Aaron Micaiah

I will probably get around to posting something about every one of my boys, but today, it is Aaron's turn.

Aaron is named Micaiah after the prophet in the Old Testament who stood before Ahab and told him the truth. Even knowing that Ahab was a king and could kill him, even knowing that the 400 other prophets had told Ahab to go fight... making Micaiah appear foolish before the crowd, even knowing he would be put back in prison for telling the truth, Micaiah stood for God. Aaron was just the name we found to go with it. Aaron is in the Bible, but he is not the reason for my Aaron's name. Knowing all that about his name, am I suprised that he is stubborn??

He is easily the most stubborn child I have met in a lifetime. That's saying some, considering I am his Mommy, and who his Daddy is. However, that is probably how he came by it so easily. Things will naturally take longer for Aaron to adapt to, but not because he is in any way slow. He just refuses to change until you refuse to give up making him change. Even eating everything on his plate (or in his bowl) was something with which we struggled for three days straight. For two hours at each meal. When, after three days of self-inflicted torture, he realized that Mommy wasn't backing down, and he really was hungry, he ate everything. To his credit, we haven't had trouble with him eating since. It's as though he has to learn everything for himself, then he has it, hands down.

On the other hand, he is one of the most affectionate children I've worked with. He's constantly running up and kissing my neck and saying "Mommy, I love you." Even during discipline, he tries to soften your heart with a few well placed kisses and hugs and "I love you's." Hasn't worked, but he's still figuring that out.

He also has a WILD imagination, and on top of all of that, he has two older brothers who make him believe that anything is possible. He may be a super-hero one morning, and a cowboy the next. Earlier today, he was a swimmer that everyone thought was a cowboy (or was it a cowboy who everyone thought was a swimmer??).

Of course, being three, he hears things on a three year old level, and adapts it to what he hears. The other night at church, the Pastor was mentioning the sick for prayer, and when he came to the Boatright family, Aaron pulled at my sleeve, and half whisper-yelled in my ear, "Mommy, Preacher said we're going on a boat ride!!! I want to go on a boat ride!! No I want to go on a train ride. Can we go on a train ride??"

Then, yesterday morning, he saw a girl who was in a singing competition. She sang "And I'm Telling You," the song that Effie White sings in Dreamgirls. As the song ended, Andrew asked his daddy if she was going to move on in the competition, or if she had to go home. Aaron spoke up and said, "She is staying, Andrew. Didn't you hear her say, [started singing] 'I'm not goin'. I'm not goin'.' "

Then, last night, he and his Daddy were talking, and he told Daddy, when he grows up he'll be a smart daddy, and go hunting tigers, 'cause they taste like chicken.

Of all the things that boy puts his Mommy through, and the fact that I wanted a girl so badly when I was pregnant with him.... Think of all the FUN I'd be missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope, wouldn't trade him for the WORLD!!!!!

Homeschool

I have many things I love about homeschool, but the top of the list has to be that boys can be boys.

I have never, even when I was a teacher, enjoyed keeping little boys cooped up inside a building all day long. It gets painful right around 10AM when everyone really starts to wake up and have loads of energy. It's just that in school settings, you have to teach things a number of different ways to make sure that everyone understands each concept. I never did like looking around at all the boys who would much rather be outside of that window they were staring out of so longingly.

Therefore, being a mom of three little such men, I want to keep homeschool as brief as possible so that they can get on with being boys for the day. We are done with our proper homeschooling, at 11AM. Shortly after the boys want to be active. And we didn't start until about 9AM. It all is over so quickly, that they don't seem to mind so much sitting down for a couple of hours to learn on paper. Then begins the fun of the day. We learn things at the pond about how fish breathe, learn outside why oil helps bicycles go faster, learn as we crawl through tunnels that the scientific law of "no two things can occupy the same space at the same time" is truely a LAW, not just a suggestion.

I love doing homeschool, because boys get to see daily life happen. We get to LIVE together and LEARN together. These first few years, I want most desperately for them to have a good foundation in learning. Until second grade, the most important things are the math families (+,-,x,/), the phonics and how it makes it easier to read and spell, and the discipline of putting your mind to something and doing it. Other than that, everything will be re-taught in a grander, more comprehensive way on the way through high school.

I love that we get to just do the basics, and move on with the day of being boys, asking questions, and genuinely wanting the answers to those questions. I don't ever want my boys to lose that natural curiosity that makes them want to learn. I love that HOMESCHOOLING makes it possible not to squash that curiosity before third grade when the real learning begins, and when most schoolboys are tired of school.

Passing the Torch

I love watching things of substance with my boys.

Today, I had a lot of fruit that God blessed us with that I needed to cut up and put in the freezer. As I was cutting, since we have a giant front room/ kitchen, I turned on the movie Fireproof to watch as I cut. My boys will sit to watch parts of it, in particular, the beginning, the car crash where they pull it off the track, the house fire, and the ending (sometimes).

As they were watching the beginning, they actually sat still long enough to watch Caleb yell at his wife. Hearing the things they said to each other was priceless. Andrew: "We shouldn't ever yell at our wives that way. Look at her. He's scaring her." Nate: "I wish I could give her a hug. She looks so scared." Aaron: "Yeah, girls need lots of kisses and hugs."

Then, of course, later on, they wandered out into the kitchen to join me and see if they could get a bite of the fruit, so they one by one started to talk about the movie. Andrew went with me on a couple of errands and said he was taking me on a "date." Nate, while we were cutting up apples, said, "Why are you shorter than Daddy?" to which I said, "Because girls like standing on their tippy toes to give their husbands kisses." And he gave the ultimate little boy answer... "WHY??" "Because it makes something way down in the bottom of a girls belly go all flip-floppy when she stands on her tippy toes." "OH" Like that was the answer to the world's problems. Then my Aaron, just kinda soking it all in at the moment, says "Mommy, I like helping you. I'm gonna help my wife too." So I told him, "Yup. She'll give you lots of kisses if you do." And he gets this cute little expression of anticipation on his face.

I love having the opportunity of letting little things influence my boys. Each day is a wonderful journey toward the men they will be someday, and I am extreemely glad to have such a large part in it.

God is Good... All the Time

Some days it would be easier by far to question God about what he is up to than to simply trust him to work it out for His honor and glory. Today would be one of those days.


It started out with Doug's truck overheating... twice, then he got some stomach virus that has him shivering like a leaf. However, I know my unchanging God has a plan through it all. I was able to get quite a bit of work done around the house, then go to the radio and get much of the paperwork that needed to be done caught up. Doug did a wonderful job keeping the boys entertained (granted, Inspector Gadget helped there), and I was able to have a nice peaceful, successful evening of getting things done at the radio station.

Tomorrow, it will be a day to catch up on laundry and trying to get the rest of the house roped in. Today, though, God was faithful to do all that needed to be done. Thank you, Lord, that You're always right on time. Never early, never late, never missing the mark of exactly what is needed.

My Heritage

It is days like today that I am greatful for my heritage.

I grew up as an Independent, Fundamental Baptist, and while for some that may bring memories of stuck up, segregated, "look down my long nose at you" people, I can honestly say that it has given me an UNSHAKABLE, deeply rooted, abiding faith and trust in my Heavenly Father. I have been blessed.

Since growing up, I have met such a wide variety of people so that I have come to the understanding that it is not only those who are Independent, Fundamental Baptists that are going to be in heaven, but the faith that was rooted so deeply in my childhood has consistently held me fast when the storms of life seem overwhelming.

One of my favorite songs is "I Claim the Blood", and it's second verse says " I do not not know how others make it through, who never go to Calvary as I do. For there a healing, cleansing stream still flows, with peace that only His redeemed can know." Because of my past, because of my unfailing belief that God is and that He cares for me, I can't imagine life without HIM. HE is a daily, hourly friend to whom I can go and lay all my burdens and frustrations and cares at His feet, knowing that He will take care of it all.

I guess this has been more real in my life this week because of the Poison Sumac, the squashed finger, the sinus infections, the lack of interpreters, the days without school. God has met every need in a way that I could not explain. Meals that were prepared for us without people knowing how desperately they were needed. Energy that I can only imagine God gave. Patience that He gave to deal with things I really didn't want to.

I don't understand sometimes HOW God knows so much, I'm just thankful THAT he does. I wouldn't want His job. And I'm thankful to be just a homeschooling mom, teaching her little men to trust in the Heavenly Father who provides before you ask, who comforts more than you can explain, who loves more than you can imagine, who blesses above all that we could ask or think. I couldn't be more blessed if I had planned my life myself. GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!!! ALL THE TIME... GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

Introductions

OK, Here goes... the second post. Lets start over.

Who are we? Doug and Becky, married in 2001. Eight years of ups and downs, but sweet every day, all the way through. Three little men that God gave us, Andrew, now 6 years old, Nate, almost 5 years old, and Aaron, 3 years old.

Andrew is definitely the most outgoing of the three. God has blessed him with a larger than normal inteligence. I don't think that's just a mom speaking, because he read his first word at 2 1/2 years old. He just recently got to shoot a rifle for the first time, so he's excited about that, and he saved his target for future generations to see.

Nate is the shyest of all. However, he does come out of his shell very easily when there are animals around. He seems to calm instantly when seeing one. He is very good with working with his hands, and with details. He is doing Pre-K work this year, and doing much better than I expected him to do. He shows more interest now that he is the center of attention for a little while.

Aaron is the most stubborn of the three. I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing, since that can be used to push him on for God in ways that no one will be able to stop him. He is also the most clutzy. Both things make the poor dear the most like me... and since he looks like a mini-me, he scares me the most of all my boys.



What kind of Homeschool do we have? Well, I grew up on A Beka Book, and I watched kids from other curriculums fail when it came to college where I had no difficulty. Therefore, I really LOVE A Beka Book. However, since they think a lot more of their materials than I am sometimes willing to pay, some of the things we are using are not from them. All Phonics and Reading curriculums are from A Beka, Spelling is from BJU, Math from Alpha Omega (the book form, not the paces), and Writing is a set that I found that I really LOVE. The first half of the year, we will be doing manuscript, then the second half, Andrew will learn cursive.

The younger boys are doing a Math from BJU K-5 curriculum, Phonics pretty well sticks with A Beka (but support materials come from whatever workbook or coloring book has something to do with the subject), Reading is coming from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I really like it so far. Nate read his first word on the third day into the program, and recognized it right away!! SO, things are going fairly well there.

As far as the KIND of Homeschool we are, I don't know. I'm a little nervous with my background in teaching to stray too far from the norms I knew there. However, I also believe that half of the trouble that boys got into when I was a teacher was due to a need to be up and moving. SO, my kind of Homeschool is to get it over as soon as possible and let them be boys. I still want them to learn to sit still and listen, but I want them to be able to be the energetic, enthusiastic, inquisitive little men God made them to be.

September 13th, 2009

So, first time I've tried this. We'll see how long I can stick at it. Got lots of thoughts floating through my head. SO, Today I have Poison Ivy. It keeps spreading all over every where. I have it under my eyes, and around my ears, and on my left hip. Going to hopefully go tomorrow and get that taken care of. They say there's a shot to make it stop and go in reverse.

Other than that, This is my first year homeschooling. It's FUN. Taken the last two school days off because of the fact that I've been close to miserable with this whole poison ivy stuff, but having a blast for the most part.

We'll try to do this better next time, but we're gonna sign off for the day, and see how this goes.
Bec