Friday, September 20, 2013

Zeb- The Icing On Our Cake

      Today our baby boy turned one year old. This past year just flew by. It seems that the more children we have, the faster they grow (or maybe it has something to do with me getting older). Mixed emotions, of course, have gotten the best of me. It seems that my little ones go from this

to this in a matter of minutes. I just want to hold on, but… time waits for no one.


     Zeb has had quite a year. He had a bit of an exciting arrival, which has seemed to become a norm with my babies. Each labor and birth has had some interesting twist to it. For the second time, I didn't know I was in labor (I didn't know with Bliss either), so it was just a God thing I was at the hospital both times. It was an answered  prayer, because I was terrified I wouldn't make it to the hospital. But the reason I was sent there this time was kind of scary. God's plans are perfect though. You can count on that!
Zeb also didn't have a name when he was born.
Getting him dressed in real clothes helped us decide though
We should have done that sooner!

     Zeb had a mohawk when he was born, and over the next few months, lost all of the hair on his head except for his mohawk. Then, one night, when he was five months old, it just fell out overnight. It was so weird! I am glad we got some pictures of it before it fell out though. I will have to locate them and post them on here. When his hair started growing back, his Mohawk grew in faster and is yet again longer the rest of his hair. Ha!
     A couple days before he turned a month old, he developed a high fever (105.1), and was taken by ambulance from our pediatric clinic to Children’s Hospital. After staying for a few days, we found out he had viral meningitis which had developed from an enterovirus. Poor tiny darlin’ had to endure way too much poking and prodding while he was there.
Here is one my sweet friends that came to
 visit Zeb while he was in the hospital.
     For the next month, after getting out of the hospital, we had a difficult time getting him to eat. My milk supply all but diminished and we had to syringe feed him formula because he rarely took a bottle. It was a nightmare. We were so afraid for our little guy. I am so thankful, though, that through prayer, a great lactation consultant, and a very supportive pediatrician, Zeb recovered well and I was eventually able to get back to exclusive nursing. He had some sizable setbacks with his weight, but today on his birthday, he is close to 21 pounds. He is actually a little bit of a chunk!
     It took months for Zeb to get completely healthy again. I had to keep him home and away from germs for weeks at a time. Every time we would take him to the doctor for a check-up, he would be sick again within hours. It sounds crazy, but I promise it’s true. When he went a couple of weeks without getting sick, we would get him out. Then he would get sick again. Back to house confinement we went. He was over seven months old, before he finally got over the hump. We are so thankful! We thought he might have a type of immune deficiency. But, with the exception of recurring ear infections, he is pretty healthy now.
 
     Here is his first Thanksgiving. His oldest brother takes great care of him.
 
    And here is his first Christmas. This wasn't actually Christmas Day, but close.
 
     And here is his first Easter.

     He hit all of his milestones at an appropriate age. Well, except for rolling over from his back to his tummy. He was walking before he did that really well. Ha! Ha! I’m not sure what that was all about.
He crawled with both hands on the floor, one knee on the floor, and a foot on the floor with one knee up sort of walking with it. When he started walking, it was so funny. He walked like a dinosaur. He kind of walked in a squatting position with his bottom out and his chest forward. He has slowly but surely straightened out over the past few months.

 
This was toward the end of May.
 He wasn't walking yet; just standing.
      Zeb is a happy baby for the most part, but definitely knows how to have a tantrum. You'll see some pictures of that later on in this post.
Having fun in the water at the park across from the zoo.
     He likes to be close to Momma when I’m around.
This was on Mother's Day
      Zeb likes music, and it makes him dance. I love to watch little babies dance!
I think he's hitting that last note on the National Anthem
 here. Ha! Ha! I see a tooth or two there. Now he has six.
      He likes white noise when it’s time for bed, and prefers to be laid down and left alone to sleep. Doesn't this look comfortable?
      He also enjoys wrestling with his brothers and sister. We try to make sure they don’t play rough with him, but it is difficult when Zeb laughs the whole time.
    Everything goes in his mouth and we are constantly digging stuff out. We didn’t have to do this with the others.  I have always been really strict with my babies and what they eat and when they eat it. I am very much a rule follower. Well... Zeb isn’t. As much as I have tried to keep him from it, Zeb has stolen food from his siblings (and his mom and dad) and put them in his mouth before I could get to him. He is quick! So, I couldn’t tell you his first table food like I can with the others. I know it’s not a big deal to many, but it is to me.
     Today... he had a little cake. With all of my others, their birthday was the first time they had cake, or any sugary dessert for that matter. Well...not this boy. But, like a champ, Zeb still managed to give me some good cake pictures even though it wasn't a surprise to him.
 
     He was upset because I was trying to get some pictures before he dove into the cake.
 
     He quickly got over it though.
 
      He really enjoyed himself.
 
   See the smile?


 
     The cake tasted like a dream.

     And he was happy!  I will say that he has never had this much cake or this much fun with cake before!
 
    Of course, things got a little messy. 



     Oh, the things this boy does to my heart!

 
     Present time! Here is one of them. He LOVES balls, and is a natural soccer player. Yes, I know this is a basketball, but he really enjoyed kicking one around at a family get-together this past Labor Day. So... that's what we got him. He liked it!

    
     Anyway, this was kind of Zeb's first year in a blink. I love the plans God has for me, and do not take it for granted. I am so thankful Zeb is a part of that plan.
      Now Zeb would like to say "Bye! Thanks for reading a post about me!"


Sunday, September 15, 2013

A Glimpse Into What our Homeschool Looks Like This Year

     Well, we have been back to school a few weeks now. We are getting into the groove as much as we can, considering all that is going on. Before we started school last month, I made a very detailed schedule. It included everything the four loves and myself would do from the time we woke up until the time we went to bed at night. My husband was the only one not included in the schedule, since his business hours are so unpredictable.
     I was so excited! Things looked so great and doable on paper. What I did not take into account was a very distractable 7 year old that can't seem to get his work completed within my 20 minute slots that I have allotted for each subject.  He gets the work completed eventually and does a great job, but oh my! Plus, some of the ways I had things ordered were not working well for him.
     Also, my tiny tot has taken this new schedule as a challenge and decided to work on rearranging and consolidating his naptimes... just for me. He is NOT following my schedule. I mean, come on, can't the child read?! He is part of a homeschool family after all. He's supposed to have his first dissertation written by the end of next year! Ha! Ha!
     I also had activities lined up for my two year old. I was quickly reminded, that with an attention span of two minutes, that I would have to have approximately 90 interesting activities lined up for her to stay occupied and out of trouble (sigh). Plus, with four kids, there are often appointments popping up.
     So, the first week was pretty rocky. The second week wasn't much better. Then I decided to change my schedule up a bit to better fit our family. It will probably change a few more times in the next month or so, but that's okay. We will get it right eventually.
     My favorite thing about the schedule is that I can make sure I consistently have time set aside for quiet time. I have time in the mornings to spend reading the Bible and praying. I get to have the calm so that I am more equipped to handle the storm that will begin soon enough each day. I have also included a time for Silas to have a quiet time to read his Bible and pray. I still have to help him with some of the words and comprehension. (He can remember everything I read to him, but has a difficult time comprehending what he just read sometimes.) I also have him keeping a prayer journal. I write the date and the passage for him to read, and if he has anything he wants to pray for, he writes it down. Then he prays. One of his prayer entries was that God would help him to read his Bible everyday. I love how his reading his Bible has made him want to read it more! I hope and pray that he develops this habit early and sticks with it always.
     After that, school begins. Silas is using My Father's World this year. It is a very hand's on curriculum that combines the best of the Classical method, the Charlotte Mason method, and unit studies. It covers his Bible, history, read-alouds, and science. We are doing Adventures in My Father's World, which focuses on U.S. history. We used this last year too, but did not finish it due to the fact that I had a newborn at the beginning of the year and that he was, for the most part, sick for about seven months. So, we just made sure to get math and reading completed. We were about half way through when we finished up our school year, so  this year, we will be able to take our time and really learn our history and geography. I posted the picture a while ago, but here it is again.
     
     We are also supplementing Camden's reading curriculum with My Father's World, for the Bible portion. There is a Bible lesson that corresponds with each letter of the alphabet.
     For reading and spelling, I have chosen All About Reading and All About Spelling. Silas is dyslexic, so he learns better using the Orton-Gillingham method. This method uses a multi-sensory approach to learning. I have been looking for a good AFFORDABLE curriculum that taught this way for a while. When I found this, I was so excited, but on the fence since what I was already using was pretty good. I showed it to my sister-in-law, who is more knowledgeable on the subject than I am, and she read up on it and confirmed that it was a good choice. I ordered it soon after, and am so glad I did! It is working well for us. I also bought the preschool version for Camden, my pre-kindergartener, who really likes it. Bliss, my two-year-old, follows along and gets what she can out of it too. If Camden enjoys it, it is good. Trust me! Here is Silas'.

 
And here is Camden's. He loves Ziggy Zebra!
  

     For math, we are using Right Start Mathematics. It also uses a multi-sensory approach, and really teaches children to thoroughly understand how to problem-solve. It is such a strong curriculum that God definitely had a hand in leading me to. I think it is amazing that God even helps me find the curricula I need for my precious little learners. Friends, God cares about every detail of our lives!
 
     I hope to do some of  level A with Camden. He excels in this area, but we will probably wait until we get better into the swing of things.


 
     All of these are very teacher intensive. I know that with four kids, there are several good curricula that doesn't require near as much of my participation, but I feel that this is what is best for my little ones. I will say that they all require minimal to no prep, so that is a bonus. I am always prayerful in these decisions, and am thankful (but not surprised) in God's faithfulness to deliver. 

     We are also attending Homegrown Kids of Conway, a home-school co-op that meets once per week. It has a large selection of enrichment classes to choose from. Silas is taking art, music, plant science, and a little herbalist class. It just started up, but I am so impressed. It is fantastic! We are also going to Lego club and History Club that meets once per month. 4-H also meets once per month, which is a club that I highly recommend. It has something for every personality type. If you add Church, soccer, harmonica lessons, and therapy twice a week for my middles, you see that we are a little busy. I did not realize until I just wrote it all down. Oh my!
     Homeschooling, therapy, and the extra activities seem like a lot sometimes, but it is so worth it to see my babies grow and get what they need and quench their hunger for learning. I am glad though, that besides Church and soccer (that only lasts a couple months), everything else takes place during a normal "school" day (albeit long day). So, we can spend evenings resting and hanging out. I would rather have one of these to cut down on travel time though.
     Even though this is my fourth year to homeschool, I still feel pretty new at it. Don't get me wrong. I have learned a ton, and feel like I am now at a place that I could help other new homeschoolers quite a bit. I also know, however, there is much more to learn that, for the most part, will just have to come with trial-and-error and experience. I think joining co-op this year will give me the opportunity to learn from other more seasoned homeschool moms as well.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Camden's 5th Birthday Post

     Well, it has been a few weeks since my second born celebrated his fifth birthday. So, even though it is a little late, I wanted to write a post for Camden...
    

     Not a lot of people know Camden really well. We do have close family that knows him better than most, but he really struggles to be himself around others. It is my prayer that he will get there one day, but for now I will tell you a little about my sweet boy.
 
Here is Cam having a sleepover with his best friends (cousins & siblings)!
 

     The things that Camden loves the most (besides family) is the beach... and gas station candy. The beach, you can probably understand why. Though I will add that he has only been once over a year ago, and a day has not passed that he hasn't talked about it. It is killing me that we haven't been able to get him back there yet. The smile in his eyes while he is at the beach is like nothing I have ever seen, and I look forward to the day I can see it again.
   
     Why gas station candy? Well, the reason I think he loves it so much is for the experience. He doesn't get to go in a gas station often. With this, he gets to get out of the vehicle, and help Mom or Dad pump gas. Then he gets to go inside feeling like big stuff and choose a piece of candy. It really means a lot to him. Of course, he still enjoys if we bring something home for him from the gas station too, but not as much as him going there himself.
     Camden loves tinkering and experimenting. He could look at books with me all day long. (That is about the only thing he will willingly sit for.) If Camden is not out and about, you will always find him in his "soft (athletic) shorts" while at home. His favorite color is blue. He loves most kinds of fruit, especially watermelons, strawberries, and blueberries. He likes all things dinosaur. He likes slinkies and playdough, and all other goops and goos right now.

      He is rough and tough, and spends his fair share of time at the ER.
 
 

     He is as sweet as honey though, and most days Cam is happy to share anything he has. He loves animals. He wants to build a zoo one day! He is not good at being gentle though, so some animals on the small side might be fearful of him with good reason. Yikes!


 
His face cracks me up in this one!

     Camden is mostly a homebody. He does like outdoor activities quite a bit though. Camping, fishing, catching bugs and frogs, going to the zoo, and going to the beach are all on his list of a good time. He doesn't usually do hot or cold very well at all though. Organized sports, activities, and clubs? That would be a big fat No Thank You!
 
 Camden is playing at the park while big brother is at soccer practice there.
 
He loves fishing, but when he is finished, he is finished!
 
     Camden loves quality one on one time. Quality time is his love language, so we have to be VERY intentional about it. Here he is having some one on one time with his Mawmaw Russell. I just love this picture!


     We asked Camden what he wanted to do for his birthday. He told us he wanted to go to the zoo and have a dinosaur cake. Thanks for the great picture, Christi!
     He chose a small handful of people (family) he wanted there and that was it. He is not into being in the spotlight and that's okay. Since we weren't able to go to the zoo on his birthday, we still wanted to make that day special. When I asked what he wanted to do that day, he chose Cherry Berry (a frozen yogurt shop that he REALLY likes) and Dollar Tree (where everything is a dollar!). Easy enough. His actual birthday and his day at the zoo went just perfectly and were just exactly what he wanted. I am so glad!
 
Camden at Cherry Berry on his birthday!
 
 
     On the morning of his birthday, which was our second day of school, Silas made Camden a birthday card.
 
It meant so much to Camden. He immediately made Silas a birthday card. He tried to wait for his birthday (which is a few months away still), but after a few minutes could not stand it any longer and gave it to him. It really touched my heart!
 
 
 
     I love how God gives us children that are perfect us. I love how having Camden has made me grow and learn. And I hope and pray that I am a great mom for him that meets his needs so that he may grow to be a strong man in God's army. Yes, I am definitely thankful for this little guy.

 
And now we bid you goodnight!