Back to School 2015!

I did it!  I took the preschoolers out of preschool and have everyone at home for school!  The preschool was so amazing to us, letting me put 4 kids in last year when they always have a waiting list.  They continued to help us by waiving the $3000 of fees we should have paid to enroll them again this year.  The teachers and staff were always wonderful to us and to the children.  I hated to walk away from their kindness.  I kept counting down in my head until the end of the school year, knowing that I would not enroll them again.  My mom convinced me to be brave and take them out for the new year instead.  I am so, so happy for her words of wisdom!!

When we decided to adopt again, we thought it would be great because we knew we had a good life and could offer that life to other children.  This truly feels like the first time we are able to offer that sort of life to our children, without a constant stream of required caregivers or sending them off to school elsewhere.  This is the life I wanted for all my kids and for me.  Today we started a new sort of life, and I know it is going to be so good for everyone.

There will be bumps.

There will be bruises.

I have a lot to learn about homeschooling a larger group of kids.

The kids have a lot to learn about our new routine.

No matter what, though, I know this is the life I want for my family.  

Here's our first day:

Soren, age 5, first day of homeschool Pre-K

Cassia, age 4, first day of homeschool Pre-K

Zade, age 4, first day of homeschool Pre-pre-K

Tobias, age 4, first day of homeschool Pre-pre-K

He who pulls all the books off the shelves and laughs

Edison, age 2, first day of homeschool Pre-pre-pre-K (AKA do-whatever-I-want school, including wearing my jeans backwards if  that's my choice for the day)

Kids and their school supplies, all ready for memory work as a whole group.