HS: December

Remember when I said I had all of these great plans for December and then they kind of flopped.  Well, that was sadly also true when it came to our homeschooling.  I had some really fun ideas put together for some "Christmas school" and it just never happened.  <insert crying here>  I was really bummed about it and just reminding myself that we have years and years for these things to happen and am trying to give myself some grace for my pregnancy sickies and exhaustion.  

We DID do a decent amount of schooling though!

We worked hard and finished up our study of the DOCTRINE & COVENANTS.  This was definitely a lot more rushed because we were wanting to finish by January.  I am really glad that we did.  We had so many neat discussions.  We finished up in between Christmas and New Years and we watched a beautiful movie about the life of Joseph Smith.  I think it left a really big impact on all of us.  We CAN'T wait to start the new Come, Follow Me curriculum!!!

In MATH, we started our third unit.  This unit focuses on numbers up to 20.  Jacob LOVES math!  It is easily our smoothest lesson every day!  This year has been lots of review but there has also been a lot of new things sprinkled in and he has such a good number sense.  I know it is setting him up to be really successful.  We practiced adding on to five, five plus, comparing 2D vs 3D shapes, penny practice, cube and sphere, making seven and taking away from seven.  

Sarah and I jumped back into PRESCHOOL.  This is really where I had planned lots of fun Christmas-y things that just never happened.  We did finish our units about kittens, kindness and the color purple.  We then moved on to our lion unit which is all about sharing and the color green.  

In HISTORY we started to really dive into our unit about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  We discussed the spread of Christianity in Ireland, St. Patrick, did a great review of our Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the spread of Christianity in England, and King Alfred the Great.  

We also really got into our Space Science unit in SCIENCE.  We discussed the terrestrial planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, the moon and its phases and gravity and the tides.  

Jacob continues to progress nicely in LANGUAGE ARTS.  He is doing well with his phonics cards, sight word ladders and spelling charts.  We discussed adjectives, WH and WR words, English words cannot end in V rule, we read about Aesop's Fables, discussed how a sentence needs three things, did some poetry, and discussed the other sounds of OW and OU.  

HANDWRITING continues to go well - the same but good!

This month we have been reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.  It has been so fun!

Overall, it really was a great month for learning!  We are slowly getting mostly back into our groove with school.  Here's hoping January goes even better!

Christmas

I love how Christmas fell on the calendar this year.  It was so nice to have the weekend and then roll right into Christmas bliss.  It was great to have Mark home for such a long stretch and be our little family together.

We made Christmas sugar cookies for Santa, played some games, and talked about baby Jesus.  

Christmas Eve was great and relaxing and just felt homey.  I loved it.  

I love how we have done Christmas mornings.  Mark and I get up first and slowly turn up Christmas music until all of the kiddos wake up.  It is so fun to see them rubbing little eyes as they come down with pure excitement!

We spent the rest of the day opening and playing with toys until about mid afternoon when we headed down to North Ogden to spend some time with the Bernings.  It was awesome to relax and catch up with Gus and Darlene, Grant and Kristen and their family, Brian, and Daniel and Teresa and their family.  The kiddos opened more presents and had a great time playing!

It was a great Christmas day!

Christmas Recital

Jacob had his first recital for piano and he did awesome!  He was supposed to have one in November but it keeps getting pushed back (they are saying February now, we shall see).  But this was an optional, informal Christmas program that the kiddos put on for a local nursing home.  Jacob was really nervous once we got there.  I talked to him a lot beforehand but I just don't think he understood.  

He decided he wanted to play, We Three Kings, and he did great.  Basically his teacher was at the front of this very large room and the kids just came up and played whenever they wanted to.  Jacob stood in the very back of the room and did not want to go and play.  Finally, when the numbers started dwindling I knew I would have to walk him up there.  He was going to be the very last student but then at the last minute, his teacher noticed him and told him to come up.  Even though it was long standing there for almost two hours with my little crew, it was probably really good for Jacob to watch the other kids go and also to have a much smaller crowd to play to.  

I was so proud of him for being brave.  He was definitely out of his comfort zone but he DID IT! 

I took a video (no pictures) but it's kind of long so you will just have to take my word for it - he did great!

Christmas in Draper

So...my feelings about the blog are blah right now.  I don't know why but I am just feeling weighed down by it.  Everyday I notice I am getting more and more...and MORE behind and I am not loving it.  Mark and I made a goal to be a lot more present in our family relationships and it has been great.  A big part of that is spending less time on the computer/phone because it is (not ALL of it - but a good chunk) a time waster.  

The less time I spend on the computer every day the better the day goes...every time!  It's crazy and yet I still find myself falling into computer traps.  Which is incredibly annoying to me.  Anyway, so I am trying to figure out a time where I just make a commitment to blog for the week and then shut off.  BECAUSE, in actuality, I love our blog.  Every Christmas I make a year scrapbook for us as a family and make each of the kiddos their own individual scrapbooks.  By far, most of the stories and material for that comes from the blog.  And I LOVE these scrapbooks.  So...that is my inner frustration (which is now an outer frustration) about why I am (and have been) so behind in blogging.  Must work on it!

ANYWAY, moving on...

December seemed long and short and crazy all at the same time.  Looking back it was all a giant whirlwind that just came and went in a blink.  It felt more stressful this year and less meaningful which was a bit disappointing.  All of that was completely my own fault.  I had expectations for things I wanted to do, as a family, with the kids, personally and it just felt like almost none of it happened.  And then I felt guilt about it now happening.  Can I blame that on pregnancy hormones?  I am going to.  As I side note - this pregnancy is rocking my world.  It has been so rough emotionally.  I am a total wreck...all the time.  Am I growing the world's greatest diva?  I don't know, but the emotions are way real.  

Okay, I promise I will stop going off on tangents.  Seriously...I am going crazy.  

We made a fun trip down to Draper to visit family and to take in some of the Salt Lake Christmas goodness.  The kiddos and I ended up coming down early to avoid a storm that was coming.  We came down Tuesday morning and got to spend LOTS of time with family.  The kiddos made a snowman with Gramps and Aunt Melina.  There was lots of playtime and holiday baking.  

Wednesday night we had our first "official" Clegg Family Christmas Party.  My Mom is trying to start some new traditions and I think this one is going to be great!  She made such a yummy dinner and it was fun to connect with everyone.  

THEN after dinner, we sent Gramps downstairs with all of the kiddos while us girls (and Benjamin) did an "our favorite things" exchange.  It was so fun to see what each of us brought to share!  

Thursday afternoon/evening my parents and I (with the kiddos) headed up to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square.  We walked around City Creek a little bit, grabbed some dinner, and then saw the lights!  The kiddos were a little...whiny...but it was beautiful.  

Mark drove down late Thursday night and joined us - WOOT!

Friday morning Mark, Benjamin and I did some Christmas shopping.  Then we came back and got ready for our date!  Mark and I were invited by some of our friends to go to the Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert with Kristen Chenowith.  We ate dinner before at Buca di Beppo and then RAN over to the Conference Center for the concert.  The concert was beautiful and amazing and I loved it.  I laughed, I cried, what more can you ask for?!

Saturday morning we had breakfast, packed up, and headed back home (but not before making a Costco stop!).  It's great that we are close enough to family to be able to share memories and time with them - especially around the holidays.

***Also, I am still having a hard time with my pictures getting uploaded to the computer!  Must figure out this problem!!!***

Nativity

On Friday, we headed down to Cache Valley for a great family night.  We headed over to Nibley to attend a live nativity.  It was so beautiful and I was really grateful to be able to experience it as a family.  

They had such a neat barn and several other buildings filled with animals.  The highlight for the kids was DEFINITELY the hay ride.  It was driven by the two most beautiful horses and was so cozy riding over the snow meadow.  It was dreamy.

Benjamin's 2nd Birthday

This little man is two years old!

We love Ben so much.  He is sensitive, athletic, and thoughtful.  His little personality is coming out more and more every day.  We can't wait to see where life takes him.  I love listening to him count to ten, dance, play ball, and conduct his choo-choos wearing high heels.  He is one-of-a-kind and we love him exactly how he is. 

Here are some of his favorites:

Books:  Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tawny Scrawny Lion by Kathryn Jackson

Activities: Riding the lawn mower, playing catch, doing anything outside, reading, playing with his trains and running.  

Food:  Pancakes and apples

Song:  I Am a Child of God 

Benjamin was SO ready for his big day.  He slept in and then was ready to PARTY!  Gramps and Grammy came up yesterday and so they were here to share our birthday breakfast of breakfast casserole, oranges, and orange juice.  

We then got ready for his birthday party.  Grandpa and Grandma came and we had so much fun.  Our little man would love life as a farmer.  He calls the lawn mower the tractor and can ride on that thing for HOURS.  So today was life on the farm...inside.  

Benjamin was a little unsure about all of the attention he was getting while opening his presents but he soon got more into it.  He is so loved and couldn't wait to get reading and playing with his toys.  We had a great time playing with the kids and catching up with one another.  We then had a yummy lunch and cake and ice cream.  

Things quieted down and our little big man took a nap and hung out the rest of the afternoon with Dad and big brother and then we went out to dinner as a family.  It was a great day celebrating our favorite two year old.  

We love you, Benji.  

Ward Christmas Party

Last night at our ward Christmas party the Primary kids did the nativity and sang some beautiful songs.  They all did such a wonderful job - but I was really drawn to a particular lamb and shepherd.  I love these kiddos and am so grateful to live in such a great community.