Sometimes Traveling is Hard.

Traveling has changed for me a bit over the years.  I remember the wonderful time when Mom pretty much did it all.  Then, I was single and could be packed and ready to go in about 15 minutes.  Thirty-five if you include my shoe and makeup bag.

Then I got married.  Adding in time to pack Dave's supply of pop definitely took the process up to about 45-50 minutes.

Then we added a dog, and packing time increased to an hour and change.

Then the children came.  We added HOURS to the routine, and don't even get me started on the level of chaos and confusion that became part of leaving for a trip.

And now that we've added a baby......I can't even begin to estimate.  All I know is that it takes YEARS off my life, and adds approximately 7 additional grey hairs to my head. (Yes.  I said additional.....sigh.) 

And the actual time on the road?  Stops used to be easy and fast and trips could go by quickly.  And now?  I can't even talk about it.

But a few weeks ago, we hit a whole new level of chaos in traveling.  We were on our way back from my cousin's lovely wedding.  It was snowy, and we were worried about the weather and roads getting home.  Having found out about a Caribou at an upcoming exit (thanks, mom), we decided to make a quick stop to get gas, food, and coffee.  Drive throughs, kids staying in the car.....badda bing, badda boom.

In and out, that was the plan.

Except that when we stopped for gas, it woke Clark up.  So he started screaming.  And kept screaming all the way through pumping gas.

Next we ran to Wendy's.  It was supposed to take approximately 3 minutes.  Instead, it took about 10, apparently chicken nuggets are a slow item to order.   Clark was still screaming, and through the sad cries, Dave asked Andy (in the way back of the van) to get him a bottle of pop from the cooler bag.  While doing so, there was a crash, and Andy ended up trapped under the stroller.

I have no idea how that was possible.

But, after FINALLY getting through Wendy's, we whipped into the Caribou parking lot to get Andy out from the stroller.  But, instead of going in through the back of the van, Dave decided to go in through the side of the van, over the top of Isaac, who was lost in a book and didn't want to stop.

Then there was a yell, and a large exhale of air, and I saw that Dave's feet had slipped out from under him and he had fallen on top of Isaac.  Not to be distracted from his book, Isaac continued to read while being squished like a taco.

After getting his footing, Dave still tried to go at it the same way, Isaac still wouldn't quit reading, Andy was still trapped under the stroller, and Clark was still screaming. 

Thankfully Dave met with more success that time, and finally, Andy was unpinned, Isaac unsquished (still reading), Clark was starting to settle down, and Dave offered to still get coffee.  I declined, since this stop had already seemed to take forever.

However, Dave - still flustered from the whole experience, took a shortcut and turned into the Caribou drive-through, cruising right past the ordering mic, and around the corner....  where we were stuck waiting behind other people who had actually ordered.

For the love.

But after my blood pressure came back down to a normal range, Clark stopped crying, Andy was back in his seat, and Isaac was still reading, I just started laughing.  Uncontrollably, with tears coming down my face.  My children weren't sure if I was mad or sad or happy, or had just lost it altogether, but eventually they started laughing with me. 

I may dream of the days of easy traveling, but I'm pretty sure I won't see them again for years. But, I'm wondering if these won't be the memories we all love reminiscing over someday.  For now, though, I vow to never be stuck in a Caribou drive-through without getting coffee again. 

Ever.
 

Merry Christmas!

This past year has quickly flown by in the slowest way possible. It seems like yesterday that I was writing last year's Christmas letter; it seems like it was years ago at the very same time.

In January, we found out that I was pregnant!  Our family was excited and happy, and discovered something together:  We are not a patient group of people!  For the next 9 months, we were often learning about Peanut's growth and talking about what we were looking forward to.  Compared to adopting kids, this process of adding a child to our family seemed painfully slow!

February went by in a whirlwind of nausea.  I'm not entirely sure what else happened that month, besides the fact that we ate an exorbitant amount of take out in effort to avoid cooking smells!

March came, and with it came Andy's 10th birthday.  Double digits for my boy!  Hard to believe, and we celebrated with a giant Angry Birds cake and a basketball game/concert combo featuring Jason Gray.

In April, we went on a family vacation to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC. We toured Independence Hall, saw Carpenter's Hall, went through museums, saw the Statue of Liberty, ate ice cream cones on the famous steps of the New York Library, ate pizza at the first pizza restaurant in the USA, saw the New York skyline from the Top of the Rock, napped in Central Park, mastered public subway systems with children in tow (totally different than just having to fend for yourself!), looked at the Declaration of Independence, went through George Washington's home, watched the Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery, and looked at the White House.  Are you tired yet?  We were.  But we had so much fun, and many family memories were made.

May brought Isaac's birthday, and he turned 8!  His love for Star Wars continues to grow,
and so we celebrated 8 years of existence with a Lego-Mini-figure Luke Skywalker cake.

June and July were filled with many fun summer activities, and Dave continued to work at finishing our basement.  We went swimming, played at parks, took a road trip to Kansas City, and enjoyed time together.

By August, it was time to start school!  We are homeschooling again this year, and started early so we would be able to take some time off when Peanut joined our family.

Andy is in fourth grade this year, and doing well.  He has really had a chance to develop his own interests in reading, and has learned a lot through all the biographies he's read!

Isaac is in third grade this year, and his favorite subject is math.  He is blessed to be very talented in this area of study.

September rolled around, and I was ready to have Peanut by the first week of the month.  However, he tends to have his own schedule, and didn't arrive until September 25th! He has been worth every bit of the wait.

October was filled with sleepless nights that come with that newborn fog, but we enjoyed being a family of 5 as we made it to the apple orchard, watched football, and spent time with each other.

November and December have been a fun time of holidays and celebration, and a reminder to be thankful for all the ways in which God has blessed us.  I hope you have time this holiday season to reflect on the birth of Christ and find awe and wonder at the hope that tiny little baby brought to this earth on that night so long ago.

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Naughty or nice......

George Winston's beautiful music was playing in the background, and I was working on yet another to-do list.  Christmas time truly is the most wonderful time of the year, but my word, it's exhausting for mamas. (or is that just me?  Tell me it's not just me.)

And then, as my favorite Winston song, "Joy" starts playing,  Andy turns to me with an angelic look on his face, and innocently asked, "Mom, is that YOU playing?  It sounds JUST like you! When did you record this?"

Ah.....someone knows it's only a couple of days till Christmas, and is still trying to solidify his place on the "nice" list.  Well played, kid, well played. You know me well.

On an unrelated note, if anybody needs me, I'll be busy shopping on Amazon for...... some last minute things.

Back to School! (Already)

We had our first day back to school yesterday.  Since Peanut is due in September, we decided to get a head start on school, so we'd be able to take off a few weeks guilt-free after he comes.  The kids have decided it's a pretty good trade-off.

We started the day off with the traditional going out to eat on the first day of school (started by my parents back when I was homeschooled!).

After a good breakfast, we dove in.  The boys had written letters to their future selves at the end of the last school year, with advice and encouragement for this current year, and we read those before getting started with Bible.

Yesterday was pretty fun, and to be honest, there's something nice about getting back to a routine (though that enjoyment naturally comes after a nice, long break from it!).

Our school year is off to a great start!

Our (not so) quiet morning

This morning, I was working on making a few things for our Easter dinner.  It was quiet and peaceful, until the kids came thundering down the stairs.

"Happy Easter!" 
"Yeah!  Happy Easter Mom!"

They were exuberant, and joy-filled.  They were loud and noisy and fun and excited to celebrate the day.  Almost immediately, they started talking about the importance of Easter, and what makes it a big deal.

"Mom, Jesus GOT BACK UP FROM BEING DEAD."

"And he was different than that other dead guy who was raised again in the Bible, because Jesus could be the payment for our sins, Mom."

"Yeah, because he hadn't done anything wrong at all, then they killed him.  But he GOT BACK UP!"

The wonder and awe in their voice was beyond priceless.

They then proceeded to pretend to make a video (for their TV show, obviously) explaining to other kids (their "viewers" who might not go to church) why Easter was a big deal.  It was full of many interruptions about the food I was making, since they got very distracted by the giant ham I was working on, but they still got the main points in.  I was impressed. 

They talked about how Jesus came to earth, fully God, and fully man.  They discussed how He lived a perfect life, but people crucified him anyway - and He let them, because it was part of His plan.

And then, they discussed with triumph that their Savior rose from the grave.

They talked about it all with such conviction and sincerity.  They were funny and said some of the words and phrases wrong - which tells me they're not just mimicking the proper stories they've been told - this was coming out in their own precious words.

Child like faith nearly moved me to tears this morning.

It wasn't until we were at church that I realized something amazing:  They were so excited about the real reason of Easter, and I hadn't even heard them mention a peep (pun intended) about Easter baskets or chocolate or what they might get.

I'm sure they were excited about what might be coming (they were not disappointed).  But on our loud, funny, wonderful Easter morning, my boys exuberantly spent time reveling in the sacrifice of their Savior.

And it was amazing.

My boy is 10.

I can't believe it.  Yesterday, Andy turned 10.  TEN.  I mean, just a few days ago, he was 9.  And a few days before that, he was this 8 year old little munchkin just joining our family.

But now he is 10.  He's growing up so fast.  And, as he says, he's "practically a teenager."  (gives me heart palpitations every time he says it.)

So, we spent the weekend celebrating!

Andy wanted an Angry Birds cake, so I did my best!  I keep waiting for the kids to request a plain chocolate cake with just candles.   Hasn't happened yet.   But he was really excited to see his cake, and it made the crazy late night worth it.

My parents came up for the day, and after some time spent on the basement, we went out for dinner, then came home for cake and ice cream.

The next day, the four of us went to the Faith and Family night that was hosted by our local Christian radio station to finish celebrating.  We watched the Iowa Energy basketball game, and stayed for the Jason Gray  concert afterwards.

After the concert, the boys stayed to get autographs, and Jason sang Happy Birthday to him.   I believe Andy is now the first person in our family to be sung to professionally for his birthday.

It was a fun way to usher in the double digit years!

They want to move to Russia.

When we were first married, Dave and I decided we would trust God to provide just the right kids for us - whether that came through birth or adoption.  And over the years, God has cultivated in our hearts such a strong desire for adoption, that we just can't wait to keep growing our family.

Adoption is our mission field.  It is our heart, our passion.

But when you have kids, you take them to the mission field with you. So what would happen if the kids we adopted weren't so interested in continuing to adopt?  It happens.

So we prayed.  And prayed and prayed.  And we asked God that if our heart for adoption and our passion to grow our family was truly from Him, that he would give us kids who also had hearts for adoption.

God has answered our prayers in such big ways.  Our kids both have such a desire to bring more children to our home - in fact, sometimes they overwhelm us with the prayers they pray:

"God, would you send all the kids that need a home to our family?  We'll promise to love them." 

"God, could you please send us lots of babies?  And a kindergartener too.  They're both cute."

"God, could we please get a baby sister? Or a big brother?  Or even better, both?"

"God, could you please fill our whole house with kids who need homes?"

Thankfully, our God is a wise God who can filter through the exact requests, and find the precious heart behind the prayer that wants to love on kids who need it.  And I think he'll honor that.

The other day, though, they took the adoption plans to a whole new level.

Dave turned to me, not realizing the kids were paying attention, and casually said, "Hey, did you hear that Russia isn't letting Americans adopt anymore?"

"WHAT?!" the kids replied, before I could even react.

"WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS IN THE ORPHANAGES!  We need to go get them right away before the law goes into effect!!"

They were just beside themselves, their hearts breaking for these children who needed homes.

Dave tried to explain that there wasn't anything we could do.

"I got it!" said one of the kids.  "We could move to Russia for a year.  Then we'd be Russians, so we could adopt the kids in the orphanages, then we could move back to  the USA."

"Yeah!! That's a great idea!" said the other.  "Let's do it!!"

I think that in their wonderful childish minds, they were picturing about 5 lonely kids that we could just bring back home with us.  I don't have the heart to give them a more realistic picture.

But I love that my kids were completely willing to pack it up and move to Russia to rescue kids.  They were willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus.  How many times in my life do I want to take the easy way out?  To just decide something is impossible, or just hard, and hope someone else picks up the slack?

1 John 3:16-18: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

This is a hard passage to live out.  It calls us to pair faith with action.  To show our love for God by loving other people.   May the challenges that God has laid out in these verses rock your world as they have mine. 

My kids have their days.  Some of them are tough.  But they have giving, generous hearts when it comes to loving children who need a home, and for that, I'm incredibly blessed.  

Happy Anniversary Andy!

Today was the one-year anniversary of Andy's adoption, and the four of us spent the afternoon celebrating!  We went to Caribou for a very late lunch and had very cheesy grilled cheese and hot chocolate (coffee for me, of course).

After our grilled cheeses, we stayed and played Skip-Bo and Uno, and snacked on carmel hi-rise snack mix (yum!).

We had so much fun laughing and spending time with each other!

After a quick stop at Target, we headed out through the snow to Build-A-Bear, where we had gotten Peter - Andy's adoption bear.  We let him pick out a new outfit for his bear, and enjoyed our time there. I was really proud of him - we gave him a very specific budget, and he was very careful to stay within it.

We let Andy choose where he wanted to eat, and he chose Wendy's at the mall.   I was a little surprised that he didn't go for something like Fuddrucker's, but he was happy with his choice.

It was a fun way to spend the day!

Andy, I can hardly believe you have been a Schoney for a year.  We've had ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade you for all the riches the world could offer.  You have grown in my heart in ways I never could have imagined, and I love you more than words could express.  You have grown so much in this past year - and I'm so proud of the person you are becoming.  God blessed us greatly when He brought you to be part of our family!  I'm so very glad you're home for always.
Love,
Mom

Andy's Adoption Day

Andy's Adoption Video

The Accidental Christmas Program

Last night, we went to a Christmas Eve service.   It was at a different church than any of us normally go to,  so we weren't as familiar with how they did things.  We were all in a row, comfortably singing along with carols, when they gave a call for the kids to come forward to the stage.

Never one to shy away from being involved in church activities, I told the kids they could go ahead and join the rest of the K-4th graders that were being called to the stage, and to just stick together.

Andy promptly led with his shoulder down (Dave was proud) to get past another kid and catch up to Isaac so they could walk up together.

Much to our surprise, a children's director of some sort came out and started handing out little props to each of the kids.

I thought it was nice.

Then she started lining them up in a specific order.

That seemed a little weird.

Then she made sure they all remembered the words, and made little last minute adjustments. 

And I noticed that other kids were kind of staring at my kids in an  unfamiliar, what-are-you-doing-here kind of way.  Not unfriendly, just confused.

Then it hit me.  It was the church's children's Christmas program. 

My heart sank, but then I realized there wasn't much I could do about it, and I had to fight the laughter.  I looked over at my brother and his wife, and they had just realized the same thing, so the four of us sat through the Christmas program, trying as hard as we could to maintain our composure, as our kids stumbled through a Christmas program they were clearly unprepared for.

I asked them what they thought of it later, they said they "had fun, it was just a kind of confusing type of fun."

Sorry kids, we'll pay better attention next year.

My little thinkers

Yesterday we went to the library, and it was so much fun to see the boys having a good time while looking for books.  That has been a slow-coming development that we have all worked hard for!

As a parent, I feel like we are constantly trying to work to not just shelter our kids from everything negative, but to teach them to think for themselves, and train them to discern what is good for them and what is not at an age-appropriate level.

I often wonder how much of our message is sinking in, but time at the library was eye-opening.  They have really started to sift new information differently.  They are learning the difference between fun stories that are obviously false, and books that are written as fact, but that our family disagrees with.  They will sometimes check out books, knowing that parts of it may not actually be true, and read with caution.  

I love watching that develop in them.  We can't shelter them from everything that is negative or untrue for their entire lives.  We can't force them to just simply agree with what we think for the rest of our lives, either - and neither of those options are what we would want for them, even if they were a possibility.

We want them to be independent thinkers, and they are starting to become just that.  They look at books, and will start to tell me what they think God would think about the book.  They'll read books, then tell me about how the ideas that are presented as facts line up with what they know to be true about the Bible.  And every time they do, I give thanks to God.  We rarely have the answers to parenting questions, but God has been good, and we love the way they are absorbing and sifting through all the information and ideas presented in books!

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30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 27

Today I'm thankful that my kids are developing a love of reading.  I remember the first summer we had Isaac, just about a year and a half ago.  I would ask him to have some down time with books, and he would just wilt.  Later, when we had Andy, he would do just about anything to put off reading.

Little by little, we've worked with them to help them improve their reading skills and confidence, and it's paying off.  Isaac has been named the family bookworm, and Andy's been finding more and more books that he's excited about recently.  In fact, when we went to the library today, they were excited and happy to be going, and we checked out a stack of just over 30 books!

The Thanksgiving Trees

I wanted to do a craft with the boys to help decorate for Thanksgiving.  I wanted it to incorporate thankfulness, be fall-colored, be cheap, and preferably create very little mess.

I often see snippets of Pinterest Moms' work on Facebook.  It's adorable.  Everything looks perfectly crafty, thoughtful, well-done,  and....frankly,  like it took hours of work.

So, as I was trying to think of something cute and crafty, I briefly considered perusing Pinterest, but, who are we kidding - I do not have the time.  So, instead, I went to my favorite place - the Target dollar spot (though it is getting pricey there too! Stuff as high as $3!).  I found Thanksgiving trees for $1 each, and we made a couple of them.

Decorative? Check.

Incorporate thankfulness? Check.

Cheap? Crafty? Little mess?
Check, Check, Check.

The tree was pretty simple to put together, and we all took turns filling up the leaves with things we are thankful for.  We had 12 leaves, and I wondered at first if the boys would be able to fill them easily, or if Dave and I would need to help fill in a lot.  I was so wrong!  They not only filled in the 12 leaves, but also filled the backsides.

The list ranges from lighthearted and fun to ones that required depth of thought and caring, and the boys came up with almost every one.  Among the ideas they thought of:

Family
Football
Water
Yarbo
God's Grace
Jesus

We don't often sit around together thinking of things we're thankful for, but perhaps we should do so more often.  It was a blessing to get a peek into their hearts and see what they were thankful for, and we had fun decorating our Thanksgiving Trees with our Thankful Leaves.

Maybe someday I'll get everything pulled together for Pinterest-level craftiness, but thankfully, the boys don't know what they're missing on Pinterest, and I've already purchased my $1 crafts for Christmas.  I think they'll enjoy them just as much as the trees!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 16

Today I was thankful for the sunshine and the beautiful afternoon we had.  It was only a little chilly - and it felt so good for a November afternoon!

I looked out the window into the backyard, and saw Andy sitting on top of the swingset, happy as a clam to be somewhere up high, hanging out.

I love seeing the boys happy and relaxed.  I tried to get a good picture of Isaac, but he mostly just laughed because I had caught him with pretzels stuffed into his cheek like a chipmunk storing up for winter.

Thank you, God, for the beautiful day!

Face it, kid...

Yesterday was a long day.  Not a bad one, just a busy one.  We had appointments, meetings, and school to do in the middle of it all.  So by early evening, Dave and I wanted a couple of minutes to rest, and sat on the couch together. 

We may not definitely do not have as much time with just the two of us as we used to, and I think that makes those moments just that much more precious.  So we closed our eyes and rested for a few minutes together on the couch, Dave with his arm around me, and me just happy to be sitting next to him. 

I thought I heard a groan, and I opened my eyes to find Andy in front of us, head in his hands, muttering, "Why do they do this....."

So I replied, "Face it, kid, you have parents who love each other."

"Yeah, but I still don't want to see it."

"Turn around, and you won't," was Dave's empathetic reply.

"But...Mom....Dad....never mind."

He kept muttering and moaning things, but even as he went back to the table, I saw a little contented smile sneak across his face.

Face it, kid.  You LIKE having parents who love each other, and deep down, you're glad that the Fellowship of Our Rings is alive and well.

Sneaky sneaky

We pray for family members using a pretty high-tech system.  It involves putting people's names into cups, and drawing them out, two at a time...Ok, not high-tech, but it works.  We started off doing our immediate family, including the kid's aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and today I started working on expanding it to Dave's and my extended family (so, beware, family, you are being prayed for!).

Andy saw me typing out all the names for the families, and said, "Wow, Mom, that's a LOT of people, and a LOT of kids."

And then he startled me by adding, "And it won't be long before you can add my kids too!"

Woah, wait, hold up.

I quickly told him that it would be at least 40 years, because he can start dating when he's 45, then he'll have to get married before the kids come.

He laughed, and said, "MOM.  I think 45 is a little too old.  May I please date when I'm 22?" So polite and everything! Warmed my heart.

I counter-offered.

"How about when you're 25?"

"Deal."

I will print this blog post immediately, to be pulled out during his teenage years.  Goodbye sleepless nights during high school (verbal contracts made by a 9 year old are bonding, right?)!

Tasty Challenges

We have been working hard at being a healthier household.  At the same time, we want our kids to see making healthy choices as a fun, natural part of life, not something forced on them by goal-oriented parents.

Football season is in full swing at our house, and in the past, that's always meant lots of snacks and fun foods.  I wanted this year to be just as fun, but with a change in the food, and I decided that the best way to pull that off would be to involve the kids in the snack selection.

I chose a big game - the ISU v. Iowa game - and challenged the kids to think of different kinds of foods that were red and yellow.  I was surprised with how much we came up with!

We decided that everything should be in Cyclone colors, and the kids did a great job!  Our healthy snacks included:

Red apples with yellow bananas

Babybel individual cheeses, white cheddar (yellow) and regular red wheels

Freeze-dried pineapple and strawberries

Red sugar-free Jello jigglers

Crunchy and tasty - with no sugar added!

I'm a big fan of cheese in moderation - 75 calories/piece, and you get protein! 

And, of course, we had some junk food too.  Our kids eat healthy meals and snacks on a regular basis, and we try to make sure that we let them have junk food on occasion, and in moderation.   It's my opinion that when they are allowed to experience the difference between junk foods and healthy foods, they start learning how to make the choices on their own, and we're hoping the healthy habits stick!

We had chips and salsa, red and yellow filled Twizzlers (SO yummy!), and my favorite, a giant iced cookie that we all split.

It was so soft and delicious!

I was really impressed with how well the kids did.  We made choosing the healthy red and yellow snacks into a game, and we all had fun.

And, after all the carefully selected snacks were laid out on the table, we turned on the TV (rare for the kids!) and watched our beloved Cyclones beat the Hawks.

So, healthy eating - score!
Cyclone win - score!

That's what I like to think of as a win-win kind of situation.

Now I lay me down to sleep......

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I love hearing our kids pray.  I love the innocence they have, and the trusting and open way they approach their heavenly Father.

One thing that we work on is not just praying for things we want, but for praying for other people, and giving God thanks for blessings in our lives.

Sometimes they're touching.  Sometimes they're hilarious.

And I thought you might enjoy a few of my favorite lines from recent prayers from both boys from the past couple of days:

Dear God,
Thank you for metal....I'm glad we can use it in buildings. 

Thank you for food....especially for cheese, that's my favorite. 

Please help Dad at work, and thanks that he goes to his job. 

Thanks for letting the world have tall buildings, because I like looking at them. 

 Sorry about all the bad choices today.  Will you please forgive me?

Please let Gramps get fired from his job so he can go to Italy with Grams, I think he'd like that better than work.  I think they'd like the pasta. 

Will you please keep up from having nightmares tonight? 

And God, if there's any kids that need homes, would you please send them to our family as fast as possible?

Getting a little peek through the window of my children's heart is truly a treasure!

Just two more.

I really do love these boys.

First Day of Our New School!

After a lot of prayer, discussion, thought, and research, we decided to homeschool this year, and life may never be the same.

It was with no small amount of fear and trepidation that I ordered our curriculum for the year, spent hours and hours planning, and began to wade through all the paperwork required in order to have the state's permission to teach my children at home.

As our first day grew closer, I wasn't sure what to expect.  How many times would I cry?  How many things would I forget?  How overwhelmed would I be with the task we had decided to take on?

However.

I continued to come back to the fact that as Dave and I have prayed for our children, we have felt clear leading from the Lord that homeschooling would be best for our kids.  And we have always believed that what He calls us to, He will equip us for.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13

So, this morning, we got the kids up early and got started on our back-to-school tradition (kept intact from when I was a childhood!) and went out to breakfast.  

It was a great beginning, and the day got better from there.  Though there were a few hiccups, overall, things were learned, fun was had, and lesons were done.

And shortly after lunch, we were finished for the day.  They were thrilled to be done!

It was a fun day.  I made it through the first day of being a homeschool mom!  And now I'm just left to wonder.....when did my boys get to be so big!?