New School Year Beginnings

Our first day of school plans flopped for this year due to the death of my mom. We had initially planned to start school the day before her funeral, and that obviously didn't happen, so we started the following week, and I was horrible at taking pictures of our first day. 

We did ease into the beginning of school, but Elisabeth did ask me why we were doing actual work on the first day 😂

We had our traditional first day of school dinner- hamburgers and hotdogs and root beer floats for dessert. 

I caught Katherine's sweet dinner prayer on camera before we ate. 

We also did our annual back to school questionnaire. 

Nathan's

How old are you?

11

What is your favorite color?

Orange

What is your favorite food?

Tacos

What is your favorite TV show/computer game?

Roblox

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?

Play board games

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?

Play video games

What is your favorite thing to do with Samuel?

Build Forts

What is your favorite thing to do with Elisabeth?

Play Roblox

What is your favorite thing to do with Katherine?

Play doggy

What are you most excited about this year in school?

Forensics class at CHEER

What are your most nervous about this year in school?

Math

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Pilot

What is your favorite movie?

Top Gun Maverick

What is your favorite toy?

 Legos

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Champion Clothes

Who are your best friends?

Daniel, Wyatt, Caleb, Leon, Levi, Caden, Liam and Micah

 

Samuel's 

How old are you?

9

What is your favorite color?

Green

What is your favorite food?

Pizza

What is your favorite TV show?

Fudge

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?

Eat at a restaurant

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?

Mini Golf

What is your favorite thing to do with Nathan?

Play Roblox

What is your favorite thing to do with Elisabeth?

Make bracelets

What is your favorite thing to do with Katherine?

Play duplos

What are you most excited about this year in school?

Geography fair

What are your most nervous about this year in school?

Not much

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Artist

What is your favorite movie?

Zombies 2

What is your favorite toy?

Brain flakes

What is your favorite thing to wear?

T shirts

Who are your best friends?

Daniel, Leon, Asher, Liam, Keaton

 

 Elisabeth's

How old are you?

8

What is your favorite color?

Yellow

What is your favorite food?

Spaghetti Carbonara

What is your favorite TV show/computer game?

J House

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?

Go shopping

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?

Go to Urban Air

What is your favorite thing to do with Nathan?

Play Roblox

What is your favorite thing to do with Samuel?

Do art

What is your favorite thing to do with Katherine?

Put on shows

What are you most excited about this year in school?

Learning about black history

What are your most nervous about this year in school?

My reading

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Musician

What is your favorite movie?

Zombies 3

What is your favorite toy?

Flip slide

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Hoodies

Who are your best friends?

Elise, Sarah, Laura, Ainsley, Makinley, Kamryn, Addisyn, Ilona, Nora, Liana, Audrey N, Audrey R, Kaydence, Mackenzie, Avi, Sadie, Xander, Emma

 

 Katherine's

How old are you?

4 and a half

What is your favorite color?

Rainbow

What is your favorite food?

Birthday Cake and Mac and Cheese

What is your favorite TV show/computer game?

Power Rangers and Bluey

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?

Go get snow cones

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?

Go to Cherry Berry

What is your favorite thing to do with Nathan?

Play with Pengy

What is your favorite thing to do with Samuel?

Create new things with him 

What is your favorite thing to do with Elisabeth?

Put on fashion shows

What are you most excited about this year in school?

My birthday

What are your most nervous about this year in school?

Nothing

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Cheerleader and Gymnastics Girl

What is your favorite movie?

Zombies 3

What is your favorite toy?

Barbies

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Dresses

Who are your best friends?

Laura, Kamryn, Addisyn, Avery, Pahkovets, Mackenzie, Brynn, Audrey and Amelia

 

 We joined a new co-op this year that we've all been very excited about. Since Nathan was entering middle school, Matt and I agreed we needed to find a more academic focused co-op (and we didn't have the best experience with our previous co-op, so we were all ready for a change). 

A sweet friend talked up the co-op she was a part of, and after attending an open house and informational meeting about it last Spring, we were all sold on it. 

We were all very excited about our first day!

Nathan is enrolled in Forensics, Ancient History, NaNoWriMO (National Novel Writing Month), Middle School Book Club, and Biz Town. 

Samuel is enrolled in Galloping the Globe, Zoology- Ocean Creatures, PE, and Biz Town. 

Elisabeth's classes are Galloping the Globe, Zoology- Ocean Creatures, PE, and Fun and Cooking Class. 

CHEER meets on one of the days Katherine will be in Pre-K at our church, but she got to tag along for a few weeks before her school started. 

This girl has several of her good friends in her classes- one of them has the exact same schedule as her, so she is a very happy camper at co-op. 

Since Katherine isn't enrolled in any classes, she was living her best life playing with and making all sorts of new friends. And the teacher was nice enough to let her join in at PE time. 

During their class breaks, the kids took advantage of all the photo booth props. 

 Everyone had a fantastic first day and are looking forward to everything they'll learn in their classes this year and the new and old friendships that will be strengthened. 

Elisabeth's 8th Birthday

 We had Elisabeth's giant party a couple of days before her birthday, so we kept things a little more low key on her actual birthday. She chose the meals, got a pass on doing school, and got extra Roblox time. She was a happy girl!

For breakfast she requested crepes, filled with chocolate chips and whipped cream. 

We had actually started our new school year the day before her birthday, so she got a day off from school, and she used her free time to play Roblox. Her siblings joined her for a lot of the day. 

She asked to go to Raising Canes for lunch, and Papa was able to join us too. 

For dinner, was had spaghetti carbonara, her favorite meal. 

After dinner she opened her family gifts. 

She loaded up on the cash from generous family members. 

She got some other goodies too including thousands of elastics for bracelet making, some fun books, a Lego Friends set and fins and a snorkel. And Papa surprised her with a new scooter. 

For her birthday dessert, she asked for chocolate fondue. After dessert, I had to run to a homeschool meeting, so the rest of the crew watched Wreck It Ralph to ender her birthday celebrations. 

I think she had a great day, and I was more than happy to spoil her in all the ways on her special day. 

EIGHT Years Old

Elisabeth, 

You are eight years old and are growing into a beautiful young lady. At eight years old, you are bright, thoughtful, kind, helpful, friendly, creative, determined, and fun. 

You adore your friends and rarely want to be alone. You thrive in social situations, easily make new friends, lead and organize play with others, and always have a smile on your face. You are rarely shy in any situation, will happily talk to adults, ask questions and seek help when you need it. I love your friendliness and outgoing personality. You are the life of the party and have a way of making every situation more fun. 

You're a smart girl and things come easy to you. You are a fluent reader, and you catch me my surprise still at how easily you can read big words. Teaching you to read was a challenge in patience and perseverance, but now that we're on the other side, I count it as a privilege that we got to develop that skill together. 

I've also been grateful for the freedom we have in homeschooling to follow your interests and passions. You have written books and songs, drawn and painted and are always looking for new things to create. You've made countless scavenger hunts for your family members always with a homemade card/ note at the end of the hunt. 

Your favorite things to do in your free time is play outside, put on dance shows, play trip with your sister or friends, make crafts, and sometimes you'll play Barbies and Calico Critters or build with Legos. You are still taking a weekly gymnastics class, attending AWANA weekly, joined American Heritage Girls this year, and are planning to play soccer in the Spring.  

Friends are very important to you. Your best friends are Ilona, Sarah, Elise and Laura, Makinley and Ainsley, Kaydence, Kamryn and Addisyn, Audrey, and Emma. You can easily play with friends who are several years older than you or several years younger than you. You adapt to anyone's needs. 

You almost always desire to help others and are thoughtful about others' needs. You ask to help me cook in the kitchen a lot, desire to serve your friends and your siblings and recognize others' needs and seek to meet them. You love playing and taking care of younger friends/cousins. You have a heart for serving, and multiple times this year you have sought to raise money to give to others in need. God is growing your faith and working in your heart, and I love to watch you follow the Holy Spirit's lead and notice the needs of others. 

We call you our fence kicker because you push every boundary that we give you. It wears us out sometimes, but I know it will be a strength for you as you grow up. I can see you being a strong leader who doesn't settle than less than the best in every circumstance. It's a balance in training you to be obedient but allowing you to keep your fiery spirit. 

You are fearless and always up for trying new things and adventures. It seems like nothing scares you. You'll ride roller coasters by yourself, climb to the top of climbing walls, jump off high dives, anything. 

Your favorite foods are princess soup, apples, chicken nuggets, spaghetti carbonara, chocolate anything, veggie straws, pretzels, and milk. One of your favorite things to do is listen to audiobooks on your kindle. You always have a book playing. Your favorites are the Land of Stories, Andrew Clements, and Beverly Cleary books.

Elisabeth Kae, you are a gift to everyone you encounter, but especially to your family. You make everything more fun, and we are blessed in countless ways. Since Grammy died, my mother daughter relationship with you and your sister has become something I treasure even more. It's a joy watching you grow up and living everyday with you.