Merry Christmas

I am so grateful to have a testimony of Jesus Christ. It is my most valuable gift, and affects how I see the world. He gives me peace and hope and inspires me to want to be charitable. I am grateful we always have a shoulder to cry on.

Grateful in all things

I have been thinking about the importance of gratitude in whatever circumstances we might be in. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can choose to be thankful TO God no matter WHAT is happening in our lives.

December

 Ryan has had several business trips, and the girls have kept busy with school, puzzles, and other activities, like making cookies with our dear friend Monta. I prefer when the weather is warm enough to be outside, but am thankful for my blessings and to have wonderful children.

True Charity

My ancestor, Mette Marie Olsen, sacrificed much with her family for her faith. She crossed the plains with her family in handcarts, and her shoes wore out in Iowa, so she walked barefoot the rest of the way. She was young, only 10. She nearly starved and froze to death. But the above quote is what she was known for saying: “The half loaf is better than the whole if it means you helped someone else in need.” That is true charity, isn’t it?

October

 Most of October was spent being sick, so though we dressed up, we stayed at home, had a good soup with rolls. We watched Harry Potter, shared a few candy bars and called it good. Jacob and Monta were the most sick, croup like with fevers. That was rough. I am glad to be better now.

Flu shots, Zoo, and Raspberries

 Our family went and got our flu shots. Only the two little ones cried, which was impressive and unprecedented. My favorite quote was by our three year old, “That lady stabbed me!!!”

We then took the kids to the Zoo. They loved it. It was a fun family day. We also prepped a spot for raspberries in our yard and were able to plant quite a few plants in.

Autumn

 Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, smells, sound of crickets... I love homeschooling in the fall. All the other kids are in school, and I have the happy comparison that my kids are getting to gather leaves and milkweed fluffy seed pods outside whilst smelling the smells I love. We harvested the garden; Amy received an encyclopedia set from my parents and was reading up on Kitty Hawk while she waited for cornbread muffins at breakfast. I love not being rushed out the door if my kids sleep in with it being darker earlier.

My wonderful friend and husband

 Ryan is such a wonderful husband, friend and father.  I am so grateful to have his help in my life.  He doesn’t just provide money, he provides laughter, piggy back and horse rides, dinners when I’m nauseous, sewn skirts for our eldest who hates pants, foot rubs, help with laundry, priesthood blessings, the assurance that he is making righteous and honorable decisions. I love him so much more than when we were first married, and that love just keeps growing.

 These are all photos with Jacob because he’s the baby and Ryan is a super helper with the babies.

Expecting #7

I am 13 weeks pregnant with our 7th baby. It has been a nauseating ride, but I’m starting to feel a little bit better, just nauseous after meals. I am hoping that when I have my next ultrasound they find that the sub chorionic hematoma has healed up. I’ve tried to take things easy — the Dr. asked me to rest more and not exercise, but having 6 kids only allows for a modified amount of that.

I still love homeschooling even with that. I think they learn so much at home, and there are fun projects we can do here that would be too expensive on a larger level. We are going to grow our own mushrooms to learn about fungi.

 Garden harvesting is one of the girls favorite things to do. They have learned about plants, weeds, hard work and satisfaction for effort more by getting their little hands dirty. These potatoes they harvested from three potato plants.

Why do we second guess ourselves?

Often I feel myself doubting whether what I am doing with school is enough. I even went and checked out a charter school last week with the idea of putting the girls in it. But as I sat there trying to visualize my children there, I just didn’t feel good about it.

Several things I like about homeschooling that a school setting cannot offer:

1. Time to play. I feel like children learn best when they are having a good time. My girls usually get through all their daily schoolwork by noon, which means they have three hours still to play. Last week Esther found an owl pellet outside and dissected it with some sticks and put together and organized the bones of a vole. She was so interested. Do you think she’ll remember that more than if I’d sat her down with a book? You bet! I can’t count the number of times the children have directed the biology aspect by bugs, plants and animals they see while they are playing outside! The school I checked out has 2 fifteen minute recesses. That’s not enough time to absorb learning by play.

2. Religious instruction. Amy and I had a wonderful conversation last week about learning to follow the Spirit and how God can help protect us. Children’s questions don’t just crop up between 3-7:30. I am grateful that I can be the one who answers my children’s soul searching questions. We have a morning devotional after breakfast. This week we are memorizing 1Tim. 4:12.

3. I like watching my children learn. I love being there for those “a ha” moments. I like being able to cater the learning to their own pace, slowing where necessary and speeding up when necessary.

4. I like having a broader curriculum. Our animals, farm experience, travel the world dinners, documentaries, etc are teaching more broadly than what I saw offered at school.

Sleepy girls, fun, butterfly chrysalis

2 Kitty cats

Summertime

 Amy finds a dragonfly

 Jacob enjoys the sunrise

 Amy enjoys the pirate tree

 Jacob learns to walk

 A rainbow in our house

Lily and Monta paint at summer fest.

Zoo park

 I took the kids to the local zoo. They had a great time.

 Lily with a lamb named Lily.