Out and About....

With school behind us we have managed to get out for a few field trips! Today was Huber's Orchard where we picked strawberries with some dear friends and enjoyed some lovely farm land! Tonight for dessert we had strawberry shortcake- yum!

The heat in Louisville is quite intense, but we are adapting and adjusting.... slowly! Thank goodness for A/C and fans. Keith and I enjoy sitting outside at night and watching the lightening bugs. The kids put several in a jar the other day and got really hot in their closet watching them light up! After they let ALL of the bugs go... our yard has lots now and the light up show is even better!

The kids are DONE school- YaHOO!

I can fairly say that we are thrilled to be done our first year at Dorothy Sayers Classical school. All 3 of the kids have worked incredibly hard while learning Latin, Grammar, Spelling, Saxon Math, Logic, science, history and geography! Our kids all earned their grades and we are indeed proud parents! I am also incredibly thankful for the emphasis on giving GOD the glory for any "gifts" or good grades! We plan to return to DSCS in the fall for another round of hard work and we'll be maintaining as much as we can over the summer!

So for now the kids are still working on the piano daily and reading as much as I'll let them- with the library so close they can go often and get more!!!! We've been to the Zoo and splash park. I think we'll visit the Science center again soon and of course the Seminary pool. Ellie also has basketball practice/ summer camp and miss Meg has plans for her paints! Luke will of course build all the Lego he can while keeping himself from pestering his sisters!

I guess it will be time very soon to be packing up for the trek back to Canada- the kids are super keen to see some cousins and grandparents. I'm not keen on airplanes- oh well!

On another note- I am reading a fabulous book by C.J. Mahaney called HUMILITY- True Greatness! Pick it up if you can- it is not a long read, but worth the time to read it!!!

Luke turns 8!

Luke turned 8 today! He was one happy guy- he was done all his school work and could play Lego ALL DAY LONG! The girls still had studying to do- so he was a bit distracting. We took him out to dinner at Jason's Deli where he could get his favourite- salad bar! He's such a fun kid and we are blessed to call him son!

Mammoth Caves...

We took a day trip to Mammoth Caves with some friends. We drove 2 hours south near Cave city to see some of the world's largest caves. What an amazing place- small spaces then huge "rooms" , cool rock formations and lots of DARK! When the lights are all turned out there is complete absence of light! Somehow I managed to get some cool shots while inside.

We hiked a few miles after the cave hike - with 7 kids- so we were ALL ready for a good night's sleep by the time we got home!

Semester #2 done~ Yippee!

I am SO relieved to say that this semester is done and over! Keith had a great set of classes and especially enjoyed the Advanced Greek Grammar- he's my greek geek! This class was hard and rewarding as Dr. Gentry pushed all the students. I'm just glad he can spend some time with all of us again and not have his nose in a book or the greek flashcards at hand at all times! The kids are sure getting to know some of the vocabulary as they helped Daddy study.

The kids have 2 weeks of school left and they are tired! DSCS has pushed them all plenty and a deserved rest is ahead- soon! Until then Ellie and Megan have several exams and they are nervous- I know they'll do fine, but there will be a fair bit of studying going on!

I'm feeling the pinch of keeping the troops on track and upbeat! The calendar is loaded- probably a little too much- but so many things will be done all too soon! It is all I can do right now to stay ahead of laundry, cooking, cleaning and a garden/ yard. I could use another 6 months in NZ about now!

There is so much to be thankful for and I am humbled when I think of it all- because I realize there is so much that I take for granted in the process of trying to see everything good! Somedays you just need to slow down.....

Gramma comes for a Visit!

My mom came for a visit this week! We were all so excited when my dad called and said he booked tickets and mom was coming in a few days! It was a last minute trip so we did not have much time to get all excited- we were just really excited! Seven days with Gramma Ruth- so fun! It has gone way too fast and tomorrow she has to get on the plane- crummy I say!

Gramma arrived to full spring glory here in Louisville and being the gardener that she is.... she loved all the trees and blossoms everywhere. If I only took her on drives to see gardens and houses she would be one happy Gramma! Her favourite was the Azaleas and Dogwood trees.

We took her to the Zoo, Science Centre and Schmiff's candy shop with the kids.  When the kids were in school we spend one whole day shopping and looking at all the little knick knacks we wanted!  We even could look at scrap-booking paper or fabric and not be in a rush!    

Gramma helped both girls sew a skirt each and Megan finish her quilt she started at Christmas.  Luke managed to beat Gramma at Ping Pong (often) and impress her with his Lego creations!

Tears will happen when she gets on the plane and the house will be a little too quiet!  We'll have to look forward to our time when we fly home in June and get back into our busy routine until then!

Spring Break Part 3

As for BUSCH GARDENS.... I had no idea what this place was until we got here and I have no desire to go near roller-coasters again anytime soon. Of course I did not ride any... (I detest rides and my back would not cope- I have the life long excuse to not get on any ride!) but the kids sure had their fill. The Griffin is one of the world's steepest and fastest rides... Keith had to work hard to get Megan and Luke on the rides, but now they just run off and beg to get in line again. The weather has been very HOT... 30*c degrees hot... we've gone through lots of sunscreen and water. Keith and the kids got stuck on one of the rides for 45 minutes- spring break glitches- and of course they were stuck at the TOP of the ride- and were the last people off the ride as they climbed down 85 feet of stairs!!! No one was freaked out and we did get free meals vouchers out of the deal.... but what a way to remember a roller coaster ride! This park is beyond description- just google it. There were some neat shows to see and lots of rides for the kids.

We are thankful for a real spring break trip- never have done something like this before! Keith still had to keep up with his school reading and Advanced Greek Grammar translations, but we had lots of time for fun too. Now we're back to reality and the rest of the school term- which does not seem very long when I consult the calendar! The kids are sure looking forward to going back to Canada for a month... it will happen soon enough :)