I am constantly in awe of how vastly different children can turn out even when you use the same recipe. My five remind me of their uniqueness at every turn and I'd never have it any other way. I love watching them grow into who they were created to be and am thankful that they have the freedom to do so.
If you stick around for long you will hear a lot about them because they are a constant reminder to this girl-who-did-not-want-children, that she does not always know what she is talking about.
Asher is twelve and is the primary reason that we began homeschooling the way that we do. She thinks things through and does not like to be pushed, but when she decides that she is ready to tackle something new, she applies herself tenaciously.
She is witty (nickname: Smart-Ash), artistic, and loves a good story. She adores all things animal and would prefer to spend all her time at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch if allowed.
When she was little she used to ask me when we'd be moving to our farm and I, being an animal lover in theory only, would have to remind her that
farm-life would have to be her dream someday. She was fine with that and has
not deviated; when she grows up she hopes to have a horse ranch and
border-collie side-kick of her own. Mom and Dad will come to visit.
Eilidh (said I-lee, you are welcome) is
nine and is the kind of girl who jumps into a situation and then considers
if it was a good idea or not; the girl has energy and spunk to spare! She
is the primary person I call on when I need cheap entertainment for the younger
set.
I love her
sense of adventure, her let's-just-roll-with-it attitude, and the fact that (on
most occasions) she will eat whatever I place before her. I even love the
drama. She has a whimsical artist's flare, prefers to spend her hours outdoors,
can't get enough of Calvin and Hobbes, and is just plain old good company.
There is a good reason
that Silas, my firstborn boy, is often clothed in articles of
clothing that contain warnings such as, CAUTION: MAY REQUIRE SUPERVISION. He
is six-years-old and has an insatiable desire to know how everything
works even if it means taking it apart so that it doesn't anymore. My little
man asks good questions and keeps the adults in his life on their toes in an
attempt to stay ahead of him. He is a climber and a tinkerer, a Lego lover, a
good big brother to his little sister, and possesses his daddy's love for
things that go fast.
Myles... Myles... Myles. He is five. He is my ONE brown-eyed kiddo out of the entire bunch. (Who says brown is dominant, anyway?) He is a sweet, huggable, little guy whose eyes sparkle with mischief just like his grandpa's used to. I love that.
The kid is not much of a talker, but boy does he have some mean sound effects! In fact, Myles has earned himself the the title of 'Weapons Specialist' in our home as he spends more time 'exploding' on some days than he does speaking. It all made sense once we took another look at the origin of his name and discovered that, not only does Myles mean 'soldier' but also 'destroyer'. I'm putting all my hope in the third translation: 'merciful'. Wish me luck on that.
At three, Ailish is our youngest (though she would insist that she is much, much, older). Ailish's best friend is Monkey and Monkey has the battle-scars to prove it.
Like her sisters, Ailish is an artist who has (I am most happy to report) recently discovered paper as a medium. Previously, she enjoyed seeing her work BIG and preferred sharpies and wall-murals over parchment. I was almost convinced that her true ambition was really just to negate the cleaning deposit on our rental, but have since reconsidered and admit that she might actually like the act of creating for its own sake.
When she is not loving on Monkey or wowing us with her use of color, she can be found tormenting Myles, pestering Daddy for his pistachios, or mastering advanced subjects including, but not limited to, Staying In Bed During Nap-Time.
