Gush

St. Goar

This is one of those pictures that just makes me take a step back and think, "oh, man, we are really living in Europe. Look at those kids meandering through a 13th century castle like it is an ordinary day."  It was really warm today, but we enjoyed exploring the quaint main street of St. Goar, on the banks of the Rhine River, as well as walking all around the Rheinfels Castle. There were amazing tunnels underneath the entire castle, but they got so dark that we were afraid to go too far without a flashlight. Next time we go back, we will surely bring one.

Heidelberg

Auntie Quinn Final Summer

I am not sure how my 23-year-old, fashionable, hip younger sister earned the moniker "Auntie" - I think it is the absurdity of the title being applied to someone like her that makes it so perfect.

Well, Quinn will graduate from Humboldt State University in December and enter the real world. She honored us by spending three weeks of the last summer of her life checking out our "real world". Here she is on her first morning (no jet lag allowed in this little apartment - ha!) here drinking smoothies in a tent with her niece and nephews.

Viv and her violin

Today was her recital, it made me cry.

Books of the Bible Song

 

Vivian has really amazed me this year, with her ability to memorize Bible verses as a member of the AWANA club at our local parish. It is mostly Protestant children, but I like to see that we Catholics can represent! Check out her wannabe brothers in this video!

Homeschool - a Good Choice (tonight)

OK, so when we decided to homeschool our children I stepped in trepidatiously. That is putting it way mildly, I was really more incredulous-dumbfounded-uncertain-terrified. I held all the same stereotypes of homeschooling families as the majority of the world. Our kids would be socially inept, unkempt, and ignorant of higher math and science if I did this, right? And besides, how would I, the least-suited teacher alive manage this task?

Nonetheless, too many people whom I deeply respect had made the decision. and gosh, I love to read and I love our extraordinary faith, so surely that would percolate through my disorganization and daily lack of patience, right? We are living in Europe, so it frees up travel days. We can drop in on Daddy at the Army Dining Hall on a day when he has worked 60+ hours and we just need him. So we jumped in.

I would say it has been about two legit years, maybe 1.5, and recently I have seen moments of why we do this. It is 2300 at night, but I am forcing myself to record this for posterity so that I can revisit the post in a weaker moment when I am exhausted and the house needs cleaning again.

If you are now hanging in here to read of my children's impressive academic accolades, reorient, because those are not the reasons that touch my heart. What does -- all three children were in my bed this morning, and there was no rush to get any of them out and dressed and anywhere. Our world was on hold while we snuzzled each other. My 3-year-old-son grabbed a dustpan and came over matter-of-factly after I had swept up a pile under the table. The one true student, is well accustomed to doing math worksheets and Biblical drawings with a 16-month-old sharing her chair and she knows she might have to look for the gel pen she needs on the floor. The 3-year-old boy genuflects when he enters a pew at Daily Mass. We can go to playgrounds on the hour before school lets out - the sun is high and we have the run of the world. Anyone else there is most likely homeschooled and we know them. I put schoolwork on hold for three days straight while an impassioned six year old embarked on her first research project without any prompting whatsoever. There were library holds, internet research and drawing that all went into her laborious efforts to produce a guinea pig care and handling book. We sing and dance Hokey Pokey several mornings a week in order to reiterate right and left and both boys come running from wherever they are in the apartment when they hear its opening bars. Warm breakfasts. Making homemade peanut butter as a part of her math curriculum. Phenomenal chapter books. Meeting kindred spirit home school moms. Getting unexpected love notes from my pupil on work she knows I am going to correct. Watching her write letters to people without being forced to (after two years of forcing her). It is great right now.

Boys have not begun yet, but we are truly rolling with Numero Uno and I am oh-so grateful to all the supporters out there.