An Extra Cookie

I just picked the boys up from seminary. They came out of the classroom with cookies. When they got in the van Jonny made a comment about them. He said that he'd asked if he could grab one for his mom. He then proceeded to say that as soon as the question was out of his mouth - the room went quiet. Needless to say, there was no cookie brought to me. He realized once he was embarrassed what the answer might be. Although, I'm guessing the teacher would have been fine with it if all of the students had already had one. I love that he was being thoughtful.

Reading and More Reading

I was sitting with the kids in our front room this morning. Jonny was reading to us. The idea came to me that this is so much better than rushing to get kids off to school and then not seeing them for the rest of the day. So grateful to be able to be together and work on some of the things they want to do. We're currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) because that's what they chose. I was glad about the choice. I have never read through them myself. (And I call myself a reader. Ha.)

The girls and I are trying to decide what we get to read together. We did some of the American Girl books earlier this year. We want to get back to them...but, would like to do something different in the meantime. We tried starting Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, but Rachel seemed to be a little nervous about that before we even finished the first chapter. (She is the one we see the most about nightmares - so, we're just not going to go there.) There are always more options. We're looking into The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett or Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery). Rachel still likes a few illustrations in her books - so, I got a couple different versions from the library of The Secret Garden - one is hard bound and illustrated by Tasha Tudor and the other is illustrated by Inga Moore and has a soft binding. Both beckon to be opened. Maybe we'll try that first because I just can't stand it. It is one I do remember reading when I was younger.

More Beginnings

I just dropped the boys off at seminary. I drove off slowly - just to make sure it was really happening. I didn't want to embarrass them by going in. They walked in as it was supposed to be starting. If we had gotten there earlier, I might have sneaked in just to meet the teacher. Maybe when I pick them up...or some other day.
We get to start a few things this week. Rachel's clogging class starts tomorrow. I will be signing Megan up for a theatre class and then both of them want to also do piano. I'll get Jacob signed up for cross country too. So many things going on. I want to have the kids have the experiences they need. I think part of that includes leaving the schedule open for them to create and explore on their own. We'll see how it goes. It feels like we're off and running.

End of Summer

Earlier today we were heading to an appointment. We passed the local public elementary school. I pointed and commented, "Just think, next week the kids will all be back to school.". One daughter asked, with a bit of panic in her voice, if that's what they would be doing. After I explained that we'd still be homeschooling, the other daughter stated that she never wanted to go to public school. I'm not sure where that came from and she might change her mind in the future. They are both apparently ok with the idea of homeschooling. It puts me a little more at ease when things happen and I know they're good with what we're doing.

Father's Day Talk

Jacob is giving a talk today on fathers. He did a good job preparing. I was pleased that he came up with the idea that we have a Heavenly Father and an earthly father. He talked about them and what they do. He shared some points/examples from a couple of fathers in the scriptures. He also said we have fathers in the church and gave some information about that. I was grateful that he chose to go with that. He found all of the references himself and wrote it by himself. He shared about a time when Layne shared his testimony as part of what fathers here on earth can do for us. I was so glad he chose not to go the route of telling several stories about his dad that may or may not have been relevant to a gospel principle. I think it showed maturity and spiritual awareness. He's a great kid.
I didn't get to go hear it. Rachel is sick and I'm home with her. Layne went. He is not feeling well today and so I was a little concerned about him going. I'm hoping all is well.

Summer Concerts

We went to our first summer concert last night. We got to hear hits from Broadway. It drew quite a crowd. The girls had a fun time dancing. Layne used one of the chairs that were there while I sat on the blanket and leaned against him. He surprised me by rubbing my shoulders. (They've been a little tweaked lately.)
Jonny wasn't feeling well and Jacob stayed home with him.
Good night. It feels like summer is officially here now that we have done one of our summer traditions.

Next Page

As of today, one kid is done with seminary and the girls are done with dance. It feels like the end of a chapter. I mentioned that on the way home from the dance recital and our youngest said that it sounded like the end of a book. I thought that was cute. Time to get something else written I guess.