Oh Brother!

This is going to be quick because it's the night before my parents get here for a ten day visit, and I have yet to clear the last two weeks, alright, fine, months worth of laundry from my laundry room.  I have yet to make any attempt to clean the kitchen, mop the floors, scrub the bathrooms, and yet time continues to tick away.

So, I decided it seems like the perfect time to sit down and type up a blog post.

Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator, I guess.

We had a great week, full of laughs.  During math and grammar lessons, even.  For some reason, Ben and I got the giggles over the prospect of how long it would take to say our phone numbers written out in long hand.  Like - "Call me!  Our phone number # is four billion, seven hundred eighty-five million, five hundred fifty-two thousand, three hundred fifty-six."  Not funny?  It's okay.  We're nerds.  Maybe you are not.

Later that day, I was reading Ben's grammar lesson to him and came across this quote:

"These verbs can do three of four parts of your verb definition!" 

So, of course, I read it with exaggerated excitement as indicated by the punctuation. He looked at me, smiled, and said as dead-pan as is humanly possible, "That's the best news I've heard all day."  Sarcastic little lump.  

I have been praying and soliciting prayer for myself and my Ben.  We are two of a kind, and you know how that often goes.  I think both of us had a lot to learn about ourselves and each other coming into this homeschooling thing, and I think that we have.  

This was a good week.  

Last night was the icing on the cake.  Earlier in the day, Ben said to me, "I have an idea for how we can get Abby to start reading harder words.  We can leave a note on her door at night for her to read."  I agreed that was a good idea, but thought to myself, "There's no way I'll ever remember to do that."  The day progressed, night came, and I had already forgotten about the note idea.  When I saw Ben writing something late at night, I said, "Whatcha doing, Ben?"  And he told me he was writing Abby a note, like he'd mentioned.  I peeked over his shoulder and saw "Dear Abby."  

My mind immediately went to the last dozen or so notes that began that way from Ben to her.  They usually said something like, "You STINK! Hahahahaha."

You see, Ben and Abby are usually like oil and water, fire and ice, raspberry and coffee (sorry, I conducted a latte experiment this morning and it did not go well).  The two are so very different from each other.  One likes pushing people's buttons and the other's buttons are easily pushed.  One likes reading, building, and making lists and the other likes painting, decorating, and dancing.  One likes fruits and veggies and the other likes burgers and pizza.  Even their appearances are opposite.  Boy and girl.  Dark and light.  Solid and stringbean.  

One of my sincerest hearts desires for homeschooling was that it would help to facilitate a relationship between the kids that goes deep, that they would genuinely love and care for each other.

Slowly but surely, I am beginning to see evidence that this relationship is developing.  This past week Ben, Abby, and Sarah have been having nightly slumber parties in the girls' room, which is to say Ben lays in bed reading his book and the girls jump all over him.  In exactly the way that they should, Sarah and Abby look up to Ben in such a big way.  They just adore him.  And he is so good to them.

So imagine my delight when the words "You STINK!" did not follow "Dear Abby"...  

Just see for yourself.

 

It was everything I could do to not cry.  I'm sure you can just imagine the beaming smile Abby had on her face when she read it.

Man, I love that kid.  I love all of those kids.  

And they do love each other.

Have a blessed weekend, y'all.

Love on your family.  Love on your friends.  Just love on someone.

 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8