Homeschooling

For those of you who don't know yet...I have decided to try homeschooling my kids this year. It's not that they were in horrible schools and the original plan was just to homeschool my two middle school age kids; but the other two decided that they wanted to be as well. I couldn't say no.

So, this past week was the first week of our new adventure. I wish I had pictures to share but, I/m sure all you would see is complete chaos. I think this will be a good thing for our family, it will just take a few weeks until we get a good schedule down that is best for our family.

I am using the k12 curriculum. It is available in several states. K12 is considered a home-based charter school, so the state pays for the materials and even a computer. You also have a teacher assigned to your children, so that should you need help, they are there. One of the best things that I like about it, is that since it is considered "public" school at home, Connor does not lose his special education services. That was a big hold up for me in deciding to take him out if school...he has wanted to be homeschooled for years and now I have found a way that he can without messing up his IEP.

The kids can also work at their own pace. They move move forward as fast as they want or take a little time on something and not feel so rushed. Whenever, they complete a subject early, the school will send next years materials and they can get started early.

Other than the initial craziness, we are all excited to have this opportunity. I'm looking forward to keeping everyone updated on our adventures in schooling.

Butterflies...

I was working outside in the yard today and happened to see a beautiful butterfly fly by. I watched as it flew up to the top of one the trees in our yard. It was not alone...there were tons of butterflies flying and landing on the leaves of the tree. We have so many nasty little bugs here in AZ...it's nice to see some of the beautiful creatures that we have too.

Arizona Sunsets

My friend took this picture a couple of weeks ago at a park in town that we frequently go to. Arizona sunsets are absolutely beautiful. I have never seen sunsets like theses anywhere else. Now imagine it's night-time, completely pitch black, no street likes except for the natural light of the moon. You stare up into the sky to see millions of stars as close to the earth as you have ever seen them. I wish I could show a picture of that. I love Arizona skies!

Tea Party

Hayley's cute hat!

Our Tea Party Hats. Hayley's is on the left and mine is on the right.


Ready for a party!

The Activity Day Girls had a recognition night a couple of weeks ago. They invited all the moms and girls (ages 8-11) to a Tea Party (lemonade). The girls and moms were to wear tea party hats that they had decorated themselves. We really didn't have a tea party hats to decorate and didn't want to spend a lot of money on hats, so Hayley and I bought some paper plates and bowls and made our hats using them. It was a lot of fun and everyone thought that they were sooo cute and creative. Each mom and girl were to get up and share with the group what made them special. Hayley really wanted to do it, but was too shy, so I got up for her. It was a still a wonderful night for the both of us to spend together. Hayley is growing up so fast. I can't believe she is already 10 years old. She has sooo many gifts and talents and I hope that one day she will feel confident enough to share them with others. She is such a joy to have in our family.

Kindergarten Graduation

I have not posted any pictures in awhile. I've gotten a little lazy I guess. But, we have had a lot of activities going on, so I will spend the next few days catching up. Our Andrew just had his Kindergarten graduation a couple of weeks ago. He was soooo excited and as soon as it was over informed us that he was now in the first grade. The class had a little program and he dutifully said his part. We all enjoyed pizza and cake afterwards.

MRI Update

The MRI came back normal, which is good...but, it still does not explain the symptoms that I am having. So, they are going to be doing a spinal tap. I am not sure when that will be happening yet.

To All of My Wonderful Family and Friends...

I haven't been keeping up on the blog very well lately. I apologize for that. This has been a crazy past couple of weeks and does not seem to be over yet. A couple of weeks ago, I went in for my yearly eye exam. Much to my surprise it came up abnormal. My eye doctor didn't think it was serious, but just wanted to be sure so he scheduled me to go up to a specialty clinic in Tucson.

I wasn't supposed to go up for a couple of weeks, but started having some abnormal symptoms in my right eye and a lot of pressure in my head on the right side. I called and they moved up my appointment immediately. They .did some tests and basically confirmed what the other eye doctor had said. Plus, they discovered that I am experiencing some peripheral vision loss in my right eye. They want to send me to get a brain scan next week. I don't know the exact date yet. They are supposed to call me. I already called them today to bug them about it. I do not want to waste time. This is a really scary thing for not just me, but my whole family.

I did get a blessing from Jon and it said that as long as I act on it and don't delay, I will be able to overcome whatever it is. I have been trying set my own anxieties aside and just go for it. I know Heavenly Father is helping me. Even though this is the biggest trial I have ever had to face in my life, I have faith that I can get through this. I hope you all will keep me and my family in your prayers.

I will keep everyone posted whenever I get more information.