May 2025 was as crazy as usual, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Samuel celebrated Leon's birthday at the Discovery Lab. He had a great afternoon playing with friends.
Nathan was a little under the weather and asked to stay home from church one Sunday. Bella did her best to comfort him.
I promised the kids snow cones if they finished all their school before we left for the beach. They all accomplished their goal, but it took a couple of weeks to finally redeem their reward.
For Mother's Day, the kids asked to shop at Dollar Tree for some surprises. They looked so cute walking out the store together. I can't believe how big they're getting.
On Sunday morning they showed off all their hard work. The sweetest poster full of all my favorite things- pictures of me and my babies, chocolate and purple flowers. It was so thoughtful. They also bought me a candle, and the kids did their best to try and recreate my favorite donut from the Donut Hole (and most importantly they cleaned up the kitchen after they finished baking them). They're the best, and they did an awesome job making me feel special on Mother's Day.
Katherine asked for a picture after church.
To kick off summer, the girls pulled out our water beads and played with them in the backyard for a few days. They were very proud of the creation they made. I was impressed too!
We attended the kids end of year AWANA awards. Samuel, Elisabeth and Katherine worked so hard studying their verses each week. This program has been such a foundational part of helping them learn and understand the Bible. I continually pray for them to hid God's Word in their hearts, and I'm thankful for a program that seeks to achieve that goal every week.
Katherine completed the Sparks program this year. I can't believe our family is finished with Sparks.
Elisabeth completed her third Truth and Training Book. She only has one year left!
Samuel completed his final book and earned the Timothy award for finishing all Truth and Training books. The leader announced that to earn the Timothy award, the students memorized over 200 verses. Great job, Samuel!
We hosted a Middle School game day in May. It was the first Middle School event, Elisabeth was able to attend. We had a full house of Middle Schoolers. I loved it!
Meanwhile, Nathan was attending his very first high school game day 😢 It's hard to believe I have a high schooler. I'm so thankful for such a great group of peers to surround him as he enters into this high school journey.
Also, meanwhile, Katherine was living her best life with her besties eating snacks, modeling clothes and playing in the sprinkler. She had the greatest afternoon. Our homeschool/neighborhood community can't be beat.
Samuel finished his first year as a Navigator in Trail Life and earned some awards. Trail Life has been a wonderful activity for him. He loves it so much, and I'm so thankful for men who step up to lead and mentor and speak scripture and truth over all these young men. They have high expectations for the boys and are raising them to be strong men. That's such a counter cultural thing right now, so this organization is such a vital program in his life.
Nora spent an afternoon with Elisabeth while Liana was hosting a book club. These girls had the best time. They value spending one on one time with each other, and I'm grateful we could make it happen.
They choreographed a whole show on the trampoline.
With school finished, the kids have had more free time, and their creativity has come out. One morning they created a whole amusement park out of duplos complete with commentary.
May has been a great transition into full on summer! We're ready for it!
Katherine played Almighty soccer for her third season this year. She really enjoys soccer and is a fierce player on the field. She especially loved her coach this year- her dad! There was a need for coaches for her age group, and Matt stepped up and offered to coach.
It was a very rainy Spring, and several games were cancelled or rescheduled, but we made the most of it and looked forward to watching our girl out on the field. She does everything with a smile, but man she can get after it when she wants to win. I'm looking forward to watching her continue in the sport.
Her sweet friend Liana, who has played soccer for years, surprised her and came to watch one of her games. These girls have the sweetest relationship. Katherine smiled so big when she saw Liana on the sideline.
Because of our detour to Six Flags over Georgia on the way home from the beach, Nathan ended up riding in the car all day on his birthday. He was planning to be home on his birthday, but I think he was happy with our change of plans. We did let him choose lunch on the drive home, and he chose Wendy's so he could get a frosty.
When we got home that evening, he opened his presents.
He had been saving his money hoping to buy a cheap laptop because he needed it for some of his co-op classes. We loved getting to surprise him with one for his birthday.
Because we were out of town on his birthday, we delayed his friend get together for a week. He just asked to have a few friends over to play football in the backyard and eat pizza. I was happy to arrange it for him.
Such a sweet group of kids, and I love that he invited kids of different ages. That's one of my favorite things about homeschooling that my kids have so many relationships with kids and adults of all ages.
Since he didn't have to spend all his savings on a computer, he splurged and bought a Lego set.
It had been a few years since he'd gotten a new Lego set, and it took me back to his younger childhood when he was always building Legos. His face lit up the same way as he was building his new set. I hope he never outgrows them!
He took pictures of all the details and especially the final product.
I can't believe I have a 14-year-old highschooler. Nathan is a joy, and I'm continually grateful to get a front row seat watching him grow into a wonderful young man.
.HEIC)
