Swimming time

Daniel finished his 4-day swim lesson yesterday. He learned pretty fast, according to the instructor, but still got a long way to go. I bought swim pass for the boys and me, hoping it would motivate me taking them swim more often. It's not cheap, esp. considering that we'll be gone after July 24. 

James was much bolder in the water this summer. He does not mind water on his face and head any more. Whenever his face is wet, he just walks over and uses my t-shirt  as a towel to wipe it.

Toothpick art

Breakfast time turns into craft time. No, I did not plan this. Daniel and James are the artists. Toothpicks, cherries, and croissant are their materials. They made cannons, battleships, and porcupines.

Of course, breakfast took twice as long that day.

An ending and a beginning

I haven't blogged for a whole month. What happened during this past month?
- I ended my career of almost ten years, with May 26 being my last day at work. I felt a bit sad about leaving because the group I'd been working with is a fabulous group of people. I shed tears at the farewell party, and I was not the only one.
- Daniel finished school on June 1, and has been home with mom since then.
- James' last day at his preschool was June 2. He has been home with mom since then.
- Memorial Day weekend the whole family went to my sister's house at San Jose. On the way home, we stopped by at my friend Min's home too.
- We started telling family and friends about our homeschooling decision. Praise the Lord that my dad and step-mom took it very well. Dad was a bit cautious but understanding and supportive.Step-mom said that she will pray for us.
- Guibo and I attended the SCOPE conference on June 11 and June 12. We joined HSLDA and CHEA. I bought a penmanship curricula and some books.Oh, I chatted with Don from Bible Courier International (BCI), and got encouragement from him.
- Last Wednesday, I took Daniel and James to the Elk Grove/Green Haven chat group park day. There were quite a few boys and they both had a good time.

OK, this is the second week that the three of us are home full-time. Surprisingly, although busy, I feel very much "at home". I have not missed my working days. Or should I be surprised?

I'm working on family's summer goal and the corresponding summer activity list. I've been reading a wonderful little book [Manners Made Easy] with the boys in the morning. They have lots of free time playing and exploring and making masses. Nurturing relationships (us with God, husband-wife, parents-children) is a major goal. Obedience training is a top priority, but it's hard to find the right reward/punishment method to make it effective. Of course, we want to have some summer time fun!

This was an outing we took in May. By the American river near the hatchery.

Daniel with his teacher Mrs. Weller at the last day of school. She was the best teacher Daniel ever has had at BCS.





Below: at Aunt Minmin's house. Three little boys: Daniel (age 7.5), James (age 4.5), and Richard (age 2).

Above:
Daniel in his "grown-up" attire on the day of his class' Citizen Party.




Left: Go fishing! Daniel with his cub scout den at Elk Grove regional park pond.

James loves his rain boots. Good that we have a very cool spring that he could still wear them occasionally.

Paintings that Daniel and James made last week.