Boys' School

We have been back at school for a few weeks now, and while I worried about how it all might work, so far it's been great!  It adds a bit more routine to the day.  The fall was successful with Carter. Honestly, this homeschooling (yes, I know he's just in kindergarten, and there will be more intense years ahead) has been so much better than expected.  As much as I knew I wanted to try homeschooling, I was really afraid it would not work.

I know it might not always look like this, and there will be days/months/years that are more difficult than others.  But, so far, I've been so thankful for this time with them.  Carter finished his math for the year right after Christmas, and he's pretty far ahead in almost all areas, so we have to figure out the best way to finish out the year.  It's a great problem to have, and he's been a dream to teach!

I was worried most about teaching him to read.  I didn't know that I could do it - such a big burden to shoulder, I feel.  But, he's started to sound out a few words, and read very beginning readers, and he is so proud.  I am, too!  As many said, seeing your child read, and knowing you helped him/her get there, is so rewarding.  

Everyone else likes to be right where we are when we're schooling, so we've found ways to make it work at the dining room table, and we've also found ways to power through the distractions.  

Peter's favorite thing is drawing and practicing his letters.  He's really good at it, and I'm anxious for him to get more involved next year and find what makes him tick!

John Paul prefers to cut...and glue!  He likes to draw a little bit but always claims he isn't good at it. In time! 

The girls were with my mom this particular morning, but Sophie is usually right with us, and Genevieve is often taking her morning nap.  Some days are louder/more distracting than others. Some days the boys spend the morning working with their dad.   I've tried to create as much of a routine as possible with the flexibility of doing things on the ranch.  I know that routine will change over time, but it is what has worked this first year.

I'm anxious to see what this semester brings, and I'm so thankful for the time we've been able to share thus far!

His Name

I am typically the person who has to have my baby's name picked out way before he/she is born. With the first few babies, we didn't have a problem with that.  With the last two...it's been a different story. I am not exactly sure why, but it's just been more difficult to decide.  The night before this little one was born, we were basically down to two names.  With both, the middle name was Joseph.  He's a saint I have always greatly admired for his selflessness and humility.  So, I knew I would like that as a middle name.  The first name was the hard part.  This baby had been Henry Joseph in my mind for so long, since that was the name for Genevieve if she had been a boy.  So, when we found out this little guy was a boy, it just seemed that this name would be his.

Then, the name discussion was opened back up, and we re-thought names we had loved in the past. We looked over the list of family names we had compiled.  We tried to find saints who we might have overlooked.  There wasn't anything we were just set on.

And, poor Jeremy could not really talk to me about it, because it stressed me out.  For some reason, I just thought I would really "mess up" and miss a great name.  Sometimes my pregnant mind is one of great worry and anxiety as well.  The night before his birth, Jeremy made a comment about a name he liked (one that maybe we had kind of agreed on) and said, "I can get behind that name."  He did not say, "This is it!" or "I've just loved this name for a long time."  Instead, "I can get behind it."  In my crazy state, I started crying and saying I couldn't name our child something he wasn't in love with...something he had to just get used to.

See why it's hard to live with me sometimes?

So, that conversation quickly ended.  And, it wasn't brought up again, until Jeremy walked into the delivery room to find the baby had already been born.  He took one look at him and said, "He looks like Henry Joseph to me."

And, that was that.

Henry was the name of my great-grandfather - one I never knew but whom my daddy loved dearly. Henry is also the name of a saint or two whose stories we love.  Joseph, of course, was Jesus' earthly father.  I love the strength of the name.  I love the timelessness of it.  I love the examples he has to look to as he grows into a man.

May these saints who have gone before us always guide you, little one!

Growing Up

To say life has been a little crazy around here would be true.  The transition to eight really has gone well, but as with any major life changes, there have been glitches, so to speak.

The kids love, love, love Henry.  And, they all want to help out.  But, I feel they all want to help at once, and maybe whoever yells the loudest will get picked?  Or whoever whines the most from not getting picked may be chosen the next time? 

Whatever it is, right now our home is a lot louder and a tiny bit more dramatic.  Maybe more than a tiny bit actually.  All the while, I'm trying to not lose my cool when the child who once rarely complained is now whining at every turn.

As has happened in the past, I know life will normalize, and we'll get into a new groove.  In fact, we are closer every day.  

But, for now, I find myself getting lost on my phone while feeding Henry, checking Facebook mindlessly, and trying to not miss a minute of our captured life on Instagram.

And, sometimes I feel that it's draining.  I don't really know why.  Maybe it's because my introverted nature needs quiet or something mindless to recompose and recharge.  Or maybe it's because I sometimes feel guilty being too "plugged in" - I am trying to find a balance.  Because, sometimes I see moms post of their children who are now teens and how it has all happened way too fast.  Those moments I just want to follow my children around like a dog on a leash, not missing a moment.  Then the fighting and whining and whatever-is-not-going-right happens, and I already need another break. Ha!

So, I feel I will always struggle with holding on and letting go...with each of my babies, those I love, and the silly things like Instagram and it's ability to store our memories for a day when we want to look back and cry over how quickly time has passed (see, it's such a catch-22).

Anyway, life is good.  It always is.  It's just a bit more chaotic now, but I think that happens when hearts are opened to loving more.  

So, while I'd like to do more (and often do at the expense of missing the quiet moments), our daily happenings are a little something like this as of late.

Getting dressed.

Combing hair.

Doing a little school, cleaning up of the toys (x1572), meal-making, baby-feeding, request fielding, cartoon watching, and basic life living.

Taking a bit of time to "stop" and just recompose.

And, adding some comic relief.

If I have too much time to think right now, as these hormones normalize, too, I become a big puddly mess of my-kids-will-leave-soon-and-I'll-always-miss-them-being-little.  I have to steer myself away from that almost hourly.  And, then I kick myself for having my phone too close, too much.  So, I guess the distraction of their drama right now is a welcomed one.  I know they won't stop growing up. I just pray I get used to it!