My own room!!!

Ok, so it really isn't MY own room, but Randy and I are taking our room back!! For years we have had Eli in our room. We have tried a pallet on the floor but he always seems to get in bed with us. Now he just seems to start that way since we know he is going to be coming up anyway. I wake up sore most mornings and never really get a great nights sleep. Eli is on my side of the bed! Ugh!
Our girls (all three of them) have been sharing a room. For a long time it was just Gracie and Hanni, but then Maryjo moved in and she moved into the room also. Talk about cramped. We always knew we needed to do something about our 12 yr old and our 6 yr old sharing a room but once a 15 yr old moved in it became more important to do so. But what?? Our plans were to build onto the house or something along those lines but the $$ and time never seemed to work out. I have been thinking about it for a few weeks now and mentioned it to my mom and Randy this week about moving the big girls into the sunroom! They liked the idea and so we mentioned it to the girls who loved it! It is bigger and has the best view. They will also be doing their schooling out there but it is big enough to work it all separately! So now the teen girls are together in their own room and they seem to love it out there!! It is right off Grandma and Grandpa's room so I am comfortable with them there too.

We decided that since Eli and Hanni are so close ( I mean attached at the hip types) we will put them together and hopefully Eli will feel comfortable enough with Hanni to leave Mommy and Daddy's side at night! This is just for about a year until he is comfortable but a good transition for him and Hanni who is nervous about having her "own" room. Hanni didn't want the girls to leave and was scared to sleep by herself. This will be a good thing for Eli and Hanni to transition to one day being "on their own". It worked!!! For one night at least!! I got my bed back last night! Eli and Hanni slept together, Gracie and Maryjo slept together out in the sunroom, and Randy and I slept together!! Poor Bonnie (our puppy) was found in the living room this morning and she is used to sleeping in the girls room though! I guess she didn't know what to do without Maryjo and Gracie in there last night! lol I think it will take a few days but everything will run smoothly with this whole process soon! Today, we have alot more work to do though! The girls have to get all their stuff in their room and organize it and I have to organize and rearrange the kiddos room!! The decided they want Redskins and Gamecocks in their room when we have the chance to decorate!!

An end to summer break and beginning of the school year...

This has been our last full week of summer break as a family! I can't believe it has gone by so fast. Randy will start school next Wed. and Eli and Hanni start the following Monday! So the kiddos have another full week to go before summer is over for them! Some kiddos easily lose alot of what they learn during the year over the summer and Eli tends to be one of those kids so I am starting earlier with him to refresh him a little before we start on 3rd grade work. Hanni, I really need to see where she is at and what she really knows and can do. More than just as a mom but as a teacher so they are starting a little earlier than I'd like so we can get that stuff out of the way and then go right into new learning in Sept. A new thing on our plates is that our two older girls will be homeschooling this year!!! I am more than thrilled! I wanted to started, traditionally, after Labor Day. Maryjo's bday is on the 15th so we have worked the calendar so they can start on the 16th. It is a little later than I'd prefer but since they are homeschooling they can easily make up those few days and they will have most of Maryjo's birthday week off!! I am also looking into doing a year round school schedule for all the kids. Due to Eli losing so much during breaks and Maryjo so eager to start back to school during each break. I am still thinking about it but it is certainly a possibility at this point if homeschooling all 4 kids works out this year to year round school them (with plenty of breaks of course)!
On another note, I just have to brag a moment! Gracie is a wonderful child! She has matured so much this summer and is becoming a very lovely young lady! I am so proud of her!! She has become helpful, kind, sweet, and so caring! Ok, most of those things she was already but she has truly blossomed over the summer and those characteristics are really shining through lately!!! She is truly a pleasure to be around!!!