Matt Got a Promotion!

Yay! Congrats babe! Matt's (now former) boss took a position at another company leaving a nice spot open. It is a position that Matt was wanting to move into. He had a couple of interviews, was expecting a couple more, but they came back and offered him the position. Hooray! This move also provides the finances for Emma to go to Coram Deo Academy next year. Thank you Lord! I'll admit, I was worrying about that. I figured if continuing at this school was the direction we were to head in then the financial issues would work out, but it's always a little disconcerting when you are not sure HOW those issues will resolve. A few days after we heard the great news, the kids and I baked and decorated a surprise cake for Matt and chanted "You're number 1!" as he came in the door that evening. He was so surprised and loved it! He even thought the cake looked beautiful, which, well, if you have never decorated a cake and then tried to write 'Congrats' with the icing.....it's not a pretty site. lol! As we surprised him with the cake, Matt surprised me with some beautiful roses! It was a great night all around!

He's a Smart Little Boy

Ok, so after realizing that the little boy knows his letters and sounds I decided to let him watch LeapFrogs Word Factory dvd. Keep in mind that until today he has watched it a total of 2 times. After his bath today he says, "Hey mom, you know what 'w' and 'at' (he's saying the sounds those letters make), you know what word 'w' and 'at' make? he he! It makes "wat!" Dat's not a word!!" But the fact that he put the two sounds together and made a NEW word amazes me. I think he is going to be a smart one, too! I have too many smart kids. How lucky can one mama get!

On another note, we have the kids Scout Family campout this weekend. We are going to be smart this year and just go for the day. :) It will be a long day, but the kids will have fun. I know they would love to stay the night, but I know that I don't have it in me at the moment and I don't think Matt's up for that adventure at the moment either. We also have fundraisers going on that I am not a fan of yet I am thinking I ought to put a little bit of effort into it this year. I think I will go to my friends that 'swap' fundraising stuff with and see what we can do. argh! I hate the stuff! But I wonder if the kids would be bothered that they are not participating. I used to be a bit bothered by not participating when I was younger. I think we'll ask a few people and see what we come up with.

My Littlest Boy is Getting Big

I am excited yet sad. My littlest boy, who in my mind is still my baby boy, is getting big. I asked him if he could stay little and he said, "Ok, I can do that. I can stay 4."

It started when I realized that he knew his letters. I have not taught him that! He has learned them from tv and the computer. I let him play different educational dvds on the computer as his 'school time'. Well, apparently he has been paying attention. I quizzed him on them last week and saw that he knew almost all of them! Awesome! So, today I decided that I would teach him the sounds that the letters make....he knows almost all of them too!!! Can the boy read already?? No, not yet. I can still teach him something. So, today we did his first reading lesson. I wondered if he would be ready to sit still and have a decent attitude about it, but he did great. He understood what I was saying and asking him to do. He followed the directions really well which REALLY surprised me b/c he does NOT do that when doing chores. Surprise surprise... :) And we had fun together. I loved it. Honestly, it's been awhile since I have enjoyed homeschooling. It's been difficult getting all of Ethan's schoolwork finished and it has put a strain on both of us. So, Austin and I spending time together was such a nice breather for me. I realized that he's ready for 'school.' He's had a difficult time lately. I figured that it was because I was spending so much time with Ethan trying to get him ready for school. I think that is part of the reason. But I also think he is ready for something more. He's been bored. So, now that I've gotten Ethan and Emma's school schedules sorted out it is time to work on Austin's. I am really not sure what to do with him yet. It needs to be simple, but he really need to have some fun. He is a very playful boy.

Oh, and he can also already count to 20....learned it while playing hide n seek! It's amazing what the younger ones learn from the older ones...