I sure miss this room!

My little girl's room has had a big overhaul in recent months. We had to move in our little man and the pink room was giving him a complex. I will post updated pics of the new "gender neutral" room soon, but I am feeling a bit melancholy on this dreary-almost-fall-but-still-feels-like-summer day in Texas.

This was my favorite room in the house (sniff, sniff, tear).


By the way...

I officially have the most horrible pain, aside from labor, ever in my life. It has been going on for over a week and I have been to the chiropractor twice, the doctor, am on a pain-killer, muscle relaxer and steroid (in other words, I am a beefed up, mellowed out, high-as-a-kite version of my normal self). Actually, I only wished I felt that good. Had an x-ray and going for MRI today. What in the world is going on?

All of that being said, I am chomping at the bit to get my fall decor down and get it up! Considering that I can hardly move, and when I do, I feel like I am about to break in apart at the seams, I don't think that it will be happening anytime soon. I don't know why, but my husband doesn't think that pulling down all 1,235 boxes of fall decor from the attic is all that important right now. WHAT?! Where are his priorities?

Daddy's big, uh hum, helper...yeah, that's it!

"Anything you can do, I can do better...."

So, my poor husband can't go outside without his little helper anymore. As soon as Caroline hears the roar of the Husqvarna (yeah, I do know how to spell it...anyone impressed?), she shrieks, "I help Daddy mow!!!" and proceeds to dart out the back door. She rides on the "loud" mower for as long as Daddy can feel his legs, and then we whip out the ol' standby pushmower to get the last wee bits that need special TLC. This time, Caroline pulled out her "mower" and went everywhere he went. You go girl!

If only child labor laws weren't so darn strict...

Cute random picture

Ethan's first day of homeschool. Doesn't he look smarter already? I think his exact words after I took this picture were, "I'm bored". Seriously, I couldn't tell...

Let the games begin...

Okay, drumroll please, our first official day of homeschool was today. How was it, you ask? Well, thanks for asking and I will say, it was not as I thought it would be. I thought it would be, well, let me just paint you a picture....

Scene 1: (Harps playing in the background)

Mother, er um, teacher seemingly glides in like Mary Poppins, only in her Sunday best, and her pearls. Her son, eagerly awaits her instruction, and is full of bliss as he happily works on the perfectly planned lessons that his mother, um, I mean teacher has so thoughtfully prepared. They share wonderful times together as they work as a team. He is ever so grateful for all of the time and thought his teacher has put into his lessons, and thanks her over and over again. What a wonderful, fulfilling, fun-filled day of learning! The son thanks his mother/teacher endlessly and says that he can't wait for tomorrow's lessons. He gives his teacher a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and hops on his Schwinn to play a game of marbles down the street with Charles and Catherine.

Okay, REALITY CHECK...here is the real scoop.

Scene 1: (Middle child screeching in the background. Youngest child has crawled under the table and is eating Lord-knows-what. Son of teacher is still in pajamas and teacher is exhausted already)

Mother, er um teacher aims to get "class" started by 9:00. Begins at 10:00 after 30 minutes of yelling at son to "get yourself in here, NOW!". Teacher realizes at 10:01 that this is not what she had bargained for. By 11:00, we have one assignment half-finished because middle child won't leave eldest child alone, youngest child can't be found because he has learned to hide "Navy Seals" style, and eldest child is already bored out of his mind. By the end of first day mom is frazzled, discouraged, has lost an earring, needs Valium and a vacation, son/student is totally bored and is ready to "do some fun stuff", middle child/daughter is about to be put on Craigslist under "free stuff", and youngest child is delighting in the fact that he can now open all of the kitchen cabinets, make a symphony with the pots and spoons, unprogram anything that has a remote, and has eaten half his weight in day-old cheerios from under middle child's booster.

Mother re-evaluates the lesson plans and decides that she thinks this might be a bigger challenge than she thought...Mother then takes her Vicoden and blogs for therapy.

HELP ME!!!

Big changes in the Moore household...

or should I say, in Moore Elementary. Yes, you heard it right. We have decided to homeschool Ethan. After one glorious, and event-filled week in the public school system, we have brought him home to be "learned". Uh oh, is he in trouble! I jest...no, Ethan and I are both unbelieveably excited on our new adventure. For those of you who are shaking your head wondering why we would pull him out of a perfectly good school system, knowing that you went to public school and you turned out okay (well, are you sure about that...HA!), are reeling about the affects on his social skills or lack thereof, and think that he will be placed in this little bubble to never be seen, nor heard from again, let me say:

1. We have prayed long and hard about this decision and it wasn't just a whim. We have actually been considering it for several years.
2. We want to incorporate Christian values and Biblical knowledge into his curriculum and simply can't afford Christian private school tuition.
3. We feel as though a 1:1 teacher student ratio is just a tad better than the 1:18 ratio he was receving in his elementary school.
4. Who knows his learning style & personality better than his parents? We can pinpoint which curriculum will be best suited for him, and work at our own pace.
5. If you haven't researched homeschooling resources lately, you will be astonished at how far it has come. We will be taking many field trips, classes at the local co-op, and lots of hands-on projects.

These are just a few reasons that I had time to post. I know that homeschooling isn't the "norm", but it is right for us. I have always felt as though the Lord led me to get my teaching degree for something other than teaching at a public school. I never could reason why I would spend 7 1/2 years struggling to get through college only to teach for 2 years. I belive wholeheartedly that this is the reason. I can teach my own children what I want, and in the manner that the Lord sees fit. I don't want my children to learn how to put on a condom in the 6th grade, or that evolution is a fact and "intelligent design" is a theory. I want my children to see the beauty that God has put all around us as His.

I am not opposed to public school and I don't think that children are doomed in the public school system. I think that the teachers are in a terrible position having to teach all levels in their classroom. They try the "integration" approach and it is wonderful for the lower level students because it forces them to push harder. That is all well and good, but what about the other students? I'll tell you what happens, the upper level students get left to fend for themselves. The teachers simply don't have the time to spend with them to help them reach their full academic potential. They are either given busywork, or get bored and in trouble.

I feel as though God has blessed me with the ability, the tools, the support, and the desire to do this for our children, and I am going to take the full opportunity to do it until we are led to do otherwise. I want to pour as much truth into my kids for as long as I can. They are bombarded enough with negative influences even with us being very mindful of what they do, what they watch and listen to, and who they are around that I want to shield them from as much of it as I can and introduce thing when and how we deem is appropriate. I don't want my kids to be naive, but I don't want them to be too wordly too soon. My children don't need the 'birds and the bees' talk when they are 7. Yes, a friend of ours has had to have that discussion with her 7-year-old because of some things she was coming home with that she heard on the playground. 7-YEARS-OLD!!! I want their innocence to stay with them for as long as I can, and I make no apologies about it.

Okay, off of my soapbox, it is time to get to work, I mean school. I'll let you know more about it later. Wish me luck!

Caroline's glamour makeover

Okay, I am a horrible blogger. I can't quite get the sequence right and it is late. My friend JL told me, in a very kind way of course, that my blog sucked. I have to agree. I am far funnier, cooler, smarter, skinnier, organized and detailed than my blog would have you think. Well, maybe not the skinnier, but you notice...no pics of Big Ma'. I'm working on it...

By the way, I have redone my format, just to shake things up..I'm crazy like that. AHEM...Anywho...Like I said, these are not in order & I am too tired to care. Lastly, before you peruse my blog, note that I will be updating more in the upcoming days. Lots of goodies to keep you coming back...playing on the swingset, cooking muffins, you know, good clean fun.

Anywho...here are some more pics of my little peanut (and Daddy nut).

This is my fave.

No, I didn't capture EVERY step into the school...

His first locker...Just don't let some thug cram you in it or mama will come up there and open a can...

Seriously Mom... another picture. Yes, yes it is, now sit there and LIKE IT!!!!! Love you.
Oh yes I did! Not only do I have the schedule, but I have the class roster. Psycho mom, not necessarily...Cropping Mom?... can I get an AMEN!!! You know what I'm talking about.

The beginning of the photo shoot. I won't make you look at all 547,234 pictures. Note the size of the shoes in comparison to his wee little ankles. How can you not just love that!

No mom, I don't want to go to school. See, can't you tell. HA!

Off he goes...

Okay...sigh...the first day of kindergarten...I survived. Ethan was so proud and not at all nervous. His first 3 days were quite interesting. I won't go into details, and they aren't that gruesome, but I think we will be looking at the home-schooling option. It is something that we have been thinking and praying about for a long time (the beginning of school last year to be exact) and after some confirmation, we are doing all of our research to make a decision...although I feel as though our hearts are already set. I will let you know how it turns out. Here are some pics of our little school boy, oh, excuse me, big boy (as he corrected us today). By the way, today was the first day that he actually walked into the school alone and his comment was, "You are letting me go in all by myself...like a big boy?" He then proceeded to bound up through the front doors with the biggest, proudest face ever...(story as told by weepy-eyed father...mama would have lost it in the parking lot and they would still be trying to gather her tear-soaked body off of the Suburban's floor.)

This is all we see of "W" lately...

We had the most beautiful double rainbow outside after it rained one evening and I couldn't get over that I got descent pics of all the kids. Thank you Lord!

Oh yeah, Bailey laid one on Wyatt. Even with my delayed flash that I curse every time I miss the perfect "Kodak moment", I still managed to get it at just the right time. These 2 are big buds!

Caroline's make-up bonanza!

God bless the girl. She just loves mommy's make up. She is a tomboy, wrapped in a girly girl, with a heaping side of sassypants. You gotta love her. Here, she got into mommy's "eyes".

Wyatt turns ONE!

Birthday pictures...wouldn't you know that I busted my chin a few days before. Typical!

Precious baby!

Cutie patootie

Kiss for the sis'...I love you!

Amy & Alyssa - some of my partygoers!

That cake is goooood! Red icing, genius!

I think there is a monkey on my back

I love this swing!

Breakfast pancakes...chocolate chips...YUMMY

Decorations at his "Barnyard Party"

The barn cake didn't fall over like I had anticipated. YEAH!!!

It is official...our baby turned ONE last week. Kind of bittersweet. He got his helmet off yesterday, so his beautiful round head is visible 24/7. Yeah Cranial Tech! We got to keep his helmet & the mold of his head from the beginning of the process to remind us (and him in the teen years) how lumpy & bumpy his head could have turned out, but how gorgeous his melon is now. We have already had one fall on the face without his "protection", but he is doing pretty well in the adjustment and trying-not-to-get-a-concussion department. Praise God!


The kids also got a Christmas in July gift from their Papa, Dee Dee, Grumps & Nana. The newest addition to our back yard is an awesome swingset. They have had the most fun ever and Daddy & Mommy are having and even better time watching them. We set up their little blow up pool at the end of the slide so they could slide into it. FUN!!!