At Home and at the Pool

Stephen

Susanna loving on Spunkles

This is Dad (Grandpa) holding Benjamin, who just turned 7 months old yesterday.  Dad flew back down to Florida earlier this week.  I forgot to download pictures from his camera from the trip to D.C. with the boys.  Oops!  I'll have to figure out a different way to get them now.  They had a fabulous time!

I love homeschooling my children.  Here, I'm working with Stephen on his reading.  This year, Stephen and Rebekah have both turned into beginning readers and Sarah and Hannah are now emerging readers.  What an exciting school year!  In January, we made a really huge and very difficult decision for our family.  We decided to put Sarah, Samuel, and Miriam into the public school for this semester.  It was for a variety of reasons.  Anyway, we are trying to decide what we want to do for the upcoming school year.  I think we're going to leave Miriam in the half day special needs preschool and Samuel in the full day kindergarten.  He's not in a special needs classroom, but is definitely a special needs student.  They just work with him there and also pull him out for extra help.  It is not going nearly as well for Sarah and she's having an increasingly difficult time with her attitude.  She will be staying home with us and joining back in the homeschool after this semester.

Here's Rebekah.  Almost 2 years ago, we had her tested at a place in the Columbus area for vision problems.  We were referred there by our regular eye doctor.  They recommended vision therapy for her.  She was diagnosed with severe Visual Processing Disorder.  I have worked with her a lot here at home and she's come a long ways since then.  However, I have now decided that it is time to seek outside help.  She has an appointment with them next Wednesday where they will do a quick evaluation to update her information and then come up with a plan.  I really look forward to seeing how much she has improved since her last evaluation.  :-)

Yesterday evening was the last night of swim lessons for this season.  Naomi Ruth is staying in Level 3.  Stephen is staying in Level 2.  Hannah graduated to Level 2.  Sarah and Rebekah are staying in Level 1.  I'm really proud of the progress that all of the children made.  I brought Thomas, Miriam, and Samuel along to enjoy the fun.  Above you see Samuel and Miriam having a blast in the little children's pool.  They're both wearing the suits that have the built in floaties. We joke that they look like superheros in those suits.

Love, Dawn