Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End

I was reflecting over our past (school)year in the shower a few minutes ago.  Yes, a midnight shower, because when you're 33 weeks pregnant and you can't sleep, why not?  I figured since I'm wide awake, I would take the time to chronicle some of my favorite, most important memories from the year.  Consider this our year-end review, a report card, if you will.  Instead of A's, B's, and C's, I measure our year in laughs, little moments, and accomplishments both large and small, academic and otherwise.

Sometimes it's hard to differentiate life from learning.  Sometimes I don't think I want to.  After wrapping our third (!!!) year of this grand adventure, I think we're starting to hit a stride.  Of course, this means I need to stay on my toes even more so as not to start cruising.  It's always best to be prepared for hiccups, even if it's just to roll with the punches when the hiccups come.  They are a certainty.

Because it's late, because I'm pregnant, and because this will become my first novel if I don't, I'm going to resort to a reflective calendar.  


7/31/2014:  Adventures in geocaching prevailed over starting "actual" school.  We kicked off the first day of public school by driving around finding caches and signing our names to the logs.  Found our 100th on the last day of July.  Geocaching became a fun new hobby that would ultimately lead to a lot more "adventures" later in the year, some amazing, some not as much.

August 2014
8/1/2014:  The sticker chart was implemented.  Best thing ever.  It's based on the actual number of lessons we need to complete for each subject each month, but without being tied down to a date or time for each one - because that gives me hives.  Apparently I've been cured of all Type-A tendencies.

8/3/2014:  I delegated music time/babysitting Noah/teaching the alphabet to Leah (watch the video here).  They always say you learn better when you teach something.  Let's put that theory to test.

8/4/2014:  On the bright side, I think Leah's really been paying attention to our history lessons. Clearly, she was just trying to paint herself blue and walk around naked like a Celt. Only, you know, instead of blue paint she used white diaper cream.

8/25/2014:  Abby mastered the usage of linking verbs.

8/27/2014:  Today our history lesson took us on a journey down the Silk Road to the palace of the Khan where we were rewarded with gold (Upward soccer trophies), ivory (a white mirror), and exotic animals (a stuffed polar bear). Ben's favorite part, of course, was ending up in Pee-King, because, duh, he's a ten year old boy.

9/8/2014:  The big reveal to the kids about our travel plans for October.  Should keep us busy for a while.  Because when we do field trips, we DO field trips.

9/20/2014:  We've been "practicing" hiking to get conditioned for our trip. Yesterday, I wore Leah and Ben wore Noah. It was quite a trek, during which Noah passed out on Ben's back in the Ergo and slept until we got back to the van. As I loaded everyone into their carseats, Ben unharnessed the carrier, tossed it in the back, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Phew, that really was a 'napsack.'"

Incidentally, this was also a geocaching adventure that quite literally took us over the river, through the woods, under and interstate, through lots of poison ivy, only to discover that the published coordinates were over 1/4 mile off.  No chance of finding it.  Total amount hiked in search of it?  3 miles, 3 times.  Good workout though.

9/30/2014:  Leave for Nashville, TN on what would be a three and half week trek across the country.

10/2/2014:  We celebrated Abby's 8th birthday Sheppard style by going to the St. Louis Zoo, Science Center, and up the Arch. But her favorite part was going to the mall for dinner at the food court and to pick out a new treat from the Disney Store.

10/7/2014:  At the gate to Zion National Park, the park ranger looked at Sam's ID and said, "Do you have any peaches in there?" Sam gave him an obligatory chuckle and said "No." Then he turned to me and under his breath he said, "I don't know, do you have any extra wives in there?" ‪#‎utah‬ ‪#‎stereotypehumor

10/11/2014:  Near Mono Lake, California...Just after Ben fell into Convict Lake, I came face to face with four Mule Deer bucks while alone in the woods. And here we thought we were returning to the hotel for a new pair of pants for Ben... ‪#‎yes‬ ‪#‎iamscaredofallanimals‬ 
10/20/2014:  The OKC Fire Department just stopped on the side of the road next to the memorial to let my kids play on their ladder truck. The driver asked if we had a chance to go in the museum yet. I told him we'd just gotten into town, and with tears in his eyes said, "You need to go. It's...emotional." 19 years later and it still hurts.

10/26/2014:  7,105 miles, 190 geocaches, 27 days, 18 hotels, 17 states, 14 museums, 10 national parks, 10 national monuments/historic sites, 3 state parks, 2 state capitol buildings, 2 lost blankies, 1 zoo (unless you count Vegas), 1 less tooth, 1 exhausted but faithful minivan, and 7 happy, tired Sheppards. It's good to be home. 

11/9/2014: Sam is trying to clear off some of the free games that Sarah has downloaded on the tablet recently. This is the best conversation I've ever heard. It's still going...he's going to be there all night.
Sam: Father's Day Quesadillas, Summer Chicken Burger, Mermaid at Doctor?
Sarah: Yes, keep those.
Sam: Baby Easter Egg Laundry Time?
Abby: That's fun.
Sam: What does that even mean?

11/21/2014:  "An ant can eat a seed. That seed is in the mud."

Ok, let's look at the picture for this story you just read, Sarah. What is the ant doing?
"Pulling a shark."

 

12/12/2014: The day I've been waiting for since I became a mother.

"I'll fold those towels."
That mountain of towels? Voluntarily? Without me mentioning it? Hands down, Ben wins the prize for "favorite kid" today.

12/18/2014:  Good friends go along with your spontaneous, last-minute caroling plans and don't care if the notes are perfect. Thanks for helping my heart grow a few sizes tonight. And Merry Christmas!!!

12/22/2014:  Sam had a successful eye operation to repair damage done by a thorn or twig or something during an unfortunate nighttime geocaching accident in the woods.  He's the bravest guy I know.  Results:  Nearly perfect vision once again.  Not *as* perfect, but very, very good.

1/6/15:  Oh my goodness, the conversations between these children of mine.  
Abby: (to Ben) I think you should keep your pie hole shut.
Ben: I think the saying is "Shut your pie hole."
Sarah: But what about your pee hole?
Ben: What about it?
Sarah: ....do you care about it?

1/17/15:  This is how Super Dad occupied the four littlest kids while stranded at a hotel all day waiting for Mom and the big kid to come back from bible quiz. Rock stars. My whole family.

1/27/2015:  I know everyone thinks their own kids are the best. I suppose I'm no exception. But, I would be lying if I said that I liked them all of the time. Yes, I confess. When we first started this grand homeschooling experiment three years ago, Ben drove me absolutely CRAZY, daily. Every one of his quirks and vices is crystal clear because he is a carbon copy of me. I don't know if he's grown up or I've grown up or a little bit of both, but to my great delight it is now my pleasure to spend my days with this young man. He still drives me crazy a lot of the time, but I genuinely enjoy watching him work through his frustration and anger in maturity, listening to his million spoken words each hour, and most of all, I enjoy being an active participant in his blossoming albeit goofy sense of humor. He's the best first child I've ever had. Hands down.

2/9/2015:  Reviewing today's history:
Me: What was name of the most famous king from Mali?
Ben: Moomoosa? Mimosa? Medusa?
Me: Close. Mansa Musa.

Me: After Mansa Musa got to Mecca, what four things did he do?
Ben: Prayed.
Abby: Pooped?
Ben: He probably did. Does that count?
Me: He probably did, but that was not one of the four answers I was looking for.

2/23/2015:  Over the course of three years in this grand experiment I call homeschooling, I've learned that you have to figure things out as you go along. Do what works. For instance, I recently learned that passing out lollipops before our communal history read-alouds significantly increases the number of sentences I can get through without interruption. Don't judge me.
    
3/2/2015:  Learning about explorers today, specifically, those in search of a better trade route to India from Europe. Ben's only commentary: "Those people must have really liked pepper."

3/7/2015:  Celebrating Leah's birthday weekend in Savannah at Fort McAllister.  Noah found the full moon on a sunny day.
 

3/13/2015:  Grammar lessons with Ben continue to be my favorite part of the day. 
"The visitors are they? Why wouldn't you just say 'They are the visitors?' I'm going to say it the way that doesn't make you sound like a dope." ~ Ben

3/17/2015: 
Reading with Sarah -
"The dog said, 'That bug is so little I can not see him...' - how does the dog know the bug is a boy? - '...on this log.'
The bug said, 'I am big.' -No he's not. He's smaller than a newborn baby and they are not big!
The dog said, 'He is not big.' - Wait! Dogs can't talk! Neither can bugs!"

3/30/2015: 

"No. I'm not doing it like that. That's not how you count. It doesn't work that way."
My apologies to anyone who gets behind future Sarah in a checkout line if she ever has to pay with coins. Apparently skip-counting is absurd.

4/8/2015: 

Sarah: (Praying) Thank you for a good life with not very many troubles. And help Leah to go to sleep for heaven's sake. Amen.
Yes. Amen.

4/11/2015:  Got to go to the Teach Them Diligenty Convention in Atlanta without any kids thanks to the generosity of my parents where I gleaned a lot of practical and spiritual wisdom for our current and upcoming school years.  But mostly - this gem -

"Create a heritage of laughter in your home. Our kids say funny things. A lot of times we say, 'Shh, that's not funny.' You know what? It is. Laughter is the safety valve for all of the stress of life." -Rachael Carman
Best advice I've heard all weekend.

4/25/2015: 
Leah scribbling on a sheet of paper.
Me: Did you just say, "Booty, booty, booty?"
Leah: Yes I do.
Me: Why?
Leah: Because that's what I drawed.

5/1/2015:  Because the only logical thing to do after spending two weeks busting your tails at a breakneck pace is to blow off all responsibilities and go on an adventure, complete with costume changes (Abby), dipping French fries in ice cream for the first time (Noah), tasting way too many strawberries (Leah), climbing trees (Sarah), and chivalrously lending your shoes to your mom in possibly-snake-infested terrain because, naturally, she was wearing flip flops (Ben).

5/7/2015:  Reading lessons with a toddler in the house (video here).  I guess we were really asking for it hanging out on the floor.

5/12/2015:  So, I might be grumpy, but some things are worth celebrating - like Ben determining to complete his last three math lessons in one sitting so he can call it DONE for the year. It might cheapen it to mention the 3,211 other things we have yet to finish, but we have to find successes where we can. And this certainly qualifies. Well done, son.

5/19/2015:  You know you are overly hormonal and/or Joyce's daughter when something like...finishing the final chapter in your history book...brings tears to your eyes to the complete and utter confusion of your children.

June and July were both a bit of a blur, full of adventures (and utilizing the a/c for this very pregnant mama as much as possible), and very little formal schooling save for Abby's math lessons which we are still working towards finishing.  She's a rockstar.  And we will finish.

This year has been amazing, challenging, and stretching.  We've pushed ourselves, had fun, and grown closer, all things I dreamed would happen when we started this experiment and all things I'm thrilled to see come to fruition after our third full year.  I'm so far from perfect I convinced myself the other day that if Sam nanny-cam'd me, I'd have been fired from this gig years ago, and yet, my kids get to see my imperfections...every single one of them...and I get to see theirs.  And together, we get through it.  This is our life.  And we're doing it. 

Next week (give or take) we will embark on Year 4 (how is that even possible?!).  We will have a sixth grader, a third grader, a first grader, a precocious 3-year old who might do well to sit in on her big sisters lessons, a strong-willed but oh-so-cute toddler, and a very pregnant mom/soon-to-be-newborn baby.  That's a recipe for adventure if I ever heard one.  Wish us luck, pray for us, send me coffee.  (Ha!  Just kidding.  Kind of.)

My gift to you, if you managed to stick through this long post (in spite of myself), is a couple photos of Noah and Leah shenanigans.  Here they are pilfering in Ben's room while he was away at Grammie's house.  They are partners in crime and precious, precious siblings.  (Side note - Noah has turned a corner just this week and his personality seems to be far less...disgruntled.  I really like him now.  Not just because I have to, ha!)

 He literally said, "Cheese!"

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.  Let me hear from you.  Let me know how I can pray for you.  

Signing off,