School is in Session

School is in full swing at the Chamblee house!  On August 25th, Jake and Mallory began their first year of full-time homeschool.  We have less than two weeks under our belts, but so far, so good!

I have always held that I was NOT cut out to be a teacher, but the prospect of teaching takes on a whole new light when it's your own kids who will be your students.  It also helps that there are not 20+ of them!  After much prayer and discussion, Justin and I decided that this route was best for our family right now.  As scared as I am that I'll screw it up, I'm also very excited about this adventure.  We have no idea whether we'll continue to homeschool throughout the kids' educational experience, but we're here for now.  We'll take it one day at a time.

My beautiful Mallory is usually excited about school time, though she definitely has a stubborn streak when it comes to skills in which she's not confident.  Give her a creative outlet, however, and she's on cloud nine!

Jake is my methodical man.  He absolutely inherited the Scobey mind for all things logical from Justin's mom's side of the family.  Worksheets are welcomed, as is reading, although he's always thinking through how quickly we can be done with school in a day.

I love that they have a buddy to share in this experience and encourage along.

Goobers.

I've been asked often what on earth I'm going to do with Beau while the big kids and I are having school time.  Little Man usually joins us for things like story time, devotionals and any kind of game.  He's also a big fan of math manipulatives! When we're doing something that doesn't interest him, he's quite content to play on his own in a nearby room.  It's always fun to play with your big brother's toys without interference or limitation!

Beau started school today and is already quite taken with his new teacher, Mrs. Alison.  Bonus: When your teacher shares a name with your mom and one of your babysitters, it's awfully easy to remember!

He's a ham, but he sure is cute! 

Me and my buddy before we dropped him off this morning! And for the record, that bow in the background belongs to Mallory.  :)

Walking in so confidantly!

It hadn't really occurred to me before today that the big kids would miss their little buddy while he was at preschool. Last year, they were either all at school or all at home.  Mal kept asking throughout the day what I thought Beau was doing right then.  Sweet sister.

Everyone is enjoying school so far, and when the task before me seems too large, I will remind myself that this is fleeting.  The days that drag sometimes will in fact all fly by too quickly.  I'm humbled to take on the task of educating our children and trust that God will make something beautiful from the perfect mess that I offer up to Him.

Beau Harrison is 3!

Just a few moments ago, this was my life.  This precious little 7 lb 3 oz miracle was in my arms.  That tiny, squishy, adorable bundle was snuggled up with me as I soaked up every detail of him.

For me, Beau will always be my miracle baby.  I know of many families who have faced far more serious circumstances through pregnancy & as they welcomed their children into this world.  But for us, seeing a perfectly healthy baby boy after months of wondering if he would be okay, was truly miraculous.  

Throughout my pregnancy, Beau's sonograms showed his bowels to be echogenic, which just means they showed up brighter than his other organs.  This could have been an indicator of many terrible things, but we were able to rule several of the big ones out with testing.  The doctor said that it was likely just some blood that he had swallowed in the womb & wasn't cause for concern.  Still, I wondered if it truly would be nothing.  I can see now how God used that time to give my patience & strengthen my faith in Him.  

I give him all the glory for the precious, perfect boy that we received.

In the operating room on the morning he was born, we got to see even more evidence of God's protection for our sweet one.  The doctor showed us a fist-sized knot in Beau's umbilical cord.  Thankfully, the knot was loose and hadn't restricted his blood supply.  I'm thankful for that little detail in Beau's story because it reminds me of just how blessed we are each time a healthy baby is born.

All that was just a moment ago, then somehow my baby turned one year old...

then two years old...

and today he is a big three-year-old.  My kids birthdays don't make me sad, but I do tend to become a bit nostalgic.  Because really, I blinked and three years flew by.   I used to laugh a bit and maybe even roll my eyes at those parents who warned me about how quickly time would fly with my kids.  Sure, I thought, even though this day has lasted ten years, I'm sure the next eighteen years will just fly right on by.  Sure.  In just five and a half years of parenting, I've discovered the horrifying truth that they were right.  In fact, I've even become that annoying parent on several occasions, warning newbies to treasure every moment.

So I do miss that tiny, squishy baby that I held three years ago.  But I'm also having a blast with this funny, sweet & often ornery little boy.  I love you, Beau Harrison, and I feel so blessed to have been given the job of being your mommy.

The birthday boy chose pancakes for breakfast on his special day.  He also got to open his present from his two best buddies, a new Transformers toy.  Thank you hugs!

A bit somber, but I think he enjoyed his requested pancakes

Make a wish!

Now it's off to see The Lego Movie for a birthday treat!

This Year's Getaway

Back in September, Justin & I enjoyed a wonderful vacation to Punta Mita, Mexico.  With the kids in Mimi's capable hands, we set off to paradise!

As many of our vacations are, this one was booked using Starwood points, so we stayed at the St. Regis Punta Mita.  I have nothing but good things to say about this place - amazing!  Here's the view from the welcome lobby:

From the balcony of our room:

At home, J doesn't ever sit still very long, but we're GREAT at being beach bums!

Panoramic view from the balcony:

I had never heard of Punta Mita before we started looking into this resort, but it's about a 45 minute drive from Puerto Vallarta.  Punta Mita is much less crowded & slower paced than it's neighboring city, which is just what we prefer.

In addition to the natural beauty of the beach & ocean, the grounds were stunning.

So blessed to share it all with my love!

This panoramic shot was taken from a little cliff in front of the Four Seasons resort, which is near the St. Regis.  It was the perfect place to watch the sunset before dinner that evening.

Some of God's best work

Not much of a picture, I know, but I had to document our adventure after dinner that evening.  The Four Seasons isn't far from the St. Regis, but the beach there isn't well suited to walking long distances.  It's very rocky in places, with lots of little outcroppings to navigate around.  Despite that, we decided it would be fun to try to walk back to our resort instead of returning by car, as we had come.  With an iPhone flashlight as our guide, we wandered past some private residences, saw quite a few crabs skittering along the rocks, cut across a golf course & finally made it to our destination! The pic was taken from our golf course shortcut.

For our last night there, we ventured out to a local restaurant for some authentic Mexican food.  It did not disappoint!

Our ridiculously awesome room at the St. Regis...

The most luxurious detail of our trip was definitely the butler service, which comes with every room there.  Make your own morning coffee?  No, no, the butler would love to do that for you!  Unpack your own clothes?  They wouldn't hear of it!  The entire staff, but especially our butler, Luis, pampered us in every way. I can't say a hotel closet would look that perfect if I had done the unpacking.

More of paradise...

In my happy place - sun, sand & a good book.

I was very pleased that there were far fewer lizards in Punta Mita than in other places we've been, but the ones we did see were HUGE!!

What a great trip!  Thank you, Justin, for always making time for us a priority.  And thank you, Gary & Karen, for allowing us to enjoy five kid-free days.  We're immensely blessed!