Now, a little bit about each of our children. To start there is Nathan, our 8 year old.  He is a born leader. He is quiet and reserved, yet strong in his beliefs; he owns his thoughts and is not easily swayed to things he does not agree with. Some have described him as an “old soul.” Many get the impression that he is older inside than his biological age. Nathan is also very witty as well, his sense of humor is dry but funny. We believe that these are God given traits and mostly his nature, there is inevitably going to be some nurture there, however as we have learned in our parenting journey, it is best to not fight nature, but instead help to develop strengths and weaknesses alike. With all of this, Nathan is a bit of a perfectionist and hates to not excel in all things. We find we have to be mindful of that, and push when necessary and correct at other times. He is also very articulate; he always has been since he could talk. Schooling him has been an adventure to say the least. When he is not interested in something he is very passive aggressive. That has been a hurdle, we are working to overcome. One thing we have found works best is to use a more eclectic approach, and limit the “workbooks.” He is very hands on and visual and workbooks don’t always cut it.

Moving on to Nadine, our second born. She is almost 7. (Got that, not 6, but almost 7) LOL! She is a very precocious child, full of life, and fun. She is also insecure at times, and needs constant reassurance in her accomplishments. There in lies a balancing act we must maintain as to not deprive her of the nurture her love language speaks, but also not to inflate her ego to an unhealthy level. She is competitive, but loathes losing. She is also Ms. Justice as we like to call her. If things are not fair and by the book, then Nadine cries foul!! Nadine so far is our only fully homeschooled child. See Nathan went to public pre-school and Kindergarten, before we answered the Lord’s call on our hearts to homeschool them. Her ability to learn in a more “untraditional” sense is amazing. She reads at a fourth grade level, has a knack for spelling, and math. We truly see a difference between Nathan and Nadine; public school, even just 2 years worth, changed Nathan a bit. It has taken 3 years just to get back his love of learning, and his ability to work for himself instead of needing to be told “step 1, step 2 etc. Nadine on the other hand, just goes full force into her studies, and was never pushed before she was ready. We see the difference, and are convinced. LOL! Nadine is also a natural mother. She can calm a toddler, and burp a baby with the best of them. She moves in that direction without our prompting, she is drawn to it. Homeschooling Nadine has for the most part has been easy. She loves to read, write, spell, and do “busy” work. Learning is fun for her and often seen as a game. Couldn’t we all use one of those students?! Praise the Lord and His mercies!!

Then there is Grace… oh Grace. She is our pistol of a 2 year old. I say that not because she is 2, but because she is that way; has been since before birth. Grace is a fighter by nature. She does not have to be, there are plenty of toys, food affection, attention, and love to go around, but alas she fights {{ everything.}} She is also resistant to change, and thus has made it hard during transition times, like giving up the “binky.” She will not do it! She also is slow to potty train which gives me 3 to change everyday. Sigh. LOL!! Talking has also been an issue…she can talk, she just wishes not to. So, we take away her “binky” during the day to limit her excuses not to communicate. When Grace gets an idea in her head, she digs in deep and is difficult to persuade. We have found these traits to be both beneficial in our own lives as well as detrimental when we get too stubborn, so thankfully as we are all” fearfully and wonderfully made” the Great Lord has equipped us to handle Grace and her “Grace-isms” as we affectionately call them. With all her stubbornness Grace loves to learn, color, draw, and look at books. I believe she will be a good student when* she* is ready. Lastly Grace is very much sibling dependent. She needs her “pack” so to speak, to feel a part of it all.

Now there is Jacob. We call him “cub” because for 15 months old he is large, and so strong like a bear cub. He is also cute and cuddly like a teddy bear. Jacob is “all boy” in almost every sense of the stereotype. Strong, rough and tumble, fearless, whiny, assertive, and adventurous. Thankfully our all knowing Lord, designed him with balance, and gave him a very sweet disposition; he is a nice little guy, not aggressive at all, just joyful. Whereas one might assume after spending day in and day out with Grace that she is not generally happy. She is joyful inside though. Jacob is very smart, however his actions would not always prove such. He definitely uses his head for many situations. No, I mean literally. He uses it to stop when running too fast, to play his toy piano, to stand up after falling etc. LOL!! This kid takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. I am not sure yet how he will be as a student in the future though I suspect he will be the one itching to go outside and explore. Only time will tell.

Last but not least there is our little Sophia. She is such a doll. Only 3 months old but already so joyful; her smile alone is worth getting up a 4 am to feed her and cuddle her. The Lord has once again proven so gracious and merciful to my dh and I, as we were so burnt having just had Jacob and Grace prior to her, and we had just moved twice in less than 2 years. We were stressed, and tired, worn out and scared of round 3 with another newborn. However she came out with a gentleness, which emanated from her, she slept through commotion, and was not colicky. For now she is very engaging with her brothers and sisters and they to her. She is very vocal, and hands on. Her playful personality is a joy to experience. It is too early to tell what kind of child she will become, but one thing is for sure, she as the others, will be loved, guided, nurtured, and developed according to our best knowledge of their design.