Happy New Year!

Welcome, 2011!

We have greeted the new year and are going forward with home educating Jack. We made it through our first "semester"...WHEW!

I'm beginning to see that this road is a revealing one. Home Educating reveals so many weakenesses and insecurities that I have. Yet the whole way through these last months I have held (sometimes DEEP in my heart) the same conviction; that this was best for us. God has shown HIMSELF through so many different ways.

I am looking forward to this next semester and even glancing into the Summer and Fall when Joshua will be included in our "school" on a full-time basis. Jack has grown leaps and bounds and Joshua seems to be excited to join us on his days off of Pre-K. It is more than I would have imagined nearly 5 months ago. And 8 months ago no one could have told me that I would be a "homeschool" Mom. But, thanks to the Holy Spirit changing my heart and supportive friendships and a cool "Homeschool Group"...we are walking down this path together.

TRUST. What a word! I have had to trust so many things so far...but "trusting" that Jack would "get it" was nearly terminal for me. But, lo and behold, GOD. One day or week would be a heinous struggle for some things and then; "SNAP!" He would be reading or adding or memorizing. We went to Colorado with our friends and took a chunk of time off from "school" and yet I found he learned. Then it really sank in for me. That educating my children at home was truly just an extension of our regular family lives...I was ALREADY homeschooling. Sheesh! Anyway, I also have had to recognize a greater need for my Savior. A greater trust in HIS ability and plans. Talk about perspective. Sometimes, that's all we need. A little glimpse of the "Big Picture" it is such a cliche, but really settling when it happens.

So, there we are off and running our way through Kindergarten and PreK as Homeschoolers. HA! I am excited to welcome some of our new friends into homeschooling this year and looking forward to finishing our school year strong. Confident of our curriculum and confident that the God the Holy Spirit will guide us toward change where it is necessary.
I hope to include more blog posts for 2011 in order that our extended families and those that have expressed their curiousity for home educating (from a former ANTI-homeschooler, lol) can be encouraged and included.
 We began our new semester with Psalm 117: "All you nations, praise the LORD. All you people on Earth, praise HIM. Great is HIS love for us. The LORD is faithful forever. Praise the LORD."

May all our friends and family be blessed in this new year!