This week at our house

This week as we attempted to get back on track with schoolwork and straightening the house after 2-3 weeks of the flu, we also got to enjoy our little friend "E" for three half-days. She's 15 months old and what a sweetheart she is! She's at such a cute age... babbling and finding her way around our house, smiling and giggling, "talking" to our pets... and she loves being pushed around in the stroller, even without a destination.

Then there's the feline member of the family, who will spend the day away on Monday and come home a "new woman". LOL! Yes, she's going to the vet for spaying. Ah, but this crazy cat likes being pushed around in the stroller, too. Go figure! Whether she's mad or happy, if you put her in the stroller and push her around, she's one happy feline and won't even TRY to get out of the stroller! (Will have to post a picture of that... And no, I do not do this! Honeybee does.)

As you know, last Sunday was Easter (the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the first day of Spring), but it didn't *feel* springlike. The weather here has been mostly gray and 45-50'ish in temperature with one or two spikes into the 60's. Blah. I'm so anxious to be able to leave the windows open and air out the house! Oh, but our Lord told us NOT to be anxious, didn't He? In Phil. 4:4-9, He told us through the Apostle Paul, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (ESV)

Easier said than done in most things, I admit.

Sunshine has decided she wants to learn about photography, and photography of nature scenes and animals in particular. She's begun studying on her own about photography, cameras, animals, and especially birds. This is a great way for her to utilize her artistic talents for either ministry or income someday. I'm very proud of her initiative, but this one reason I'm reading Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola. I want to get a better grip on how to implement nature study more consistently, as there is much to be learned from God's creation. Proverbs 6:1-11 says,

1My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
2if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
3then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

And there's much more... Take a look through the Proverbs sometime, especially if you haven't done so recently. There is much wisdom to be found in God's Word.

Snowdrop (formerly Songbird), meanwhile, still says that her favorite subject is "playing". LOL. Gotta' work on that... but I must mention that she also enjoys Math quite a bit and has been happy with every math curriculum I've tried with her. (We've settled on Singapore Math.) And she asked again this week when she'll be able to start taking violin lessons. That is one form of playing that we really would like to get her going in.

And Honeybee read her first words this week! She was able to blend and read several 3-letter words like "cat" and "hat". We were so proud of her! Of course this is just the beginning and it's going to take a lot of practice, as she loses her coding skills rather quickly (due to the Apraxia), but it sure is fun trying. She shows a great deal of enthusiasm... almost more than I can handle some days! Ha Ha! Now math, well, we barely have to teach math to her. Like her 9yo sister, she picks up on this rather quickly.

I had an eye exam yesterday and the girls were with me. We received several compliments on their good behavior, which always makes a mommy's heart glad. The tech who did the first part of my exam gave them candy, and one elderly man sitting near us laughingly commented that that was pure Age Discrimination, grounds for a case! LOL! Lord bless the elderly! Anyway, at the end of my exam, the optometrist offered to check Snowdrop's eyes real quick while we were there, and thankfully she does NOT need glasses. Her vision is pretty near 20/20 (certainly good enough not to need glasses), although Sunshine was able to read farther down the chart than Snowdrop. This pretty much confirms the screening that they did in the ped's office back in November. I'm thankful no glasses are needed at this time. I guess I just need to have Snowdrop practice keeping her tongue at pace with her brain while reading. ;o)

Well, I'm off to clean up the school room and prepare lessons for the coming week. And maybe I'll work on posting some pictures later today. I need hubby's loving assistance for that. ;o)

Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!