We got the van fixed at the tail end of February. That was a $4000 blow, but I think it was worth it. The van is running good again. It still doesn't speed like it did 10 years ago, but really, the van that keeps on going and keeps on giving is nice to have.
March has been a busy month and I did not take tons of pictures. I didn't even get Eliza in for a 7 month photo shoot. But we have had fun park days with two and three other homeschooling families. That has been a blessing for us. It's nice to have friends again.
We got our garden plot mowed and our planting rows dug up and a fence around my backyard garden so that they geese can't eat it.
My parents came at the beginning of the month and took Ruth, Kate, and Rachel home with them. They bought us a riding lawn mower, and I am so happy about that. Adam is quite happy with it too. He spent the first day sitting on it in the garage reading through the manual. My parents also bought us a chain saw and a couple of shovels and a wheel barrow-- all things to help us make our yard nicer and our garden to grow better.
Ruth and Kate and Rachel had a nice time with their grandparents and aunts, but not with the family dogs. They spent their days doing crafts and making jewelry with Grandma. They got to go to a few nice restaurants and a few fancy shops that they really enjoyed. Kate came home in love with cannolis and cannoli cake.
I took everyone except John, Johnny, and Adam to my parents the week after the girls left. We stayed for 5 days. Susan was so excited the night before, that she woke everyone up about 3 hours early. I was pretty tired for the drive, but we made it there in perfect safety.
We did homeschool while we were there. That made sense because my parents are very tired and don't have much energy anymore. Rachel and Joseph enjoyed playing scrabble with my mom, and this week, they got their own scrabble game in the mail. We also enjoyed crafts with my mom and the little kids enjoyed too much tv. I was glad to get to see my parents and my sisters.
On the way home, we went to the zoo. I wished that I had taken my camera, but I did not. But the zoo was the conversation for a long time. Rachel had a particularly good time. She really does like seeing the animals. Anya liked the desert and the elephants. Joseph enjoyed the big alligators and the polar bear. Josh was in his element. He loved the whole thing. He has been studying animals all year long. Arwen and Susan skipped through and had fun the whole time and seemed to genuinely enjoy looking at the animals. Sam seemed bored, but he has asked to go back several times since then. Gideon loved it, particularly the gorillas, and Eliza managed it without getting sunburned and without crying out loud.
Since we got home, it was back to school and Ruth's birthday, then another park day and a our first beach trip.
Now for each kid.
Ruth turned 24 and is happy that there's now a single's ward in the church building that we go to. She was sick the first Sunday that she was going to attend, but she plans to go there now.
Kate wants nothing to do with a singles ward. But she's doing well with all of her pursuits.
Johnny has really picked up his computer programming and is helping to teach the other kids and exercise with them.
Adam has been taking online courses and that has been very helpful for him because he has more ways to measure his progress. We've been making him exercise more and that has been good for him. He said that he will but his hair, when he loses weight.
Rachel, I think is generally doing fairly well. She does not fight so much about getting her schooling done and I am glad about that. She's gotten funner to talk to too. She does not want to, but she is growing up and becoming more herself and more enjoyable.
Anya does her school work, mostly with little complaint. I feel like I need to find something for her to do that she would just love.
Joseph still fights about getting any work done. He only wants to sleep and play. But he is conscientious about being honest, so that is very good and I think other things will come in time.
John made a policy that the kids cannot play computer and video games unless they do something technical or some math, and Josh has been the most diligent at it and has spent at least an hour everyday doing extra math.
Arwen is growing up so fast. She is 9 and a half, but such a little grown up for her age. She converses with me like an adult at times and she takes good care of the kids that are younger than her and is so responsible. She is also an excellent reader and you can tell from her conversation.
Susan is adorable and still says the cutest things. She climbs the tree that peaks into two windows at the back of the house and pretends that she is a bird.
Sam says the cutest things like "it was two yesterdays," or, "in three tomorrows." I love how he describes things.
Gideon is all the way potty trained, even at night. The problem now is that he wants me to be in the room with him still, so we're going to buy him candy to convince him that for the most part, he can take himself to the bathroom.
Eliza is still the sweetest. She communicates well. She loves to eat and loves to be held. She crawls and plays with the toys and she hangs onto my pants legs while I make dinner or wash the dishes. She babbles baba and dada and mummum.
I am starting to get going on writing some new homeschool curriculum. I am a little nervous to do so, because of the time, but I have made more money with the one homeschool workbook that I wrote than with anything else that I have done.
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