Summer Update and onto Fall

Time sure does fly by. Summer has flown by and we are in full swing of homeschool. Sarah is starting kindergarten and is so excited to learn. She is so tenderhearted and eager to do well I have to remind myself to be patient with her. Andrew continues to blaze along in 2nd grade. I have to think of new ways to challenge him since he picks things up so quickly. We started out our year with a lesson in tadpoles that we found in a puddle across the street from our house. It was really neat watching them grow and change into mature toads, however it wasn't cool watching them eventually eat each other going from 7 to 4 toads in 2 days. A new lesson in survival of the fittest I suppose. We released them before they could eat each other up. I find myself this year trying to teach outside of the box. As we study things look more into depth and let the kids explore things they are interested in. It is proving to be a lot of fun, and I am learning a ton as well. Friday's are our missionary day and we plan to spend a couple of months per missionary. This has been great because as we read their story we take rabbit trails about history, clothing, electricity and whatever else we can glean from the chapter we read to learn more. Isn't that what learning is all about? And the advantage of homeschooling. So much fun.

We are also gearing up for our first year doing sports. Andrew is going to play flag football and Sarah is going to be on the cheerleader group for Andrew's team. Their cardeologist suggested they get into some sports to strengthen their hearts and this was a team that only meets once a week and on Sat. for the game. It is also a Christian sports group so they have devotionals during the games and practice. The kids are excited and so am I. Should be a fun time. We are also joining our local home school co-op that meets on Mondays for class day this semester. We have already began making some good friends in this group so it should be fun.

Our newest project is chickens. I have wanted them for a while and we have the opportunity to get some for free, so Patrick and I have been working hard to get a coop together to house them. I can't wait to have fresh eggs. Yum! On that note, though we planted a bunch of stuff in our garden, it hasn't been that successful. Out of 10 tomato plants we have had a total of maybe 5 tomatoes. Our zucchini plant has been doing fantastic, but has suddenly stopped producing despite all the rain. Our corn rotted. The cucumbers are the only one's that seem to be doing well. A little discouraging considering all the rain and nice weather we have been having. Maybe they'll bounce back. I do have a cantaloupe plant that suddenly started making cantaloupes. And chili plants that seem to be doing well (which Patrick likes). But why no tomatoes? Strange.

So we continue to plug along thankful for each day God gives us.