It Was the Best of Times...It Was the Worst of Times

OK, so this weekend was a huge treat for a couple of members of our family. I'm waiting on a few more pictures before I post details, but trust me...it was LOADS of fun!!! This photo doesn't have anything to do with the treat, but I thought it was a sweet picture for this weekend's DaddyDay.


Isabel has turned into a full-fledged Daddy's girl. For months now, she's been calling him "DaDa", but just recently, she's changed his name a bit. Now, as soon as he walks in the door from work, she runs toward him, squealing "Da-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!" the whole way.

I love to see little girls love their daddies!

The past 12 hours, in particular, have been eventful for the Lewis family. The best news is that Abigail is officially a kindergartner!!! I've spent the last few weeks compiling books, supplies, and curriculum to get her going, and today was the big day. I spent the weekend reminding her about starting school on Monday (that's actually a bit of a joke, because she actually spent the weekend "reminding" me every five minutes about starting school on Monday). I thought long and hard about little things I could do to make her first day special. I told her we were all going to get up and going quickly this morning, enjoy a delicious breakfast, and then hit the ground running for her first day of kindergarten.

But you know what they say: the best-laid plans...

At about 3:00 this morning, I woke up from a terrible, terrible nightmare about Jack. In my dream, he had an accident and sustained some pretty severe injuries, and when I jerked awake, I was so shaken by what I had imagined in my sleep. I tried to brush it off, but I felt a heavy burden to pray right that minute for Jack and his protection. So that's what I did...

In the dark quietness of our bedroom, I reached over and put my hand on Josh's hand and began to pray not only for Jack, but for our whole family. I prayed for protection over our home and protection for each of us in regard to our health and safety. The anxiety eased as I prayed, and I was able to doze back off a little while later.

Fast forward to 4:00 this morning, and I awoke to that sound. I'm sure you've all heard it, and you probably despise it as much as I do. The attack of the tummy bug. I jumped out of bed and ran into Jack's room to find him crying and saying his tummy hurt. I'll spare you the details of the rest of the night, but the effects of the bug were so frequent (every few minutes at times) that he ended up just sleeping in our room with us so I could take better care of him.


What does all this have to do with kindergarten? Let's just say that my "up-and-perky" plan didn't include being awake most of the night, and I was wrestling with what to do about school today. Thankfully, Jack's tummy settled down shortly after Josh left for work this morning, and we were able to snooze a little bit longer before the girls woke up. With that extra dose of "oomph", I knew I had to follow through with the school plans I had promised Abby. After all, this was her face when she knew the day had arrived...


I have to say, though, that I found great irony as I walked into Izzy's room to get her up after her 13 hours of sleep...


I know the feeling, honey. Really, I do.

I had cinnamon rolls hot and ready for Abby when she got up, and I served her breakfast on the Red Plate. I don't know if you know this little tradition, but we learned of it from my cousins, and it's such a simple, yet fun, treat. The idea is that if someone in your family has something special going on (like a birthday or a promotion at work), that person gets to eat his or her meals off of the Red Plate that day. It's simple and inexpensive...but so much fun!


And something tells me that Abby kind of enjoyed it...


With full tummies, it was time for one of the most important parts of the first day of kindergarten...pictures!!!!!!!!!!


I had gotten the little board ready last night, and Abby was on cloud nine when I read it to her this morning.


Then we rang the little bell (yes, we have a bell!), and school began. Two of the subjects we worked on today were reading/phonics...


and handwriting...


One of the questions I get most often is how homeschool works when you have younger siblings in the house. Really, I don't know what in the world those people are talking about. The littlest two were so discreet, I didn't even notice them...


No seriously, I got some blocks out for Izzy, and as long as I "ooohed" and "aaahed" over her creations, she was great.


My attention was definitely divided between Abby and Jack and Isabel, but that's pretty much how it is all the time around here. And really, is it any better in a traditional classroom?!? I did my best to incorporate the little ones when we were doing something I thought they would enjoy, and the rest of the time, they sat beside me and played with the boxes of toys I had brought up for them during Abby's school time. (Disclaimer: I'm well aware of the fact that each and every day will not go quite as smoothly as today did. But you've got to give me bonus points for teaching with a vomiter at my feet.)


I'm thrilled with the gift of being able to teach my children at home. I'm excited about what Abby will learn (more in her heart even than academically!), and I'm looking forward to the lessons God has for me in this process.


And little Jack? I thought we were about past the bug, but then he started Phase Number Two (pun definitely intended). We've continued to pray for him throughout the day, and it's been so encouraging to see how quickly this bug is moving through his system. Hopefully, he'll be back up and running in a day or so!!