Zoo Day

Today we met up with Anne and Elizabeth for a homeschool class at the zoo. We picniced, rode the carousel, went to the class, and visited the petting area.

Mei Lin, Elizabeth, and Miyah

Mei Lin is a serious student. She kept telling other children, "SHHH!" when they weren't quiet while the teacher was talking....so why isn't she quiet for me while I'm teaching them?? Could it have more to do with her penchant for bossiness? Hmm...
Pretending to be dinosaurs...right up my girls' alley.
Touching a snake. Mommy passed on this one.
I hope you don't mind if I change the subject...here's what I found in my kitchen....Just Kidding!
Beautiful Friends
They are so sweet together.

The Wheels Are in Motion

UPDATE: Leslie is back on the blog and it isn't private any longer!
http://www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com/

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Keep praying for Leslie and Charlie and little Susannah. I know everyone is concerned for them, especially because their blog has gone private. Many have emailed me with questions.

All I can tell you is according to a friend who spoke with Leslie last night, the wheels are in motion for Susannah to get the care she needs, but there are still mountains that need to be moved so this can happen. Bureaucracy is always a huge obstacle.

So please keep praying.

I believe they had to go private because they don't want to jeopardize her care right now. The country they're working with likes to save face and organizations working there have to be careful. I think they're wise to keep things under wraps for a bit.

Thank you all for your prayers.

More URGENT Prayer Needed!

Today, friends, I have another very, very urgent prayer request for you all. My friend, Leslie, is in China right now (Kunming - where our Mei Lin is from) trying to bring her very, very sick Susannah home. Leslie just walked with Jo and Tony a bit during their loss of Anna and they are desperate that they won't lose their Susannah.

I can't begin to imagine how difficult this time must be for them! They desperately need our prayers.

PLEASE find some time today to bring them before God!

Their blog is: http://www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Doggy Skeletons

When Miyah was three, she began asking a lof questions about our bones after seeing a skeleton hanging in a party store at Hallow*een. So I thought my little scientist would love these glow in the dark pajamas...and I was right. They came in the same box as the doggy hats...so, what better combination than skeletons and puppies?

(I actually bought them at two different stores because Gym*boree was out of Miyah's size. $8 at Gym*boree and $22 at Gap!!...BUT, only because I had a Gap gift card!).

This is Miyah's fierce animal face...she was growling at me. I think she morphed into a lion at this point. She's still a new animal every day or every hour as she feels moved, and of course Mei Lin has to be like her big sister and play animal pretend, as well....

....when she's not a ferocious tiger, she's a sweet kitty.

Happy 4th Birthday, Presleigh!!

The girls had a great time at Presleigh's birthday party today. They got to play at the Little Gy*m and they loved every minute of it.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Presleigh!

Remaining Forever Hopeful

Many of you know that we've been grieving with our friends, Jo and Tony, who lost their sweet little Anna just a little over two weeks ago.

I haven't wanted to post for a while.

What do you say?

Tonight I guess I felt like I needed to write that God is GOOD, even when we can't possibly understand the present circumstances. He IS GOOD....ALL the time.

Yesterday Jo and I were talking about all the questions that we'll never have answered this side of heaven...I've had a running list this year...but she made a great point that I hadn't even been able to get to yet.

She said, "But when I get to heaven, I'm going to see Jesus, and then I'm going to see my Anna, and none of those questions will even matter anymore."

And she's so right!

I've stopped saving my list of questions or even formulating them in my mind anymore...it's wasted energy. It may not make the hurt any less, but it sure does ease the angst and frustration. It helps me focus on God's goodness and live with a greater TRUST in my God who now I know can see me through anything.

Too many little ones have passed away this year.

Besides Jo and Tony, my sister Tammy lost her little boy, Trent, earlier this year due to a miscarriage; and you all remember that the Chapmans lost their little Maria Sue.

These families have had and will continue to have hard, hard, hard days. Days that every parent prays they will never live.

But they all know an amazing God. I've watched in amazement at God's hand in each of their lives. He's been merciful and so real in so many ways. He is close to the brokenhearted. He is their refuge and strength. Again, it doesn't make the pain go away, but His hand is sustaining. God is holding them as they cling to Him and to the certainty that they will have eternity to spend with Him and with their little ones. And while they sometimes need ministering, more often they're ministering to others in the abundance of grace God is giving them!

Don't you stand amazed at our God?

I could tell you stories about lives that have been changed by Anna, about "signs" from God/Anna that have shown up everywhere...but maybe another time. Just know that without a doubt, God has made Anna's short life a testament to His greatness. And He wants to do that through each of us.

I entitled this post "Remaining Forever Hopeful" because 2 1/2 weeks ago while Anna was fighting for her life, I had written a post on Anna's blog entitled "Remaining Hopeful," and that hope hasn't gone with Anna's passing. Anna wasn't healed the way we hoped she'd be healed, but she's healed and whole in her Father's arms, and her family remains forever hopeful that they will see her again.

And each of us can "Remain Forever Hopeful" if we've given our lives to Him. In light of eternity, there's nothing ever to fear. Praise God, this life isn't all there is and death doesn't have the final say.

A Kung Fu Autumn Moon Festival!

Tonight we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (a Chinese/Asian holiday) with some friends. We invited several families to join us for a cookout and to watch Kung Fu Panda outdoors on the projector.

Don't ask me how we were able to watch Kung Fu Panda before it came out on video...but it has something to do with my sister (thanks, Tracy) who just came home from China and the special movies they sell there :). Here are some pictures taken by Heather, our official event photographer...

Above: My amazing, beautiful friends.
(Back from L: Amy, Anne, Me, Teresa. Front from L: Stefanie, Jo, and Heather)
Corinne
Jacob, Wyatt, and Blake
Mei Lin
Grace
Pat using the "dinner gong." Who would have known my Pier 1 decoration would come in handy.
Isabella
The blonde boys' blanket
Elizabeth
I knew Whitney would be disappointed if I didn't include this.
Watching Kung Fu Panda

Practicing their Kung Fu skills.Miyah, Wyatt, Mei Lin, and Zoe

Homeschooling

I've had a few internet friends ask what curriculum we use to homeschool and/or how we actually do it. Most want to know how I school the little ones. My 13 year old is still homeschooled, but most of her classes are at a tutorial, so here's a little peek into our homeschool day with a kindergartener (Miyah-almost 5) and a preschooler (Mei Lin-2.75)...

Every morning we start our day with prayer and a Bible story. We are using Rod and Staff's "Bible Stories to Read," which also comes with a coloring book with a coloring page for each story. Here's Miyah's page she painted...it's Job.

The girls are memorizing Bible verses using the CD "Sing the Word from A-Z." Each week we learn a new verse beginning with Mei Lin's letter of the week.

Then we have "calendar time" when we talk about what month and day it is today, what the weather is like, what the season is, and then list/sing all the days of the week, months of the year, seasons, and count the days of the month.
Miyah is using Handwriting Without Tears. This is our first year trying this program and I prefer it over others we've tried. Here she's using her sponge to mark over the letter "M" on the board.

She also uses her small chalkboard to write and then wipe-off her letters. I don't know what it is about the chalk and sponge thing, but both the girls love it. After some practice with chalk and sponge, she writes the letter in her handwriting book several times.
For Phonics we're using both Happy Phonics and Alpha Phonics this year. Happy Phonics is all hands-on games and activities while Alpha Phonics is a (boring, but essential) reader. We also do a bit of Explode the Code along with the Happy Phonics. Here's Miyah doing a Happy Phonics activity. She picked a picture card and put a sentence together..."The pig is not in the pen."

And here she is reading her Alpha Phonics lesson. She protested about this new reader so I decided to use one of my better parenting tools and began giving her a "surprise" (a sweet snack) when she's finished with her lesson...bribery will get you everywhere. Now it's the first thing she wants to do after Bible and calendar :).

Another Happy Phonics exercise.

We're also doing Singapore Math (earlybird books), and K12 for history and science. My girls are LOVING K12 for history and science (the kindergarten courses) and I love them, too.

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I'm also asked how I keep my 2 year old busy. Great question because I was wondering how I'd do it, too.

I did a little research and got some great tips from other homeschool moms. I put together some ziploc bags of activities for her to pull out. Each week we highlight a new letter for Mei Lin and she does different activities with that letter each day. She also has math activities, puzzles, etc.

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Here she is playing with the cuisenaire rods and making things that begin with "C." She also colored and covered the letter "C" with her rods.

She likes to wipe off letters on the board, too.

Or play with puzzles.

This one is fun. I draw a letter on black paper with chalk. With a towel under the paper, she pokes holes on the "C" with a push pin. Hold the paper up to the window and the light shines through! Great for strengthening those finger muscles and helping identify her letter.

She's picking up some phonics from her big sister's Happy Phonics. She's pointing the letters "SH" and telling me, "Sh!"

She puts stickers on the letter of the week.

There's her sticker "C"

And actinig crazy keeps her busy for a long time!

She also likes the paint daubers and paints her letter, or plays with pattern blocks, or strings beads, etc.

Another common question: Where do you school? Everyone does it differently. We don't have anything fancy, in fact, it's rather small, but it works for us. We carved out a little area in our bonus/rec room for two small tables and a bookcase or two for our things. We once had a designated school room, but we gave that up so Pat could have a home office for work.

This is a cheap little shelving unit from Target....like $40 or so. I LOVE it! Thanks, Heather, for the idea. Heather actually has hers on wheels and has charts, calendars, etc. on the back and sides. She wheels hers into her school area in the dining room each day...clever!

This is my 10th year homeschooling and people say to me all the time, "I don't know how you do it. I could never home school!" And it's true, teaching your children is not easy, but I've done it both ways and I actually think homeschooling is the easier choice for me. I'm not saying it's the best choice for everyone, but it is easier for me and I feel it's the best for my kids at this time.

I love having my children at home all day...most of the time. And those times when we are butting heads, I know there's a lesson there for both of us...we're learning how to get along because we know we have no choice but to resolve our issues.

I'VE learned so much spending these days with my kids. We've had many hard, frustrating, "I'm sending them back to school!" days, but we've learned so much together, have grown closer, and have some wonderful memories thanks to homeschooling.
Megan doing her homework outside on the deck.

A Visit from My Sister

Chad, Tammy, and Alyssa

(their two grown sons were not traveling with them)

My sister stopped by for a couple of days on her way to our parent's house. It was so nice to see them and to catch up for a while even though we didn't do much while they were here. Sadly, I did a very poor job of taking photos during their visit.

The girls LOVED Uncle Chad...I'm pretty sure they wore him out with hide 'n seek! He seemed to enjoy the attention though.

Mei Lin is sad to say goodbye to Uncle Chad. She still says "I miss Unco Tad."