Christmas Blessings

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the Highest; and on Earth Peace, good will toward men.”

This was our memory verse for the week.  As the Holidays and Christmas season approach our School session comes to a close as we break to take time for the real meaning of Christmas—the Birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord.

This month after finishing our unit on North American Indians, turned to Christmas.  We looked at Zachariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus and all the happened during those long months approaching Christ’s birth.  They wrote letters to Santa and were surprised to get both a letter in the mail and an email from Santa.  Amazing sometimes what technology can foster. 

The kids had fun today as we stayed in our PJ’s and had story time Friday.  Hearing once again the story on Jesus; then closing with the story of the candy cane.  Josh liked how the both the glory of his birth and his death on the cross are represented in the candy cane.  He also likes that “when you turn cane upside down it makes a “J” for Joshua—I mean Jesus.” I read to them a new story to me and highly recommend it as it gives a different view of Christ’s birth.  We typically focus on Christ (rightly so) and Mary.  And yet Joseph had a big part in Christ’s birth and upbringing.  The book is called “FATHER and SON—A nativity story”, by Geraldine McCaughrean.   

We rejoice that Josh is doing better with his walking as he is finally able to get around better.  This week he started walking without his walker.  He is still wobbly but getting stronger.  He will be getting new braces to give him more support and in the next few months he should be up and around walking taller and smoother.  Praise the Lord!

Jody started back to work—another answer to prayer.  However after a week he was really hurting again and the Doctor decided that it was too much too fast so has placed him back to half days for the next 6 weeks to slowly ease his knee back into normal workloads.

We look forward to the New Year and like many are praying for positive changes and better times.  May God bless you and your Families as you come together and enjoy each other’s company.  Merry Christmas!!!! 

Thanks Giving What else can I call this?

With great praise we are starting to see Josh move around and be himself as we have not seen for the past 5 weeks.  HE is over his slump PTL and on the road to healthy rumbustious recovery.  Sometimes I wonder  where he gets his shenanigans?

We took some time to back off on the core curriculum of school to give Josh a break and he was just overwhelmed by everything and healing.  But we have been learning about the Plains and Woodland American Indians and he really is having fun.  We will spend the next few weeks learning about the North and South west Indians.  I am often amazed what they comprehend and pay attention to.

We drove to his Doctor yesterday and on the way he told me that we have to start learning more about Indians because we have not had school for a while.  We had last week of for Thanksgiving...He is enjoying Homeschooling so much he is asking for more. WOW!

We are looking forward to what the coming weeks will bring and praying he will be walking hands free (of walker or assistance) by Christmas!!!

Frontiersmen and then some

This week we will finish out unit on Frontiersmen which introduced us to Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, Lewis & Clark and John Sutter to name a few.  We also learned about trapping, tracking and fur trading and met a few Indians who helped the Frontiersmen on their journey.  Lastly we learned about animals that our frontiersmen may have encountered like bears, wolves, snakes and coyotes; and how different animals prey or protect themselves.  Next week we will begin our unit on North American Indians; coming at just the right time for thanksgiving and then finishing before Christmas.  It looks to be very exciting.

We too have been on a kind of frontier with our son.  After 6 weeks of being in casts to help loosen his muscles we thought getting out of the casts and being able to walk would be a exhilarating time for him.  Instead we have seen our son like never before.  HE seems to have lost his vigor.  With understanding he has been fearful to try walking or putting any weight on his legs.  We have encouraged him to just try, but instead he slouches in his wheel chair and refuses to try anything.  We saw one of his Dr's and she looked him in the eye and told him that his legs were strong and could hold his weight and the he CAN walk.  This talk helped for about 2 days and then we lost him again.

Funny to think that when the casts came off the Dr told us that we had to make sure he did not run, jump or climb.  I thought I would be always on him to take it easy.  NEVER thought I would be fighting listlessness.  I feel for the parents that daily love on children that CAN NOT walk or have mental or physical conditions that prevent them from moving.  I never thought that being a cheerleader could be so exhausting. Sadly there are days that just so tax me I can barely move.  Our son constantly complains he is tired and yet he does nothing strenuous which makes him tired--ironic.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:14