Thank Goodness for Old Friends!

So a few weeks ago, I sent out  "We Moved" cards to everyone on our Christmas list.  The underlying purpose was to beat the rush and hope that none of our Christmas cards would get lost in the mail, but it also served the unexpected purpose of notifying old friends how to get a hold of us.  After sending them out, I had several old friends reach out to us.  Here is a recap of some of the connections we've made in the last few weeks.  💗 

A couple weeks ago, we went to dinner with the Lowes and the Bowens {old friends of ours from Virginia} and had a delightful evening catching up with some of the most wonderful people God ever put on the earth.  Seriously!  Take out those two middle people and you're looking at the best of the best! 

The next day, we attended the baptism of Eli Richards...our down the street neighbor in PA and one of the bright spots from our time in Pennsylvania. The Richards are the sweetest family and we felt so blessed to have been able to have been their neighbors for that year!

And then later that week, we had Riley and Olivia {and their families} over.  Riley and Olivia were sister missionaries serving in our ward when Cami left on her mission and they were my sanity during that time!    I missed Cami desperately {this was in the days before weekly phone calls} and they were missing their homes and families too.   So we formed a strong bond, like I never had with any other missionary before.   We received their packages from home, so they wouldn't have to wait for them to be delivered from the mission home. I sent messages/updates to their moms when something needed to be communicated on a non-P-day.  They'd stop in front of our house to "borrow" our internet {back when missionaries didn't have cell service}.   They were my surrogate daughters while Cami was gone and I liked to think I was a bit like a surrogate mom to them while they were far from their homes.

We ate dinner and played games, and just enjoyed being together again! 

 These were relationships that meant the world to me and seeing them again was just what I needed!   

Riley and her husband, Mitch, have a sweet baby girl named, Blake, that I very much enjoyed snuggling through the evening!  Doesn't a baby girl look natural in my arms?   {ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL I HAVE MY OWN GRANDBABY TO HOLD!!!}  😁

A few days later, I went to a wedding and got to see another bright light from Pennsylvania!   Amanda is a dear friend and helped me to feel loved and valued, especially after feeling so hurt in the other ward.   I will forever be grateful that Heavenly Father brought us to this other ward, and did not allow our time in PA to end on a negative note.  

Last but not least, the Palmers came to town!  Amy and I embarked into homeschooling at the same time and she was my sanity and savior many times over in that journey!   Our youngest three kids lined up in age and they are all as dear friends with each other as I am with Amy.   It was good for my heart and soul to sit down and have a chat with her again.   

In the end, I decided that I can be patient with Utah.   

I've got my book group all scheduled out for the new year and we start our new ward on Sunday.   Maybe we'll make some new good friends along the way...maybe we won't.   In the meantime, I'm going to embrace the old friends that always  seem to find their way to Utah.   

💓💓💓    

A Full and Happy Weekend

I've spent so much time playing catch-up on the blog, I decided that I wanted to do a post about the recent past, instead something that happened months ago.  

We've only been here for a few months, but we've already met some awesome homeschoolers here in Pennsylvania.  It's not as close-knit as our homeschooling group in Virginia because of the distance between us all, but we definitely do enjoy the time that we do get to spend.  On Friday we met at the Pecks' house and let the kids make gingerbread houses, while us moms got to enjoy some social time too. 

It is my strong personal opinion that decorating gingerbread houses is a timeless activity that one never outgrows.    The kids were definitely more conservative with their decorating now that they're older, but it was clear that they were enjoying themselves! 

Then on Saturday we had a special day when Glen's cousin was sealed to her husband in the Philadelphia temple.   It was great to be a part of and great to see so many of Glen's extended family that we've moved away from.  

Later that day we went to the church for our ward Christmas party.  I was very busy helping with food, so there are almost zero pictures from there, but here is a quick one I snatched with the sweet sister missionaries serving in our ward(it's literally the ONLY picture I took the whole night).   

 

 My friend sent me this picture that shows the amazing  sisters that made handmade tamales and delicious shredded chicken for burritos for the whole ward.   They fed about 300 people and still had enough for a linger longer after church today.   

I helped rally the ward into signing up for food to share.   It was a much different experience than in our last ward (meaning that not very many people actually used the sign-up), but everyone came through and there ended up being  plenty of food to feed the masses!   (It really did feel like a small miracle that there was so much food to spare). 

Today we went to church where I remembered to take a picture with a good friend of Matt and Karey that happen to be visiting her parents this weekend.   It's always amazing what a small world it is within the church. 

So there you have it....this is our boring life in real-time. 

Our Journey in Homeschooling

Our homeschooling journey started when I felt very strongly that I needed to homeschool Spencer for 8th grade.   We did it just that year and then he went off to high school the next year, refreshed and ready to work hard.  I didn't necessarily have the same strong impression to do it for Cami as I had for Spence, but she really, really wanted to do it and over the course of that year, we decided that 8th grade was a perfect year to pull all the kids out.  Thus our homeschooling for just 8th grade tradition officially began.   It's been a beautiful way to reconnect with each child before they head off to high school and I like that the only thing on the high school transcript that we have to worry about that year is math, and other than that they can each have some freedom to explore and learn about things that interest them.   

When Ellie started having seizures when she was in kindergarten, I wondered many times if I should just pull her out and homeschool her.  She was so tired from the medications and the seizures were so frequent that they interrupted her learning time at school.   I was frankly rather surprised when I prayed about it that it wasn't the right thing.    The reason for that answer became very clear the next school year, though,  when Spence was diagnosed with leukemia and our lives were 100% turned upside down.   I've often been grateful for the loving and steady support we had from the kids' elementary school during that crazy time and, in hindsight, I can see that having them in school was absolutely the best place for them to be at that time.   

Sometime during Ellie's 2nd grade year, though, I had the impression that I needed to consider homeschooling again.   Her medication side effects were less than they had been, but her seizures were as frequent as ever and they were starting to affect her socially too.   We met at length with the school staff that year to find solutions, but ultimately we realized that there was no amount of "special education" she could receive in a school environment that would ever suit the needs of our intelligent, well-behaved child who had frequent, but quiet seizures.  Basically, because of her intelligence,  she'd find strategies to fill the gaps in instruction that she'd missed during her seizures, but still it wasn't enough to keep her from struggling.   But because she didn't struggle enough to make her work fall below grade level expectations, she didn't qualify for anything in the way of special education. 

Everyone at the school was actually great to work with and tried very hard to be accommodating, but  because a school is a school with hundreds of students and our one student had a rather unusual set of circumstances that caused her to struggle, they couldn't offer what she needed.   It was quickly becoming clear that Ellie was being set up to fall through the cracks of the educational system.  What she needed was  someone who could tailor her education to her individually, who could pause when she had a seizure, and help when she needed extra help.    She needed mom to be her teacher.  

We prayed and this time felt very strongly that we needed to pull out both Ellie and Adam.   Adam was a kid who was doing great at school and that answer frankly surprised us a bit, but looking back I can see that it was absolutely the best thing we could have done.    Homeschooling them  has changed the daily dynamics of our family in a big way, but it has been a blessing far beyond what we ever could have imagined.  

When I started homeschooling, we just approached it as a take-it-one-year-at-a-time mentality.  After four years though,  I think we're in it for the long haul.  It's changed us all for the better and the fact that Ellie still has seizures is only one tiny factor in our reasons to continue to homeschool. 

It's definitely been a windy journey to figure out the type of homeschooling that works for us, but after four years, we're getting there.    We've got a great network of homeschooling friends around us, the kids are working hard (without having meltdowns), and the rigor for all the subjects seems just right.  And I feel like we're finally really starting to reap the benefits that homeschooling offers--benefits like having the freedom to be able to travel and  the kids actually loving to learn (and not just checking boxes to get a grade).   

It really is a beautiful thing!  

What better way to study culture and architecture than to walk the streets of Venice and visit Basilica San Marco in person?

One of the best parts about living near DC is the opportunity for really cool field trips.
This was Adam at a class on the Constitution at the National Archives. They dove into documents,
learned about the different parts of the Constitution and what they mean in today's world, and
then went to see the actual Constitution.  How cool is that?   

Here is Ellie at the same class at the National Archives.

We also recently attended a class all about birds of prey.  

We have a co-op for Biology this year and it's been the perfect blend of academic rigor and hands-on experimentation. 

We extracted DNA from peas and examined it under a microscope.

We've also examined cell structures under a microscope (Adam was very proud of this picture)

We also have a AP US Government co-op class where they dive into the history and workings of the US Government.
I don't have many pictures of it, but this day Adam, his friend, Abby, and his class went downtown to a
National Lawyer's Convention where they got to hear national politicians (Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley, etc) sit on panels and discuss controversial topics that America  is facing right now. Again, how cool is that?!

Real Life Again

May 27:   Real life again.

I am back for the last day of the homeschooling conference, but am now officially sick with what Ellie had and have zero appetite and even less energy.

I am pretty sure that I performed some seriously comical snoozing feats during a few classes today.

But we didn't last long.   

Adam is now sick too and we are going home early.

I was excited though that at least we would miss the traffic going home.  Surely the traffic in the middle of the day would be better than rush hour when the conference officially ended.   

Nope.   It's me, so of course it's going to take me another 2-1/2 hours.    

<sigh>

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Feeling Inspired

May 26:   After yesterday's rough intro back to real life, it was rather challenging dragging my jet-lagged body to the homeschool conference in Ellicott City later that day.   I was dog-tired, extremely discouraged, and worried about a certain child at home, so it wasn't my most productive or focused time, but I was glad to have gone.

Emma and Adam really enjoyed the youth conference portion of it....

and I enjoyed three days of  feeling inspired about homeschooling again.  

I left Emma and Adam at the conference and drove home this evening to be a part of Cami's temple recommend interview with the stake president.  It was great to be there and have him explain to Cami what the temple experience will be like, but I was not excited by the heavy traffic on BOTH ends of my drive there.   

It took 2+  hours each way, all the while increasingly feeling like I am coming down with the same bug that took down Ellie in Switzerland.  

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My True Feelings

April 22: 

Something that made me happy:   I found a good deal on AirBnB for our upcoming trip. 

Something I am relieved about:   I am finally done teaching my 6-week Civic class at the Friday co-op!  While I had a lot of fun doing it, it did cause me a lot of stress to plan it each week.  It truly was a joy to teach a great group of students and somehow I think the students genuinely enjoyed learning about Civics as much as I did! 

Something that made me mad:  We had a five-mile hike planned to do with the young women this morning.   All the weather reports said it was going to rain and thunderstorm through most of the day, so we ended up cancelling it.    It barely rained a drop all day.  

Something that made me madder:    I ordered something back in February to support a friend, but after almost three months, I'm realizing that I've been scammed.  Not by the friend, but by the company, who likely scammed her as well.   

Something that made me smile:  Emma's on a super cool high adventure trip in Harper's Ferry, WV and Adam played in his first ever flag football practice and game tonight.  Adam made two "tackles" and really enjoyed his first time playing.   I haven't heard anything from Emma, but I'm sure she's having a great time too. 

Something that I was disappointed about:  I tried to plan something a tiny bit frivolous, but it morphed into something super convenient and boring. 

Something that perplexed me:   Adam and Glen were invited on a 10-mile hike that started at 10:00pm and they were both excited to go.   I will not be waiting up for them! 

Something I am looking forward to:   Cami's coming home on Saturday night!!!!!!    

Something I'm worried about:   (besides my kids having to get their repeat blood tests) Car and sleeping logistics when Cami gets home.    Actually I worry about a whole lot more than that, but most of it's too personal to publish in a public forum.  

Something I'm proud of:  After totally falling off the wagon during spring break, we're finally back to reading our scriptures consistently again.  

Something to brag about:  Cami got straight A's for her entire first year at BYU!  A straight 4.0!    And she took some very challenging pre-nursing courses (Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, etc).  Here's hoping it's enough to get her into the nursing program!   

My Civics students! 

Minions and Laurels

April 14:  

On Thursday, we went on a field trip to the minion power plant.   The odor there was rather unpleasant, but it was pretty cool to see the process of how they turned trash into energy (this video is made by the company we visited and the inside of the plant looked very similar to what is shown).   

We went there to fulfill a requirement for a merit badge for scouting, but we all left there a little more knowledgeable about where our trash goes and learned about ways that the waste to energy industry is looking to become even more efficient.    

                           

Later that night we had mutual.  My Laurel class is huge right now and we had a great night together.  They're such an amazing group of girls and I love the time I get to spend with them! 

                           

Spring is Here

March 8:   

What's the best about homeschooling on a beautifully warm spring-like day?   

The opportunity to rearrange our schedules and spend time outside enjoying it!   

They still got some schoolwork done, but Ellie and Adam also ended up playing frisbee golf with their friend, Andrew, and Emma and I went for a walk at Gravelly Point with friends.  

Later Adam and his friend, Luke, spent time outside unwinding a baseball...

and eventually found out what the center looks like.  

Tonight we had one more youth family history night at our house and helped a few of them find 50+ more names to take to the temple tomorrow night!   

All in all, a beautiful and successful day! 

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Pioneer Day Picnic

One of the things I love about my friend, Rachel, besides the fact that she's an awesome mom, a great listener, someone who also loves photography, baking, and blogging, is that she's good at making things happen.  While I only daydream about planning fun social activities with our friends, she actually goes the distance and makes it happen!

Take this Pioneer Day picnic at the park...

She made the decision to do it in the first place... 

did all the advertising for it...

and planned all of the activities.   

It turned out to be a great way to celebrate our pioneer ancestors' sacrifices and to be reminded why it's such a blessing to have great friends in our lives.

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A Specialist for Ellie

Ellie is one of this blog's biggest fans.   She loves reading through the old blog books and thinks that a blogpost all about her is about as exciting as it gets.  She also loves to tell stories and  is begging me to start her own blog soon.  I'm not quite ready for that kind of commitment yet, but I am happy to shine the spotlight  on her for the day!

After having been through four different medications without success in the treatment of Ellie's  absence seizures, the neurologist just recommended that we take her to an epileptologist.   Apparently an epileptologist is a neurologist who went through years of  extra training to become an expert in epilepsy and seizures.   Since she's had negative reactions to two of her previous medications, I am hesitant to mess around much more with medications, but I am still quite interested to hear what an epileptologist has to say about her case.

In the meantime, Ellie is thriving being at home with me during the day.   Homeschooling is a great fit for her personality and I delight watching her learn at a pace that's perfect for her, then stretch herself in developing her interests and talents!

For instance, while we are learning about the Civil War in history, she has been carefully crafting an entire Civil War era community out of paper.   There are Union families, Confederate families, slaves, dishes, animals, food, buckets, houses, etc.  She has spent several afternoons (after her school work is done) coloring, cutting, and arranging them.  I feel like it's something she would  never have time for if she was at school all day, and it plays an important role in how she processes and learns these types of things.

 She has an incredibly long attention span for these kinds of activities and I am in awe at the sheets and sheets (at least 20 in full color) of people, furniture, and other objects she has designed and colored.  

She painstakingly cuts every item out and finds places for them in her community.  

Some of the details of what she's working on are minutely tiny. 

She talks about being a teacher when she grows up and it's clear that that is something that she would excel at, but I think she would also make a great author.   She loves stories--reading them and telling them!      Each one of the characters she has created  have a story of their own--stories of love, of war, of slavery.    It's a beautiful thing!  

Some other random tidbits about Ellie:  

She recently let Cami cut her hair.   She's not a huge fan of brushing her hair, so the shorter length makes it much easier for her to avoid mom's ever-annoying daily reminders for her to go do something with her hair.   

For Christmas she got Elsa and Ana clothes for her dolls, and  an Olaf toy.   She loves having her own Frozen characters now to play pretend with!    The blond doll was one I played with when I was a little girl.    

Here is a glimpse at the Christmas book she created and gave to the whole family: 

I don't have any pictures of it, but she also recently created her own endangered species horse museum, where you took a tour through the house and visited rare horse species.  She created the horses out of household objects and once again had a story for each one.   Her imagination and creativity are amazing! 

We sure love our Ellie girl!   

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