Then and Now...

Then:

2004 - Third grade and Kindergarten:

Now:

Eighth Grade and Fifth Grade

No more Butterfly and Hello Kitty backpacks. My chickadees are growing up. As you can see Leah likes to take all her key chains to school with her.

We are so excited for both of them. Leah starts Intermediate School this year and is at a new campus. She has a locker and changes classes each period.

This year Paige is excited to begin a new school too.

She will be attending a University Model School that is a Christian Preparatory School. This style of schooling was completely new to us. When we discovered this school we knew it was the answer to our prayers.

The University Model School combines the best of both worlds...Traditional school and home school. Paige will attend school three days a week and work from home two days a week. All new materials and concepts will be presented by her school teachers; then homework and projects will be done at home on the following day. A parent's role is to support and encourage and co-teach when necessary. This model of education gives students the tools to prepare for the future using a college type schedule in a Christian setting. They become independent learners and managers of their projects and work.

There are University Model schools in thirteen states right now with more schools transitioning to this model. Take a look at the website http://www.naums.net/ to learn more about University Model Schooling.

I'll be posting more about this as Paige, Keith and I experience our first year of University Model Schooling.

Sorry, I usually like to keep my post short, but....

One more thing. When it comes to schooling, there is an organization that is near and dear to my heart ~ Moms in Touch. I have been prayed with Moms in Touch groups since Paige was in 2nd grade. This year, 65 moms came for a special Back to School prayer time. If you would like to know more about Moms in Touch International, let me know in the comments section or click on the link. MITI is world-wide.

♥

Oh Say Can You See....

Poor Libby. Will someone please call the groomer so she can see again.

Turning Ten

My Leah is 10!

She had a fun birthday party with some friends over to

Swim/Eat/Sleep

and

Celebrate!

Blogger for some reason is not letting me move my pictures around.

So they are a little out of order.

Are any of you having problems with that?

We are so proud of Leah. Her sweet personality and compassion for others is a joy to see.

She has taught me so much over the last 10 years and I thank God for her each day.

Good-bye Godet

You know when God gives you daughters He also gives you live-in fashion consultants. Mine can be brutally honest about my choice in clothing sometimes. A few post back I showed you a picture of a skirt I attempted to sew this summer. All I wanted was a simple cotton skirt to wear during this hot, humid summer we're having. I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. It was way too long, it was way too full and I felt "frumpy" wearing it. Plus my youngest fashion consultant said I looked "Duggerish". If you watch TLC you know what that means. That's all I needed to hear; I decided to re-work my skirt. I took out 3 of the godets. I shortened it by 4 inches. Now I'm more comfortable wearing it and my fashion consultant doesn't think I look like Ma Dugger anymore. Whew....





Also want to give some Happy Birthday love to Buster whose birthday is today and to my sweet dad who is celebrating on Saturday. Then on Sunday every person in our house will be double digits. Yes, my Leah will be 10. She is so excited.

♥

Scripture Memorization Leah Style

I've been trying to memorize more scripture this year. Leah and I decided to memorize I Corinthians 16:13,14 together. We used the Holman Christian Standard Bible for Kids translation. I highly recommend this Bible for 7-12 year olds. It is colorfully illustrated and very kid friendly.

We came up with some hand motions to help us remember. Here we go:

That's all folks.....

Semi-Homemade Pizza

My Semi-Homemade Veggie Pizza:

This is my Grilled Veggie Pizza. It has zucchini, red bell peppers and mushrooms on it.
I usually just purchase a frozen cheese pizza and dress it up with these toppings and added some more cheese and Italian Seasoning on top before I baked it. This really turns out yummy. You can add any veggie or topping you like to a frozen pizza and they taste so much better.