Fall Concert

Jaclyn had her first concert today with the Odyssey Chorus.  They did very well and I am very pleased with the quality instruction she's getting and the fun she's having!  Yes,singing (and music in general) is very important to us, so I'm happy to have found a chorus that she can be in that is not dependant on where she goes to school (in school you're kinda stuck with whatever teacher you get...could be great, could be less than great.)

We all enjoyed a great performance today!

We're Back in School

Yep, you read that right.  We've decided to discontinue homeschooling (for now...I never want to say that we won't go back to anything!  I for sure do not know what's in store for us!)

While there are so many positive things about homeschooling ( I actually wanted it to work out for my family 'cause, in theory, it really seemed like a  great way to go) it just wasn't the right, long-term option for us.  I guess the combination of our social personalities and mom's high ambition kinda got the best of us.  :) 

So, I decided to check out a little (and I mean little) Christian school in Coralville, Hillside Christian School.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I kinda liked it.  It was a great atmosphere and a safe place for my kids to be themselves, learn from others and make friends!  So, we enrolled and have been there now for maybe 4 weeks or so.

The girls are really enjoying it.  They have made some great friends and are really enjoying all that the school offers.  I can't say for sure where our schooling journey will continue to take us, but for now, it's a great place to be.

Here are a few first day pictures:



An Intro to Cheerleading

Jaclyn had the chance to participate in a one-day cheerleading camp recently through Upward, a Christian organization with a goal to develop the athlete both in the sport and in character. She really loved it and is hoping to do it some more, so we'll see if it works out. She's been asking to do cheerleading, so I'm thankful to have found a good, non-competitive environment for her to have fun!

Here are a few pictures of the girls while they were "watching" their sisters perform.  Here's Kendall with her little friends, Adelyn and Elise.

 

Ahhh, so sweet.  Ashlyn and Adelyn.

Kids Day!

Back in September, Living History Farms had a homeschool kids day, so we were able to go to it with some friends. We had a great time, and they had a lot of hands-on activities for the kids to do.   Here's our little group.  We were with Aubrey & Cameron Miller and Sophie, Annabella and Adelaide Mosher.  It was a fun day for all!

 

A big attraction for Ashlyn and Kendall was pumping the water and hauling it to the horse trough. They did it for a long time!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jill!

We had a great day with Aunt Jill today. We started it by going to Kent park and walking the trail around the lake. The girls love Jill's dog, Ellie, and had a great time walking with her.

Here are some pictures:

After our walk and lunch, we pulled off a little surprise birthday party for Jill. Most of her family and some friends were at our house when we got back and we celebrated. The girls LOVED being able to yell "surprise" when she came in the house and probably enjoyed it even more than Aunt Jill! Happy Birthday, Jill. We love you!

Back to School...ummm, I mean Home!

Happy first day of School!! We started a bit early (Thursday, Aug. 9th), but that's the beauty of homeschooling...you make up your own schedule! We were ready, Craig was at volleyball practice all day, so why not go ahead and start! Plus, we do better on a routine and summer was starting to get to us.
(Can you tell the sun was shining brightly in the picture below?  Sorry, girls.)

Ashlyn is in 1st grade this year. It will be interesting to see how she does with school this year. I'm hoping she can work a bit more independently, and I think she's off to a good start (at least what I've seen from the first two days).

Jaclyn is in 3rd grade this year. I've already noticed a jump in expectations for her within her curricula. More problems to do and smaller print! But that's o.k., she can handle it!

And Kendall is still 2! She's such a joy, but some days she makes schooling hard. She so much wants to be involved in school, so I'm trying to help her by getting ready some "schoolwork" that she can do. Problem is, she still needs help with a lot of it and she's done in 3 minutes, so it hasn't yet worked out quite like I'd hoped. That's o.k., we've only had 2 days. Hopefully we'll see improvement.

Homeschooling is certainly an adventure! Some days are great and some days are hard, but I've no doubt that this is the plan that God has for us right now. I'm looking forward to the year and what all of us will learn in the process.

High Divin' Fun!

I really didn't think they'd do it.

Jaclyn has been talking about going off the high dive ever since she passed the little swimming test and went off the regular diving board about 2 weeks ago. Of course, Ashlyn followed directly behind her sister, passing the swimming test (mostly by dog-paddling) and also jumping off the diving board. She said she was going to go off the high dive too, but I really didn't believe her. Well, last week we went to the pool and right away both girls went over to the diving boards. Sure enough, Jaclyn jumped off the high dive. And, once Ashlyn saw Jaclyn do it, she did it too! Ashlyn did a little bit of a belly flop the first time, so I wasn't sure that she would do it again, but she did!

I'm very proud of both of them for their courage!!