Homeschool Weeks 1 and 2!!!

      August 4th was the jump off date of our first year of homeschool. After a long eventful summer full of church camp, VBS, moving into a new home, and a short trip to Texas to see greatgrandparents, we were totally exhausted but excited to begin this new journey!
     I plan to blog once a week now (hope to anyways) in order to show everyone what Jordyn is learning. This year we will will have many Biblical topics/themes and a letter focus weekly of a new letter (in alphabetical order). Along with the Bible topic and the letter of the week, we will have book themes, seasonal themes, and themes that correspond with the letter of the week (example: POND theme to go along with D is for Duck week). I will not take a picture of every "Tot Tray" but I plan to take some pictures along the way.
     I hope all of you enjoy seeing Jordyn as she transitions into this new part of her life. Love to you all. Crystal and Alvin


      First I want to explain "Praise Time." It is the very beginning of the EVERY morning, after breakfast of course. We begin by praying together, then she pulls out the "color of the week," "shape of the week," and the "number of the week." After each one we color these in our resusable Praise Time notebook. Lastly, she will look out the window and determine what the weather is like outside that day. She LOVESSSS Praise Time.

     Before we begin our "Tot Trays" she has to sit down, cross her legs and listen to the Bible Reading for the week. We read out of an ESV Family Illustrated Bible. She does very well listening and being patient before tearing into her tot trays. :)

Praise Time Board

Here you see that we have completed our board for the first day!

Week 1 of ABCJesusLovesMe with no letter of the week

Day 1 God Made Light Creation Day 1

Day 1 Tot Trays



Only Snapshot of the day, still working on a "pretty" smile.:)



Day 1 COMPLETED WORK!
God made LIGHT on day 1 of creation! 

Day 2 God made the sky and the waters Creation Day 2

Day 2 Tot Trays

Look God separated the SKY and the WATERS!
Veg. oil and water with blue food coloring!

Snack of the Day!
The Sky and Waters!

Her favorite was the sky (cool whip).
She is not a fan of jello.

Day 3 Reviewing Days 1 and 2 of Creation



Completed work!

Painting on a vertical surface.
Color: Blue Shape: Circle

She is so cute!

Transferring with tongs.

The first week was only 3 days. All following weeks will be 5 days a week until baby Caleb arrives! We will take a short break from school at that time!

WEEK 2

Creation Day 3 God made the land and the plants!

Letter of the Week A

Theme: Fruit

Day 1

Tot Trays Day 1

We placed the land onto the felt board and discussed where the trees should go, the land or the water? She learned so much here as we found out later.



Fruits and Colors Matching

Day 2

Tot Trays Day 2

Absolutely loves to Dot Paint!!!

Matching
Got to love her smile.

Completed work!
God made the land and the plants on Day 3.



more action shots
transferring apple erasers



Painting on a vertical surface
Color: Red Shape: Line
I glued the spaghetti noodles on the night before!

Day 3

Tot Trays Day 3

During praise time we built a red line out of blocks
Color: Red Shape: Line



LOVES TO STAMP!
first time with ink...so much fun



Matching fruit



Matching fruit again

Day 4  Oops I forgot to take a pic. of the tot trays.:(

gluing seeds onto our creation day 3 craft page

She is a mess today!
3 part puzzle
She actually surprised me with this.

Day 5

Tot Trays Day 5
Notice our ABC Find It in the green bin!
This was a blast!!!

Q-tip Painting!!!
Fine motor



Happiest Face Ever!
Playdough Letter A



Sorting "Big A" and "Little A"

Burgers, Bostons, and One Really Big Little Girl!

Well, we are back! Where did we go? Our blog was wrongly assumed to be spam and was temporarily locked. They were able to restore it, however, and we are now free to post. Speaking of freedom, happy late 4th of July to all. This was Jordyn's first experience with fireworks! She loves em'. Almost as much as she loves "Woter MmmmELLown" (Watermelon). We had a blast with Gammy and Buddy (her Boston Terrier). Here are some of those shots.

 

 

So, we humbly remember and thank those who have sacrificed, and are currently doing so, to bring us physical freedom. Some of which, we have made practice of often overlooking and ignoring, though we so also have many that we acknowledge and give thanks for. More than this, we would be remiss not to see the reality of a greater freedom. That is, the one purchased by the spilled blood of Christ. A freedom, not just from the penalty of sin (hell and eternal separation from God), but from the very power of present sin (present hold of sin on our lives). So many look to forward to the former manifestation of this freedom with great expectation, but demonstrate very little emphasis or expectation concerning the latter. They embrace the idea of freedom from the "sting of death", but are lax in the fight against sin and the holding up a banner of personal righteousness. "It is for freedom that Christ set us free". That means now! Let us remember, Christians, that we are commanded to walk in a manner worthy of "God", "the gospel", and "our calling". Not only are we commanded, but we are also equipped. It is not a call to try harder or a quest to gain God's favor through our good deeds. Instead, following the Spirit in order to put to death the deeds of the body is the natural overflow of what has been given to us, and understanding that the only thing that pleases the Father lies in the finished work of His dear Son. James says it is the true test of our faith. So, I would ask you Christians, "what sanctifying work do you see in your life"? I hope we can answer the question, for this is the demonstration of the truer freedom. It is the main reason that we so celebrate the physical one. The one we acknowledge on this day in July is merely the shadow pointing to the substance. Let us not neglect something so crucial to the authenticity of our new identity in Christ. May our lives testify to this understanding. By God's grace, we will.

 

A&C

Big Girl Bed.

Well, with Caleb coming very shortly, we thought it was time to free up crib-space. This would mean, of course, that Jordyn be moved to a different bed. So, that is what happened. A friend of ours (Thanks Jennifer!) found a toddler bed at a yard sale for $5! It was in good condition, except for one small bar that was nearly broken, and it was missing all of the hardware...of course. Other than that, it was a great find. I also found this amazing fabric at Hobby Lobby and made the comforter and two pillows. So, with a little sewing, sanding, some white paint, and multiple frustrating trips to Yeager's to compile hardware that would suffice, this is what we came out with.

Jordyn really loves sleeping in her new "big girl bed". Almost as much as she loves telling people about it. She has done really well. She does really well at night. During the day (naptime), however, she is pretty comical. She proceeded to march around her room with her blanket on her head for nearly an hour the first attempt. All in all, she has transitioned nicely and really loves her new sleep spot.

All-in-all, this was a fun and meaningful project. We were able to save some money and meet the immediate needs of our family with one go.

Bed price new: $100.00
Bedding set new: $80.00.

Bed price to us: $7.00
Bedding price to us: $30.00.

New total: $180.00
Actual total: $37.00

A&C

What a Summer, Already!

Nearly 2 months ago we posted about "being thankful in all things". Since then, much has occurred to be thankful for. In short, it has been the most future-altering, faith-strengthening, heart-encouraging, and memory-making 60 days of our marriage. And it all started with a rainbow.

May 15th we had a spring up shower that left this breath taking rainbow. It only lasted, in any notable intensity, for about 2 minutes. It was a great chance to remind Jordyn of our promising God and His faithfulness to faithless men.

(2Ti 2:13) if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

 

May 31st, we decided to take a trip to the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center to see some critters and have lunch. Jordyn really loved it. There was a fake pond, where you can catch fake fish with a fake fishing pole. She like this the best.

 



June 16th was the day we left for Family of God Camp. (F.O.G) This is a summer camp centered around the whole family. We had nearly 90 children and adults, ranging from 5 months old to 85 years old, go this year. God blessed us sweetly in the weeks and months leading up to the camp, and during the camp. As we were contemplating the "Weight of Glory", here are some of the activities we were able to enjoy.

Last week, Papaw opened the pool and Jordyn got to try out her new floatie with her cousins, Annabelle and Adelyn. They had lots of fun. She is really starting to get the hang of it after watching those "big" girls.

 

 

 



Finally, here are some honorable mention photos of just some of the fun moments and of also some of Jordyn's favorite people in the whole world. Enjoy!



Pretending to go "night night". Very convincing...

Baby Benjamin!

Baby Beau!

Randi, Rissa, and Lauren.

Sad face with Aunt Charley...

AAAAAHHH, with Aunt Charley!!

Mr. David caught a real fish.

Mike and Destiny. (Father and Daughter)

Sweet Lilly!

And again.

What can we say but thank You, Lord? You have been so kind to us.

A&C

Big News!!

There are three big pieces of news to report! Three happenings of importance (not equal importance) have occurred almost simultaneously. Here they are (in no particular order):

#1 - IT'S A BOY!!!

For those of you who are nearest to us, this is old news. But for the sake of documentation and sentimental effect, it is presented as New News.

Well, we decided to make the revealing of the sex of the new baby more of a spectacle than before. So, I persuaded Alvin to have a reveal party where everyone found out the sex of the baby at the same time. This required the ultrasound technician to insert the results of the ultrasound into an envelope to be given to the local florist... This florist would, then, blow up balloons (blue for a boy, and pink for a girl) to be released from a box in front of our loved ones. When the box opened, it contained wonderfully blue balloons. His name is Caleb Luke Elliott. Alvin now has a son, Jordyn has a little brother, and our family has officially doubled in size from when it started. We will have to change defenses now from double-teaming Jordyn to straight man-to-man. If we keep this up, we will be forced to drop back into a zone...

 

 

 

 

 

#2 - ALVIN GOT A NEW JOB!

Not much to report here, but it is notable. Alvin will be moving to the Junior High next year to teach 8th grade math/pre-algebra. He is excited, but this will be quite a change of pace from last year. Hopefully God will open up some ministry opportunities for Him with some of the students he has already seen to have influence with. May God receive glory from all of it.




#3 - WE SOLD OUR HOUSE/BOUGHT A NEW ONE!!   

      

In a strange, yet not surprising, turn of events, we sold our house in 3 days. We then had an accepted offer on a new house 3 days later. All so that we can better accommodate another little one. It is in a better location (near new school, nearer Fort Smith, nearer church and friends) and supplies the room we need.

Here is the link to description: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1111-Alex-St-Greenwood-AR-72936/74554909_zpid/


A&C

Giving Thanks In All Things!

More lately than usual, I have realized the supreme blessing of God on our family. Too often, we receive and take from God without so much as an adequate thought of gratitude, let alone proper praise and thanksgiving. This is especially disgraceful having been those who have been given the utmost in grace and mercy in the face of Jesus Christ. It really is a shameful thing to admit, being recipients of such grace. As the people of God, especially, we are meant to be "thanks-givers". Scripture plainly says:

Col. 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, (7) rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Col. 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Eph. 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Phil. 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (5) Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; (6) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

With that, here are some due thanks that came to mind this week:

 "Thank you, Mrs. Kim for this awesome chariot. We have used it on many rides already, and look forward to many more. Jordyn absolutely adores going on rides to the park. The coolest thing is, there is room for two!!"

"Thank you, Nana for these stylishly comfy PJs. They are great for a warm summer night, and are also perfect for a hard day of playing with mom"

"Thank you, Aunt Kerry for my terrific puppy slippers. They have become a fun addition to most mornings, though I often mistake them for bunnies."

"Thank you, parvovirus B19 for giving Jordyn Fifths disease (slap-cheeks). For a little over a week we have assumed that Jordyn had really bad allergies and possibly asthma. To our surprise and relief, it was not. Instead it was some silly virus. All the while, we were forced to trust God and rely on Him for Jordyn's safety and future. We too often spurn suffering when it always proves to be the best teacher, and is often the catalyst for so much fruit bearing."



This is how she woke up this morning. I guess "slap cheeks" can also mean "slapped all over the face and head"...
 



We pray that God would expediate sanctification in our lives and yours to be able to truly say with Paul:

Php 4:11-13 ...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Fun In The Sun!!

Today was one of the hotter days of 2014. In fact, it was too hot for Jordyn to play on her slide and swing. She just kept yelling, "Oooottt". I told Alvin that we needed a pool. We are getting one, but Alvin wanted to try to build a sprinkler toy for Jordyn. A quick trip to Yeager's, $15, and 30 minutes later this is what he made.

 

The only thing left to do was put Jordyn through it a few times, and snap a few pictures. Turns out she loved it, but would not go through it without Daddy. We had to quit because she started coughing too much (stinky allergies), but here is what we were able to capture.

 

Looking forward to an exciting summer with my amazing little family!

 

A&C