Coffee for Breakfast

Last night my husband and I went to my 20th year high school reunion. Since I didn't attend the 10 year reunion, it really had been 20 years since I had seen most folks. We had a great time. Here are a few pictures from last night.

Aubree's first soccer game was this morning, at 9am. She had a blast. Participating in an actual game made her understand so much more. We are "soccer illiterate", but I think we will all catch on pretty fast.

I love the early morning time. I love to sneak out of bed, start my coffee brewing, and open a good book. Most of this time is spent outdoors on my back patio. I treasure this quiet time alone with the Lord, and with myself. As homeschooling moms we have to find life's little pleasures and savour them. Time with our families is most precious, but we have to remember to take moments of refreshment for ourselves. I believe this quiet time enables me to be a better wife and mom.

Our family went RV shopping today. My husband has had camping on his mind alot lately. With deer season quickly approaching (he is an avid deer hunter) I suspected a hidden motive. I mistakenly thought his new RV obsession had something to do with the deer lease. When I questioned him further about the reason he wanted an RV, his response was, "I think it will be good for our family to spend time together and build relationships." You 've gotta love a man like that! Pictured above are my guys!

is digital scrapbooking! I know, I'm a little behind in this new technology thing. This is new to me. It all started with my first digital camera I recieved last Mother's Day. I love it. Then I discovered shutterfly.com . The projects on this site are awesome. I started with a photo book of our memories this summer. As I completed this project, I decided to work on class yearbooks for each of our school age daughters. Then today I discovered digital scrapbooking pages. I plan to complete several projects and preserve a lifetime of beautiful memories. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with all of those old undeveloped disposable cameras!

These pictures are from our second day (in a row!) at the zoo.

Today we enjoyed our first trip to the zoo this school year. Kaitlyn (12), and Kyla (11) participated in a homeschool class at the zoo. This series of classes will last through March, 2008. Each month a different animal habitat will be covered. Today the class covered desert animals. Aubree (7), Courtney (19), and I enjoyed walking through the zoo while the other girls attended their two hour class. We especially liked the educational presentation and feeding of the penguins.

Yes, I am now an official "Soccer Mom". I have been a baseball/softball/twirl/dance/scout/gymnastic/football/basketball mom, but never a soccer mom. This is our first year for any of our kids to play soccer. We are completely clueless. Aubree had alot of fun at her first practice last night. She learned alot, as did we. I am looking very forward to their first game. Now I just need to buy my husband the above t-shirt!

We started our new year of school early this year. We usually start after (or on) Labor Day. This year the girls were ready to begin a week early. Summer activities are coming to a close and we are all ready for a change of pace. Kaitlyn is beginning 7th grade, Kyla is beginning 5th grade, and Aubree is a 2nd grader this year. We have spent the first two weeks as an introductory period. We are learning alot of new map skills with our new curriculum, My Father's World. We will begin studying North America next week. We will begin with the U.S., Mexico, then Canada. Some of our new activities for the school year will begin next week also. Kyla will begin her new dance class on Monday. Aubree will begin soccer practice on Tuesday. Her first game will be next Saturday. Kaitlyn is patiently waiting for basketball season. Another activity we are all excited about are Zoo classes. These will be held monthly throughout the school year.