2nd Grade is F-U-N

A lot has happened over the last couple weeks. J went home to his mom. C's case has been all over the map and back again (don't ask what's going on cuz even I don't have a clue how this one will end), we got a call for a newborn who didn't end up coming and in the midst of it all... my girl became an official 2nd grader.

We always start official school the Tuesday after Labor Day, but yesterday as I was finalizing some lesson plans Miss A asked if she could "please, please start school now". So being the flexible home educator that I am (note intended sarcasm by totally rigid over-planner) how could I not answer the request.
So yes, today we began our new school year. I have made a promise to myself to make this year more engaging and creative. This does not come naturally to me in an educational setting or at least not one where I am responsible to see that she is up to snuff with her peers and meeting required milestones. Ahh the pressure! Albeit self induced pressure. But yes, I have devised a plan... and it's FUN! She didn't complain one single second of school today. In fast she completed more subjects than I had on schedule and even requested to take her Russian lesson in the car. Could it be that I have found the key? Or maybe I'm kidding myself and this is just first day excitement. Either way I am going to bask in the glory of one fabulous day and milk it for everything I can.
We are doing some fun geography this year. Every 2 weeks we are immersing ourselves in a different country. From cuisine, historical leaders and fashion trends to map skills and govornmental structure. I'm so excited.
Every Monday we are kicking off the week with a science experiment and she's learning about the body and will have to draw a picture of herself with properly placed internal organs by the end of the year.
Phonics, Math, Handwriting and Spelling still not that fun. But I've finally found a plan to assist her creative writing skills and that excites me. It terrifies her, but I'm excited and that's what really matters, right??
Who'da thunk it? I'd actually enjoy homeschooling. But I really think this year might be a winner!

MIA No More

It's been ages since I've blogged. The summer seems to always bring such business that I can rarely keep up. This year it was no exception, but for far less exciting reasons. Yes, we had our Disney vacation, but following that our little foster kids visits began increasing and took up most of our time.
One of our little guys is home now. I'm so happy for him and his mom. The other will likely not be far behind. And yes, we are waiting to see who will next enter our home and hearts.

Not much is new in our little corner of the Midwest. Avery will be entering 2nd grade this fall. I'm still homeschooling her, so that will keep me busy. This year she is more excited about school and I am determined to be more creative in my teaching style to keep her excited. Lots of fun things planned already, so stay tuned!
Ryan is still working like it's his job, oh wait... it is. And missing his friends back in Ohio.

Me, well there isn't much to say. I am knee deep in diapers, drool and drama with the kiddos. But if you know me I wouldn't have it any other way.

I guess the best way to update you on some of our summer fun is with pictures, so here goes...

Our Disney Vacation

I promise I will post pictures, but right now I've misplaced the USB cord for my camera. So they will have to wait until I am organized again.

I guess if I had to describe our vacation in two words they would be HOT and PACKED!

We arrived in Jacksonville on Friday and hit the beach with a friend and her son. It was really good to kick off our vacation with something so relaxing. Avery was her typical beach loving self and hit the waves. She tried boogie boarding for the first time and is hooked. (we're already planning our next beach vacation)
After our beach outing we got back on the road headed to Mickey Land!

Saturday morning was our girls morning. We headed straight for Bippety Boppity Bourique at Downtown Disney. Avery close the MOST outlandish hairstyle, the biggest face jewel, and the brightest make-up that they had. She looked adorable of course, but I was seeing a little Russian style coming through if some of you know what I mean. ;)
After our girly time we took off with the group to Hollywood Studios. We spent a good bit of time there. I would say the favorites were the Toy Story ride and Honey I Shrunk the Kids. I made the mistake of taking Avery on the Tower of Terror. She begged, I caved and boy do I regret it. She did ok on the ride, but afterward, oh my! Hysterics for probably 15 minutes or more. Poor thing!

Sunday we headed back to Downtown Disney for some shopping and time at the splash pad. It was so hot the kids couldn't walk from the water to us (a whole 10 steps) because their feet would have burned and blistered. Big Boy made the mistake and tried and wouldn't walk the rest of the day. We left there and went to the resort pool for a nice swim. It seems Avery needs a little brush up on her swimming. She doesn't have the stamina she had at the end of last summer. The boys both loved the water.

Monday was the BIG DAY. Breakfast with the charachters at Ohana. Followed by Magic Kingdom. The breakfast was so much fun. Talk about excitement! The grin on my girl was so worth it. Big boy was scared to death, but he made it through.
When we got to Magic Kingdom the afternoon parade was just starting. I honestly can't think of a better way to start off our visit. We played in Tomorrow Land and FantasyLand before going home for the afternoon.
Ryan took Avery back in the evening for the parade and fireworks while I stayed back and put 2 very exhausted boys to bed.

Tuesday we took it a bit easy. The go, go, go was catching up with us. But we couldn't get away without visiting one of the parks. In the afternoon we headed to Epcot, which is one of my favorite parks. It was a good spot to meet charachters and Avery got autographs from every one we found. She saw a kid walking around that was dressed a bit like the Mad Hatter and she was sure it was the real one, and wanted his autograph too, then was mad that he was tricking people. lol

Wednesday was Animal Kingdom time. It was my first time there and it was AMAZING! All of the kids found things they liked there. We loved every second of it. The boys were fascinated by the animals on the safari ride and the petting area. Avery found more charachters and got to take her own pictures - 7 yr. old heaven!

Thursday we headed back to Magic Kingdom. We got to meet the princesses, ride more rides. Avery "drove" her first car = priceless! And we barely survived the scorching temps. Shade was definately our best friend that day.

On Friday we packed up and endured a very LONG road trip back home.

We made lots of memories. Experienced a lot of firsts. and somehow we made it through with our sanity in tact.