more photos from field trip friday

field trip friday

When we started planning our school weeks for our new school, we decided that Friday would be "Field Trip Friday". Each Friday, our aim is to visit a place (within a reasonable driving distance) that is optimally related to something we are studying, have studied or will study in school.

This past Friday, Anderson wanted to visit some of the military museums in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. Since we are commencing our study of World War I, I thought this was a fantastic choice for a field trip. So, on Friday morning after Anderson finished a few tests, he, Bennett and I hopped into the car for a quick trip down to Fayetteville.

When we arrived on base at Fort Bragg, we first had to have our car inspected. That's right--in order to enter Fort Bragg, they have to approve you and your car for entry. That meant that I had to show a valid driver's license and car registration and that I had to open my hood, my trunk, and every door on the car for inspection. .

Once inside the base, we first visited the JFK Special Warfare Museum. This is a very small museum, but it was interesting nonetheless. It didn't take us long to browse, and soon the boys were ready to move to the next museum. My favorite part of this museum was seeing a stuffed Sunshine Bear that the troops had adopted (the bear had been orphaned) during the Vietnam War and brought home--with special permission of the federal government--to Fort Bragg after the war. Sadly, the bear died of pneumonia two years later. The full-grown bear was only about 3 feet tall . It looked like an adolescent brown bear cub with a golden stripe down its face. (Thus, the reason for its name--the Sunshine Bear.)

Next, we headed for the 82nd Airborne Division Museum. It took too long to find it as Google had not given me correct directions, nor had the guard at the entrance to the post. However, after prayer with the boys, we found it. (This would be an example of a time when I realized I should have prayed a lot earlier than I did because as soon as we prayed, we found it within one minute. Lesson learned.) While trying to find our destination, though, we happened to see a unit marching through the base. Their commanding officer was a woman, and we could hear her shouting, "Left....right....left, right, left." The cars all slow to a respectful crawl which gave us plenty of time to observe and snap a few photos.

The 82nd Airb0rne Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. This museum has lots of aircraft, tanks, helicopters, and guns outside. The boys loved inspecting them all! Anderson, being the history buff that he is, even explained some of the artillery to me.

Inside this museum, they have an area where mannequins are dressed as soldiers in various displays. The first display is in a darkened room which contains several U.S. soldier mannequins in a trench in the middle of battle where you hear the violent sounds of World War II. This made quite an impression on Anderson as he stood there for a long time, visualizing what it must have been like for those soldiers who dug themselves into dark and dirty trenches in unknown lands to fight for not only their own freedom but for the freedom of other nations. When we finished our tour of the museum, he returned to this spot, and I watched as he took it all in one last time.

Next, we left the base to head to downtown Fayetteville for The Airborne and Special Operations Museum. This museum is much larger than the others, and it is impressive. It has several sections, all of which retell the history of the Airborne and Special Operations units from pre-World War II, through the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, Dessert Storm, the war on terror, etc. There is so much history to be relived as you wander the aisles of this grand museum, but we did not have time to absorb even a fraction of it. Instead, we looked at the impressive displays, equipment, guns, soldiers, and even paused to watch clips from videos along the way. Bennett wanted to crawl on top of several of the displays, but we managed to keep him off for the most part.

At the end of our tour through the museum, we purchased tickets for a simulator ride! Bennett was so excited about riding on a "sim-e-yator" that when I told him what we were going to do, he loudly replied, "Wi-ye (Really), Mom? We get to go on a sim-e-yator?! Yea!!" Everyone in the 5,000 square foot lobby could hear as his giddy voice echoed off the five-story walls. He hugged me so tightly and told me over and over what a great day this had been and how he "yuved" me "foreva". In fact, he added, "I yuv you so much, Mom, I wi-ye (really), wi-ye, yuv you." However, when we fastened our seat belts on the simulator, he changed his mind and wanted to exit. I held his hand, told him he would love it, and he did! Within ten seconds after the ride began, he was entranced.

The simulator "provides visitors with an extreme taste of what the Army's finest are trained to do. " You get to experience what it is like to ride a Humvee, an army motorcycle, parachute out of a plane, and ride in an army helicopter. (The helicopter part of the simulator made me so nauseous that I had to put on my sunglasses and stare up and back at the exit sign. Whew! I was glad when that part ended. The boys were unfazed, of course.)

On our way back to Raleigh, we passed by a Krispy Kreme on Bragg Boulevard. The perfect way to end our trip, we agreed, was to make a pit stop for a few doughnuts. The "hot now" sign was not on (this is usually my motivation to stop--I love hot doughnuts), but the ten-minute delay in returning home was well worth it.

An hour later, we were home. Bennett napped most of the way home, and Anderson watched Star Wars (of course). As for me, I spent most of the ride home eating doughnuts and thinking about how thankful I am that I am Anderson's teacher this year. I am so grateful that God opened a door for me and gave me the courage to walk through it. Homeschooling isn't easy, but it is much easier than I anticipated. Yes, it is time consuming, but not nearly as time consuming as it is for him to attend school. The best part of homeschooling so far has been the time--the time spent with my boys, the time saved, the time I cannot ever recapture but can make the most of while it is here.

more photos from bennett's backyard bash

Bennett's backyard birthday bash

On Saturday, our Boo turned 3. For weeks now he has been counting the days down on our calendar. He has been so excited for his party that he kept telling me, "My party is open now, Mom", which means that he wanted his party to happen right then, at that very moment. He would even argue with me about it (hence, the reason I started pulling out the calendar to prove to him that it was not his birthday.)

I know a lot of people say it is hard to believe that their child is growing so quickly, but when I really pondered that idea this weekend, I realized that it does in fact seem like he should be turning three. No, it doesn't seem like just yesterday that he was born. It seems like it was about....um...say.....3 years ago that this precious soul entered the world. Maybe time has not passed as quickly because I am learning how to live in each moment, in today--not tomorrow or yesterday--and I have found that time really does slow down when you are savoring each moment you are given. Regardless of the reason, I am glad that it doesn't feel like Bennett is growing too quickly. I am enjoying (almost) every minute with him. (Look, if we are being honest here, poor attitudes, exhibitions of a strong will, and begging are not enjoyable for me. Thankfully, we don't have too many of those moments.)

We celebrated Bennett's big day by hosting "Bennett's Backyard Bash" for a few of his playmates, their families, and some of our extended family. We borrowed our friend's bouncy house for the kids to burn as much energy as possible (a must when hosting a toddler's birthday party), blew bubbles with a bubble machine, had my sister do some face (or exposed body part) painting, played on the playset, took hits at a pinata, ate pizza from Dominos (because it was the easiest food to serve), ate cake from Blue Moon Bakery (because it is my absolute favorite), and just had an all around good time.

The weather forecast for Saturday was not favorable for our outdoor party--all day rain. But fortunately, since the party started at 10 am, it didn't rain until we ate lunch around 11:45. Talk about perfect timing.

Three years ago, God sent into our world one of the two most wonderful human beings to ever grace the planet. (I am not at all biased.) We rejoice every day for the gift of Bennett, but being able to have a day solely dedicated to celebrating his life was pure joy! Bennett was absolutely delighted, as you can imagine. He was the CUTEST singing Happy Birthday to himself all day long. And at day's end, he informed me, "I want to have my birthday again, Mom!"

Well, of course he does. We're already counting it down together on the calendar.

in search of a new attitude

In the previous post, I mentioned the old adage, "Some days are better than others." That particular day was a glorious one in the Brewer house. This day, however, is classified near the other end of that spectrum.

Don't get me wrong. We are blessed. We have no complaints of any merit. But today, I ended up catching the Monday Blues, or some other variation or strain of it. Maybe it is fatigue, maybe it is a hormonal swing (though I don't think so), or maybe....I'm just in a funk today. I have vascillated between laughter and tears, gentle whispers and not-so-gentle "voice raising", silence and noise all.....day......long.

It is no surprise, then, that my moodiness affected our classroom today. Somehow, Anderson fell victim to my contagious funk, shedding his own tears and saying, "I don't know why I am crying." He really didn't. I think we were both just exhausted, which meant he was struggling to concentrate at one point during the day. Thankfully, we talked it out, and we were both happy, enjoying school again. We are both committed to making this process as fun and as easy for one another as possible. And that has made all the difference.

Of course, Bennett is sure to have been affected by my mood swings today. He has been more strong-willed and ornery than usual, which, though I am not proud to admit it, has not helped my mood. At all.

In spite of feeling melancholy and tired, there were highlights of our day. One, Paul called and asked if he could take Bennett and me out to dinner. That is always a welcome invitation! Anderson did not go with us because he was with his granddaddy buying a new puppy. (No, not for him. For Granddaddy.) Granddaddy is the proud of owner of the cutest, fluffiest, blackest chow puppy in the world. He really is adorable. We grew up with chows and have always maintained an affinity for this breed.

I am ready to say goodnight to this day and ready to embrace tomorrow and all that it has in store. I am so glad that God's mercy and grace are renewed for me each day. I am thankful that God gives grace where I fall short, mercy when I fall down, and faithful love that I always fall into. I pray that my children, whose forgiveness I have had to ask today as I have not been as patient or as kind as I want to be, will learn in my shining moments how "God stoops down and makes us great" (Psalm 18:35) and in my less-than-shining moments how "God gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Huh. How about that? Just pausing to reflect--on the day, and on the goodness of the One who gave it to me--has caused me to stumble onto what I was searching for all along. I found a new attitude.

and we're off...

Some days really are better than others. And this one goes down in Brewer family history as one of the more memorable, enjoyable days.

It all began when we my dear husband informed me this morning that he wanted to start running with me again. Of course, he courted me by running with me in college, so this was a delightful surprise, to say the least. We also wanted Anderson to join us for a mile, and though he was very reluctant, he did it. He ran almost a mile then got his bike to ride with us for the next two miles of our run. Bennett ran a few blocks, but for the most part, he was in the jogging stroller. And Hampton joined us, too, as he has become very fond of and accustomed to his daily run.

The best part of our run, other than the fact that we were all together as a family, was that it rained. No storms. Just cool, refreshing, gentle rain! I love running in the summer when it rains.

After we ran two miles, we paused for a swim in the pool. The boys were surprised when Paul and I jumped in for a swim in our running clothes! The pool was warm, and the rain was cool. It was a perfect combination.

After a good swim, we ran another mile home. By this time, it was almost 11, so we ate lunch and then began our very first day of school!! That's right--school is in session in the Brewer house!

Can I just take a moment to say that Anderson Brewer is one sharp kid? He really is. As we did math, Latin, grammar, history, Bible, reading and spelling, (all of which took between 2 1/2-3 hours in all) I marveled at how quickly he learned and how much knowledge the kid already has. He really impressed me today. I extend my deep, heartfelt gratitude to all of his teachers and the fine school that has helped provide him with an excellent, well-rounded education and the discipline and work ethic to breeze through subjects! I really did know that Anderson was very smart, but watching him work and learn was a very special opportunity for me, and I savored every moment of it. Being able to observe him in the learning process is certainly one of the biggest blessings of teaching him myself.

Anderson journaled at the end of school today, and he will not allow me to share it. I think he would be okay with me saying that he loved his first day of school. He has the wisdom to see the beauty in this season and to be grateful that we seized this opportunity. I do know that he is missing his friends, so we will have more playdates lined up before the weekend is over.

me and Bennett, we love to...

I should begin by saying that Bennett's love language is most certainly time. The more quality time we spend with him, the happier he is. In fact, just spend an hour engaged with him, and he will be telling you, "I yuv you foreva." He means it.

When Bennett was a very young toddler, maybe just 18 months old, he loved to go to the pond with his daddy. This was one way that they enjoyed quality, one-on-one time together. Paul, being the clever dad that he is, made up a song that went something like this:

"Me and Bennett we love to go to the pond.
Me and Bennett we love to go to the pond."

I think at one time there were more lyrics, but this is the part we sang the most. When Bennett would get upset or cry, we would sing this song to him, and he would grin. Then, last summer, he fell in love with the ocean. So we altered the song a bit:

Me and Bennett, we love to go to the ocean.
Me and Bennett we love to play in the sand.
We like to build sandcastles and go fishing, too,
and jump in the waves of the ocean blue.

Now, whenever Bennett loves what he is doing with us, he makes up his own song to the same tune. Like today, he and I were hanging out together while Anderson and Paul had football practice. We watched the I-Carly episode again (previous post), and we made popcorn. As I am putting the popcorn in the bowl, I hear a familiar tune:

"Me and Bennett we love to eat popcorn."

No, he doesn't sing "Me and Mommy" because that is not the way that the song is sung. But I know what he means. His singing is just his way of saying, "I love when you spend time with me, Mom. It makes me happy; so happy, I want to sing."

confirmation and precious gifts

On the homeschooling front, all curriculum is now ordered, all supplies have been purchased, and our notification has been sent to the state that we are an official homeschool. The past days have been filled with excitement, lots of preparation, and confirmation upon confirmation that we are exactly where we are meant to be. Here are just two examples:

One of my friends "accidentally" ordered two teacher's manuals for Latin, so she gave me one, leaving it for me on her front stoop while she was at school today. Attached was a note: Holly, HAVE FUN!!! No, this wasn't a sarcastic remark (after all, it is Latin we will be studying) but it was entirely genuine. My friends have been more than enthusiastic and fully supportive about our endeavor.

One of the most miraculous gifts to me was when my dear friend whose son was in the fifth grade last year at Anderson's school informed me that she had, "for some reason", kept all of her son's schoolwork, along with weekly class letters from the teacher (that Anderson was assigned to for this year) and her son's weekly assignment sheets outlining all that he did each week in class. Not only had she kept them, but she had neatly paperclipped the work from that week and carefully labeled it with the week and the quarter. Do you understand what that means? I now fully know what Anderson would have been doing at school each week. I will be able to gauge where we are in our home classroom in regards to where his class is! Since I am a fast typist, I can even duplicate quizzes and tests! Seeing that my dear friend had not known the reason for keeping these papers (and doing it in such an orderly fashion) reminded me that God had this planned all along. It is like He has handed me this gift on a carefully and beautifully crafted platinum platter!!

Anderson says he most misses recess and PE at school. This was when he was able to play football and kickball with his buddies. Thankfully, his buddy, Will, invited him and his other friends, Matthew and Sam, over after school on Friday. Anderson had so much fun having water fights with them. Each week, I'd optimally like to go to the school to pick up friends to come home with him. He will likely get more quality playtime with them now than he did at school.

On the Bennett front, I found four different activity books for preschoolers at Target in the dollar bins (gotta love those bins!). They feature shapes, colors, letters, numbers, etc. It doesn't matter to me that Bennett does a thing with these books, but I know he will feel special having his own "homework" books. Hopefully these, some playdough, and some watercolor paints will keep him busy while we homeschool.

I will close with a cute Boo story from today. I needed to plan my first week of homeschool, so I asked him if he would like to watch a show he had begged me to DVR for him last week. On Friday afternoon, he kept telling me that he wanted to see "boxing on I-Car-yee" (I-Carly, from Nickelodeon, which is a teeny-bopper show, but since Anderson loves it, Bennett does, too). Today, as he is marching up the stairs to the playroom to watch it, he informs me: "Mom, I-Car-yee box Soapie Marx (Sophie Marx), and Soapie is mean, mean, mean. She is a mean goil (girl), Mom." I have no idea who he is talking about, but the way he says it is deliciously adorable!!! I could eat him with a spoon.

setting up shop (or, in our case, school) and a Boo story

I am officially a teacher. I now know what it feels like to come up with lesson plans, order curriculum books and materials, organize school supplies, and plan field trips. It is hard to believe that less than 48 hours ago we made the decision to homeschool Anderson this year. Since then, I have been busy planning, dreaming and ordering--with Anderson's input, of course! After all, one of the purposes of teaching him myself is to allow him the freedom to question, investigate, and discover topics he is interested in without having to maintain the schedule required in a classroom environment.

In North Carolina, you have to give your "school" a name when you indicate that you are homeschooling. It is wise to choose a name that you are proud to put on your child's school records, so the boys decided on Wingate Hill Academy. This name has significance to our family, but since this blog can currently be read by strangers, I will digress.

Today, we are off to buy a few more things for our school. Once the curriculum materials are delivered, we will be off and running! So, it looks like next week, our school year will officially commence. Anderson and I are so very, very excited. We know it will be hard. We know there may be days we wonder what we are doing. But I am convinced that the joy will far outweigh the hardship.

Bennett will, of course, be a student at our school as well. He will have subjects like play-doh, watercolor, drawing, puzzles, "reading", etc. Since "Boo" has always wanted to do homework with "Bubba", he will probably be thrilled to have his own workspace in our school.

And speaking of Bennett, I have to share the sweetest remark he made this morning. First of all, he has been crawling up in my lap as I sit here at the computer ordering our supplies, wrapping his arms tightly around my neck, resting his head on my shoulder and whispering, "I yuv you foreva." Ah! Be still, my heart! But then this morning, he was upset that he couldn't find Anderson's NC State football. Here he was, all decked out in his NC State football jersey, and he couldn't find his favorite accessory to the outfit--the football. Well, last night, I found a junior NC State football for $8 and bought it for him for his birthday in a few weeks. To ease his troubled mind this morning, I told him I would give him one of his birthday presents if he would have a good attitude. Of course, his countenance instantly changed from gloom to joy. Then, I handed him the bag with the football in it. He peered inside, took a deep breath, and said, "Oh my gosh." (Yes, Laura, I've passed my habit onto him. We are trying to replace it with "Holy smokes", which works 50% of the time.) When he pulled it out, with uninhibited excitement he exclaimed, "This is my favorite football, Mom!" He was so sincere (because most two-year olds are, unless you are forcing them to apologize to their big brother for hitting him), and so elated. And an hour later, he has yet to put the football down.

adventures in homeschooling

So anyone who knows me well knows that I have always said that while I totally support other parents' choice to homeschool their children, I could not ever imagine doing it myself. When, oh when will I learn that when I say things like that, I end up doing the very thing I said I wouldn't?

Well, today, after about a week of what I call "God nudges", thinking mostly hypothetically about what it would be like to take Anderson out of school for a year to teach him as we travel, play lots of golf, have lots of time with our family, etc., I made a life-changing decision, one I almost swore I would never make.

Today, Anderson became a homeschooler.