(before my ravings…some pictures? ok!)
Be.Still.My.Heart.
Be.Still.My.Heart.
Tye (finally) graduated from “Camo” belt to “Green” belt.
Once he finally got his forms down, there was no stopping the boy.
Tye had to recite a rather long and wordy verse to graduate. He cannot, cognitively do all of this yet…
Enter Big Brother 🙂
Chase has, thanks to Dad’s idea, worked with Tye for about three months to get his forms and this verse DOWN.
Tye ‘knew’ the verse but needed prompting. The teachers allowed for Big Brother to prompt during Tye’s testing.
It was beyond sweet I have to say.
Trey FORGETS to breathe when he’s sparring.
Scares me to DEATH everytime.
Breathe boy…Breathe!
Now Tye has started sparring!
He has a special face mask to protect the VERY PRICEY nose he has 🙂
Chase is hilarious when he’s sparring.
He starts laughing…and running away 🙂
Oh my.
Then he gets back into the swing of things. (pun intended)
Proud Grandparents.
TKD gives our boys a sense of community.
Seems very healthy for them to have.
**********************
I think I’ve been a smidge delusional the last ten or twelve years.
Or…at least since I’ve been immersed in the ‘homeschooling world’.
I truly did not think that FIVE kids was ‘alot’. In fact, if anything, it seemed a SMALL number to me. I am…now…changing my opinion.
I am waking up to the fact that FIVE is sorta alot of little humans to tend too. That the homeschooling world is a bit skewed in regards to family size and comparing myself to “them” may not be the healthiest thing for me.
You see…MOST of my cyber-homeschooling friends (yes, I have alot…some of them are you all reading this blog in fact 🙂 have at LEAST four kids…Most have at least SIX.
Most are biological…which to me means “harder than adopting” because I am REALLY not good at being pregnant. I am mean. Viscious really. And I puke hundreds upon hundreds of times. blah.
So, BIRTHING 4+ kids … to me…. has been a ‘benchmark’ of sorts. Especially birthing 6+ humans. I’m friends with ALOT of woman who have…and who are open to more kids.
However…I’m beginning to realize that a bigger family isn’t always better. For me.
I mean…I’ve ‘known’ this about our family size forever but not sure I really BELIEVED it.
I am starting to become a believer :O)
WHY?
What’s changed my mind?
Real Life.
For our (big?) Collection of People…we feel that it is important for them to have certain life experiences such as team sports, alot of community exposure, travel experiences, etc.
Ya know…’real life’.
That is getting crazier and crazier the older they get!!! Wowha.
We have multiple youth group nights, TKD nights, and music lessons nights. We have little kids that want to play in the backyard with friends while big kids want to go to the “Weapons” Class at the TKD Studio.
We have big kids who want to be busy with ‘big kid’ activities while we have little kids who need little kid ‘activities’…
I’m not complaining, and we have a much emptier schedule than alot of families I know.
BUT.
REAL LIFE with FIVE KIDS?
Okay. I give. It’s alot.
White Flag.
The World Was Right.
Five is Big.
I will NO longer judge myself against other large families and consider myself inadequate.
I will look at OUR life and consider it perfect for US.
What do you judge yourself against?
Well STOP 🙂
It’s fun. And refreshing.
Andrea
Zane and Tye have a very fun way of bathing the little dogs 🙂
For the record…they have their swimsuits on. Adorable. 🙂
Hahaha. I went to your blog hoping Chase’s picture would be there to show Andy (who was sitting beside me). and while looking at all the fabulous karate photos he said – HOW DO THEY HAVE TIME?! then I read it to him. we love you guys. You are doing great. we only have two and are exhausted…xoxox
SO….Super Mom got a tear in her cape?
Your ever’lovin’ FIL
I said NOTHING a bout a tear FIL.
But maybe I’ve adjusted the sizing on my cape to fit better…….
teehee
Andrea
Fantastic pics!
After now having 3 kids I feel my limit is reached! Some days are plain hard work though wouldn’t change it for the world:)