Luke finished his first year of high school. He played freshman football, working out or practicing early every morning. He arrived at 7am, waking himself up MOST of the mornings and during football season stayed to practice after school until 5pm. He also tried choir this year. Though he doesn't want to continue, he does harmonize with ease, read music better and sing in every part of his voice beautifully. (Biased mom yes, but I think my degree backs up my critique.) ;) He enjoyed Pre-AP World Geography and Spanish, worked hard for his B in Algebra even with a first-year teacher, read several books and wrote a paper on Shakespeare in Pre-AP English and survived Biology. I think he had a successful year and will continue working out through the summer with football starting June 10. He will also take Drivers Ed this summer, travel to Brazil on a mission trip, work at our VBS, go to youth camp, spend season passes at Six Flags with friends and look for mowing jobs around the neighborhood. He's beginning to look at what could be his first car....and saving for it!
Grace began her first year in middle school at the public school Luke attended last year. She found it to be fun, a bit stressful and quite rowdy in the older kids' hallway. She loved having lunch with her friends, but couldn't stand P.E. She went to a nursing home and the mall at Christmas with her choir. She started learning to play the clarinet in band. Her math teacher called her "a hard worker" and all of her teachers were happy to see her last week when she went to the school to get her yearbook signed and turn in her choir dress. Grace's year, as you know, did not go the way it began. On January 23rd, her brother's 15th birthday, she went for a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. She stayed for 10 days and on February 4th we withdrew her from public school and began the year at home. Since we know how to homeschool and know the curriculums we enjoy, it was the obvious and most peaceful decision, with Grace actually bringing it up first. 2 days after starting to homeschool she went back to the ER with a high fever of 104+ and stayed for 6 days. We were home for 2 weeks and went back for 4 days, stayed home for 3.5 weeks and went back for the longest stay yet....22 very long days. We were home for 1 full day and went back for a kidney stone removal and the worst pain of her life. Grace has learned more than anything a school can teach, gaining maturity, fortitude and faith in God. She can comfort those who need comfort and encourage those who need courage. She is currently studying the names of God with Precepts and working in Saxon 7/6 math with a CDrom that teaches each concept and will continue to do a lesson each day as well as her bible study all summer. She also reads daily and enjoys going to the library each week. This summer she will go on a mission trip to Mission Arlington with the junior high youth, church camp in July and to Camp Oasis in August for kids 8-15 with Crohn's and Colitis. Some of her favorite nurses from Children's will be her counselors, so she is looking forward to this!
Moriah graduated from preschool with HONORS! ;) She has really learned so much on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Sonshine Academy at First Baptist Colleyville. We love it so much we've decided to stay for Kindergarten! This year Moriah has learned the sound every letter makes and can count to 50! She reads simple words and learned many sight words this year and likes to sound out everything she sees! It's getting harder to spell out things we don't want her to know! Her favorite things about school are lunch and playing at the playground, of course! She enjoys going to the library with Mom & Sissy and getting more books she can read, as well as playing computer games there. She also has been going to ballet and tap on Fridays all year, with a recital coming in mid-June. Her teacher says she has something "you just can't teach", and encouraged us to put her in the pre-competition level class so this summer she will be going to dance twice a week. She looks forward to VBS, Princess Dance camp in August, Six Flags and swimming at the city pool with Sissy often!
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
