Summer!

Summer is finally knocking at our door & we are more than happy to invite it in!  While the weather still remains unseasonable - w/ cold rain & lower than usual temps - we have had some picture perfect gorgeous days lately!
Following in her siblings footsteps, Savannah loves to play outside & especially enjoys the pool!  By noon-time she's exhausted & typically will nap for 2-3 hours.  Her speech has exploded & she's learning how to string together words to complete sentences now.  In many ways she reminds me of Kyle at this age - she's quite clever & is a fast learner!  She greets Jim every morning w/ a "Hi, Dad!" & enjoys bringing him books to read to her first thing in the morning.  She has great manners & uses "please" & "thank you" on a regular basis.  She loves to color, play w/ puzzles & look at books.   She's a definite toddler & throws temper tantrums but for the most part she's a pretty easy going kid.
Isabella has started doing preschool work & so far things are going much smoother than I thought!  She doesn't seem to have a big want to learn new things, but she responds well to positive reinforcement & stickers!  Currently she's working in 4 workbooks - completing a total of 6-8 pages each time.  She can write a couple of letters unassisted but for the most part she's still at the very early learning stages.  She's very much into imaginative play these days & will spend hours lost in her own little world.  I love watching her line up all of her stuffed toys & plastic dinosaurs/farm animals etc.  Right now she has a "zoo" set up in the playroom.
Of the 3 kids Kyle is, by far, the busiest of them all.  He's involved in multiple activities, has a small (but great!) group of friends & is constantly doing 'something'!  He still loves to read, especially at night.  He's writing in cursive now & I'm slowly introducing him to the 4th grade curriculum.  He continues to excel in math, although it remains his least favorite subject.  Unlike Bella, he genuinely enjoys learning new things.  In fact, it really wouldn't be far fetched to say that he has a passion for learning.
Homeschooling continues to be the best decision we ever made.  I love that the 'seat/book work' rarely takes up more than 2 hours per day..leaving plenty of time for fun & play. Because much of their learning comes from hands-on activities & creative play they tend to absorb more information in a lot less time.  By no means would I call us a 'traditional' homeschooling family, but I wouldn't change a thing.  As long as the kids are learning & thriving then I feel as though we're doing something right!
I spend a lot of time focusing on making sure the kids understand the importance of having good manners, morals & goals.  I also want them to understand the meaning of a dollar, as well as what it means to earn money in general.  Kyle has long since grasped the concept & continues to amaze me with having a great perspective on things in general.  I honestly believe that he understands that the best things in life cannot be bought.
One of the biggest things that I see in all 3 of my children is that they're all happy - genuinely happy.  There are far more smiles than tears.  They don't stomp their feet when it's bedtime.  Their complaints are minimal when it comes to helping out around the house.  Their behavior - for the most part - is very good.  Do they have their moments?  Bad days?  Sure.  Who doesn't?!  But they have this sense of contentment that surrounds them which makes our days fairly laid back & pleasant.
I give my all to them - day in & day out - because I want to.  I want them to grow up knowing that I was by their side, teaching them & guiding them, every step of the way.  This is parenthood at its best & it's a wonderfully beautiful journey.