Back to School

We started our school year almost a month ago--July 24!

I asked Gray to run and get me some flowers for our first day...

and he already had some hidden in the cabinet for my birthday--bonus how it worked out, right.  :)

The kids got a new fun book like last year--

they remembered it very well and were asking about the 1st day's books and "the party!"

I got to open presents and wear the special birthday hat and have a candle in my grits casserole!

Not because I'm the coolest teacher ever, but because we started school on my birthday.

My birthday.  I know...a crazy day for the first day of school, but already, I knew that if I kept putting it off until that "good day" or that "perfect week" to start it would be wintertime before we got going.  We're coming to the US early next year, so I wanted to start school as soon as we could so we will have freedom to take days off in the spring to spend time with family and friends, some extra travel and fun things we're hoping to do during our time in the US.  So, alas, we started on July 24th!  Whew!

Parks got a book too!!!

Here are my happy students!

Sam's an early kindergartener.  

All that really means in our house is that he's learning to read.  He already hanging out for all the other family subjects anyway.  He's been really ready to read (phonetically writing notes and sentences and trying to sound out words), so we decided we'd call it kindergarten.  Taking it slow, and willing to stop whenever, but with an eager, excited learner, I'm going with it.  So far, kindergarten is fine with him.  He's doing SO well and loves his reading lessons with me.

A second grader!!!!

I don't know what it is about 2nd grade, but that just sounds and feels so different from first grade.  

It makes me feel like we're "really" doing school!

He's a strong reader now.  So, look out math, here comes Jackson.  Adding math to school for him is so fun.  

He loves it and loves science too.  Still asks me to put off the handwriting.  :)

And this one....this one....whew!

Last year he slept through school, and thankfully Wint does this year (thus, not pictured).  But, this 2 year old is a hand full during school.  He pulls out puzzles (as in every single piece), watches videos, whines A LOT, and keeps me on my toes.  School with a toddler running around is hard!  Still trying to figure this out!

I'm one happy (and busy) mama and teacher!

I truly do love what we're doing and would have it no other way.

And, these wonderful ladies came by and surprised me with some awesome oreo cupcakes for my birthday!

We started a new school tradition this year of measuring the kids.

Last year I had tried to print this off and make it (click the link), but I was having a terrible time--because our paper/printer is a different size and it wasn't lining up and the image looked bad when I printed it because the settings kept changing the scale and image.  So, before the Gainors came to visit, I had asked them to print it off and bring it so I could make it.  Gray's mom had some connections at work, and it is now professionally printed, and it's sturdy.  What a surprise when I had just asked for the paper.  I'm planning to go back and add all the kids' measurements from check ups and birthdays.  I love it so much!!!!

I just have to give a couple of shout outs that has made this school year possible!

Flipkart.com--it has revolutionized my world!!!  It's an incredible site here in India, and I can order so much from this site (especially books).  They deliver right to my door--and, I pay upon delivery (which you can't even know how awesome this is unless you live in India)!  It's so great and awesome, we try to tip them and they refuse a tip, even!  So, we got about 2/3rds of our school books/curriculum through flipkart.  This was a good day--all of the above came on one day.  But, for the most part flipkart was at our house everyday for about 2 weeks delivering one book at a time.  Love, love!!!  

And, our incredible church that came to visit this summer.  I sent all my stuff to a friend that packed it all in a suitcase and sent it with travelers.  Awesome!  I've done this 2 years now, and it has been the biggest blessing to getting our things without the big price of postage (books are heavy) or the concern of wondering how long and when we might get it (packages can take TOO long) or if we get it at all (things do get lost and stolen).  

And, I found these OLD pictures from the week before Wint was born.  We had just finished our 2nd term (our History/Bible/Geography is in 3 terms), and Gray and the kids made a model of the tabernacle.  It was a great way to put it all together to help them visualize it and understand more.  We did a cheap, printable model because of accessibility and temporary sake (I didn't want to keep it or transport it back home).  Sadly, I didn't take a picture of the finished model, but here is the site I used.

Happy School to all of you!  I've loved seeing the back to school pictures of so many of my friends and family on FB.  The uniforms, new backpacks, new clothes, dropping off, special traditions.  It's so fun to go back to school.  I always loved going back to school when I was growing up--such a nerd, I know!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

A few months back Sarala was having a difficult time with nightmares, so we would pray.  I also showed her some verses to read through each night before going to bed.  Well, about 2 months ago, she recited Psalm 23 to us, and we had no idea she was even memorizing it.  And, actually, she wasn't really working to memorize it, she was just reading it every night before going to bed as she prayed for God to help her to not be scared or have bad dreams.  So, memorization is that simple.  Just read it over and over again or listen to it over and over again or write it over and over again.  Think of all the songs you've memorized???!!!  No excuse for not memorizing the Word!  

Anyway, about a month ago, she wanted to know what else she could work on to memorize.  So, we gave her some other Psalms and passages she could work on.  Also, this year, I've been working to memorize Colossians.  I've got the first chapter.  So, needless to say, I'm a little behind.  But, I haven't given up, I'm still working hard!  Well, she knows I write and rewrite to memorize, so she asked if she could have a notebook to do the same.  Two came in a pack, so I gave the other to her, and she made a sign to go on it like mine.  :)  Love it!  

It's so fun to see ways our kids copy little things we do.  

And sometimes it's not fun, but scary and very telling!

I pray I will live in a way that I can say to my kids like Paul said to the Corinthians, 

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

English for Ladies

Gray's mom and I went to a ladies training that some friends and I do in our city. The first few weeks (while we were in the capital for Wint's birth) were on general health training. They learned about general care, cooking, clean water, family planning, etc. Family planning. :)

Now, we're doing some English with them. A fun story is that after I introduced myself and told a little about "me." One of the ladies asked if I had heard about "family planning." I just said...oh yes, this was our family's plan. ;) They laughed. They think we're crazy! That we are!

After about an hour of teaching basic (very basic) English, we go to a lady's house for chai and snacks. This is her cute son running all around. Gigi snapped some fun pics. I've not been good at taking my camera to things like this.

Yummy and spicy snack. That green thing is a straight up spicy pepper.

Cutie. She even let him carry her camera around and snap pics. I'm not posting those. ;)

This is the best part of our "training"--hanging out with these ladies in their homes having chai afterwards.

The girl in the picture above and below now lives in a village. She brought some fresh, green chick peas from her village for us to enjoy. Have you ever eaten chick peas like peanuts? I had never even given it a thought before--wondering where chick peas came from. I thought they were from a can before moving to S Asia. ;) There is a very short time when you can pick them and eat them like this.

She's invited my family to her village. Exciting!

Hands Full -- Looking Back

Here is a sweet picture and post I made on this very blog 4.5 years ago--how I had my hands full, holding my two oldest in my arms. Who knew that I could hold 2 more...and soon another.

26 weeks

Here's my baby belly at 26 weeks

So, since I posted about "who I am" as a homeschooler...here are some outtakes of the regular belly shots and a sneak peak to how my fun hubby plays around and aggravates me on such a regular basis! I love it so much.

The belly pictures are kind of getting old, and it started off with the first picture he took was this close up...which, is of course not a "belly picture." :)

I think I'm probably saying, "Why is this so hard?

We should know how to do these 5th time around."

"Oh, come on and take the picture already."

Should I mention that our kids come out adding all their commentary and craziness too?

And, this is how it ended...both Gray and I laughing so hard tears were flowing that we had to just come inside and be done and use whatever we have! The kids totally wanted to know what was so funny. Honestly, I already don't remember or I'd share.

Here I am pregnant with Jackson at 25 weeks. No pictures with Parks or Sam around this time.

Beauty

A few pictures from around the house--

I've been enjoying being creative and a little "extra decorating" around the house.

It's simple, fun and so doable.

I got these place mats a few weeks ago to help bring a feel of fall to our home.

82 throughout the house during the day doesn't feel like fall, but I'm still trying.

It also helps to turn on the A/C in the evenings and fix a hot drink. ;)

Joy wrote a wonderful post on contentment and creativity that I can really identify with--especially with limited options and living overseas and dreaming of all the things I'd buy or eat if I were in the US. But, I'm so thankful at how much the Lord has provided us with and how He is doing (notice--present tense, ongoing) a great work in my life in growing me in contentment and creativity.

A fun vase with some flowers!

Monica is currently in the midst of writing a series on beauty that includes making beauty in your home, but also gets to the heart! Go check her blog out!

A vase to display our shells and fun finds from beaches in Thailand (December 2010) and Malaysia (June 2011). It's taken me a while to clean these shells and display them. I'm so glad I finally did. I think they are so pretty!

Ann at a holy experience had a wonderful post about doing the next thing. I love this quote and it was helpful for me to get through 2 different to-do lists (one included the shells above).

"No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards…Accomplished, [tasks] are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, [tasks] stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it. Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910) Scottish Preacher

Don't you just like the simple "go straight up to it and do it at once part!?!" So simple, but so hard.

The list included SO many different things like mold, dust, scrubbing, cleaning out, going through, organizing school and on and on.

It also included getting our gardener to get all this rubble out of our ground so that we might grow some flowers. This is only a small sampling (there were some big, big chunks in our ground) of what was under there. It's all from the reconstruction of our house.

This is a simple way I added some "beauty" in our home. Pick the flowers I have. In this heat, they don't last terribly long outside, and I've learned to enjoy things while you can. We enjoy them so much more picked and on our table! I need to do a whole separate post on this--enjoying life, not hoarding things or saving them for the great time. Living overseas has helped me with this because ants eat the saved American cereal or sent-over-with-care cheese its or even a Reese's cups--gasp! Geckos poop on our stuff. Mold grows on our things packed up in the closets. Our hard water/washing machine is hard on clothes. Did you know that even lotions can go bad and candles can lose their wonderful scents???!!! Don't hoard special things. Get them out and use them up! Share them with friends! Make everyday a day to celebrate! I think I sound so silly saying that, but I've learned to really mean it!

And...more on those roses in the picture above. They are so fun. They are from a rose bush that survived this unkept yard and unlived-in house for years. They survived the construction. Someone planted them years ago, and they bless me, and I love them. There are a few reasons I have never cultivated plants or gardens. I have NO green-thumb and still struggle to get things to grow and flourish...much unlike my mom, step-mom and mother-in-law! Also, I have not been settled in a home or place to feel that it was worth the investment to buy plants (and watch them die)--it seems we always have a move on the horizon or live this life overseas where an unpredictable move could happen at any time. But, these roses, our palm trees and little ficus trees that someone else left behind have helped me to invest in my yard whether it's for me or the next person coming behind me. I'm going to dwell where I am no matter how long I'm here! So, here's the beginning of our new little flower garden. We purchased all of these little flowers over a month ago. I'll need to take more pictures to show you how they are growing and blooming more and more!

Lantana--this is my favorite little bush around. It grows WILD everywhere on the sides of the road. I have wanted it since I thought about a little garden. I asked two gardeners to get it and plant it, and they didn't. Finally, I went out and found some myself (in the monsoon rain one day). I hope it fills up and spreads well. So far it's doing a wonderful job!

Cutting those pretty flowers, bringing them in and enjoying them!

And can I tell you how much investing in my home and my life here in this neighborhood and foreign country helps me to feel at home here--this place where God has called us to live and be. That is an added bonus! That it's our home, our little haven, that me and my family love coming home to!

Back on Track

I'm a runner! I LOVE to run! I've actually been running for 20 years now...

that's kind of hard to believe, but I started running when I was in 7th grade and went out for track.

I remember hoping I could run until I was 30 years old. I guess I thought that was "old" to be a runner.

Well, here I am, 32, and still running strong. Maybe I can still run when I'm 50...or maybe 60...or older?!!!

Running the last year and a half in India has been hard--mainly because of the culture.

But, I was able to enjoy some friends' treadmill for a few months while we lived right beside them in language school.

When we moved away from them, I knew I wanted a treadmill too!

My sweet husband, some of our family and two couples that are very dear to us pooled together a treadmill fund and blessed me with a treadmill for my birthday! We went and got it just a week ago, and I've already thoroughly enjoyed it!

8 Years!

I'll keep trying!

My in-laws gave me a wonderful, wonderful Christmas present two years ago.

Some friends brought it over for me last year.

This year, I decided to get it out and use it!

Next year, I might do a good job!