I have not blogged in such a long time.  I really do miss it.  It has been hard finding the time ever since Bella arrived.  I can't say I have any more time now, quite the opposite actually. The older kids are so busy with activities, classes and such, and well Bella... is quite the handful!  She expects someone to participate with her in all she is doing.  I suppose the result of having so many older kids in the family who dote on her along with Momma and Daddy .  She can usually find SOMEONE to give in to her tugs and pulls and requests to sit and play with her.  She is really quite exacting on HOW she wants you to play too.. anyway... I hope to start blogging again despite the busyness.

I thought a good way to jump back in would be thru a photo journal of our summer. Little writing required which takes the pressure off of writing the days top blog best seller :)

So stop by when you can and see what our family is up to. Take the time to say hello and introduce yourself. I look forward to getting to know you while your getting to know me!

 Two days a week is violin practice. August is break time... I can't wait! (sshhh)

Archery lessons at the homeschool fair. My four oldest.

Left to right: Dominique-16 Gabriella-13, Andrew-21 (almost), Kadeeja- 14 

At the homeschool fair, each of the girls placed first, second or third.

Tia-age 9, won both first place in photography, and also in bread baking!                                                        

Dominique, Gabriella and Andrew are all aspiring writers.

Summer is well underway at out house.

We are continuing with a few subjects (math, science, latin and writing), but the pressure is off. No lesson plans have to be prepared... YIPEEE! The kids stay up a little later, sleep a little longer, and everyone is beginning to RELAX.

The end of the year for most is the last day in December... for me, the last day of school seems to be the closing of our year.  I look so forward to the break, but yet as soon as the lesson book closes, I begin to get exited about our "new year" and spend my summer plotting and planning; pouring over catalogs, buying new pencils and mapping out an idea of what next school year just might look like!    

We started homeschooling in 1995 and I still look forward to the first day of "school" :)

 Until then... come back and peek into what we've been up to this summer, and tell me how you and your family are spending yours!