It's June!

We've had such a busy 2 weeks that I have just not had a chance to update the blog!  My apologies to those of you who check in regularly.  I'm actually just realizing that it's already June...finally June!  We kicked off summer with a Memorial Day parade and picnic with family and friends.  It was a great day.

The Jubilee Fife & Drum Corps.

 Andrii is in the last row with the base drum.  Slava is waving the flag.

Jordan & Slava questioning the police after the parade!

Wayne and I attended the 29th Annual Loving Education At Home Christian Parenting & Homeschooling Convention from May 30th-June 1st in Rochester, NY.  It was our 12th convention and this one we attended without kids...all by ourselves!  This event is always a boost after a looooonnnnngggg school year.

Wayne & I with the Besenfelders at Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester!

 It's become our annual tradition at the convention to go to Dinosaur BBQ on Friday night.  We get together with friends from our LEAH chapter here at home who also attend.  It's always a great time.

Speaking of homeschooling, a few days before convention I realized that it's almost June...which means the end of the school year.  I've been so engrossed in the craziness of our life that it caught me off guard a little bit.  Thankfully all the kids are in good shape with school.  Sierra is actually taking 2 online courses with Liberty University which she will finish in July.  Andrii has already completed everything except Algebra 2 which he started mid-year.  Over the summer he will do 1 lesson per week to keep current and then complete the course in the first quarter of next year.  Then he will begin Advanced Math.  Since he's otherwise finished, he has already begun working for his grandfather for the summer. Nothing beats hands-on learning!  Anna has completed everything but her grammar book which she will be done with next week.  As for the little boys, we're slowing down a bit but I always continue their schooling over the summer for retention and the fact that they need structure.  My brain is already on the next school year and new curriculum and lesson plans.  Now if I could only find the time to do it!

 Happy Birthday, Kerri!  

 Kerri is pictured here with her parents and some of our kids.  We all celebrated at her partents' house last Sunday.  I am so blessed to have an excellent relationship with my daughter-in-law and her family.

Gram & Curtis

I love this pic of my Curtis and my mom.  It's not often I can get him in a picture, but I seized the opportunity here!  He recently completed his courses at HVCC and will now enter RPI as a junior in the fall.  Originally he had the summer off of school just to work.  But a couple weeks ago on a Thursday he met with his advisor at RPI.  As it turns out there is 1 class he needs in order to graduate with his class.  It's offered now as a summer class but won't be offered again until after his graduation date.  Basically RPI was kind and let him into the class which had already begun that Monday.  So he's already attending RPI!  I'm excited for him, but sad too because this means he won't be able to go on the family vacation we are planning this month :(  

Engard!  

Another pic I love and it just so happens Curt's in this one too!  We brought the little boys these duct-tape swords home from convention.  It brought the little boy out of Curtis!  This was his kind of thing when he was little.  Being the engineering student that he is, he made his own and proceeded to engage the little boys in sword fighting.  Love it!

Last week I had Slava's annual assessment at the elementary school.  Even though I homeschool him I began taking him down to the public school for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy each week.  His assessment concluded that in the fall he will begin having OT twice a week and PT once a week.  It was also decided to evaluate his speech/language which we had done this week.  It looks like he will also have speech therapy weekly now too.  Slava is making a lot of progress and these therapies combined with what we're doing at home seems to be working.  The speech eval was very eye opening to me.  I was able to observe this testing and learned a bit more about how Slava processes information...or doesn't process information I should say.  For one test the therapist read a sentence such as, "After lunch Mary rode her bike down the street."  Slava would then have to repeat as much of the sentence as he could remember.  Almost every time he only remembered the last word.  This reveals why he has a difficult time following instructions.  So if we say, "Go outside and pick up all the toys you left out on the lawn."  It shouldn't surprise us when he doesn't do it.  And it's not that he's being disobedient.  It would be better to take him by the hand and say, "Let's pick up these toys."  And do it together.  Not that he can't learn to processes complex thoughts, but he will need to learn how.  There were some other interesting things I noticed as well.  I am thankful for these learning opportunities.

This week Mary Slager and I visited the The New Light WDCD 96.7fm, the radio station that will air the Justice For Orphans' radio show.  We will begin recording the 30 minute shows next week and they will begin airing on August 9th and go through November.  The name of the show will be:  Orphans No More.  We are so excited about this opportunity to rally the Church for the cause of the fatherless!