Sunday, July 15, 2012

I Call Her Janice MacDonald



She thrives outside in nature, in her bare feet, with a scarf tied around her and blowing in the breeze. Sometimes she even catches birds (with the help of her brothers), like these two magpies that were our pets for the day.



 Jane got invited to her friend Mya's birthday and she was just delighted. She worked for hours on a case for crochet needles that she made out of felt and embroidered. She worked on it in the car, before bed and first thing in the morning until it was done.



This summer Jane has surprised me with fresh wildflowers (weeds?) almost everyday. She leaves bouquets by the kitchen window, in the car, in my room, on the porch, on the kitchen table, in vases, jars, cups... She runs in the house with them, then runs right back outside to play :)


Jane got the bookworm award for obvious reasons. She's been reading constantly since Christmas. Every chance she gets, she's in her room all snuggled in with a book. She often calls me in her room to read me a few lines she's underlined (just like her mom and dad). It makes me so happy to see her developing a love for reading. Her comprehension and retention blows my mind- she's far beyond her reading years. She recently read The Witch of Blackbird Pond which I think is around a grade 7 reading level and she's going into grade 3!

Whenever she finishes a book, we have this little ritual of going up to the school room together and choosing the next couple books to read. Then she picks the one she wants to read first. We both agree that choosing the next book to read is the best part. These are some of the books she's read lately:
Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone,  Jo's Story- Little Women, Heidi, the Little House books, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Witch of Blackbird Pond...

One more thing about Jane is that she carries Ezra all over the house on her hip, and she has a hard time putting him down in his bed or chair because it makes her feel bad. Then she complains because he's heavy so I'll tell her to put him down and she'll say, "But I can't! He keeps looking at me so cute!"


 "A mustache is like a scarf for your nose."
                        ~ Jane Eaton

Gratitude



The Sun spreads out across the table, a cloth, and sunflowers ring light. I see it. All the world is window. No material is opaque. If we are willing to see- people, circumstances, situations, relationships- all is transparent. 
  All of this globe is but glass to God.
And gratitude washes the glass…
…Why am I a habitual reductionist? Why do I reduce God in this moment to mere annoying frustration? Why do I reduce The Greatest to the lesser instead of seeing the lesser, this mess, as reflecting The Greatest? I have to learn how to see, look through to the Largeness behind all the smallness. Isn't He here?
Give thanks to keep the gaze on heaven.
Glass to God. 

~One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

"I am overwhelmed with the challenges of life. What can I do?" I have offered to them, and I now offer to you, this specific suggestion: seek heavenly guidance one day at a time. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it's a cinch. Each of us can be true for just one day- and then one more and then one more after that- until we've lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness. The Savior promised, "Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."


~Obey, Believe, Endure by President Monson


Happy Graduation!

Graduation in Waterton







I printed off some certificates to make it official. 
Jane got the bookworm award for obvious reasons. Jacob got the mathematician award and Charlie got the Scientist award. Scarlet was asleep so she missed the picture but when I have her the good helper award, all the kids laughed their heads off. It was pretty funny. We also mailed grammy a best grammy award for all her help with teaching too.