THIS BOY!!! I could not be more proud of my big reader!
These are most of the books Tyson can read at the end of his 1st-grade year (2020-2021)!! Mind you, the majority of these books are 50 + pages - with multiple chapters!
He completely ROCKED IT last year! Even with getting pregnant, and Andrew Silvernale and I getting COVID - Tyson still took off on reading!!! He went from barely being able to read words like "hat," "bat," and "what" to be able to read ALL these books confidently. & Did I mention they are not all pictured here because I forgot a few after we took this picture?!
And I helped teach him, and our relationship is stronger than ever! I cannot praise God enough for calling me to homeschool! I am so thankful! God turned my, "No way no, how could I ever homeschool - Tyson and I would never work - we butt heads too bad - yada yada yada." Instead, God turned it into our relationship TODAY! Our current circumstance where he reads so well for his age, excelling in math and science, but MAINLY - God has blessed us with a relationship we never had before homeschooling.
I cannot even put into words how special our relationship is now. I know my son in a way I didn't know him before. I will flat out admit it; I was a lazy and distant mama before homeschooling. And that was a brutal acknowledgment to swallow about myself; I can't lie. But, I had a very HUMBLING year this past year. Not only did I teach Tyson, but he taught me so much too. God used my son to correct some much-needed faults in me. And I am not too prideful to admit that I needed it desperately. I cannot thank God enough for this call to homeschool. Our Father has blessed me, yet again, with another gift that I can never thank Him enough, time and the ability to homeschool.
So we are going into our second year of homeschooling, and I pray He keeps calling me to do this. I pray He continues to bless me with these unforgettable moments with my kids. I use to think homeschooling was "weird" and "crazy." I mean, "why would anyone want to homeschool and do THAT to their kid?" lol, I giggle at those old thoughts of mine now because I know I am being judged the same way now. (I earned it for my former judgments on other homeschool families, lol.) But I don't care, this life is amazing, and I am just being obedient to what I have been called to do.
And don't get me wrong, it is HARD. Especially just having a newborn baby, homeschooling is exhausting currently. I would love to have less responsibility some days, but now I know too much. Now I know what I would be giving up if I decided not to be obedient. I might be losing much-needed rest right now, but the "newborn" season is temporary, and sleep won't be missing very long. But what I am building currently with my son is incredible, and that, my friend, is my "Kingdom work" during this season of life, and THIS season right here is worth it all.
Homeschooling is so much more than just math, language arts, reading, and science. And don't get me wrong, I am so proud of this picture of him and all his many other accomplishments of 1st grade. And I can't wait to see how much he learns this year for 2nd grade. But, homeschooling has become so much more to me. Homeschooling has now become my Kingdom work for my family, and it has taught me more than I could ever dream. I honestly am stuck here at the end of this blog post without the proper words to describe how incredibly grateful I am for this unique call to homeschool my son, Tyson. All I can pray is that He continues to call me to homeschool with my daughter, Dylan, and now our 3rd born, Micah.
I pray I always hear Him clearly and never fail to be obedient to His call - no matter how crazy I think He is when He calls me to it, lol! Because I have most definitely questioned Him, lol, but I always try to follow even when I feel blinded.
The only way I can end this post is that I praise God for this incredible life that I never knew I wanted.