We are a homeschool family. Choosing to homeschool isn't just an education choice like picking a public or private school. Homeschooling is more like choosing a lifestyle. It becomes such a big part of who you are as a family. It gives us freedom, flexibility, and the chance to spend lots of time together. I couldn't imagine our life any other way.
As a family, we like to travel and see new things. Walt Disney World is one of our very favorite places so we end up there quite a bit. We enjoy sightseeing, visiting new places, going to zoos, aquariums, festivals, museums, plays, beaches, mountains, and just being together. We often travel with Chad when he has to go on business trips. We don't like being apart and it allows us to visit more places.
I spend most of my time homeschooling the kids or doing the planning for homeschooling. I also enjoy scrapbooking, cake decorating, taking pictures, and reading.
Chad likes riding four wheelers, hunting, working on his jeep, and fishing.
Colin likes doing things with Chad so he enjoys all those same hobbies. He also loves Legos, video games, and Star Wars.
Caleigh enjoys playing games, reading, Legos, and playing dolls.
Molly likes playing dolls, being funny, and most of all playing with Buddy (that's Caleigh).
Chad and I met in high school in eastern Kentucky, where we were both born and raised. We had Algebra and English together our sophomore year. On February 20, 1992, we started going together as it was called then. In November 1993, we became engaged. We graduated from high school in June 1994.
We were married on August 12, 1995. We were 19 years old and getting ready to start our second year of college. In 1996, we moved away from home first into married housing on campus and then into a duplex.
We graduated from college in June 1998. As soon as we had jobs, we knew we wanted to have a baby. Finally, in May 1999, we found out we were pregnant. I had just quit my job so I didn't bother finding another and became a stay at home mom.
On February 4, 2000, we were thrilled to welcome our first child, Colin Andrew.
By the time Colin was 1, we had decided we wanted to give him a brother or a sister. It took 15 months after that for me to get pregnant. Then our sweet Caleigh Marie was born on January 15, 2003.
After two pregnancies with hypermesis (severe morning sickness), we decided we would wait until Caleigh was at least 3 to talk about more children. God had other plans though and we were very surprised to find out I was pregnant when Caleigh had just turned 1. Molly Sue was born on November 14, 2004.
In October 2005, we moved from Lexington, where we had been for almost 3 years, and out of Kentucky for the first time. Over the next few years, we moved around a lot. Since then we've lived in Elkins, WV (9 months), Lexington, KY (8 months), Plano, TX (6 months), Quincy, MA (1 month- this was temporary housing), West Greenwich, RI (2 months), Cornelius, NC (2 years), Mount Pleasant, SC (5 months), and now we're in Raleigh, NC (moved here April 2010). Sometimes it was because Chad's job moved us and sometimes it was because he was offered a new job. Moving so much hasn't been easy, but it has allowed us to see new places, made us become more flexible, helped us grow closer as a family, and helped Chad to move up in his career.
As soon as I have time to scan them, I'll be updating this page with pictures.
