Of course, on  Monday night...the night before school, the night before David's b-day celebration....Matt, Anna and Johnny all came down with high fevers.  Leah had been also running a fever again when she went to bed.  Matt was feeling pretty miserable, the others not much better....although poor Johnny was so disappointed.  He was running 102 fever and saying, "But I want to do school!"   David was a champ.  He made the best of the day, regardless.  I finished his cake, we planned to go ahead and have MIL come and have his dinner/presents.  He kept saying all day what a great birthday it was, and thanking me for the cake (I think he was trying to convince himself).  He was looking forward to just the two of us going out to the farm for a bonfire and smores.  "Mommy, it will just be special you and me time"  It was kind of fun, although it was sad to leave the sick ones, who were upset at not going.  He got some nice things that he really liked.  Some great Packer-wear from MIL, new shoes.  She also got him a bigger bike, which was much needed and anticipated!  We got him one of those funny rockers....like a leather "L" shape with no legs....just sits on the floor and curves/rocks with your body.  He loves to sit right in front of the TV so noone gets in his peripheral vision and we thought he'd enjoy this special chair.  Now Matt wants to get more of them for his guys Bible study.    We also got him a computer game "Rollercoaster Tycoon 2".  That was a big hit with everyone.  David has been fascinated for a long time with waterparks and lately has taken to also building rollercoasters in the sandbox.  I knew he'd enjoy "managing" and designing his own amusement park.  Now, we all have our own 'virtual' parks that we can play with.  David loves it!  Especially enjoys building his own rides instead of using the ready-made designs.  They think it's so cool to watch all their little 'guests' riding everything!  It is kind of fun. 

We have done two full days of school (today will be our third).  A nice thing about homeschooling is if they are sick, you don't necessarily have to miss a full day of school!    The first day was fun, although I felt like I was holding on by a thread all day!  Just realizing afresh the focus and energy needed on my part to keep things moving along.  The kids did great though!  The next day went a little easier.  I really like the schedule, it seems like it's going to work! 

Some good things I've noticed already: 

1.  The boys are doing much better at being taught together...we've had a blast playing games and doing manipulatives during the lessons.  They are much more together academically.  Yesterday we did 65 math flashcards and they got to keep it if they said it first.  David got 32 of them, Johnny got 33.  Doesn't get any closer than that!

2.  David is doing SO much better at reading and Math.  I think our time was well spent last year working on the basics with him even though it slowed him down.

One fun thing I've added this year is vocab.  I feel they are still a little young for a big vocab list, however it seems a day doesn't go by when someone doesn't ask me, "Mom what's _____ mean?"  So I've been jotting down the words as they ask and saying, "We will look that up!"  Then, I pick one out and have Johnny try and look it up in the childcraft dictionary.  They both have learned the beginnings of how to do "a-b-c order", it's still a little hard keeping track of which letter they are looking at now (first, second, third).   So in the morning when they are writing their spelling words or spelling sentences, I have Johnny write a simple definition of that day's word and use it in a sentence.  He LOVES it.  David enjoys helping find the word and hearing what it means, but I usually don't make him write more.  Writing is still so tedious for him, I don't want to add any more than necessary.  Anyway, the first day we looked up "provide".  Yesterday was "gelatin".  That was a fun one that came from Johnny asking me what "Jello" was?  They were pleasantly horrified to find out.

Anna is doing great.  Yesterday, she told me "Mom, you know why I like doing school?  Because we get to spend special time together".    I told her that's why I loved it too!  She has now learned the sound and how to write letters I and U (we're doing all the vowel sounds virst)  and today will do E. 

On the sickness front, Anna's fever shot up to 103 for the third day in a row yesterday around 4pm (just as the clinic was closing).  She was complaining of belly pain and said it hurt to breathe.  Anna is over-dramatic...I should know this by now, but I started to freak out and sent Matt to the walk-in with her.  The walk in is always an absurdedly long, drawn out ordeal and Matt wrote a hilarious account of it in his blog.  Here is the link.  Read it!  It will make you laugh.  I think she'll be OK.  Apparently she has a UTI along with whatever else we've got.  I've been suspecting that recently, it may have just flared up worse since her system was weak. 

Have a great weekend everyone!