Homeschool - December

Just living our best homeschool life. I feel like we were just getting into our flow of things (how many times have I said this, ha) and then the holidays hit. But we decided to embrace it all and we had a successful and enjoyable month. 

Here are some highlights: 

-Lydia frequently requests to have Lucy right next to her while she's working on her worksheets. If nothing else, seeing this makes me grateful for the gift of homeschool.

The German Christkindlmarkt

A fun day of exploring another culture and also just enjoying being outside amid festivities. 

Lydia Basketball

She's been playing on a rec-leauge from Nov-Dec and has had a really good time. 

Austin's Talking Time

His teacher is a gem and he's working so hard. I enjoy these few hours a week I get to spend with just him. (And Lucy). 

Practicing symmetry in the bathroom mirror. Lydia loved this activity. 

My mom is a champion and has come to stay with us several times recently. Lydia's sucked her into to her dog quest and has almost convinced my parents to adopt a pet dog. Lydia is really into dogs right now. She writes stories about them, reads books about them (non-stop) and studies the types of breeds to be able to identify them in the "wild". It's amazing to see how much she knows. 

We went on a field trip to the Clark Planetarium with Zachary and Melissa and it was such a nice afternoon. 

We ran into a homeschooling friend when we were out at deseret book running an errand and they both sat down to read together while they waited for their moms to shop. I loved it. I often say that Lydia is a voracious reader, but truly - here we are walking/reading through the grocery store. 

Often I wonder what in the world we are doing with this homeschool thing. Homeschooling with a new baby has not been easy. I am really missing the joy that we found in homeschooling last year. I feel like we are missing something. But I'm trying to tell myself that we have a new baby and it will get better. 

Lucy hit six months less than 2 weeks ago and it feels like we are starting to step out of a fog. I feel SO much more capable and encouraged than I have in months and months. Even things like sitting down and making a meal plan are suddenly not so overwhelming. It's like I've gained the mental bandwidth to plan and prepare things again, and to be excited about doing it. I'm planning to take some time during this break to do some homeschool planning and I'm hoping that this is a turning point for us. But with or without that turning point. My kids are doing well. I'm happy to have them home with me. I treasure the relationships they are creating with each other. I'm praying the Lord will continue to bless our home with love and faith and that this homeschool will provide us the opportunity to strengthen our family and gospel foundation.