Lynne's Kindergarten Year

Admission time: It's possible that one reason I'm homeschooling my kids is so that I can order fun and interesting things all the time. Maybe.

We got our "final" package in the mail today. The quotes are because I've already said that, and yet we had another package today. Originally, I ordered Sonlight's LAK to use with Lynne, but it starts super basic for every part of language arts. So while Lynne is at the beginning with writing and grammar and most other parts of LA, she is miles ahead in reading, so the Fun Tales and letter/sound recognition games are completely unnecessary and I don't see me using it with the boys when Lucas learned his letters from watching LeapFrog's Letter Factory when he was barely talking.

I sent back Sonlight's LA and ordered, instead, First Language Lessons (FLL), which is what I'd looked at awhile ago and decided on. I still fretted over it, but decided $10 wasn't too much to spend on a curriculum I don't use with Lynne, plus I'd have it as an option for when the boys are ready for LA.

I also ordered Writing with Ease (WWE) along with it, since it's made to be used as a companion with FLL. I don't know if we'll be using either when we "officially" start Kindergarten in September (or August or earlier if I can't hold out any longer), but I have them for when she's ready for it.

Right now, Lynne's Kindergarten year looks like this:

Sonlight Core P4/5
Cursive First
Math Mammoth Grade 1
All About Spelling 1
First Language Lessons (if she's ready)
Writing with Ease (if she's ready)
Critical Thinking (as she wants; she likes puzzles, though, so I expect she'll like this a lot)

Plus lots of reading books from the library, puzzles, thinking games (I bought Rush Hour Jr and she loves it), and just being a kid and playing with her brothers.

Lynne's Birthday Celebrations

Lynne turned 5, despite my protests. On her birthday, she got balloons (our tradition), sloppy joes and fries for dinner (she was surprised to find out the week before that she actually liked sloppy joes), and a cake with Cinderella squinkies on them. She liked the frosting, strawberries, squinkies, and ice cream. None of us liked the cake. I really need to find a from scratch cake recipe I like (and can pull off). (I do have pictures I took of her cake and presents, but they're on my camera instead of my phone.)

Her yearly check up was the next day. No shots this time (she was happy about that), but she's growing just fine. I forget the details, but she's average height & weight. She got to do a vision test for the first time. She was hilarious doing it. For each letter, she told you what it was quickly, like she thought it was silly that she had to tell you. When she got to the line that was difficult to read, she tried SO HARD to figure out what it was, but couldn't. I was actually proud of her when she spoke up and said, "I don't know what it is." For my shy violet, I was happy she spoke up. She did try and got about half of them on that line correct. No glasses for her.

At her well-child check up. She got the (large) fancy gown to wear.

For her birthday adventure, Lynne wanted to go to Discovery Gateway. We went a few months ago with friends and she's been talking about it non-stop since then. I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but she was so excited about it... It was much better with just one child, rather than three. And I wasn't nauseous this time around. I explored each new place with Lynne for a bit and then sat down while she kept exploring on her own.

The first time we went, we completely skipped the story factory section. Lynne LOVED it. She spent awhile dancing on the stage for me and thought the boy that joined her for a few minutes danced crazy (he really did). She tried on a variety of the costumes they had and spent the entire time staring at herself in the mirror. I've been planning on putting a full-length mirror in her room, but now I'm considering putting two or three up next to each other: the better to see herself in.

Dancing on the stage

Wearing a Shrek costume and dancing, while starting at herself in the mirror.

We also checked out the media station. Lynne got to be on TV. I got in front of the green screen at one point, but since I was wearing a green shirt, it blended into the background. Lynne would react to what was showing on the screen behind her. It was hilarious watching her.

Running with the horses.

After we played with the balls in the beehive and checked out the story factory and media station upstairs, we went to the place that Lynne had been talking about most: the house and grocery store. She made a grocery list during church one week, but I didn't feel like finding it in her notebook, so she made another one on the drive to the museum.

Peanut butter, cheese, sandwich, and dishwasher soap

At first, she couldn't find a shopping cart, since they were all in use, so she explored the farm section. She picked some (toy) vegetables that had been planted and took them to the house. She climbed into the horse and drove a car around.

Riding the horse

Finally, I was able to get a shopping cart after a kid had to leave with his mom. I called Lynne over and she put the groceries that were in it away, except it had 3 of the 4 items on her list, so she just left it in the cart. She cleared the shelves of peanut butter; her cart was full. She also picked up a few impulse items. When she was done shopping, there was a little boy that rung up her groceries for her. It was the cutest thing ever. His dad was standing on the other side of the store and taking his own pictures and we exchanged a few grins. It was so cute watching them work together.

Ready to go shopping

Checking out

The rest of the time was spent in the house. She cleaned up the kitchen (it was left a MESS by the previous kids). She checked out the other rooms in the house. She swept. She loves that house.

Getting some help cleaning up the mess

Sweeping. (I really need to get a kid-sized broom)

 She also checked out the construction center. She worked with some other kids doing whatever they were doing.

I kept thinking I should take a picture of the two of us, but I never did get around to it. I had fun spending time with her, though, just the two of us. We got Papa Murphy's for dinner that night because I was too tired to make homemade pizza, and pizza is what she originally requested for her dinner.

And that was Lynne's birthday.

And to prove that I still have other kids, too:

Adam with milk on his head, in one of the middle of the night play times in our bed (thank goodness they've stopped).

Lynne & Lucas at her first dance class. (Lucas insisted I take a picture of him, after I'd taken some of Lynne.)

Shooting the princesses on screen, while wearing his sister's hat.

Adam is picking up habits from his brother. Some good, some not so good.

Planning Lynne's Birthday

I keep telling Lynne that she's just going to be 4 for another year, but she insists that she turn 7 instead. Why 7? A few weeks ago, her and Lucas asked if we could have a second dog (say what?!) and I told her to ask again when she's 7 and Lucas is 5, and we'd see. So, she's now obsessed with bring 7 so she can know if we can have another dog or not.

I've also asked her if we could move her birthday to the 7th of February since that's the day that Jeff has off from work. She declined the offer (though we'll be doing the outing for her birthday on that day). Then, tonight, she suggested we move her birthday to the 2nd of February. Ha! No way!

Since we went to the children's museum with some friends, Lynne fell in love with the house and grocery store there and has talked about going back for her birthday ever since. Neither Jeff or I were thrilled with the idea of taking her, so we tried to talk her into other ideas. For awhile, she was wanting to go to Wingers for dinner, and going shopping with me for a new outfit (since it was suggested with going out for dinner), but since I knew that wasn't what she wanted, I wasn't thrilled with the plan. I don't want her to be disappointed with her birthday.

Today, we decided to go back to the original plan. And I headed out to buy her some pretty new clothes. As fancy as I could get them, without making them "Sunday only" clothes. It was so much fun going shopping to buy her pretty clothes. I look through clothes whenever I'm at Walmart or Target, but I'm cheap when it comes to picking up something randomly. Knowing that I got to actually BUY her something that I was looking at, it was awesome. I ended up getting her two outfits for ~60% off. (Which just makes me even happier!) And they are fancy enough to make Lynne love them, but hardy enough for daily wear.

I have a few more presents to pick up tomorrow (plus wrapping paper), but I know what I'm getting, so it's a quick in and out.

Five-years-old is more a kid than a preschooler. It's weird that my girly is that old. Unlike my mom, it doesn't make ME feel old, but Lynne suddenly seems much too old.

ETA: And then I saw that February 5th is Free Pancake Day at IHop. Which is Lynne's favorite restaurant EVER. It's FATE! I think I will get some Mommy/Lynne time. I'll have to get up early, but IHop pancakes for breakfast will make it worth it.

Year One of Adam

Mr Adam has turned from a baby into a little person with a personality. It's awesome.

Adam likes to be with the big kids all the time. He follows after them if they go up or down the stairs, and will follow them into Lynne's room if he's given the chance. If the big kids go downstairs, but I close the gate, trapping Adam upstairs, he gets upset at me. One day, I got the boys up from their naps. Lucas went straight downstairs to find Lynne, but I followed a little slower, carrying Adam. When I came downstairs, Lucas was standing outside Lynne's closed bedroom door and told me that Lynne was in there. I suggested he knock on the door and ask if he could come in. Lucas knocked, and Lynne opened the door. Adam perked up and got really excited to see her, but when she allowed Lucas to come in and then closed her door, he calmed back down, disappointed. So, I went over and knocked on her door myself, and Adam got super happy again when she opened the door, and was ecstatic to be allowed to play in her room with the big kids.

Adam also doesn't like to be ignored. If you walk by him without stopping to pick him up and bring him along with you, he cries like you broke his heart.

And if you take something away from him, full on tantrum, face on the ground, screaming. Once, he even crawled around our bed to the side Jeff was standing on before flopping down again to make sure Jeff saw that he was upset that Jeff had taken something away from him.

If he gets a hold of a brush or comb, he will comb his hair and anyone else who's head is in reach.

Yesterday was his first birthday. We got him the traditional birthday balloons that we get our kids. He went from just playing with the (extra long) strings on the balloons to pulling the string, hand over hand, until he had the balloon only inches from his fist. Such a smart kid!

I also pulled out the size 12 month clothes for him. (Clothes I had just put away because Lucas outgrew them, I might add.) By 12 months, when the kids are walking, I prefer shirts to onesies. The only problem with my little, just-barely-1 baby wearing shirts is that he looks SO OLD. All of a sudden, he looks like a kid, instead of a baby. TOO FAST!

Speaking of walking, he's still not doing that. He'll take two or three steps, but if he has to go any further, he'll drop to all four and crawl as fast as he can, which is pretty fast. Much better to keep up with Lynne and Lucas that way, anyway.

At his well-child check up today, he showed stranger anxiety for the first time. It was a new doctor, a new nurse, new office, but he just was not having anything today. Only two shots, though, because they split them so we get to go back at 15 months. Other than not having any words (which we're working on, thanks to Jana giving me tips and me watching her with Lucas when he was at this exact stage in his language development), he's right on track. He's even back on the charts for his weight! Yay!

For the record: 19 pounds and 29 inches

Baby #4 is...

On Monday, we had the anatomy scan for the baby. The whole family got to go since I didn't find a babysitter, but the boys were very well behaved and it went well. I anxiously waited while the tech took pictures of the baby's head and heart. Finally, she moved down and checked the gender.

It's a boy!

Completely shocked me because I was SO convinced it was a girl. I was a bit disappointed that I won't get a second little girl, but am excited for this little boy. Three boys only three years apart is a bit scary and overwhelming, but we'll figure it out.

I am glad there is such an obvious shot of his gender. I have it on the fridge, and I can look at it constantly and be, "Yeah, okay, he really is a boy."

Lynne, who has been wanting a sister since I was pregnant with Adam, was "a little bit happy". She told me later that we should keep having babies until she gets a sister because she really wants a sister. I think she's a little better about it now. She's helping us come up with names for him, and she's pretty opinionated. It was already hard enough for Jeff and I to agree on a name. Throw in her, and this kid will be lucky to have a name as quickly as Adam did (24 hours after he was born).

Lucas doesn't care that there's a baby in my tummy, but when he saw the ultrasound on the screen, he pointed and said, "Becca". We need to come up with a new name ASAP so that he can start calling the baby by the right name.

Schooling Prep

You'd think I'd have done this over the summer, rather than just before Christmas, but that's predictable.

Today, I made copies of the practice sheets for Lynne's handwriting (Cursive First). I had cut apart the teaching cards (one for each letter that gives you the dialogue to teach how to write the letter) when I got the program, but I spent some time cutting them all the same size. The uniform stack made me oddly happy. Then, I laminated them (so they last and so I can write right on the card to show Lynne how to write the letter) and the reference sheet of letters for Lynne to keep or hang up. I still need to cut the laminated cards apart, but we should be good to start tomorrow. I love my laminator. I feel like I use it a ton, but it's once for all for kids, which makes me feel a bit better.

I have also pulled out the math program we bought awhile ago (Math Mammoth) and printed off Chapter 0 (the pages to make sure you're ready for the Grade 1 work). I was going to print off Chapter 1, too, but decided to print it through an online company all at once (I'll link it later; I can't remember what it's called but if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!). Lynne actually surprised me with how well she wrote her numbers 0-4. We've had trouble previously with 3s. 5-9 wasn't as successful. Maybe I'll have her do the 5-9 page again, in case she was just tired from the 0-4 page.

But she needs unsuccessful attempts at things. She brought me the 5-9 page and said, "I'm not very good at it." My little perfectionist. I explained to her, again, that she's not supposed to be good at things she hasn't learned yet. I'll have to keep reminding her, and be more aware of how I praise her work in the future.

I also got Level 1 of All About Spelling, but I don't have the kit you use for all of the different levels with the tiles and things, so we'll have to wait on that. I want her to be able to write first, anyway.

We also have about half of Core P4/5. I'm excited for some of the books. But I think I might be more excited about starting it so we can move on to Core A. So many good books in Core A.

So, the plan is to add in subjects one by one. No more than 10-15 minutes per subject to begin with. For her sake, and mine. I'm going to have to set a timer to remind me since she gets less cooperative and I get less patient as more time goes by.

I'm excited to get started.

Why I'm Looking Forward to December

December 1: Pull out our Advent calendar and change our magnet calendar from November to December. Also, any other decorations that can be out that the kids can't reach.

December 5: Payday, which means I can go buy the rest of the presents! (I've moved bills around so we have a nice chunk with this payday to go on a shopping spree.) Shopping, wrapping, and giving presents is one of my favorite things to do.

December 10: Ultrasound!! We find out if the baby is a girl, like I've been planning on and telling everyone. Get your guess in!

December 14: The Hobbit in theaters! (Though I just read it's going to be a trilogy? It had better be as epic as LOTR and not end up like the Star Wars prequels.)

December 16: Adam turns one!! Already?!?! I can't believe it. I gotta figure out his cake.

December 16: Jeff and my 6th anniversary. 5 years was a milestone year, but was overshadowed (for obvious reasons), but six years seems like such a LONG TIME.

Sometime after the 16th but before the 25th: Put up the tree!! Just gotta figure out how to keep Adam and Chase (the little boy we play with during the week) out of the tree and away from the ornaments.

December 25: CHRISTMAS!! Only my favorite-est holiday of the year.

After December 25: Les Mis!! We won't go see it on Christmas because we have three kids, but Jeff and I are definitely seeing this one in theaters.

After December 10, but possibly not until January (which is why it's at the end): Switching rooms around. We have two room arrangement plans, depending on whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Since my sewing room is currently (always has been) half storage, more so with Christmas presents piling up, I've put off cleaning/organizing/sewing. So I'm excited to get the rooms re-situated. Plus, the kids will have toys in their rooms now (the boys have none, Lynne has the dress up clothes right now) so there will be less toys in the family room downstairs (but probably more in the living room upstairs).

I'm sure there are more things going on that I'm simply not remembering. There's baking happening sometime in there (I really want to make treats for our friends this year) and some projects I want to do with the kids. Also, I need to work on painting my nativity set that I've had in a box for two years because I haven't painted it yet. And so many more things. I love December.