Ramblings......

So....It's time to plan for next year.....which I LOVE!  As I reflect over this year I realize how far we have come!

The biggest accomplishments:

1.  Sophie CAN READ!!!!  Not on grade level.....but by golly....she can read!  I'll take it :)  Whew!  It was HARD.  It was WORK.  It was DAILY.  It was exhausting....not only on my part but on her part.  And it is not done!  You could see her brain working.  She would often have to lay down to rest after just 30 minutes and occasionally would be in a puddle of tears.  IT WAS SO HARD for her......But I am SO proud of her.  She is getting it!  I swear she is going to be the best speller in the family because she understands all the rules!  If things go according to my plan....and they usually don't.......she should be reading on grade level by the end of the next school year.  That is the goal....we shall see!  HOPE!

2.  Jackson holds his pencil properly!  Again a major feat!  He started the year holding it in his fist.  He has completed his entire handwriting book and done VERY well.....but his letter formation still does not come automatically.  Yet HUGE improvement in the legibility of his handwriting from the beginning of the year to now!  Again....WORK!

3.  Lydia reads well. Lydia writes well.  Lydia does math well.   She is zipping and zooming through her school work!  She is a whiz.  PRAISE THE LORD!!!  I needed an easy one!

4.  Audrey is VERY ready for kindergarten.  I have a feeling her work will be very easy for her next year.  She has excellent fine motor skills and really strong phonemic awareness.  She is really comfortable with numbers as well.

5.  Andrew is VERY ready for HIGH SCHOOL!  GASP!  He has done a GREAT job in his studies and if he would work on his handwriting and spelling I wouldn't have any complaints! 

I'm getting ready to sign them up for their EOG's.  This will be Sophie's first time taking them and she will do the Woodcock Johnson which is really good for kids with LD's because it is given orally so it won't rely on her reading.  Andrew will do the regular standardized test.  The littlest aren't required to take it yet....so I'll save my money until they have to!

This is going to be a strange summer.  I will be working the camps for a lot of the summer which will be lots of fun for the little kids.....but not so much for the older two, although I think Sophie will enjoy aspects of it.  I am paying them for their help so they are looking forward to that!  A lot of their camps/mission trips/plans for the summer have changed so they are really disappointed....but due to those changes they are going to be able to do swim team.  So they are super excited about that!  They are also hopeful that they will get more time to go to the lake with their grandparents since they will have more free time.  We also aren't going on a vacation this summer because Randy doesn't have time off work, we don't have the extra money, and we are going on a big trip in November with his family.  So working all summer, keeping up with reading for Sophie, and no vacation.....equals not the most exciting summer ever.  So....I am going to try to be really intentional (my favorite word) about doing some things here to make their summer fun....and I'm planning to make a day trip to the beach.....because I just HAVE to go to the beach and take them each summer.  We are just too close to not enjoy it for at least a day!

One thing they are really looking forward to though is going to Mountain Top Youth Camp with a bunch of their buddies from Co-op next week.  Andrew and Sophie head up Monday and will be there through Friday.  So they will enjoy that I know!  This will be Sophie's first experience away from home without Randy or I going.  She is scared....and excited.  I know she will miss us...but I also know she is going to have a blast!  So excited for her adventure!

Finally, we have decided we are going to finish what we have started with our homeschool journey.  Andrew is still going to be homeschooled although most of his learning will not take place at home :)  He will be doing Biology with a Lab, Spanish I, Civics and Economics, and Introduction to Literature at Co-op (most likely).  We will be doing Math at home.  I am thinking about signing him up for a Drama/Speech Class at Providence Homeschool Group as an art credit and he will continue with his Guitar Lessons as a Music Credit.  He will do swim team and play basketball for extracurricular.  I am hoping our co-op is going to do an organized PE class so he can get a legit PE credit.  I will also be on the lookout for some service opportunities for him.  I'm excited and nervous about this leg of the journey! 

So....that is what is happening around here. 
Hope you are enjoying the sunshine....The rain is coming :)
Love,
Kim