Homeschool Questions

Do any of you homeschoolers continue to school through the summer? Every year at this time I start thinking about summer school. I am SO ready to be done with the public school schedule and the driving back and forth, but I an NOT ready to be done with school. There are SO many things we didn't get to that I wanted to do. Usually, I plan to continue with school, but the first beach day completely takes care of that. What do you think, can we pull off 1 hr./day of scheduled educational activity? Reading is always a requirement, but I would like to add a little writing each day, flashcards for the ones who need math review and 1-2 science lessons/week so we can finish up our amazing chemistry curriculum. Does that sound do-able or would your kids rebel? Maybe I can sell them on 1/2 hr. each day. The 1/2 hr. of reading is never a problem.

On the adoption front...
Thanks for the encouragement! My impatience is once again simmering quietly on the backburner.
Last week, I found a contest to win a TRIP TO ESTONIA on a link from a knitting site.:) Both Dan and I entered. The grand prize is a 5night/6day stay(including airfare) to Tallinn and Parnu. There are 3 other trips within the country that do not include airfare. All of the trips include 3 days in Tallinn, and have to be used between July-September of this year. Of course, I am planning to win the grand prize.:) Charlotte,one of the packages includes 2 days in Narva. I'll let you win that one. There is also a trip to Tartu. That is my second choice. On our preview trip, we sat with a pastor from Tartu on the flight from Amsterdam. He is the nicest man, and he very politely answered our questions about Estonia. He was such a blessing to us! We would love to see his church, and I would be happy to visit ANY part of Estonia. Don't worry, I am NOT REALLY expecting to win. But, it is a good distraction.:)

Uh-oh

Yesterday, I mentioned to Dan that it would be nice to hear from the agency today. I didn't really expect that to happen, at least I didn't think I did. As I booted up the computer this morning, I realized I had butterflies in my stomach. Could the email I am waiting for be there? No, but of course it is way too early in the day. I still didn't realize that I was expecting to hear until I discovered a voicemail message on my cellphone. My heart started racing, and I tried to prepare myself for the disappointment if it was not the message I was hoping for. It wasn't, and I was disappointed.:( How did I do this to myself, and how do I stop it?

See What We've Been Up To

Last week, Garrett, Connor,and Meredith sang at the All-City Choral Concert. It was great!















I finally blocked the lace wrap I knitted for one of Andreas' caregivers. What do you think?










Garrett turned 16 on May 13th. These pictures were taken the next night at his choir concert, which was amazing! Doesn't he look handsome in his tux!!













Gavin just finished his first year of Stockade. He,Dan,and Garrett spent the weekend at Stockarama, the Brigade version of a boy scout jamboree. I took a couple pictures of Gav just before they left for the weekend. Isn't he cute.:)

Congratulations Dan and Gavin!! Their post won 1st place overall. Gavin did not win any individual awards, but he scored lots of points in Bible. Way to go, Gav! Congratulations to Garrett, too! His Battalion also won 1st overall. Garrett also helped out with points in Bible. I'm proud of my guys!!









I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with Meredith and Connor. They had seven performances from Thursday-Saturday. Both of them played their parts perfectly! I got to watch 3 performances and spend alot of time at the school with all the kids and a few of the parents. It was fun. Here they are in costume. Meredith was able to be in all 4 productions during her 2 years in middle school. She is very proud of that accomplishment. I am so glad the kids take after Dan. It is so much fun to watch them perform!!!

Gluten-free Alternatives?

Well, it looks like Dan has Celiac disease.:( They are doing a biopsy next week to confirm the diagnosis. Since last Friday, Dan has completely cut out gluten. We have been busy educating ourselves and finding what's available for food around here. Hopefully, he will be feeling better soon!!

This weekend is going to be a challenge. Dan and the boys are going on a campout with Boys' Brigade. Dan is going to have to bring all his own food! If anyone out there has experience with this, we would love suggestions!

Quick Post

Thank you, thank you to the person who donated to our adoption account!!! We were so pleasantly surprised.:)

Happy Mother's Day all!

Answered Prayers

Don't get excited. I have no news about the adoption. Last week was a tough week for me. I miss Andreas. I don't want to wait anymore! I want to see Estonia in summer. I don't want to have to travel during the school year. I don't want to have surgery again. I want this pain to go away!! I have been very busy demanding that my "wants" and "don't wants" be addressed, NOW if You please! Well,I guess I wasn't really demanding, but I was definitely whining and pleading. Nothing has happened as far as I can see. I am still waiting,and I am certainly still dealing with pain, but my prayers have been answered.

Over and over again I have "let my requests be known". Over and over again, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" has been given to me. It is not that I pray a prayer and instantly feel better. Most of the time I still feel agitated and impatient. Usually, the pain does not go away. Somehow, though, something changes, and I know I have been heard. Somehow, there is a calm assurance that He is in control and wants what is best for me.

This past week, my prayers have been answered with a picture of my dog, Kody. Kody is not the most popular dog. He is not well-trained, and he isn't friendly to everyone, especially men. He barks too much, and runs away if he can get out the door. I am mostly to blame for his faults because I haven't taken the time to train him properly. But, Kody is completely devoted to me!! He is content to spend most of his time curled up at my feet. If I get up and move to another room, he jumps right up and follows. When I had to spend 2 days in bed because of the pain in my leg, he spent it lying beside me. Kody never complains that I am sitting too long when he would really like to go for a long walk. He doesn't grumble when my activity wakes him from a deep sleep. He just yawns, stretches, and follows me. I adore Kody. How could anyone not love someone who is so devoted to them? Still, I wasn't getting the point when Kody's image would pop into my head as I prayed. Finally, on Sunday, I heard the song, "Word of God, Speak". There is the line, please let me stay at rest, in Your holiness. Then, it clicked. In my mind, there was Kody, lying at my feet, totally at rest, and trusting in me. That is what I need to do! I am not very good at it, but when it happens, I am changed. What an amazing God, we have!!