school

i would say that not in a million years did i or scott ever dream that we would homeschool our children...and yet here we are, the end of kindergarten and ready to go again for grade one.  homeschooling, we have heard it all, the worry others have of our children being socialized, about them having a proper education, about a peer group.  and we have answered as best we can for the choices we have made.  at the end of the day, we feel so blessed by our decisions as i am sure others have by theirs.  ultimately my heart is that our children - all children have the privilege of an education, that they feel loved, safe and secure.  how this happens, what it looks like, what form it takes, doesn't concern me, only that it happens.

so here we stand.  one little girl ready for grade one as she finished up kindergarten last week.  she is so proud, as she should be.  she has worked hard, listened well and pushed through the tough bits.  she can hold a small conversation in french, add and subtract, tell time at the o'clock, half past and quarter after, count by 10's and 5's, she can tell you her continents and oceans, the countries inside of north america and the provinces across canada.  she has written two short stories and is reading bob books.  she should be proud, i am proud, her dad is proud.  and maybe too much so, maybe to a fault, but i can't help it.  my eyes are welling up with tears.  she has grown so much, learnt so much, been challenged and worked it through.  she is five and she seems almost enormous.  her heart is huge, it loves almost too deeply.  her character is growing.  and through it all she is still turdy...i reminded her the other day that we are all a little turdy, it's called sin, and we all have sin.  she smiled and agreed, then we noted that penny and i were the most turdy of the family. 
and sweet penny has been there, every step of the way, watching and following her sister.  she sits in on french class, can count to thirty, sing songs and share a greeting with you in french, she can count by 10's and is working on her 5's, she too knows her map work and makes a great teacher.  she is learning the sounds of her letters and can print her name.  the two of them together, all day long, they share many adventures...most of them for which they get into trouble for.
{art work at the kitchen table...crayons and paint}

{potion making with vinegar, food coloring and baking soda}

{making clouds rain}

{last day at learning center, science fair day}

{her buddies from school}

{her project on oil spills}

{mrs thain, her learning center teacher.  bless this ladies heart}

we have a good little family.  i am blessed.  i am honored to walk every day with these kids.  to love them so much my knees feel weak from emotion.  to teach them, educate them, shepard them and grow with them.  these are our days of learning.

adventures in the deep

"adventures", i use this word a lot, but i can't think of any better word to describe our experiences.  our moments together are full of crazy, crazy love and crazy crazy and i love that.  i love the look in someones eyes as they experience something new, something amazing, as they are loved, cared for, and understood.  in a moment a new definition of success is written on my heart.  how can what we have be called anything less than an adventure.

i was challenged not so long ago as my heart was heavy under the phrase that we so often speak to others, "you were meant for big things", or "i can't wait to see what you are going to do in life," and i heard these words in my heart, "corinna, this is your big.  right now, this family, these days, your moments, this is your big".  it's not fancy, and it's not always pretty and i cried when i realized that i sometimes wait for something bigger, something grander, something more...culturally acceptable as "big".  but the reality is, is that this is big, bigger than i could have imagined, more lovelier than what i expected, more full of crazy than sometimes i can even handle.

and so i hold onto our adventures and i give thanks for those around me who are willing to help me see beyond myself, to see the "big" that i have been blessed with.  i give thanks for those who are willing to weep with me as we try to grasp in some small way the love with which we live every day under.

so then, success and adventures go together in my heart.  i mean it's not every person who gets to fly through the skies and swim in the deep with some of their favorite people.  it's not every person who gets to spend every day, most every moment with the ones they love, and i can.

we fly

our pilot 

and swim in the deep

penny said this was her "cool picture"