Hallelujah! I feel like I could sing songs, dance around the room and throw a party! Maybe we should throw a party. Hmmm. I’ll have to think about that.

This week we had our last visit for the year with our facilitator. Our facilitator is someone who comes into our home and helps us out. At the beginning of the year she is available if I need help putting together our curriculum for the year. At the end of the year she visits with each of my kids to see what they did and she looks to see that the kids have grown, developed and are prepared to move on to the next grade level.

(Learning how to make jelly and can vegetables.)

This year we have done a lot of different things but I am often uncertain if we have done enough. I also had questions about Jason getting ready for high school. Next year Jason will be in junior high and I am thinking ahead to his high school graduation and I wanted to make sure that he would be prepared. Jason came to me the other week and asked me if it was possible for him to graduate high school early enough to make it possible for him to get his university degree BEFORE leaving for his mission when he turns 19. I was so proud of him but also very nervous. How am I going to help this kid fast track through high school but also increase his chances of getting into any university he chooses?

(Learning to quad over Thanksgiving)

My facilitator came in and answered all of my questions. She had helped a couple of her own kids fast track through high school and they are now all in the university of their choice. That made me feel so much better! She visited with each of the kids asking them what they’ve learned and what were some of their favorite parts of the school year. I love being able to just sit back and listen to their answers.

I put a lot of time and effort into their school and it’s cool to hear their views on how school went and what meant a lot to them. All of the kids passed which I expected. What I didn’t expect was how well they are doing. Sometime,s as a homeschool mom I feel like I get lost, not able to see the forest through the trees. I put a lot of thought into what curriculum would work best for my kids to learn what they need to in a way that works best for their individual personalities. Once we start those books though I’m just focused on helping them get to the end of the book. I don’t often stop to notice all of the fundamentals they’ve mastered or the skills they’ve learned. I’m just thinking about getting our school time in for the day in an effort to finish the school year before I want to start going away in the summer. (Selfish, I know.)

(The kids learned how to make a traditional candy from pure maple syrup and snow)

Jason and Jocelyn are reading way beyond their grade level.They are both excelling in their math studies. They are doing great with their essay writing and book reports and their writing abilities are ahead of grad3 level as well.

There are lots of other things we do (science, phys ed, etc.) but it would be a very long blog post if I talked about each of those things.

(The kids learned to cross country ski)

What I especially loved was feeling validated that I’m doing the right thing. When I first started homeschooling I felt isolated and unsure. I felt like I was suffocating from the pressure of educating Jason entirely on my own. My friends thought I was crazy. I didn’t know anyone personally who was homeschooling but I felt strongly that I had to homeschool Jason. I just didn’t know what that would look like or how to get support. It was just him and I at our dining room table. Thinking back on those first couple of years I can remember exactly how it felt and I can’t believe the leap of faith that it took. Now that we’re in Cochrane we have a huge support group and the kids have lots of homeschool friends. We’re not alone anymore.

(On a cattle ranch that friends of our live on)

Now it’s a part of our family. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I can’t imagine ever sending my kids back to public school. I love getting to spend so much time with my kids. I love the relationship that I have with each of them. I love being a part of their lives in such a vital role. I love that education is something that we do as a family, with each other. I taught my kids how to stand up, how to walk, how to go to the bathroom alone, how to ride a bike, how to tie their shoes, and on and on. I feel like homeschooling them is just a natural progression of being their mom. As they get older I start teaching them more stuff and in a more mature way. Now, instead of teaching Jason to ride a bike I’m teaching him how to divide fractions.

(Big Hill Springs Provincial Park)

We have had a very fun year. After talking with our facilitator we now have a game plan for high school and we have a good idea of how we’re going to tailor high school for each of the different kids. That feels really good.

(Big Hill Springs Provincial Park)

As much as I love doing this, there has always been a small voice on my shoulder that whispers doubt. It’s the accumulative questions and opinions of the people I meet who question our homeschool choice.

“How are they going to get into university?”

That question has plagued me because I never thought that my kids couldn’t get into university. Now, all of a sudden I was concerned that what I had started as a project to better my kids could be keeping them from what would better their future.

Now I know for certain what is expected of the kids and what they have to do in order to get into any university they choose. I’m no longer scared. That voice on my shoulder has finally shut up and I am so excited and so proud of my kids. They really are the most special, most wonderful kids I know. I feel blessed every day because I get to be their mom and to quote Steven Tyler, “I don’t want to miss a thing.”

For Mothers Day Chuck took our family to the mountains to celebrate. I wanted a traditional Banff day. Our family tradition is to go to the mountains, take a drive somewhere especially scenic, take a small hike, eat at Melissa’s Steakhouse and then go to the candy store so I can get a bunch of saltwater taffy. Doesn’t that sound perfect?

It was made even more special because we saw more species of animals in that one trip then we ever have before. We saw Elk, Moose, Big Horn Sheep and Deer. It would have been especially cool if we had actually seen another bear but that didn’t happen. Maybe next year!

Every time we see Big Horn Sheep there’s always one sheep that is watching. Close enough to e helpful but far enough away to oversee everything. He’s like the bouncer of the group, I’m thinking. This particular bouncer chose to be up on a ledge that hung over where the other sheep were eating and licking the salt off the highway.

Below is a picture of a young Elk. I didn’t get a picture of the deer because we see them all the time and I missed the Moose because we were driving past him on the highway.

It has been so hot here that we wanted to take advantage of the weather and take Daisy somewhere with water. Unfortunately she loves getting wet and then wants to get right close to me which makes it very hard to take a picture of her so this was the best I could do. Silly dog.

I’m not quite sure where David got the idea that what his face is doing is considered a smile. I’ve tried getting him to relax and be natural but as soon as I pull out my camera he gives me one of these weird smile-like faces. It’s strange.

Proof that I was actually there when we were celebrating Mothers Day.

Laurelyn enjoys food so much that she really gets into it. She gets her face into it, her hair into it, her hands into it. She’s really dedicated to enjoying her food.

I love being a mom and I felt loved, appreciated and spoiled on my Mothers Day. Thanks family!

I think that Daisy liked being outside too!

David found a friend to go running around with so he wasn’t available for this spontaneous snapshot but I still love this picture.

Jocelyn is growing up so fast. Every once in a while I feel like I can catch a glimpse of her as a young woman, not a little girl and it makes me proud and scares me all at once.

This water is freezing cold and the kids were challenging each other to stand in it the longest.

I left my camera at a girlfriends so I’m going to do a Camera Phone Post. All these pictures are from my cellphone so ignore them if they’re a little fuzzy.A friend of mine from the homeschool group invited my kids and I to come play on her ranch. I love being able to take the kids to places that are connected to the earth and to the history of this area as a ranch town. We climbed up rows and rows of hay bales and then ran along them playing tag. We walked through acres of land and explored the original home that is more than a hundred years old. They now use that small house as a bed and breakfast. I love how sweet my kids were and respectful of the antiques that were all over that small house. My favorite was the horses. I love being close to such large animals!

We had a lot of fun on the ranch! It’s hard not to wish for acres of land for the kids to explore through. I especially liked the wooded area. We walked through trees that reminded me of scenes from the Lord of the Rings until we wandered onto the spot that my friends family uses for paintball. There’s a fort for hiding behind and it’s covered in paint from the paint balls. I don’t remember there being paintball in the Lord of the Rings but I wasn’t paying close attention.

This past weekend was Jason’s birthday and my parents came from Washington. We had so much fun. First we had Jason’s party which was a scavenger hunt on bikes. The boys had to bike all over town and then ended up at the movie house to watch the new Three Stooges movie. I figured slapstick comedy is what 12 year old boys like. I think it went over well because the boys came out quoting every line!

London is a friend from church.

Liam is Tammy’s oldest.

(There were a couple other boys but I don’t know if they want pictures of their kids online so I stuck to friends of mine.)

Grandma and Grandpa brought bonnets from Nauvoo for the girls. They tried to wear them all weekend.

Grandpa wasn’t ready to give the bonnets up just yet. I don’t blame him for wanting to keep it. It’s a god look on dad!

Grandma and I were busy in the kitchen making yummy stuff for a family gathering after the ordination. I didn’t want to have to do much on Sunday so we prepared everything on Saturday. Laurelyn was very helpful when it came time to make cookies and brownies.

Grandpa helped too!

I wish I had taken more pictures because I missed out on some great moments. Jason’s face when he came out of his movie and he saw that Grandpa was there was cute. We took Grandma and Grandpa walking along the river and it got windy so Grandma snuggled Laurelyn warmer by tucking her under sweater. I loved the look on Grandpa’s face after dinner at a yummy Brazilian BBQ place called Gaucho’s. I love being able to share things that I love about living here with my parents. More than anything I wish that I could be closer to family but I still love where I am. There’s so much to love about living here and I like sharing some of it with my mom and dad.

I had a moment of worry that the weekend wasn’t going like I had wanted because it’s hard to fit some quiet, spiritual family time when there’s a birthday party and a Sunday gathering to do. I snuggled in bed with Jason this morning and talked to him about how he felt about getting the priesthood and he said some thoughtful things and told me things I didn’t know. His dad had talked to him a couple times last week about what it means to get the priesthood, his Aunt Amber and Uncle Lance had called and talked to him about their thoughts and feelings about him getting the priesthood and he told me that he’s been reading called Preparation in the Priesthood: “I Need Your Help” by Elder Eyring. We snuggled up and talked about how he felt while he was surrounded by priesthood holders that are important to him and his Dad gave him a blessing. I forget sometimes how great he is and what a wonderful little man he’s becoming. I can’t believe that Thursday will be his first Young Mens activity!

I like the excitement of the kids and I looking at each other and talking about what we’re going to do to entertain ourselves while dad is gone. How will we distract ourselves? We eat breakfast for dinner. We stay up late watching movies. We stay out of the house into the evening because we know that dad isn’t at home.

The worst part though is the silence in the house after the kids are in bed. The time that I usually spend talking with Chuck and hearing about his day but usually about his plans. Chuck is a planner, through and through. He has a mind that never sleeps. He even talks in his sleep sometimes! I love the banter. I love that he listens to my plans and ambitions. I swear that we can talk all day, every day for the rest of our lives and never get bored or tired of being together.

That’s what makes the nights so hard. The house is asleep. The children are asleep. Even the dog is snoring next to me but besides the sound of Daisy sleeping my house is absolutely silent.

I can’t sleep like this. I usually fall asleep to the sound of Chuck’s voice or the sound of his breathing next to me. It may sound sappy and sentimental but I don’t care because tonight I am missing my husband.