College Bound!

Two weeks from today I will be packing the "bus" to make the 5 hour journey down to college with a college junior and one brand new college freshman.  It is so hard to believe that the summer is winding down and we are facing a new school year.  I am really not sure where the time went, but I have the same feeling each year.  Colton is continuing his journey with his Advanced Biblical Studies degree with the hope to go into missions somewhere far away.  Carlina had been taking online classes at a community college but decided to try Bible College for at least a year.   She made this decision about a month ago and we have been scrambling to get everything done.  Today we bought some of the last items she needs...bedding, toiletries, school supplies.  I am so excited for her but I am going to miss her tons!   They really do grow up much too fast.  Carlina will be 20 at the end of the year and it seems like yesterday that she was running around as a little girl, playing with her stuffed animals.  That sounds so cliche but you can't really understand it until you experience it for yourself.  I have gotten used to having Colton gone, now I will have to adjust to one more baby bird exiting the nest!  

Sisters

Hooray I'm 2!!

Summer bliss..

Gardening....(weeding, hoeing, watering-sweet corn, pumpkins, zucchini, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and WATERMELON!)

VBS-this is THE week!  We've been working on it since early April and it is finally here!  We are doing Answers In Genesis's Kingdom Chronicles and it is a blast.  I have a role in the drama this year, which tests my memorization skills!!

Swimming-NOT yet!  Alas, our pool is waiting for a new liner.

Animals-lots of time taking care of the critters..ducks & chickens.

Drivers Ed-Child #4 is involved in this right now!

Fun-picnics, birthdays (3 summer boys right in a row! Thomas turns 7, then Colton turns 21 and finally big boy David turns 2!!), and lots of time to have cousins over!

Today...May 15th

Lately I am a homebody.  I seem to get less and less done as the years go by...fatigue? laziness? internet?  When I am home, I have no excuse and can usually accomplish one small task.

The garden is coming along and some green is beginning to peek out.  Snow on May 1 and then 106 degrees yesterday...extreme and not conducive to growth!!

Carlina had her wisdom teeth out yesterday, poor soul.  She is surviving, doing well even and won't have those nasty buggers to worry about anymore.

Where's Spring?

It has been so cold lately.  We are even supposed to get a wintry mix tomorrow.  I am hoping that my apple trees won't get ruined, like they did last year..no apples:(  We are planning a bigger garden this year and have 2 plots staked out.   Right now we are getting ready for our annual Home School Presentation Fair.  The kids have to stand up and present a report.  The topic this year is Founding Fathers.  Next is VBS, which will be in June.  I am directing the drama again, so we are beginning practice already.  We are using Answers in Genesis VBS again which is always top rate!  We have so much fun with it, but it is tons of work to get ready.

Schooling is going slow!   This time of year it is hard to be motivated!  Julia did take her ACT, she was happy to get that out of the way.

Colton will be finishing up his sophomore year and coming home in a month.  He will hit the job search hard, he would really like to go back in the Fall.  Carlina is still deciding what route she wants to pursue, whether more online college or go down to KC with Colton.

Garrett & Thomas had cavities fixed today, not fun.  Thomas is going to the orthodontist on Friday to see if anything needs to be done about overcrowding.

Springtime animal fun!!

We've added 4 critters to our menangerie....3 of the cutest baby duckings and a friendly gerbil named Smee Murphy.  Katie is the keeper of these critters and is having a blast.  The duckings she has dubbed Myrtle, Seven & Juniper.  That brings our total to 4 llamas, 1 dog, 5 cats (soon to be 4 as Mom is taking one with her back to Indiana), 13 chickens, 3 duckies and 1 mischievous gerbil.  We decided against expanded our chicken flock this year although we will probably regret it as the ones we have don't lay as well.  We also have a strange anomaly in our chicken flock with the large and incredible "Henny".  The cornish rock that was never butchered but kept as a pet.  She produces earthquakes as she stomps around the farmyard.  She is now 1 year old and none of us expected her to live as long as she has, but she is still with us!!  I wish I could put her on a scale and weigh her, I'm assuming it is near a TON!