Stories to Tell

   Ava has almost completed her kindergarten curriculum with Sonlight! We were both very excited and felt very accomplished talking about how we would celebrate her kindergarten graduation at the end of May! Part of me doesn't want school work to end for the summer...the other part of me is much more excited than Ava is! :) 

Read aloud books are not only my favorite part of school, but definitely one of my favorite parts of the day.  We snuggle together and read great books, mostly books I've never read before. We are currently reading 'In Grandma's Attic' by Arleta Richardson., stories of a girl hearing stories from her Grandma as a little girl based on stories Arleta heard from her grandmother. The stories are filled with silliness, faith, and morals. The Sonlight curriculum suggested having a handful of stories to tell your children about yourself as a little girl. I really didn't think I could think of or retell stories like Arleta does, but I have come to find out the little stories are just as special. Ava loves the story about Nana leaving a whole jar of pickles on the table while she went to work on the garden. When my sisters got home (my mom had told them that there were pickles on the table), they found the jar empty and wondered why our mom would do that to them...they came to find out that I had eaten the whole jar...well, not the jar, the pickles in the jar... The kids laugh and laugh about pickles...there is not moral, but they think its so funny. 

  As I was making a potpie for dinner tonight I was able to tell them about how Nana would give me the extra dough when she was making something with pie crust. I would make little cookies and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. This was something her mom did with her, she did with me, and now my kids get to do. Those little things that I never write down (uh, well I am right now) make life so meaningful. Those are the moments I want to capture. 

   As they were busy at work both working together and bickering I thought of how Ava would have just gotten home not long before if she was in 'away' (public or private) school instead of homeschooled. We would not have snuggled and read together, we would not have dyed eggs together, the kids would not have built a fort together, and a long list of other things I really feel we would have all missed out on. I thankful for the stories we are making now that someday we can talk about and I can tell my grandkids. I feel so blessed to have this family the God has created!