Schoomates, Stats, Sunflowers & Strep

Some updates from the Doeren house...

Schoolmates: This past week was a first for us. We had friends over on a school day to help their mom out and decided to still try and get some work done. What was I thinking? Actually it wasn't that bad...if the sun wasn't shining, I am sure we would of been a little more successful;) We got the BIG stuff completed after all; math and language arts! Everything else was put aside for some of that good old fashioned socialization so many people worry about us homeschoolers getting! I'm not quite sure what they were doing but let's just say it involved a roll of string, a few trees and a whole lot of sticks in the backyard.

Stats: After our first big game, we have since lost 2. I have to say though, I am extremely proud of the way Connor and Brody "handled" it. They didn't seem upset at all, slightly disappointed, of course, but they sure didn't let it bother them. I am very happy for that, and was dreading the day honestly. I thought I would have to pull out all of the Brady Brunch pep talks I heard over the years and work hard to make them feel better. I thought this would be the moment when all the parenting articles I have read would finally come in handy. I was prepared to back up what things the Bible says that are important in life and how doing your best is all that can be expected.

But, I didn't need any of it....

They were just as excited as the game they won and that....is....good! They truly love to play and I am grateful for that. I am interested to see how the season progresses.

The first loss took place in the pouring down rain and all the kids were thrilled to pieces to play in it. I think the excitement of that outweighed the loss! Really, they think that is fun? There was not one kid out on that field with either team that seemed the least bit upset about the downpour. The cheerleaders were another story...

Brody received the defense star award yeseterday and was just darn cute out there. He got to "rush the passer" once and he came out with such force at that quarterback, it was hysterical!

Connor had a terrific run with the ball which of course I didn't get on videotape, pulled a flag and dove for many more.

The best part was that this last Saturday they both really played! We had a talk during the week and I pointed that I noticed them a little hesitant to engage in the game. As it turns out they were scared of making a mistake so I just encouraged them the best I could, and pulled out those great parenting skills that I needed after all;)

The look on their faces is priceless here!

Sunflowers: This week at FIGS I taught an art lesson on Van Gogh and we worked to re-create our own masterpiece versions of "Sunflowers". I had so much fun with this one and all of the kids did amazing! I was so impressed with how they came out and wanted to share the ones that Connor and Brody worked on.

Strep: Connor woke up Wednesday night pretty hysterical saying his throat hurt. He would say things like there was something stuck and he couldn't swallow it down. It turned into a long night of feeding him ice chips every 2 hours and it has been a long time since I have seen him so miserable. He rarely gets sick and it is tough on all of us. He was so precious and would ask...

"Mommy would you pray for me....(long pause).....out loud"!

I loved that he felt he could trust that. I decided to take him to the doctor because of the pain he seemed to be in. We passed on the culture, but the doctor was pretty sure he had strep throat so he started him on antiobiotics. He was in the doctor's office at 3:00 crying and absolutely miserable, threw up on the way to Walgreens and felt like we would never get home. Seriously, in just a few hours, he was already feeling better and that kid's immune system never ceases to amaze me and neither does the power of prayer:)

Final Score......35 - 27

I find it hard to believe but I am for the first time in my mothering career a "soccer mom". Connor and Brody have joined their first organized sports team...flag football. Last Saturday was the first game and they won which I know it isn't about, but let's face it, was a lot of fun!

They are playing for the Upwards league which started here in Salem and I can't even describe how excited they have been. It literally is a dream come true for both of them, which sounds hokey, but it is true!

We have been practicing once each week and they have one game a week as well which is a schedule I can live with.

Before the game, they had all the players run on the field through a tunnel after being announced and it was pretty much the cutest thing EVER! I have to admit, I got a little choked up. I also have to admit that I only turned slightly "crazy" wanting them to really do good and being ever so slightly excited when the other team didn't. I did feel horrible about that, they are just little kids, but those were also MY little kids out there and it changes everything!

Here is Connor getting ready to hand off the ball and Brody taking off ready to block!

This picture is a little blurry but that is how fast these kids were running around that field. Connor is going back to throw and Brody is racing to get out and get open! They told me it was a little different than the backyard with "all those kids coming at us!"

All the kids will get a chance to try all the positions. This game Connor was the quarterback, and Brody a wide reciever on the offense. Brody never even touched the ball, but he didn't care, he was so excited and did a great job blocking when he played defense. The first play of the game right after they all lined up that boy just took off running ready to play! He received a special star for outstanding effort which was a perfect call! Connor did a lot of handoffs but did also throw a completion into the endzone for an extra point which was a huge highlight for all of us! He received the sportsmanship award which we were also proud of.

As much I have encouraged a nice indoor sport like basketball, this is what they have in their hearts to do. As the weather progresses we will see how we all handle football in the rain!

GO TIGERS!!!

So Good to be back!

With school starting back up, many things seem to run along with it. All of a sudden I find myself a new kind of busy again.



Last Wednesday was our first day back to FIGS, our co op that meets every week during the school year. We had some great park days over the summer, but it is good to be back seeing everyone on a regular basis and seeing all "my kids" each week. I really missed them even though I enjoyed the break at the same time.



We have some great additions to our year that I am very excited about. One mom is teaching a drama class each week and after the new year the group will be creating and performing from scratch our very own play that we will perform at the end of the school year. It sounds like quite the project but I believe it to be in good hands!



I will be continuing with my art lessons and even met with a real art teacher a few weeks ago who was our judge at our art show. She will be coming in to teach a lesson on perspective and I got some great ideas for the year.



In our presentation portion of our "class" we will be adding Biography for the older kids and Star Student for everyone. Each week 2 kids will share all about themselves with us and I am excited for that. I already completed the schedule for the year which I joke about being a 720 square grid Suduko puzzle!



Today in PE we had our first fitness test which was a huge amount of fun! We will be dedicating the first session of each month to tracking progress in four categories including; shuttle run, long jump, push ups and sit ups.



Today was also our first Knights meeting (Boys club) and it was one of my favorites so far! We had some guests from the Salem Fencing Club who shared some great history information with us along with some great show and tell and fencing demonstrations! We did a devotion on the armor of God focusing on the Sword of the Spirit and made the ever so popular noodle swords. We changed the design and they were a huge hit! Of course let me just warn you...if you give 22 boys swords of any kind in an enclosed room, please except some level of chaos!





It IS good to be back and I am looking forward to spending time each week with these wonderful families.

I'll take 179 more JUST like it!

Today was the first "official" day of school and it was fantastic! I really could not of asked for a better day. The trick was a lot more planning and to leave plenty of time. I know life will get in the way more as we move through the year but I sure hope to have more like today.

I decided to try a new breakfast....banana chocolate chip muffins...which turned into quite the ordeal. However for most of us the result was good and I am happy to find a new breakfast for Connor to eat that is pretty healthy for the most part. Brody didn't care for them to much, but that is OK because he eats a lot of different good stuff for breakfast!

We stuck to a new schedule that I am trying for days we are totally home and don't have to go anywhere and it went well. I am instituting a new concept here at our school and it is called homework. I feel like it is a very wierd thing to do since we are home, but I realized that sometimes it takes them to long to finish the big subjects and it moves everything off course for the rest of the day. This results in less time for other fun things! I also realize that it is more of a motivator to complete the assignments if they realize they will have to spend their free time doing them later if they don't get it done;) Worked like a charm!

Today was almost blissful complete with an art lesson on ellipses, science, and even a word each in Latin and Greek! Will it last? I'm not sure, but that is why I decided to journal today and not the end of the week. Today I want to soak in the accomplishments and look forward with a positive attitude.

Today, I am grateful to be able to homeschool and enjoy days like this. Today, I feel blessed by God with my life and my job.

Brace Yourself!!!

It is hard to believe that 8 years ago Bryan and I would love to look at this child with a "gummy smile" just waiting for teeth to come in. We knew it didn't look good as he lost his baby teeth and grew some permanent teeth, but we were hopeful. Our dentist recommended a small amount of braces just in the front where the teeth need some help to straighten up. There is one not even coming down because it has no where to go and he felt if we waited it would push it's way through and make it even worse. So we decided to go for it...











Connor was such a trooper and was actually excited. He admitted to being a little nervous about the pain but said he really wanted his teeth straight. He is SO responsible with his braces and is taking such good care of them!



He has all the colors picked out for the bands until he has to have them off. To start...he picked Oregon Duck colors! He says he feels they are already working!

Saturday in Seattle

Last Friday Bryan called to say that his boss offered him 4 tickets to a Seattle Mariner game on Saturday. I had plans that I decided not to change after thinking how much fun it would be for the Doeren boys to get out and do something fun together. I am blessed to do so many fun things with them and they were more excited about baseball than I was! Brody had mixed emotions about me not going, but Connor actually wanted to just go out with dad and in the end everyone was happy!

They had great seats, right about the Twins dugout and it was a great experience. Daddy let them watch movies in the car and eat all sorts of junkfood which they were pretty excited about!

I sent daddy with the camera and I was so happy he captured a few memories for me. It was a very strange feeling for me not to be there with them, I realized how little I have missed of their lives. It also gave me a huge appreciation for Bryan and the sacrifices he makes every day to provide so I can be home with them!

I had a blissful day myself. I enjoyed a wonderful pedicure (thanks to my FIGS moms) and a nice lunch with my friend and partner in crime, Kim. I also ended up cranking out a big project when I got back...the whole year's presentation schedule for the FIGS group...37 kids, 7 topics, and 19 classes!

What a great day for all of us it was!

Working our Land!

We picked a weekend to finally deal with the massive pile of trees that we had chopped down a few months ago. It turned out to be a much bigger project than either of us anticipated! We rented a log splitter and headed out. After about an hour, we fell into a great routine...the boys and I would get logs to Bryan, he would split them, then the boys and I would load up the wheelbarrow, push it into the barn and stack the wood. I kept teasing Bryan with each new sore muscle that we were...."working our land". It turned into quite the joke!

After about the 50th load I remember having the thought of chucking all this and just turning up the thermostat! After all we do have central heat, and what a blessing! I thought about people that had to do this and was grateful for how easy we do have it. We do enjoy our wood stove in the winter and it will be worth it in the long run!

The boys loved the project and jumped right in and put in a few good hours each day! We treated them to Blizzards at Dairy Queen day 1 and day 2 we went to Paddington's Pizza for lunch, one of our favorite places to eat pizza!

We didn't quite get finished, but we definitely have enough firewood to get us through the winter and felt a sense of accomplishment. Even though it was hard work, it was a fun time that we all spent together.

I love these pictures because Connor and Brody found that rolling the logs was much more exciting and challenging than stacking the cut wood. They found every excuse to get out there and I was actually quite surprised at the pieces they were getting off the pile and moving around.