the first week

Well - our first week of school is almost over. It's had its ups and downs and has required even more of my time than I had thought it would - but it has gone even better than I could have imagined.

There have been chaotic times. Like this morning when Ethan was crying and "hitting" me with a Boomwhacker (thanks again Courtney for these fun toys!) trying to get my attention while I'm reading to the big kids. And just for the record, reading aloud to the kids is the ONLY thing I try to accomplish while Ethan is awake. I think it's reasonable to expect him to play by himself for 20-30 minutes in the playroom while we're in there with him....just not playing with him. We'll obviously need to keep working on this one!

There have been glorious times. Like when the big kids and I spent an entire hour doing an overview of the animal kingdom and classifying various animals into their appropriate categories. Both kids were involved and enthusiastic...ahhh, beautiful. Or this morning as we all snuggled up on the playroom floor to listen to the CD version of the Story of the World history lesson we've been working on all week. Or learning about archeology and then watching a video of an actual dig online and Audrey declaring that this is what she wants to do someday. These were good times.

There have been frustrating times. Like Liam arguing with me for 10 minutes about reading ONE book. (I'm still not entirely sure how much I want to push him this year, but also don't want to set a bad precedent about who's in charge here!) He finally read the one and then he insisted on doing two more. Now repeat that same scenario 5x's and you'll have a glimpse into some of my week!

Oh - and Ethan decided this would be a good week to learn to climb. Everything! Just to add a little more fun into the mix! And we're having a few issues with our house that need resolution and have required lots of phone calls and appointments. And we have a long crazy to-do list for the weekend. And my husband has worked late most nights this week. So yes, I've had moments of feeling totally overwhelmed. But then Audrey handed me a note yesterday that read, "I love school and I love you." Ahhh - that was a gift for my weary soul!

So overall - I am feeling BLESSED. In the midst of the chaos - I'm completely sure this is exactly where God wants me to be. And it's okay to feel this tired when you're sure about that.