows what to do with all his new-found freedom.  Childhood is all about testing your limits, and the give and take between parents and kids to determine what freedoms and responsibilities the child is ready for.  The teen years are supposed to be a time to prove that you're ready to be independent of your parents, and that you can make it on your own when the time comes.  If you're not allowed that boundary-testing portion of your childhood, how are you supposed to learn it all overnight? Homeschool should be a sunshine-laden journey shared by a family, not an oppresive cloud darkening the path to adulthood.

Evaluating

i'm getting ready to really get down to the business of Kindergarten with Ryvre.  What we did this past year was something between pre-K and real Kindergarten stuff, because preschool activities are far too easy, but he's not quite reading yet.  Honestly, i planned on doing more structured activites with him (worksheets, etc), because he does enjoy that, but having a new baby in the house makes it a little difficult to plan anything.  He has been learning though (kids do that!) despite my own organizational shortcomings.
(Warning, mama bragging time)

Ryvre is doing well, even with no real instruction; he has taught himself to rhyme words, and the sounds most of the letters make (thanks to starfall.com?); he can spell his own name and those of his sisters, and he's beginning to recognize other words by sight.  He has a strong interest in the human body ("Mommy, if my heart stopped beating, does that mean i would die?"), and draws a surprisingly accurate skeleton.  Add to that the awesome amount of patience he has with his little sisters, and willingness to help out around the house about half the time i ask, and it's really hard not to brag about the kid!
Not to be outdone, Willow can now spell her name (out loud, she's not yet writing).  She also counts to 10 (she has been since last spring, but now she makes no mistakes) and beyond (with some mistakes), and sings a mean alphabet song (she's also been doing this since last March, but now without missing a letter).  This year i will be lableing her as a "preschooler" and making sure to have plenty of things for her to do with her mind as well.

Ember is sitting up like a pro, even in the tub, rolling, creeping, and scooting across the floor.  No crawling yet, but i caught her trying to pull up on the walker, which she may have done if the darn thing was heavy enough to keep still!  She has said "Dada" and "Mama" on occasion, but she's so quiet, it's hard to tell if she meant it or not.  Even her laughs are pretty much silent, only rarely do you hear a "ah he he" usually she just grins with her whole toothless face. 

(End Brag)

i could try to get him tested to go to public school a year early (maybe could have even done it last year), but i want to teach him at home even if he is ready for regular school.  i realize some kids need the structure and discipline of a classroom environment, but Ryvre is one of those kids who learns the best when it's in his own good time (i believe most kids, especially young ones, do).  i will homeschool him as long as it's providing him what he needs, but if and when the time comes that public school provides him more opportunities, you better believe he will be there, whether it's second grade or highschool.  i will never use homeschool to limit my children in any way, be it what they learn, or who they meet.  i will never be the kind of mother who uses it shelter my children from the outside world.

Ryvre on the River

It's so quiet here today.  Ryvre went camping with Nana and Papa, and Willow really doesn't know what to do with herself without him.  She is playing, of course, and painting, and running outside, but she is so very quiet.  Every once in awhile, she stops what she's doing and says "Mommy, i really miss Ryvre.  i want my Ryvre."  Poor lady. We took her and Ember to Celebration City last night (i will add pics later, the camera charger is at work with Dale) to take her mind off not getting to go camping.  She had alot of fun, riding the rides and just checking the place out (we've never been there; it's much nicer than Silver Dollar City, smaller but more kid-friendly; i'm seriously in love with the "Baby Care Center" which is set up like an my dream nursery, with toys and books for kids and parents, lots of places to sit and nurse, screens for privacy, changing tables, wooden highchairs and table and chair sets, a microwave and fridge.  Serisouly, we could have spent all evening there.  And honestly, if my camera battery didn't die, i would have taken pics to post, it was that good.).  Only thing that kinda freaked her out was the outdoor light show at the end; it's got lasers and water, projected pics and video on this big man-made cliff, fireworks, and--here was the scary part--flames occasionally blazing out across the water.  We were close enough to feel the heat, and that was not fun for her.  Honestly, it took us by surprise too.  Ember didn't move or make a sound the whole show, just sat there wide-eyed.  Overstimulation, perhaps?  She didn't seem upset at all, just...asleep with her eyes open.  i imagine for someone so little, that had to be pretty intense.  Her whole perception of reality is seriously and permanently altered, lol. Ryvre called at 4 to excitedly tell me all about the animals and things he saw on the river; they took a two hour float on the Buffalo, and my mom said he was awesome, and even paddled.  Sounds like the little booger is having the time of his life.  i'm jelous!  Haha, they better take me next time Ember just sat up from lying on her tummy.  That was pretty cool

Another Birth Announcment

	My aunt (Bobbie Jo) had her baby this afternoon! Landon Gage 7 lbs, 6 oz; 20 1/2 inches His daddy is in Iraq right now (air force), but he called to check on his wife just as the little guy was born Grandma got to cut the cord.  i don't know very many specifics, but according to the mama's mom and aunt, it was a very good labor and birth. Congrats Bobbie Jo and Matt!!!