Andy Baseball

Andy at bat and with the team -- the Three Rivers Raiders. He had a pretty good weekend. In his first game, he got a nice hit right before the game was delayed on account of thunder and lightning (real close!), and later hit one to the wall (390 ft) that would have been a home run in many baseball fields. He also made a real nice throw from left field to catch a runner off the base after a fly ball. He's having a great time, though college baseball is more physically demanding -- running before classes, and 3 - 4 hours practices after!

Weekend in Springfield

Andy had 4 games in Springfield on the weekend, so Isaac, Elizabeth, Dan and I went down to watch. Well, we did some playing at the park, too :)

Elizabeth and her buddy, Amis, painting at school. They really got into it!

Bike Crash!!

Isaac and I were racing down our driveway on our bikes on Tuesday. For some reason Isaac put on a helmet. So, when we were going down, I heard Isaac's tires skidding in the gravel. The next thing I knew, Isaac wan on top of his bike (which was laying on the ground), and screaming. Yes he had crashed (probably a good thing he put on a helmet!), and had a couple small scrapes and scratches. But the weird thing was that he had this huge bump on his forehead, right where a vein (or artery, I don't know which) was. It looked like it was going to explode! It was pretty scary looking. But anyway.........here are a few pictures of his "bump."

-Zeke

Our Refrigerator

This is our refrigerator. Since Andy left we've had more leftovers than we know what to do with!

Cedar Trails Academy (our home school)

Since Andy moved out, we decided to move our school room to the basement. Far left, Abby's work area, in Andy's room. It gives her plenty of room for all her books, and a door to close for some privacy. To the right, Isaac hard at work. Zeke's work area is to the front of the picture. In the final picture, you see the rest of the school room, with Elizabeth working on the computer. Usually the floor is littered with toys, books and dolls (at least when Elizabeth is home.

Memory Work

This is Isaac's rendition of the verse we are memorizing in Sunday School - he copied it out of the Bible!
On our school wall are several Proverbs, which he is memorizing for school.

Lasagna

After years of buying frozen lasagna, I finally decided to start making it from scratch again. It isn't that hard, and it tastes better. I don't know if this is the best I've ever made, but it was good! This time I actually followed a recipe off the Barilla lasagna box -- I like their noodles, because they don't have to be cooked, and they are less substantial, so soak up the sauce better. Yum!

Tour of Missouri

The Tour of Missouri ended in Rolla today. We went to a spot about 15 miles west of Rolla to catch the riders making a sharp turn, and then hurried back to town to watch the circuit in town, which they rode 3 times. Michael Barry of Team Columbia had an amazing ride, finishing the 95 hilly miles in 3 hours, 16 minutes. He pulled away from the pack you see in the second picture between where we saw them and Rolla, and held on to the lead-- the rider who was just behind him when they got to Rolla got caught and passed by the pack, which included the overall leader, in the yellow jersey (7th in the line). Tomorrow we watch the start in St. James and then go watch the finish in Jefferson City -- we are combining a trip there for a business meeting and to the library, so a full day!

Becky

Here's Becky with her friend Ashley. She is having quite a transition year, really becoming a college student, though at home. She's taking 12 credits at 2 different local colleges, which she is enjoying so far. She's also been quite a helper for me, taking Elizabeth to school, driving Abby to VB practices, preparing meals, and doing projects as needed. She has her own blog (which inspired me to start this one), so check it out for even more info on what's going on with her -- she always amazes me with her insights.

Zeke

Notice how tall Zeke has gotten?-- he's on the far right. He is really stretching out. We convinced him to play soccer again, even though he doesn't think he will be any good since he'll be the youngest in the group- time will tell. He wishes that there was a boys volleyball team -- he started playing with his older siblings and has developed a wicked jump serve. In one game he can play regularly, ping-pong, he is the reigning champion, beating everyone, including Dan, on a regular basis. He is also learning how to play the bells and hopefully, other percussion instruments in Kay's Homeschool Band. He is also our most eager gardener, and actually succeeded in growing some carrots and corn this year with minimal effort. He's filling in for Andy's absence ably -- you know, the teasing brother. But he is also a very good brother, too, when he puts his mind to it. He gives Elizabeth piggy back rides and plays restaurant with Isaac on a regular basis.

Abby

Abby is growing up! While she is still an avid horse lover, and counting down the days until we buy one, she is keeping busy playing volleyball, learning to play the trumpet, and taking more responsibility at home. She and Becky recently traded rooms, giving Abby the bigger room and a roommate - Elizabeth. She learning to manage her thick, wavy hair and building her own stylish wardrobe, including shoes, since she can't wear Becky's things anymore -- size 8 1/2 feet are bigger than both mine and Becky's!

Nature's Bounty

After losing our crop last year due to a late frost, it was a pleasure this year to enjoy the bounteous harvest of our fruit trees and berries. This picture shows some of the apples and prune plums, which were the last of the trees to produce. We also enjoyed some delicious peaches, Concord grapes, and blackberries. Most of those we made into preserves, which we are enjoying immensely. Becky also made some apple butter and some delicious apple desserts, and we also made some delicious desserts from the blackberries and peaches. My favorite was peach/blackberry cobbler, eaten warm with vanilla ice cream.. yum!