End of Summer 2014

Well, it's Labor Day - the end of summer.  Where did it go?  June, July, and August were a blur!  So I decided to catch everyone up on some of our other activities as we shut the door on summer and say "hello" to September and a new school year.

Andrii (center) spent 2 weeks in Cambodia!

A missions trip is a family requirement for our teens.  Wayne Jr., Curtis, and Sierra have all been to Cambodia at least once, and Missy went to Ukraine and India.  Andrii enjoyed his trip even though he got sick for a day.  And I'm grateful that he made it home just in time to see my mom before she passed.  Andrii actually graduated high school by the end of the summer and will be working and taking online college courses until Fall 2015 when he will enter Hudson Valley Community College's electrical program to pursue his goal of becoming an electrician.  

 Sierra's new wheels!

 Last week we took Sierra to college.  I now understand what the word "bittersweet" means.  Although Wayne Jr. & Curtis both attended college, neither of them went away.  This is our first experience leaving a kid on campus.  But Sierra is so ready to spread her wings and fly!  We know God has amazing plans for her, so it makes it a little easier to leaver her there - a little easier.

Sierra's Dorm

 God showed her much favor too.  She got assigned to a brandy-new dorm.  They had just finished painting and moving in the new furniture the day before we arrived.

Family photo in front of the chapel.

After Sierra was all settled in we took the rest of the kids to Gloucester, Ma., for a seafood dinner and a stroll along the ocean.

Slava with Jordan the photo-bomber!

Andrii & Anna at the fishermen's memorial.

We spent Sunday in Boston visiting all the historic sites.  Here we're at the site of the Boston Massacre.  It was a great "educational" day for us home schoolers!

Once we returned home from Boston it was time to start gearing up for our new school year.  This will be a very different school year for us.  For the first time in 13 years of home schooling, I will only have 3 students!  Sounds like a piece cake, except for the fact that our youngest two have special needs and learning disabilities.  Let the games begin!

Anna & Avalon cooling off after a ride!

One of the best things about home schooling is the freedom to focus on the kids' interests and strengths while also helping them in weak areas.  This year we're going to focus on a lot of life skill lessons, hands-on activities, and behavior.  I'm actually looking forward to this new year!

We spent our Labor Day enjoying a low-key day with my dad, Wayne Jr., Kerri, Iona, and Kerri's family at our house for a picnic.

Of course I had to include at least one pic of this baby!

Well, I guess I'd better head to bed.  Tomorrow we will begin doing school "lite" for the week.  Next week we'll jump in all the way.  That basically translates into, "I'm not quite ready yet"!