This is continued from Part I (see below).

February 2015
In February, there was a lot of snow. We had snow days for weeks and played and played outside, which was fun for everyone. Fortunately for us, we were still able to get school in and play, so we kept on track.

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home, and had a party at CC. The above picture is one of our valentines games, where you had to stack conversation hearts and see who could get the tallest tower before it fell over. For the first time, the kids made valentines and wrote classmates names on them and took them to CC.
Avery, The Baby, turned four.

We had a small party for her, which included Ansley's good friends, because that's who Avery's friends are right now.

Christian became a more confident reader. He started to really enjoy history books, so I ordered him a stack from Amazon. I loved seeing him on the couch, reading the afternoon away. I absolutely love his reading curriculum - All About Reading - and I attribute much of his new attitude towards reading to that. It really makes learning all the different rules of reading fun, and he loves the stories.

Christian finished up his basketball season, which he really enjoyed. This is the end of the season party, where he's getting an award.

March 2015 - playing a math relay at CC.
Ansley and Christian both have what CC calls Foundations (which is age 4 - 6th grade) from 9-noon every Monday, and then we break for lunch. CC requires a parent to stay with their child (or children) during the day. At first I thought this would be a pain, but I actually loved Mondays too, and looked forward to spending time with my friends while the kids got to spend time with theirs. After lunch, Ansley has Essentials, which is for kids in 4th-6th grade, and Christian had afternoon enrichment classes.
I should mention that Avery stayed with Mimi every Monday, which was so good for both of them. CC is a long day - 9 am to 3 pm - and it doesn't start until age four. They have a nursery, but my Mom offered and I knew Avery would love to hang out with Mimi every Monday. She really looked forward to her Mondays with Mimi, and they got to spend so much time together. I know she will miss them this year, but she is excited to start CC with the big kids.

Christian's class playing a review game. He always looked forward to Mondays and really loved CC this year. He got to know several other boys in his class that he enjoyed. It was such a good year for him, and I saw his confidence and knowledge really grow.

One afternoon, Christian wanted to make chemical bonds with Legos. So, we did. The periodic table was introduced at CC (I doubt I would have introduced it to him in 2nd grade) and he just soaked it all in. He loved talking about elements and forming Lego bonds, discussing which combinations of things made what. This is what I love about CC - it taught me that my expectations were too low for my own children, and when you engage and study and discuss ideas that kids love, they truly love knowledge and become eager learners.

I googled and Pinterested lots of ideas for Avery, and found so many things to keep her occupied this year. She is also an eager learner, and really became interested in learning this year. She loved sensory bins, and making tangram figures, like she's doing above. She also enjoys coloring, having books read to her, and playing with her ponies. She really wants to learn how to read.
We had a fun mid-week break and met friends at Jump Jam to burn off some winter energy.

There was plenty of time to be silly with friends: Avery, Ansley and her friend Paige making cookies.

And Christian and his friend Reed, that he became good friends with through CC. They invited us over for a delicious Irish meal for St Patrick's Day, and everyone had a great time!

We also planted our garden this month, which has tons of learning opportunities!

April 2015 - the Essentials class at CC on Faces of History Day. This was such a blast. Each student chose a person in American history, and then researched and wrote a paper on that person. Then they read their paper to their classmates while dressed as that person. I could really see Ansley's confidence grow this year, through her weekly presentations to her class, and ending with reading her paper in front of a large group. Her public speaking skills have greatly expanded since the beginning of the year, and I am very proud of all her hard work this year!

Always, always baking. I know my children's childhood memories will smell like chocolate chip cookies. And I'm ok with that. And if, one day, my grown son or daughter calls me and says "I just want some chocolate chip cookies" I'll bake 'em up and take 'em over, and be ok with that too.

I do love to see my kids exploring their own interests. Christian and Avery went through a phase where they wanted to collect rocks and then look at them under Christian's microscope. It was the cutest thing, and I loved hearing Christian teach Avery all he knows about classifying rocks.

May 2015 - Last Day of School picture.
We have a last day of school tradition now where we go to Target and pick out a fun new end of the year gift. It's a fun tradition! We ended our school year in early May, and got in a fun trip to Dollywood before schools here got out (that way there are no crowds).

Christian and Reed on the bumper cars.
We officially wrapped up our year with a trip to Washington D.C. Avery stayed with Mimi, since we knew she wouldn't get much out of it, and would tire quickly. We thought it was the perfect ending to our year of US History, even though it was hot. And we walked a lot.


We finally grew tired of walking, and decided to try and rent these bikes that were everywhere. We didn't realize how big the bikes were. I mean, seriously, this photo reminds me of what a trooper Christian was. He wasn't comfortable on such a big bike, and couldn't even stop and start without hopping down off of it, but he did it. He hung in there, staying with us, and I was so proud of him.

There he goes, following behind John, doing such a great job.
We had a fun time together, and returned ready to welcome summer!

Even on the long and exhausting days, I'm so thankful that my kids get to learn like this: in a warm and loving home, side by side, exploring their interests, having fun, laughing together, baking constantly, developing wonderful friendships, and cultivating and learning skills that go way beyond textbooks and tests. These are the skills that make a life - kindness, compassion, love, perseverance, confidence, trusting in a God who loves them, daily devotions, memorizing Scripture, showing love to others, forgiveness, and so much more - which no test can measure. The home education lifestyle is so refining - for everyone under this roof. We learn daily what it means to offer grace to one another, extend a helping hand, and love the unlovable. These are the days of my children's memories; their childhood, in all its challenges and joys, and I pray these memories of life lived side by side, these glorious and messy days, will have a lasting impact on who they become, how they love, and Who they serve.