Back to School

Sort of. 

What I mean is that we never really stopped school completely for the summer. We've taken a few scattered weeks "off" entirely, but for the most part, we've kept up with math and some reading, at least a few days a week. It just works out better if the kids don't forget everything they've ever learned in math over the period of a few short weeks. 

But yesterday was our official First Day back to school. Elsa has been anticipating it for weeks and counting down the days. She is still 4, but we've decided that she will do K4 this year (that's what I'm calling it...for her benefit). She will be going through these workbooks from Rod & Staff as well as The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. She is definitely different from her brothers with respect to her eagerness to do school work. She begs for it and expects that she should be doing school just as long as her brothers are. Of course, she's also the one who follows me (or Stephen) around the house and wants to help do whatever we're doing...yard work (that's Stephen, not me!)...cooking...cleaning...painting...etc. Now it remains to be seen how long it takes her to plow through those workbooks and move onto something a little more challenging.

Cade is in 2nd grade now - wow! I can hardly believe it. It seems like I just started him in Kindergarten last week. But he's got a toothless grin to prove me wrong. Time really is flying, and he's growing up. He's reading decently now, and his math skills blow me away sometimes. He figured out a mental addition problem the other day in the same time I did. And when I tried to explain to him an easy way to do it, he turned around and explained to me an easier way. And he was right. Can you say, "Keeping me on my toes?" He's still my master-builder around here and spends hours each day designing and building Lego fortresses and contraptions.

Luke's year will consist of 5th grade work. I don't know why it is easier for me to believe that of him than to believe that Cade is in 2nd grade, but somehow it is. He's taken on the job of mowing the yard this summer, and that has done a lot to make him seem older and more responsible in my eyes. He's also taken it upon himself (as of yesterday) to make a meal-plan for the week. I've been slacking in that department for a long time, and I think he's tired of hearing "I don't know" when he asks what's for dinner each day. I'm hopeful that he'll begin to take more and more responsibility for his own school work and start working more independently of me this year. After all, with another student and a very active toddler, I'll be hopping.    

Speaking of the toddler, the rest of my time will be spent making sure that Caroline doesn't injure herself or anyone else or tear the house apart. It seems as though she's set on doing one or all three of those things most days now. And she's getting molars to boot! Fun days - oy! 

Her cuteness is certainly not in question, though, and she has now learned to make a "funny-bunny" face. Here she is enjoying a piece of our breakfast scones yesterday morning.   

The basement is still not livable yet. The majority of the painting is done (walls and ceilings), but the doors and trim aren't finished yet. In fact, I really should be taking advantage of a nap and heading downstairs to paint more doors. But it's been a while since I've updated the blog, so here I am. I don't even have a sneak peek picture for you since I haven't taken any pictures after having the drywall finished. Sorry!

We are currently trying to find someone to build a banister/railing for the staircase, and then we will be able to put down carpet. Once the carpet is down it will be time to move the school shelves and desks to the new room in the basement. And then it will be time for a trip to IKEA! I'm hoping for all of this to take place by Labor Day, but honestly, I'll just be glad when it's done and we have a bit more room to spread out our books. Elsa will be very excited to have a table where she can sit to do her school since currently she uses the Little Tikes picnic table and can only use it when Caroline is sleeping. Otherwise, Caroline climbs up onto it or grabs all of the pencils off of it. See? I wasn't kidding about her trying to injure herself or others. 

So off we go on another year of schooling the kiddos...and learning an awful lot myself!