During my absence, Revelations and Catching up.....

My oh my, it's been a while, hasn't it?  How are you?

A lot has happened during my absence.... kids are alive, being home schooled and all you have to wonder.  Little Petunia is 2.  Oh she has brought so much joy to our lives!  I can't even begin to say.... Titus is 5 and he is beyond thrilled to get to start school this coming year!  Isaac is 7 and will be in 1st grade this September..  He's happy.  Was Isaac ever not happy?  No, I think not.  Chipper lil' fellow that one.  Then there's Chloe...sweet Chloe.  She is in the 5th grade.  Silly lil' girl.  Glad to have a sister to sleep with her.  She's all but forgotten the bygone days when she used to BEG for me to let "Benny" sleep with her every night. It wasn't fair that everyone else had someone to sleep with!  And then there is my Benjamin. He's 11....going on 35. Very responsible little bloke.  Does the boys laundry.  Folds it, puts it away.  Takes care of Annaleah while I am working, etc.  He's the man.

And now, onto the revelation.....

After my blood clot and I was physically unable to take care of my own family for a long time... things sort of became more precious to me.  Like cloth diapering my baby.  Doing dishes.  Fixing their dinner.  I had never enjoyed doing those chores so much in all my life as I did after my clot.  I was so thrilled that God had allowed me to live and that I was the one who got to do those things for my family.  So happy.  So, for the last while I have just been eating up this life that God has graciously let me live.  I don't regret for one moment giving up my blog for this time.  

We are still homeschooling.  This will be my first year schooling 4 children.  I'm a bit nervous about that. I know it's going to be a bit helter skelter around here.  I am also very excited about it.  Titus will be doing A Beka Kindergarten.  He already knows his sounds, etc. So reading, I hope, will come easy.  Isaac is going to do A Beka video school for 1st grade.  He really needs the structure.  He's doing well with learning to read and he is great in Math.  Ben and Chloe are going to be doing Saxon Math, A Beka Language, and My Father's World for everything else.  I have always wanted to use MFW so I am especially excited about that.

We just got home from vacation.  We went to Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania.  SO FUN.  Then we drove up to Hershey PA for a day and then on to Gettysburg.  What a time we had!  Just us.  Daddy didn't have to work, Mommy didn't have to clean or cook.  So wonderful.  I got a new Vera Bradley purse with a matching wallet.  What good is a new purse without the wallet?  ;)  We then spent several days with my precious Mother-in-law.  I like her better and better each time I am with her.  I've always loved and admired her...but the more time I spend with her the more I really like her friendship.  She and I can talk about spiritual things, or funny things, or kids, or homeschooling, etc.  Just anything.  She is an amazing person and I am blessed to know her.  

And so, there is the update.  I can't say I'll be back often, but here is this one.  I hope you all are doing well.  I think often of my homeschooling mom blogger friends and wonder what you are doing this year...I have just recently started reading blogs again.  I hope to catch up with you all soon!