Meet the Students

Truman Arthur, age 7, grade 3, AO year 2.  Words that come to mind when I think of Truman; sensitive, compassionate, night owl, enthusiastic reader, unenthusiastic writer, very social, fabulous big brother, game player, excessively tall, kind of whiney mamma's boy.  Truman has been my sweet, boney, cuddly boy his entire life, but has been transitioning to his dad's little clone for the past year.  Everything that Dad does is amazing, exciting, better than mommy!  I would say that one of Truman's very favorite activities is playing games-especially strategy games (Cataan, Risk) at game night with the other male doctors from daddy's hospital.  He plays a game every single night before bed with his Dad-when he is home. T also loves playing with his friends in the culdesac, building spaceships with Lego's, reading in bed with mom and Henry.  He is crazy about history, likes reading about other cultures, loves getting mail, loves maps and travel, loves Orange Beach, Alabama, loves swimming, babies, loves cooking. LOVES to go to Dad's hospital, especially if lunch is involved. Loves his little brother and does manage to get along with him most of the time.  Does not like chores (too bad), does NOT like going to bed, doesn't like reaching the end of a book, does not like bossy girls (but tolerates bossy boys) does not like mushrooms.  He still cries when his feelings are hurt, gets very angry when he thinks he is unjustly punished, cries his little eyes out after his grandparents leave. Still keeping quiet about girls, still takes an occasional bubble bath with mom or dad, still carries around a teddy bear when it occurs to him, dabbling in fibbing, but not very good at it. Recently has been checking out his muscles in the mirror, and suddenly developed an interest in his haircut.  A very smart, kind boy that any mother would be proud of.

Henry, Age 4, is starting preschool at a local church, and being homeschooled by default because he sits in on most of our readings.  Henry is such a different boy than his brother.  He is very rambunctious, very in tune with his surroundings, very conscientous.  He gets frantic if he thinks he has littered, and goes to great lengths to pick up trash.  Henry loves bedtime with mom, loves playing with his buddy Anthony, loves the teenage girls in the neighborhood, loves Legos, Tinkertoys, trains, dinosaurs.  He has quite an imagination, and is not afraid to use it.  He is a story teller, and already an extremely clever, kind of manipulative little bugger.  Henry loves breakfast and eats it several times a day, he loves morning snuggling, loves his big brother, loves Kipper the dog cartoon, loves to have schooltime, loves babies and coddles anyone smaller than himself, loves playgrounds.  He has real difficulty with vegetables, he has a memory like an elephant ( I swear he remembers everything that has happened since he was about 9 months old)  Henry is also a smart cookie, and will be reading very soon-not because I am pushing him to read, just because he is read to so very much, he is picking it up quickly like his brother.   Henry is very physical-he started walking at 9 months, running and kicking a soccer ball at 10 months, broken arm at 12 months.... I love his fat little arms wrapped around my neck, and he loves to put them there.  He is still such a cuddly sweet boy, but I can see that dwindling as he tries hard to grow faster than mommy wants him to. Henry will be easier to homeschool-because he thrives on routine and loves checking off his accomplishments. And he is such an early riser than we will be able to finish all of his schoolwork by 7am...good thing I get up early as well.

Me-almost 35, still a student in my own Master's of Nutrition program (but within a year of finishing!)  I am learning so much about history that I didn't know and in a much more logical format.  I was publicly schooled-hated it, and can honestly say that I didn't learn much, but I did graduate.  I feel like I didn't get a very good education in college, either, but I did graduate with good grades and the knowledge of what a good education isn't.  I have since been educating myself with my husband's never-ending help.