August 24, 2010

I can't believe my little boy will turn twenty tomorrow! My goodness. Where did all that time go? He is a high school grad with some college credits. And he got the four-year seminary certificate (the only kid in the Rocky Mount ward to do that this year).
It's been a busy summer. I've been working off and on for the Census, and trying to keep things going at home, too. It's been good - too hot, as usual - but we've enjoyed the pool and stayed out of the heat as much as possible.
Emi and Heather got to go on a Youth Pioneer Trek this summer. They said it was really tough, but really good and they enjoyed it very much. It was a great opportunity for them to learn about their pioneer ancestors and gain appreciation for how easy their lives really are.
School starts again next week. Whew. It seems the older I get the faster time goes. Only three in our home school this year. That will take some adjusting for me. Emi is a senior now, Heather a sophomore, and Jenny is in fifth. Wow.

captions

maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to caption the pics.
Here we have:
Kids goof off at the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
Mom and the girls with the Washington Monument.
Heather and shark teeth at the Aurora Fossil Museum.
The kids learn about military gear at the NC Museum of History.
Jenny tries her feet at ice skating.
Who says school is boring??
:o)

March Roars In

We got snow again! We hope it is the last winter storm (toes and fingers crossed) and it dumped about three inches of heavy wet snow. Our yard is a swamp from all the rain and snow this year, but we love it anyway because the drought is over and we will be able to grow a good garden this year - we hope.
Mom went to work this week, temporarily, for the US Census. It is a good opportunity to add to the family budget, but it has made for some interesting juggling at home. Dad is the go-to guy while he continues to look for work and drive "Mom's Taxi." But in a family, you just figure out a way to make it work, right?
We get up each morning at 6 to have early-morning cemetery (I mean, seminary) and then Mom goes to work and the college/high schoolers go to classes while the other two get busy at home. It's a good life, and we are so blessed to live in a country that allows home schooling without strict oversight. We read an article this week about a German family who relocated to Tennessee because home schooling is illegal in Germany. They are not alone, and many European countries have outlawed home school. Sadly, the UN also seems to feel that children should be educated by governments and parents cannot do right by their children. And some of our own governmental officials agree with them!
Interesting how public school has only been the "norm" for about a hundred and fifty years (out of the thousands of history) but parents can't be trusted to educate their young. Hm. Well, nobody told that to Ben Franklin's folks. Or Teddy Roosevelt. Or Abraham Lincoln. Or Louisa May Alcott. Or Agatha Christie. Or many other notables.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get off on a soap box here, and I know that home school is not for everyone. But for those of us it does work for - - I am so grateful we are allowed the choice!!!

It's been HOW long???

Sorry, I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted here last. OMGosh!
Well, um, let's see.
How to cram half a year's worth in one post?
Bob is still looking for work. He studied online with North Carolina University to learn C++ so he can add that skill to his resume. He has been taking gunsmithing classes at Edgecombe Community College and enjoying building his gun collection and learning how to fix them up. He has some nice ones now. And we are lucky enough to live in the county here, so we can have target practice in our backyard! Behind us is a tobacco field, and on the other side of that is trees, but we had a dump truck full of clay dumped for a backstop anyway. It's only fun if you keep it in your own yard, after all.
I am still writing, still teaching and still doing all the mom stuff. I was called as a seminary teacher by the stake, so I teach our three high schoolers at home. We enjoyed learning about the New Testament last year and we are enjoying the Book of Mormon this year. I also serve as our ward chorister and nursery leader. I haven't been published again yet, but I have sold a few more copies of my book! Sweet!
Tony is nearly done with high school. He has a learner's permit and is learning to drive. He is planning to take the EMT class at the college this summer. I think he'll be a fantastic Emergency Medical Technician. It sounds like something right up his alley - the scenery changes, lots of details, and helping people out. No two days the same. Sounds good!
Emi is finishing her junior year. She still hasn't had a date - those silly boys haven't got up the guts to ask her out. But we remind her that she has lots of time and when the time is right, the Lord will lead her to the right man. In the meantime, she is writing lots and enjoying her college classes. She took art this spring and has found she has more artistic talent than she thought. :o)
Heather is a freshman this year. She is still planning to be an artist, and she has loads of talent for it. She loves to draw and color and is happy to share her hard work with anybody who wants to see. She is working on achieving her Personal Progress Award in Young Women.
Jenny is in fourth grade this year. She is getting good at reading and math, and she loves science. She still loves to sing and often does so, which annoys her brother greatly! :o) But she has a very pretty voice. She is looking forward to being in Young Women's by the end of this year.
Life is good. The Lord is good. And we are so blessed.

August Update

Hi, I hope you are all having a good summer. We are doing well. Tony and Emi finished their summer classes and were glad of a break. Bob and Emi went to Utah for a week to visit and had a wonderful time. The rest of us got sick. I got bronchitis, Tony got an eye infection, and Heather and Jenny caught bad head colds, which they gave to me. So, we spent that week resting and watching movies. Boring but kinda nice, ya know?
The weather in Carolina has been hot and humid, alternating with wet and hot and humid. :o) We are glad we have a pool to cool off in and things to do in the house. It's too icky sticky outside.

At the end of May, Bob and I surprised the kids with a trip to Busch Gardens, Virginia. We packed the van and told the kids we were going for a ride. Hee hee. We had a great day and rode all the roller coasters. We learned that Jenny is terrified of coasters, and that Emi and Tony love to ride in the front seat. :o) In these pics, the three girls enjoy the pool at the hotel. Then Heather and Jenny ride the teacups. Emi and Jenny ride the train. And here's a fun pic of Tony. The only kind I'm able to get anymore, it would seem. :o) I never thought I'd find a coaster I didn't like, but I didn't like the Alpengeist. It went so fast you couldn't even enjoy it. But I really truly loved the Griffin. That one was a hoot. There isn't a floor, so you can see under your feet, and they haul you up five stories and suspend you there long enough to get nervous about the drop, and then off you go! That one was fabulous. Jenny found a few rides she liked a lot better, like the scrambler, the tea pots, and the bumper cars. We were all totally pooped by the time we got home. Would we do it again? Heck, yeah, but we'd spring for the Que Cutter Pass next time, which allows you to go to the front of the line on the major rides. It would have been totally worth it.

June 14, 2009
We're doing good. The summer is heating up nicely. (Too warm too fast, for us!) But the weather has been reasonable and the garden is thriving, so . . . life is good.
Bob lost his job April 24th. KCST offered a severance package that was too good to pass up, and we could see the writing on the wall. The plant he was working at is cutting back every expense they can, so he was going to be unemployed anyway, this way we can do it on our own terms.
I am keeping busy with writing and home school. I submitted articles to two magazines that publish sci-fis, and I'm nearly finished with my second Super Hero book. On school, I am running "Mom's Taxi Service" with two high-schoolers taking college
courses and another one taking Driver's Ed. (Can you believe it, we have three kids in high school this year!! Agh!!) And Jenny, who is in fourth grade, is having fun getting together with friends and doing arts and crafts stuff. This month, we have played with stamps, making paper, iron-on transfers and tie dye. Always something going on. :o) We bought our curriculum for next year, so we are good to go and looking forward to another year of learning cool stuff.
Tony is almost nineteen. He is getting tall and becoming a very good man. He will be a senior this year, studying to get his associate's degree in arts. Hopefully, he will then be able to move on to a degree in video games.
Emi is sixteen, and into boys and makeup. She is a junior this year, studying for her associate's degree in fine arts. She then wants to go to BYU and study writing.
Heather wants to be an artist. She will be a freshman this year. She won't be able to go to college for another year and a half, but she is looking forward to it.
Jenny wants to dance and sing and do art. She is getting good at reading and growing up too fast. Don't they all??
We still have two dogs, Azel and Sparky, and two cats (for now), Proto and Ghost. Ghost is expecting and getting quite fat, so we hope there aren't too many kitties in there. Jenny's hamster died and so we got a mouse. (We already had a cage and everything.) And we got some fish. What the heck.