Hello Everyone!
Since Little Lux became a member of Alma Mater, our blog address (http://www.almamater7.blogspot.com) wasn't accurate. We've changed it to:
http://www.almamater8.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Pre-K and Kindergarten Activities (Post by Stella)
Mom has been doing some fun activities with Filia and Tert. Below are some pictures...
Tert loves Phonics Museum and Filia often joins in with his crafts.
M-m-masks!
They love painting!
....and getting messy :P
Rus sometimes joins in
They had a lot of fun making seed mosaics.
Above is Tert's mosaic
They also did a project (while the boys were studying Methusaleh for Bible) where they took licorice wheels and measured out pieces of licorice that showed how old they were. (I.E. 1/4 inch=1 year)
Filia's wheel was pretty small!
Stay tuned for more posts and pictures!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Some Cuteness
I haven't been very diligent about writing down the kids' amusing quotes lately, but here are a couple of cute ones...
Filia is fascinated by her brother's gecko, Roy, and our "cricket farm." It's especially thrilling when I knock over the cricket carrier (this has happened more times than I'll admit), resulting in a wild hunt for the insects through our living room). The other day we found one of the fugitives hiding under our computer table. He was chirping incessantly, and Filia exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, little cricket! Mom, this cricket is "cricketing" for Roy! Do you hear him?"
I asked Filia to fix the arm pad on our rocking chair, and she announced, "Mom, I think we need a MAN to fix our chair."
Every day Filia likes to settle her big brother, Tert, for his nap. She sits on the edge of his bunkbed, singing to him, kissing him, and patting his head. Then she prays that he will "not have any dreams about monsters or ghostses and that he will have pleasant dreams and pleasant thoughts." :) Tert is totally comfortable having his little sister "baby" him. The other day he was heading to his bed and asked, "Does Filia have time to sing and pray with me?"
Filia told me today, "My tummy is hurting because it's not Christmastime!"
Filia, hanging her head after an accident, "Daddy, I used to be potty trained, but I'm not now."
"I am blond, but Stella's hair is pitch black."
Filia: "Mom, can you draw my beautiful legs and blond hair?" "Daddy, I'm going to be a ballerina when I grow up, and my teacher is going to say, 'Oh, Filia, here are some roses for you!' Now I'm going to go dream about that in Shalon's bed."
Filia: "Mom, look at my paw prints in the snow!"
Fila makes up the cutest grammatical contractions. One of my favorites is amn't (am not)
Poor Tert is blamed for any unpleasant odors around here. The other day Filia was sitting on the potty, and she yelled through the house, "TERT!!! I smell you!!!"
Filia's is a little whiz at memory work. She can rattle off pages of catechism, the "Pledge of Allegiance," the kids' Bible and history lyrics, and a couple of Psalms with ease. Every now and then, she adds her own embellishments. Her paraphrase of Psalm 1 is, "Blessed is the man who walks in the glory of the castle."
The other evening Filia announced with breathless enthusiasm what she had learned in phonics that day: "DADDY! We painted a P..P...Goat, and it sounded like an H." Oh well...
Filia asked for salt and PEPPERMINT on her macaroni.
Filia is 99.99 percent potty trained. Every now and then, she'll get distracted with her play and be a little too confident about her ability to postpone bathroom trips. When I suggested that she give the potty a try, she exclaimed, "Mom! I DO NOT need to poop. I went last year!!"
The other day I overheard a cute conversation during the kids' art lesson...
Filia asked Tert, "Did Moses paint these flowers?" He answered, "Nope, Van Gogh did."
After dealing with a squabble, I was reminding the kids that they should be giving preference to each other. Filia said, "YES! God says that Tert should give more to ME!"
The other day she was singing praises to God "for His excellent grape juice." (greatness)
Filia was despairing that she was locked out of the basement. When the kids didn't respond to her knocking she exclaimed, "Shalon doesn't even know that I exist!"
I asked Filia the catechism question "Who wrote the Bible." Her answer: "Adam and Eve who were inspired by their own glory."
Filia: "Mom, I just drew a picture of an ugly mama, and it's YOU!" : /
Filia: "Mom, is your tummy empty? We should get you a new tummy and a new baby!"
Filia: "Dad! Why are you sleeping in MOM'S bed?!"
Filia: "When I'm a momma I'll have pitch black hair like you, Mom, and when I'm a daddy I'll have dirt (whiskers) on my face."
"We're going to watch Cocoahontas!" (Pocahontas)
Admiring her tracks in the freshly fallen snow, Filia said, "Mom! Look at my paw prints!"
We were praying for Tert's Sunday school teacher, Mrs. W., and I reminded him to thank God for healing this dear friend of ours from cancer. Tert was remarking on this amazing answer to our prayers, saying that he was so glad that God spared the life of the "nicest person in our whole church."
I was encouraging Tert in his note-taking at church, telling him that he was doing a great job. He replied, "Actually, Mom, I was just writing random letters. Those weren't words."
Tert, who is generally NOT our most motivated pupil, has been fascinated by the boys' online history course. He told me with a grin that he was just like Charlemagne who couldn't read or write!
The other day Stephen was handing out allowances. He ended up with a spare dollar and handed it to me. This caused Tert to crack up. He exclaimed, "Mom! You're like eleven years older than I am, and Dad only gave you one dollar!!"
Tert: "Are we doing anything exhilarating today?"
Tert: "Mom, I did my abdominoes today." (I tell him I'm doing abdominals each morning, and he confused this with his game of DOMINOES."
Yesterday I was setting up Rus' independent work. I gave him a long list of subjects and then added, "If you're bored and waiting for me to work with you, you can go cut out your heart (meaning the model heart in his science notebook)." Perhaps we're taking time management too seriously around here? ;) Or maybe the ongoing sleep deprivation is getting to me... Feeling extra tired during a science lesson on anemia, I told the boys that iron is a good source of spinach. : /
Rus has always been our tenderhearted, expressive little guy. Our extended family calls him the best hugger because he greets everyone with so much affection. He makes sure I know how much he loves our school time and, although he admits that Latin isn't his favorite, he is eager to just about anything else, especially if it involves writing stories (or even classifying them). He requested a maze book for Christmas and announced that he finished it today. I opened it up, surprised that it was completely blank. When I asked him about this, he said that he did the entire book with his finger since he assumed that he'd be passing it on to his younger brothers to enjoy. :)
Today Rus read us a sad article about storms in the "Philistines." (Of course, he meant the Philippines).
When I served Rus some soup in a bread bowl, he said, "Oh, wow. It's a trencher!"
And for a little update on Lux (We call him Dopey Dwarf because of his bald head, wide eyes and droopy tongue)... At his 4 month checkup, the doctor raved about him, saying that he responded and interacted more like a 6 month old baby. He is in the 100th percentile for his length!
Filia is fascinated by her brother's gecko, Roy, and our "cricket farm." It's especially thrilling when I knock over the cricket carrier (this has happened more times than I'll admit), resulting in a wild hunt for the insects through our living room). The other day we found one of the fugitives hiding under our computer table. He was chirping incessantly, and Filia exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, little cricket! Mom, this cricket is "cricketing" for Roy! Do you hear him?"
I asked Filia to fix the arm pad on our rocking chair, and she announced, "Mom, I think we need a MAN to fix our chair."
Every day Filia likes to settle her big brother, Tert, for his nap. She sits on the edge of his bunkbed, singing to him, kissing him, and patting his head. Then she prays that he will "not have any dreams about monsters or ghostses and that he will have pleasant dreams and pleasant thoughts." :) Tert is totally comfortable having his little sister "baby" him. The other day he was heading to his bed and asked, "Does Filia have time to sing and pray with me?"
Filia told me today, "My tummy is hurting because it's not Christmastime!"
Filia, hanging her head after an accident, "Daddy, I used to be potty trained, but I'm not now."
"I am blond, but Stella's hair is pitch black."
Filia: "Mom, can you draw my beautiful legs and blond hair?" "Daddy, I'm going to be a ballerina when I grow up, and my teacher is going to say, 'Oh, Filia, here are some roses for you!' Now I'm going to go dream about that in Shalon's bed."
Filia: "Mom, look at my paw prints in the snow!"
Fila makes up the cutest grammatical contractions. One of my favorites is amn't (am not)
Poor Tert is blamed for any unpleasant odors around here. The other day Filia was sitting on the potty, and she yelled through the house, "TERT!!! I smell you!!!"
Filia's is a little whiz at memory work. She can rattle off pages of catechism, the "Pledge of Allegiance," the kids' Bible and history lyrics, and a couple of Psalms with ease. Every now and then, she adds her own embellishments. Her paraphrase of Psalm 1 is, "Blessed is the man who walks in the glory of the castle."
The other evening Filia announced with breathless enthusiasm what she had learned in phonics that day: "DADDY! We painted a P..P...Goat, and it sounded like an H." Oh well...
Filia asked for salt and PEPPERMINT on her macaroni.
Filia is 99.99 percent potty trained. Every now and then, she'll get distracted with her play and be a little too confident about her ability to postpone bathroom trips. When I suggested that she give the potty a try, she exclaimed, "Mom! I DO NOT need to poop. I went last year!!"
The other day I overheard a cute conversation during the kids' art lesson...
Filia asked Tert, "Did Moses paint these flowers?" He answered, "Nope, Van Gogh did."
After dealing with a squabble, I was reminding the kids that they should be giving preference to each other. Filia said, "YES! God says that Tert should give more to ME!"
The other day she was singing praises to God "for His excellent grape juice." (greatness)
Filia was despairing that she was locked out of the basement. When the kids didn't respond to her knocking she exclaimed, "Shalon doesn't even know that I exist!"
I asked Filia the catechism question "Who wrote the Bible." Her answer: "Adam and Eve who were inspired by their own glory."
Filia: "Mom, I just drew a picture of an ugly mama, and it's YOU!" : /
Filia: "Mom, is your tummy empty? We should get you a new tummy and a new baby!"
Filia: "Dad! Why are you sleeping in MOM'S bed?!"
Filia: "When I'm a momma I'll have pitch black hair like you, Mom, and when I'm a daddy I'll have dirt (whiskers) on my face."
"We're going to watch Cocoahontas!" (Pocahontas)
Admiring her tracks in the freshly fallen snow, Filia said, "Mom! Look at my paw prints!"
We were praying for Tert's Sunday school teacher, Mrs. W., and I reminded him to thank God for healing this dear friend of ours from cancer. Tert was remarking on this amazing answer to our prayers, saying that he was so glad that God spared the life of the "nicest person in our whole church."
I was encouraging Tert in his note-taking at church, telling him that he was doing a great job. He replied, "Actually, Mom, I was just writing random letters. Those weren't words."
Tert, who is generally NOT our most motivated pupil, has been fascinated by the boys' online history course. He told me with a grin that he was just like Charlemagne who couldn't read or write!
The other day Stephen was handing out allowances. He ended up with a spare dollar and handed it to me. This caused Tert to crack up. He exclaimed, "Mom! You're like eleven years older than I am, and Dad only gave you one dollar!!"
Tert: "Are we doing anything exhilarating today?"
Tert: "Mom, I did my abdominoes today." (I tell him I'm doing abdominals each morning, and he confused this with his game of DOMINOES."
Yesterday I was setting up Rus' independent work. I gave him a long list of subjects and then added, "If you're bored and waiting for me to work with you, you can go cut out your heart (meaning the model heart in his science notebook)." Perhaps we're taking time management too seriously around here? ;) Or maybe the ongoing sleep deprivation is getting to me... Feeling extra tired during a science lesson on anemia, I told the boys that iron is a good source of spinach. : /
Rus has always been our tenderhearted, expressive little guy. Our extended family calls him the best hugger because he greets everyone with so much affection. He makes sure I know how much he loves our school time and, although he admits that Latin isn't his favorite, he is eager to just about anything else, especially if it involves writing stories (or even classifying them). He requested a maze book for Christmas and announced that he finished it today. I opened it up, surprised that it was completely blank. When I asked him about this, he said that he did the entire book with his finger since he assumed that he'd be passing it on to his younger brothers to enjoy. :)
Today Rus read us a sad article about storms in the "Philistines." (Of course, he meant the Philippines).
When I served Rus some soup in a bread bowl, he said, "Oh, wow. It's a trencher!"
And for a little update on Lux (We call him Dopey Dwarf because of his bald head, wide eyes and droopy tongue)... At his 4 month checkup, the doctor raved about him, saying that he responded and interacted more like a 6 month old baby. He is in the 100th percentile for his length!
Devotional
Yesterday Little Lux, Stella, and I went to Steph and Adam's shower. I had the privilege of doing the devotional and would like to share what I wrote. I need to remind myself of these truths from Scripture every day since the job of raising and teaching my children is too big for me to accomplish in my own strength.
Steph’s Devotional
Written with Love by
Meg
When Mom asked me if I’d like to do the devotional for your
shower, my first response was, “ARE YOU KIDDING?!” I am neither the writer nor public speaker of
our family. But I guess Mom thought that
having 6 kids in 13 years qualifies me to come up with something to say about
babies and motherhood. (I’m sure that,
after all of the time you’ve spent in my crazy home, you can picture me typing
these notes with 5 kids buzzing in my kitchen and a 6 day old baby nursing in
my lap). In addition to being a mother
of many young ones, I am so happy to be your sister, Steph, and to consider you
a very close friend. When we were
pregnant together for a few months, I loved talking about our crazy symptoms
and sharing ultra sound pictures and favorite pickles. I enjoyed my pregnancy
so much more, sharing it with you, and I am even more excited about watching
our little boys grow up together as cousins.
During the first week after delivering Brandan, there were
some Scripture verses that kept coming to mind, giving me a fresh understanding
of God’s love for me and the grace He offers me as a mother. I would like to share them with you with the
prayer that they encourage you as well.
The first verse is Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no
compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget
you.” It was such an incredible
experience holding Brandan for the first time and admiring every inch of his
tiny body. Lying on the hospital bed, I
said to Stephen, “Isn’t it amazing that
this helpless baby has brought nothing into the world and has done absolutely
nothing to earn our approval, yet we couldn’t possibly love him more and are
fully committed to caring for him and feeding him and protecting him?” And this Scripture tells us that the most
passionately devoted love of a mother for her newborn is just a small glimpse
of the love that God has for us.
The sweetest children’s Bible storybook I have ever read is
called, The Jesus Storybook Bible. It clearly teaches little ones about the love
of God which is a main theme through all of Scripture. I’d like to read the
introduction to you here.
“God wrote, “I love you” – he wrote it in the sky, and on the earth,
and under the sea. He wrote his message
everywhere! Because God created
everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror – to show us what he is
like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing. The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims. (And I would add…the
way a mother nurtures her new baby). And
God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called “the Bible.”
This Bible storybook describes God’s love for his children
as: “A
Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always, and Forever Love.”
Well, a few days and sleepless nights after Brandan’s birth,
the euphoria of delivering a beautiful baby began to pass for me, and the demands
of caring for another little one with a lot of energetic siblings set in. As my energy and patience were depleted by
endless loads of laundry and 3 AM diaper changes and nursing sessions, I became
more aware of how imperfect my maternal love can be at times. While God’s love for me is “A Never Stopping, Never Giving Up,
Unbreaking, Always, and Forever Love,” mine can often be weak. It was at one of my more exhausted and vulnerable
moments as a “new” mom of 6 that God brought to mind another promise.
Hebrews 4:15 says,
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet
without sin.” I started thinking
about all of the ways Jesus (my High Priest who prays to God the Father for me)
could relate to my struggles as a mother – all of the things He sacrificed
because of His love for me. When I
haven’t eaten all afternoon and the baby is crying to nurse right at
dinnertime, I can pray for strength to a God who understands what it is like to
feel exhausted and hungry with a multitude of hungry people to feed. When I slip off for an overdue shower and my
little ones start banging down the bathroom door, I can remember Christ who
retreated to a quiet place to rest, only to be met by another mob of demanding
people looking to be served. God can
give me the grace to take a deep breath and respond with the same patience and
selflessness that His Son showed. When I
am tempted to feel discouraged over the number of scars childbirth has left on
my body, I can remember Christ who counted it all joy to give His body and life
for me.
As wonderful as it is to have the support and help of great
friends and family and a husband like Adam, there are going to be times as a
mother when you’ll need to simply cry out to God for energy and patience to serve
your little one. (During these more
difficult moments, I often claim the promise in Isaiah 40:29, which says, “He
gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”)
I am going to leave you with a quote from my favorite book
on mothering young children which I wish had been written before I had my first
baby. It is called, Loving the Little Years, Motherhood in the Trenches.
“Blessings, like children, are not ethereal and
weightless. Sometimes they feel like
they come at you like a Kansas hail storm – they might leave a welt! But if you accept your lot and rejoice in
your toil, God will give you the kind of overwhelming joy that cannot remember
the details. Motherhood is hard
work. It is repetitive and often times
menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here.
Those are their faces. Enjoy
them. The days of your life are supposed
to be full of things like this. But joy
is not giddy. It is not an emotional
rush – it is what happens when you accept your lot and rejoice in your
toil. So rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all
this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you.”
Friday, October 18, 2013
Back to School 2013 By: Siobhan
Hello Readers! It is Alma Mater Academy's 10th year.
Shaila (aka Filia) is 3 years old and has started her first year of Preschool. Her favorite subject is Literature Pockets with Siobhan.
Connor (aka Tert) is 5 years old and has started Kindergarten! His favorite subject is Phonics Museum.
Aidan (aka Rus) is 8 years old and has started 3rd Grade. His favorite subject is Saxon Math 3 and his online history program.
Ethan (aka Leo) is 12 years old and has started 7th Grade. His favorite subject is Saxon Math 8/7 and Apologia Botany.
Siobhan (aka Stella) is 13 years old and has started 9th Grade. Her favorite subjects are reading and writing.
Alma Mater Academy
Mater, Stella, Leo, Rus, Tert and Filia
Goodbye Summer... By: Siobhan
Hello to all of Alma Mater's Readers. I haven't been keeping up with posts very well this summer, so I'm compiling a huge post with an overview of our whole summer. Get ready for TONS of pictures. ;)
We started our summer with a few weeks of swimming lessons. Tert, Rus, Leo and I did them. Tert completed the preschool level and he and Rus are going to do Level 1 together next summer. Leo and I did Level 6 and passed, but we will probably still do it again next year because it is the final level before life guarding.
After swimming lessons came Vacation Bible School at Sovereign Grace Fellowship. We had a lot of fun there as well. It was a Medieval Theme which ties in perfectly with this year's school theme,
At the end of the summer Lux was baptized. Thank you so much Steph for the beautiful family picture.
We started our summer with a few weeks of swimming lessons. Tert, Rus, Leo and I did them. Tert completed the preschool level and he and Rus are going to do Level 1 together next summer. Leo and I did Level 6 and passed, but we will probably still do it again next year because it is the final level before life guarding.
Just a week after came everyone's favorite part of the summer...
...meeting Alma Mater's latest addition: Little Lux
Thank you so much Steph for the use of your camera!
Lux smiled by the time he was two weeks old. He loves to stick out his tongue for all of his pictures :P
After Lux's arrival came Franklin Area Children's Theatre (aka F.A.C.T) I had so much fun participating in this year's play of Alice in Wonderland Jr. a Junior Broadway Musical. I had 5 parts in it and sung and danced in 18 songs.
Below is a cake I made for it:
The Queen of Hearts, Alice and the March Hare
My first part was a girl in Alice's world
The costume changes were so fast that I didn't get a picture of my second costume (but the link above does have pictures of it :) )
I was also a sea creature
I was an Un-Birthday Partier
I was also a cardsman
Thank you so much for coming to see it Grandma and Grandpa P., Grandma Z., Aunt Gretchen, Lin, Uncle Tom, Aunt Krista, Lyd, E, Chris and Curt!
Shortly after this Mom's cousin Joli was able to come visit with her baby. It was so fun to see C and Lux meet each other.
When Filia first saw C she said: "Look! Look! She has a meehawk!"
Second cousins
Swapping babies ;)
We have had so much fun at Franklin Falls Dam
The trails are gorgeous and so nice to walk on.
Tert learned to ride his bike (with Dad's help) out on the dam.
Stella worked on her cake decorating skills. She made Uncle Adam's birthday cake.
I also was able to show my friend Asia some cake decorating skills :)
The boys officially doubled the girls in number.
We had some beautiful lake days with family and friends.
We also went to the ocean
We were even able to make a couple trips to Beech Hill to eat some yummy ice cream and feed the animals.
Stella sewed some Christmas decorations
We had a pool party with friends from DI
Stella made this cake for the party
At the end of the summer Lux was baptized. Thank you so much Steph for the beautiful family picture.
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