Our week of homeschooling

I said a few weeks ago that we are homeschooling Nicole now. Basically, I am trying to be intential about teaching her. We have a sort of theme for a week or two. Let me share what we did last week (and today).

We've been reading a book called Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb. It's about monkeys playing drums and a few other instruments. It's an easy book with short familiar words. But, there are a lot of teachable moments in the book. Carrying on the monkey theme, we have also been reading Caps for Sale (about a peddler who sells caps, falls asleep, and monkeys take them...then give them back) and Curious George Goes to the Aquarium. We have talked about a lot of things this week including manners (shaking hands when you meet someone), instruments, fruit, opposits, laziness, aquariums, and several verses of the Bible about praising our God and shouting for joy. It's been fun. Here are a few of our pictures.

Drum and a trumpet we made from things around the house. We had fun showing them off for the grandparents and marching around the house making noise.













Our monkey cupcakes we made for dessert tonight. Nicole did a great job counting M&Ms and cookies while decorating. She counted to 10 with very minimal help. I wish I had a book with some Picaso paintings because these monkey faces are deffinately unusual.

Musical chairs

Well...I finally figured out why I couldn't post my videos. They were to big...duh!!! And, even more impressive, I figured out how to make them smaller (don't ask me though...I've already forgotten!) Anyway, here is the video of Nicole yesterday getting upset that her chairs were in the wrong place. She cracks me up!

OH....I keep forgetting to tell you this oh so important news. Hannah now rolls over, from tummy to back. And she's *almost* doing it from back to front. Woohoo...go Hannah! btw...she's been a bit sick the past few days. Darn runny nose, cough and sneeze. She's had this at least 4 times since she's been born! No fever, just sick sounding. Poor girl!

Surfing the waves and Chairs out of place

Last night, Jeremy, Nicole and I went down to the beach to enjoy the waves of the Gulf (usually it's pretty flat). It was still extremely windy, although T.S. Faye had left hours before. Jeremy tried his hand at surfing.

Nicole also went "surfing"

And, this is the beautiful sunset. Isn't God amazing!

Today, mom came over and made cookies with Nicole and I. Here are a few fun pictures.

Finally...here is the real story. Nicole is very particular with certain items being exactly where they should be. One of these items is the chairs at her table in kitchen. We spend most of the day near this table, eating, pretend cooking, playing with play-doh or coloring. Anyway, last night I moved the chairs and table back into the kitchen and didn't put the chairs in the order they were suppose to be in. She walked in and said "Oh no!!!! No, no, no, no, no. Oh no. No, no no no no" over and over again as she rearranged the chairs. It was hysterical. So, today my mom and I were messing with her and moved them out of order when she was out of the kitchen. So...this one was sort of staged, but we still thought it was funny. Enjoy.

OK...so, I've let this thing work for over 30 minutes, and the video still isn't uploading. Sorry. Maybe later.

Tropical Storm Faye

For you out of towners....the tropical storm is pretty much finished with us. It's still breezy with occasional rain. We did not have any damage...Praise the Lord:-) We got lots of rain (I mean lots with minor flooding in our yard) and strong winds for a few hours. We lost power for about4 or 5 hours, but it's obviously back now:-)The girls slept through the night just fine. Jeremy and I both woke up a few times and listened to the rain and wind. I'm glad it wasn't much worse.

We have not gone down to the beach (Jeremy's actually at work now). My parents went and said the wind was still to strong, blowing the sand into your legs (that burns).

Anyway...just wanted you to know that we were ok and there wasn't any damage:-)

Naps

Without question, the one time during the day that can make it or break it for me is nap time. Let me preface this by saying....we have had a GREAT day today! Nicole has been so much fun. She's been a good listener and we have played a lot.

However, It has been nearly 2 hours, and she still is not asleep. I don't know why I'm so crazy about nap times. No...I do know why. She needs it! I need it! Hannah needs it! Naps are incredibly important to me ( does that sound like I nap every day? I didn't mean it that way, although if I could choose one daily luxury, it would be a nap. However, they are very few and far between).

My biggest goal since Hannah was born was to get them both taking a decent nap at the same time. I need the time to do work and the time by myself. But, man...when naps don't go smoothly...it takes every thing within me not to lose control! I get so frustrated. I have a difficult time showing my girls grace during nap time.

Excuse me...I have to go talk to Nicole, again! Ok...I'm back. Silent screem...ahhhhhh.

Anyway....I'm whinning and venting and it's probably a bit annoying. I don't know why I allow this to control me so much. This can seriously ruin my day, isn't that rediculous? Do I seriosly think I can intimidate her into closing her eyes and going "night night". What a rediculous thought...although for some insane reason, I keep trying it. Here's the issue now. Hannah is finally asleep, so every noise Nicole makes increases the chances of waking Hannah. Normally I'd just let her sing and talk to her doggies, as long as she's laying down. But, now that Hannah is here, she has to be quiet and respect that she is sleeping also.

I have no idea where this is going, except to be real with you and show my frustration over such a small and silly thing. Most of what she's doing right now is funny, during play time though, not nap time. I thought maybe if I could get it out of my head I wouldn't be so frustrated right now. Not sure if it's worked yet or not:-) hahaha.

Really though...she's a super sweet incredible little girl. She just needs to sleep!!!!!!!

On another thought...watchya think of the Tropical Storm, and almost hurricane?

Edited to say...she just fell asleep soon after I wrote this. Go figure:-) Hey...if you haven't read about our vacation...keep reading!

Vacation!!!!

Our little family of four went on an impromtu vacation this week. Jeremy's work was a bit slow so he asked for the week off to spend with us (they ended up having a crazy busy week and the scheudle is jam packed again. Praise the Lord!).

It was great! We stayed in town most of the time, working on the house and swimming if possible. But, we went away for three days . Tuesday we drove to Tampa, about 2 hours and spent the day at Lowry Park Zoo. It was a great time! Nicole got to feed a giraffe, pet llamas, goats and even sting rays. It's rated one of the most family friendly zoos in america, so if your nearby...it's a great day trip. They also have a water play area for kids...really, they have a whole sections for kids with small rides, a petting zoo, and water play. There was even an (outdoor) nursing station for me. It was private, so that was nice. I would highly recommend going (3 yrs and under is free...yay!)

Then we drove to Orlando and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. What a fun restaurant. It's quite an experience. The whole restaurant looks like a tropical rainforest, there are elephants and gorillas (fake of course) that make lots of noise, and every 30 minutes there is a "thunderstorm" with lighting and thunder and rain. It startled Nicole the first time. She pointed up and said "God?" Because, due to our frequent thunderstorms, we always talk about how God makes the rain and even the thunder and lightening. We spent the night in Orlando (won't talk about the hotel...mostly negative and I want to keep this happy!)

Wednesday we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom. Nicole had a blast, she went on Dumbo, the race cars with her daddy, the tea cup ride with me, and even on a roller coaster!!!! Nicole also got to see Donald Duck (her favorite), Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie. It was overcast most of the day which kept the temperatures barable. UNTIL....11:00pm...the park was closing, we just got to see Mickey (yes she was up that late, crazy little girl) and Jeremy looks at me and said "we better run...it's gonna rain). Living in Florida, we can almost feel the rain before it comes...so I knew he was right. Unfortunately, we were about 2 feet from the protection of a overhang when torential downpours started. Everyone was waiting to get on the fairy boat, and we couldn't squeeze into the covering. Jermy and I were soaked, but we kept the girls mostly dry until the line started moving again.

We went back to the hotel and stayed the night again. Thursday morning, we got up and went back to Tampa to visit the MOSI museum. Great fun museum. We got to watch and IMAX show, go into a planetarium (Nicole fell asleep)...and best of all, play in the 12,000 sq. ft. area designed Just for kids..even a toddler section was there. Nicole had a blast...she had no idea she was learning:-) Although we disagree with some of what the museum teaches (big bang...millions of years ago, yada yada yada), we would definately go back. Especially at this age where she just want to play .

We finished the trip by swinging by Pt. Charlotte to see Jeremy's Granny. It was nice to see her and have dinner. Great way to end our little vacation. So...that's where we've been. It's always nice to get away, but it's just as nice to get back home.

Oh...one more thing. Jeremy and I both want to thank our parents for EVERY taking us on vacation. It is hard work and not as fun for the responsible adult! hahaha. I don't think we quite expected that. So...thanks mom and dad for creating great memories for us...we are now trying to pass those on to our girls.

A new favorite toy....Swimmies!!!!

Last night we went to the pool again. However, this time, we had floaties for Nicole. She absolutely LOVED the freedom! I have so many videos and pictures, it was difficult to choose which ones to put up. This first video starts with her floating on her back...which she thought was so cool!

This next video is of her jumping into the water. Notice she starts by telling me to back up.

Here is Jeremy's new favorite picture of himself! hahaha. What a goof!

And a few cute pictures of Hannah

Sprititual Parenting by C.H. Spurgeon

These are my own thoughts and ramblings. If you want to read something about the girls only...scroll down. I posted something earlier today.

Charles Spurgeon is a preacher who lived in the 1800s in England. Jeremy and I enjoy reading his sermons (however you almost have to read them outloud because it's a sort of Old English, Thee, Thou...). Anyway, I have a book he wrote called Spiritual Parenting. It is the Best parenting book I've ever read, and it doesn't even tell you how to discipline your kids! hahaha. I may never read another parenting book, because this one encourages me so much! In it reveals my deepest desires as a mom. I just got through reading a chapter entitled "Childhood and Holy Scriptures" I want to teach Nicole and Hannah The Word of God. I want to help them learn to hide His word in their heart through memorization and knowledge of the scriptures. Sometimes I get discouraged and wonder if they are to young. But, I believe they are not to young. I think the first few years of a child's life set the very foundation they will need to stand on the rest of their life. Nicole may not have scripture memorized yet, but I can repeat them and talk about them with her. Hannah may not even recognize her name yet, but through me constantly saying it, she will soon be able to...so why not the scriptures either?

I also believe that by discipling them early and teaching them to obey and to hear my voice (and Jeremy's too) that they will learn to obey and hear the voice of God as they grow older. I know that some people think that we are hard on Nicole, but we truly believe that a few years of setting standards and being consistent with our discipline will be what we need when more difficult times arise (aka...the teen years!!!!). Anyway...I was reading this chapter and was almost in tears from it because it just spoke to my heart in so many ways. I can't type the whole chapter because that would be to long (as this post probably already is). But...maybe I can share some key points/information.

"Babes receive impressions long before we are aware of the fact. During the first months of a child's life, he learns more than we imagine. He soon learns the love of his mother and his own dependence. If the mother is wise, he learns the meaning of obedienc and the necessity of yielding his will to a higher will. This may be the keynote of his whole future life. If the babe learns obedience and submission early, it may save a thousand tears from the child's eyes, and as many from the mother's heart. A special advantage is lost when even babyhood is left uncultrued." (emphasis mine)

"The Holy Scriptures may be learned by children as soon as they are capable of understanding anything. A remarkable fact, which I have heard asserted by many teachers, is that children learn to read from the Bible better than from any other book."

This is the BEST part.
"O dear mothers, please understand that you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God! He has in effect said unto you, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages" (Exodus2:9). You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17. If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thouands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the adult man to love his God and serve Him.
Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing think the reverse of what is true. Scarecely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship. However, dream not that she is lost to the work of the church. Far form it, she is doing the bes tpossible service for her Lord.
Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty. Christian women, by teaching children the holy Scriptures, are as much fulfilling their part for the Lord as Moses did in juding Israel, or Solomon in building the temple. "(Emphasis His)

Job...and shirtless men

Job (read that JOBE...like from the Bible) is one of Nicole's favorite stories. EVERY time we open her little Bible (naps and bed time), she always want to see and hear about Job. There are two pages on him. The first page job is sad, he doesn't have a shirt on and he has sores all over his body. She gets distressed about this and even fake cries for him. Then, she happily turns to the next page where Job Has a shirt on and she says "yay!" For a while it was frustrating, but now it's kind of funny. We just have to indulge her every time we read the Bible. I told Jeremy there must be some reason for this. I honestly think it's the shirt thing. I was going to let her take a nap in just undies the other day because it was hot. She laid down and then jumped up yelling "shirt, shirt" and then she started talking about Job. Then, another day, we saw a man riding his bike without a shirt on. This was very upsetting to her. I think if we had an extra shirt in the car, she would have been happy to give it to him. Finally, last Sunday coming home from the beach, Jeremy didn't put a shirt on (he hates being sandy, and hates even more to have clothes on if he's sandy). Anyway...Nicole was just distressed the whole ride home that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She kept talking aobut Job and pointing to Jeremy. It was pretty cute.

Well...Hannah is crying. We've been busy (doing what, I don't know?) But, I've gotta go again. We will have some FUN pictures in the next week or two (hopefully). We have some exciting family plans coming up. I'll share more later.

Nicole's armour and the beach

Saturday night at church, Nicole had an art project in the nursery. I'm assuming they were talking about the spiritual armour in Ephesians or about David and Goliath or something. Anyway...she made this armour out of a brown bag. She was so proud when we put it on her after church. She thought she was hot stuff.

Sunday we went to the beach with our friend Bryan and Brooke and their two sons. Jeremy took Nicole out in the water. Here is a picture. You can barely see them they went out so far! It's not deep though. Nicole had a blast! She also loved playing in sand, but I didn't get any pictures because we were all sandy!