It’s been a crazy year and that is the reason for the large amount of time that has passed since the last posting.

In January we had Abby live with us, a senior high school honors student.  Her family went to Morocco because her father went there to teach Middle East Studies and the entire family went with him, except for Abby.  She, instead, decided to stay behind so she can end her Senior High Year of homeschooling here and be involved with Speech and Debate Club.  She also had an honor’s class in CSU.  I helped her to pass her drivers test during the time she stayed with us and the kids feel in love with her (and her two parakeets she brought with her).  She got accepted into the honors program at CSU with a full scholarship for all 4 years.  I don’t know how she did it but she is a smartie!  She wants to study language and become a translator somewhere on the mission field.  Maybe for Wycliffe??

She left in mid June and then we had a family live with us for two months.  The Newfields are on their way to Africa to become missionaries and the wife is about to have their 3^rd baby.  They decided it be better to live with other people who were closer to his work so I didn’t get to experience the miracle of birth in my house.

It’s been a crazy first part of the year, but I’m hoping the next part will be easier.  I went to my first ever homeschooling convention which gave me great tools and ideas of how/what to teach this year.  I’m looking forward for a great school year with the kids.

One thing I have learned is to relax…take it easy.  Make sure they know how to read…make sure they know how to write…make sure they know how to do math…and the rest…just show them how to love to learn.  Life is an ongoing, never stopping journey of learning and education.  Much of what we learn and is useful really is never taught in school…but it’s experienced in life.  I want my children to learn from life experiences and I’m hoping to make each subject into that this year.  Field trips, lots of library books to read and enjoy, videos about history, science and culture and whatever comes their way that will teach them about our wonderful (but sometimes scary) world around us. 

So though this first half of the year was filled with much of helping others as they lived with us, we were truly blessed to have our guests!  We always love guests!  Our door is always open to friends!