It seems like it has been so long since I have posted here. The days have been wonderfully busy and I have had other things take precedence over the blog! Imagine that?!!! I think one of the things that has kept me from writing anything is that my thoughts have not been coherent enough to write anything that would even make sense or be of any benefit to anyone reading, so I have refrained! Did that sentence even make sense? See what I mean???

We have had a wonderful week! One of the highlights was receiving our Sonlight cores we ordered! I ordered the Core B for Evie and Core 6 for Abigail. We are a family that gets really excited over new books, so you can imagine the squeals and jumps for joy when the UPS man carried the huge boxes full of books to our doorsteps! Even little Jack Henry gave a squeal from all the excitement! The books look so great! The curriculum guides look very easy to organize and follow. Abigail has already begged to go ahead and read some of the books over the summer! I like that--I was wanting to bring some enjoyment to her school since the last 2 years have been so intense and difficult at times...she has progressed wonderfully and I want this next year to be a little less intense...focusing on Math and Science and some really great books! Her Math will be Teaching Textbooks Pre Algebra and Apologia General Science. We are thrilled! And Evie's books look wonderful! I can't wait to read *New Toes for Tia* and *Stories from Africa*...I love that Sonlight has such a missions focus. I'm hoping it will broaden my children's views of the world and the needs for God in all cultures! I love so many of the books and I think I will enjoy it as much or more than her! We are ready to dig in...but a much needed summer break is beneficial,too. So, we are looking at starting school in Mid August...when it is too hot to do anything else!

Yesterday, we had a *play day* at our home. We invited mainly Evie's friends from her class at church and all their brothers and sisters. It was really fun! Although not everybody came that we invited, we still had a nice group of moms and children! Everyone played so sweetly. I had the moms bring a picnic lunch and quilt. We had a picnic in the backyard...I provided the drinks and dessert(yummy ice cream sandwiches). Then all the children played. My big girls organized a couple of fun games for them. I think everyone had a fun time. I'm going to post some pictures from the play day later, so check back!

Then last night one of our sweet family friends came over for dinner and swimming. They could not make the play day time, so we decided they could just come later and we would just order pizza and enjoy some fellowship time. They recently had been to England for a choir tour, so we were able to hear all about that...we also shared our thoughts about raising children for the glory of God, why church discipline is so beneficial, and other pressing topics! Ha! This is a family we are very like minded with and we are so, so encouraged whenever we are around them! God has been so kind and gracious to give us friends like these!

There have been other things to occupy our time...like doctor appointments for my parents. I take them to the a geriatric specialists about once every 6 months or sometimes more often. My dad has been progressively getting worse with his alzheimer's disease. This doctor is a specialist in this area. But, at this stage of the disease, he is not getting any better..only more confused. My mom has been doing really well taking care of him. We recently moved them to a smaller home with less yard and all. That has been a blessing. It is hard...but I hope I can honor my parents by helping out in ways that would bless them. But, with a family, homeschooling, and small children, my time is also limited. Pray I will have God's wisdom in balancing it all.

Then, there's the dog...remember Molly? We are having problems with her...and we are trying to decide how best to take care of her and keep her from attacking someone. She has gotten much more aggressive over time. (the last few years) We have her on some medication right now, to see if we can even get her to a groomer or to simply get her cleaned up. She is a mess right now. Mike has a groomer's kit, but she won't let us do it at all....even on the medication, she is still wild and aggressive. We may have to sedate her to get her groomed...isn't that crazy??? It really is sad, because she used to be such a sweet pet. This week has been busy trying to figure out what to do and how best to solve this dilemma. Any advice?

It has been a very wonderful week. We are very blessed. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your prayers. Have a great weekend!