Do you ever have one of those moments? You look at your child and suddenly they are not the same person they were yesterday. They not only look different, but they sound a bit older, carry themselves more assuredly. My two year old has done that to me several times as of late, but Seleia has really overwhelmed me lately. How is my baby a young woman already? With her 10th birthday fast approaching, the ear piercing rite-of-passage on the horizon, and plans for no less than a roller skating party, I find myself sitting back and taking it all in. She just got here, and she could be halfway to having a family of her own! I don't want to take a single second for granted. For the next 18 days, I still have a 9 year old. Oh, how I love her.

Hip Hop Anonymous

I admit it.  I can't say the words hip-hop without a Big Daddy reference.  Ever.

"Dancing is my favorite thing to do in the whole world!" said Miss Elora Kay today.  Seleia and Elora are taking a month of hip-hop classes, and today at class numero uno they had so much fun.  We went from violin lessons to art classes, then straight to dance...ugh!...but it was well worth the effort. This was Seleia's first real activity of any sort since she broke her foot mid-August, and she felt it.  I was really proud of her, though, because she stuck with it and worked hard.  She's been wanting to do this forever, so she wasn't going to let a little thing like that hold her back, no siree, Bob!

I am so overwhelmed with gratefulness for the opportunities that my children have. A little thing like dance classes might not be a big deal, but on top of the science classes, art classes, ballet, theater, music lessons, fencing classes, choir, plays, field trips.....there are so many opportunities available to homeschoolers these days. And I, of course, want to let them do ALL of it. I also, however, cherish our lazy days at home...days full of schoolwork and snuggling. I feel like we get the best of both worlds.

They may not think much of all of this now, (after all, they've never known life to be any other way) but I hope that someday my children look back on their childhood with fondness. I hope that someday they realize, "Wow. We had it good."

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

~ Mother Teresa

Bye-Bye Little Crib

Tonight is little man's first night out of baby jail. At first he couldn't quit grinning and bouncing on the mattress. He got on, off, on, off....and thankfully wore himself out rather quickly! *Sigh* My baby.

Earmuff Madness!

I can't tell you how much fun it is to go shopping with these three girls!

And A Happy Valentines Day To You!

The girls had so much fun making and getting Valentines! (Didn't they make lovely ones?) What are you doing for those that you love?

Wizard Checkers

I may not be the biggest fan o' the Mall, but right outside Macy's is the coolest giant chess/checkerboard I've ever seen, complete with playing pieces. Elora played against Team Seleia/Amarra and the game came down to one king each, chasing each other around the checkerboard, before Elora finally let Amarra jump her so we could actually go to Macy's. Even the onlookers enjoyed the game, as Elora actually jumped over, ballerina style, each piece that she jumped and Amarra did a little victory dance each time she captured a piece and got to carry it off of the board. Seleia, of course, had a great time walking around the board telling Amarra what to do. Good times had by all.

Aaaand now we've all got it

Suffice it to say that the Juhala household is doing our part to keep Similisan, Ricola, Puffs Plus, Boiron, and Alacer Corp. in business. On the bright side, Dash seems to be out of the woods and on the mend!! See you when we're a bit healthier around here!

Kids Today

I just had to take a quick second to share yet another reason why we choose to educate our children at home. Wow. These kids deserve better.

Poor Baby!

My week has largely looked like this. Ambulances, hospitals, and tests, oh my. Little man has a good case of pneumonia and was having a lot of trouble getting oxygen. There were scary, "we think we may see" type test results and a lot of sleepless nights. Today, for the first time, Dash seems to have some, albeit cranky, personality back and isn't totally lethargic. He's even eaten twice today, yay! So we're on the mend. But I realize I've been MIA from the blogosphere. Sometimes life just knocks you off your feet for a bit. When Little Man is all better, I'll be back. Hope to see you soon!