I hate it when I let our blog get away from me for more than a month.  Well, I have done that...times 2!  Here are the updates on the Wood family.

Brennan turned 4.  We had a Transformers birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, and Optimus Prime even called him on the phone (which was really Mike Snelson's dad, Big Mike)!  We had a great time at the party as my dad was there and about 20 adults and about 6 kids.  As a young adolescent friend of ours used to say, "The only reason you adults have a party for your young kids is so that you guys can get together."  I guess that is partly true, but Brennan had fun too.  He is well-liked by many of the grown-ups in our circle of influence.  He converses with them on a level that boggles my mind.  He is even reading!...and he just turned 4!  I love you, my big "Brennan with a B".

Abigail lost her first tooth.  She actually LOST it...somewhere in her body.  She swallowed it while eating corn on the cob.  The whole tooth-losing experience was actually more surreal for us than for her.  While she relished the excitement of a whole dollar under her pillow, I was being overcome with emotion at how our only daughter is such a big girl.

My dad just left fom a nice visit here to sunny SoCal.  We had a great time relaxing most evenings on the back porch with a toasty fire, a stout cigar, and a Pumpkin Spice beer.  Some nights we even got out the cards and had a little Texas Hold 'Em gathering. The kids, of course, were spoiled daily withy toys and treats they certainly did not need.  :-)   Thanks, Dad, for a great Thanksgiving week with us.  PawPaw's rule!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we really have so much to be thankful for.  I remember 3 years ago, not having steady employment, living on state assistance, nursing a failing van, coughing up bundles of money in rent, with family and friends wondering what the heck we had done by taking off to Port Hueneme.  Today, as Rick has gone from janitor to pastor, we now live rent free with 2 incomes, with 3 healthy children, a well-running, paid-for vehicle, and an opportunity to do Kingdom-work for a living.  To what do we owe such benevolence?  To His BOUNDLESS MERCY, that's what!

Love,

Melissa 

We got a dog.  We sure did.  Rick has been pining after owning a canine for a few weeks now while scowering the Web for the perfect best friend.  I have been a little wary of the idea, because I already have 4...I mean, 3 kids to care for and enough on my plate with responsibilities.  Caring for a dog sounded overwhwelming.  But I felt like if we came across just the right dog for our family, that I would give in to the entire family's desires (the kids have been wanting a dog too).  Well, we found her...actually, I found her, if you can believe it.  I came across Ingrid von Brentwood through Petfinder.com.  She is 9 months old and was donated to the Westside German Shepherd Rescue by her owners 2 months ago, because they felt they could not give her enough attention.  She has been spayed, is housetrained, and is so gentle with the kids.  And she is gorgeous.  She is a purebred German Shepherd that we had the opportunity to bring home yesterday for the cost of the adoption fee and the necessities for our home to care for a large dog (food, bed, toy, brush, treats, flea medicine, etc.).  Her previous owners obviously decided to go all the way with whole "German" thing as her name, Ingrid von Brentwood, has been hers since birth.  We were kinda partial to the uniqueness of it, so we just shortened it some to fit our family...Welcome, INGRID VON WOOD!

As our children grow in our homes, I would say most of their time with us is comparable to being schooled (as long as they are not sitting in front of a TV all of the time...that is a schooling of a different kind).  But in addition to the day-to-day lessons picked up by my kids through my actions and words, I have also chosen to attempt "homeschooling" for my children's formal education.  We are over a month into the process, and it is just that, A PROCESS.  Every time I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, I realize that I left something out or the curriculum changes or we move on to a new topic.  Overall though, it is awesome!  In the first month, I have seen Brennan go from not writing words at all to writing three-letter words with ease while sounding out and spelling them correctly.  I have seen Abigail, who could not put together a sentence, now curl up with a book on regular basis while attempting to read "like Mommy reads her Bible".

It is not easy being patient with two kids who have completely different personalties, skill levels, and limits of absorption, but it is rewarding.  Right now, we are learning: Bible, Language Arts, Spelling, Vocabulary, History/Geography, Reading, Math, Science, Art, Piano, and Physical Education.  That sounds like a lot, I KNOW!  Actually, we complete our day, including recess, in 2.5 to 3 hours max per day for 4 days per week.  This is the glory of getting to focus on your own children and allowing them individualized time.  My prep time each day is about 30 min. 

Now, as for socialization (which is the concern on most people's minds), Abigail is in ballet and Brennan will start sports in the spring and they have their church friends.  There are also numerous organizations for homeschooling around that have field trips, talent shows, sports teams, etc., but I have yet to venture into one.

Speaking of field trips, we took our first one this past Monday.  We went to the Home Depot Gardening Center, because we have been studying flowers.  I think this was the first time that it really hit me that I am my children's teacher!  It was so weird as I was pointing out stamens and pistils, sepals and pollen.  It was kind of surreal.  As the next months approach, I'm sure we will have our share of new challenges, but I'm glad I'm the one that gets to influence my children in how they overcome.  I'm treasuring this opportunity.

Melissa

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I have wanted to paint the kitchen for a while, because all of my accents are red, black, and white, and the color has been this blueish greenish light teal.  The color was great (thanks to the Fisher family), but it just did not go with our stuff like I wanted it too.  I was going to paint it yellow, but then Amie told me that was the color it was before.  So, I decided to go for my true desire (which is usually bold) and paint the kitchen red.  I know educationally-speaking, that this probably not the best color for a school environment (since we homeschool in the kitchen/dining area), because it is stimulating.  But thus far, the stimulation has been a good thing...and I promise to blog on how school is going very soon (notice the cute little desks we painted blue in the last pic).

The one negative thing about painting the kitchen red, is that it has taken three coats and actually still needs a fourth!  I do love the color, though!  I'm really happy with it.  Not everyone else feels the same way I do. Here are some of the varied responses I have received so far:

-"That is REALLY red."

-"It looks like a party in here!"

-"Is that the color you were going for?"

-"Wow! That is awesome!"

-"Was it this color before?"

-"Oh, you painted your kitchen." 

Regardless, the kids and I are enjoying our bright place of learning and eating and playing and mental and physical stimulation.

Love,

Melissa 

So, the coolest thing I did in Jamaica was swim with a horse.  I went to the Half Moon Equestrian Centre about 3 miles down from the Ritz Carlton to an event advertised as "horseback riding on the beach".  The event had a note at the bottom to wear your swimsuit underneath your clothes, which made sense to me (water could splash up).  When I got to the Centre, it was explained to me that we will get in the water.  Still, I'm thinking "no big deal".  So, my guide, Nevoi, a young Jamaican Boy of about 19, leads my horse, Braveheart (see pics), into the local areas of Montego Bay and down to the beach.  When we get to the beach, he tells me to take my clothes off (mind you, dirty minds, I have a swimsuit underneath).  While I am changing, he is taking the saddle off of Braveheart.  Then I am instructed to get on Braveheart bareback and hold on to his mane with both hands as we trot into the water.  As we get deeper into the Carribean, I am instructed to lay down.  A few moments later, I realized that we were so far into the ocean, that Braveheart was actually swimming!  Nevoi told me to lay on Braveheart's back with my legs straight out (I guess so I would not get caught up in swimming horse legs).  Then after a few more minutes of swimming around with my new-found horse friend, Nevoi instructed me to slide to the back of the horse and hold on to the tail while Braveheart pulled me.  How awesome is that!  Swimming in the warm Carribean water under the gorgeous Jamaican sun with a beautiful horse, and he is doing all the work...sooooooo cool.

If you EVER have the chance to do this kind of ride, I highly recommend it!

Thanks, Braveheart and Nevoi!

Melissa