Catching up...

Unfortunately, we are not only a little behind but also a little out of order. Before that wonderful trip to Kalahari, school started back up. Hannah is in 1st grade this year and although the bulk of her schooling is at home, she is taking 3 classes at the Christian school. This picture shows her first day of school and she is going off to music class. She loves the music, art and Spanish classes that she is taking at the school. She is also doing well at home with her other subjects. Luke started pre-school this year at home. In his 'first day of school' picture he is at the Christian school also. After we drop Hannah off for class, Luke and I have school time for him. He is really enjoying it. He also loves to get in on Hannah's science projects. So far we have learned a lot about magnets and had a lot of fun playing with them.

To go even farther back, Hannah is standing by one of her summer projects, Sunflowers. She thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and follow after the sun everyday. As you can see, she grew them big. Too bad all the birds ate the seeds before we could.
We also all shared in a big veggie garden this year. We had a bumper crop and canned lots of homemade spaghetti sauce. It was nice to use all of our own vegetables for it. The kids felt very proud of their accomplishments. It is hard to believe they are growing so fast. I think they grew faster than the garden. They are bright and fun, smart and loving. I could not be more thankful for them!

Bringing up Hannah

Hannah will soon be 7 and boy is she changing into her own beautiful little girl. She is beginning to take more care with her appearance and has been growing out her hair so we can braid and curl it. She loves her classes at the Christian school and even loves her classes at home most days. She is bright and smart.
Hannah continues to have a vivid imagination and regularly tells of her adventures with Peter, Tinkerbell and the pirates. She likes to help Luke a lot, even when he doesn't want help.
Hannah also thinks very deeply about certain subjects, asking some very hard questions. She doesn't stop asking until she fully understands either. Sometimes she challenges me by asking questions about God, Jesus and heaven. This week she began to question how God is one and yet three. How do you explain the trinity to a 7 year old? I love her assurance in her faith.
Three cheers for Hannah!

Luke is growing

Last month Luke celebrated his 4th birthday. It is very hard for me to understand where the years have gone to. I remember very well when he was so small. I am thankful for his good health and wonderful personality. He is the sunshine in my days.

Already Luke can write his name and loves to get involved with Hannah's science lessons. He likes to build and create, as well as destroy things. He continues to be energetic and charming. Luke loves his gymnastics classes and is getting very good at flipping over the bar and somersaulting over the vault. It is a good way to focus his energy.