November 22, 2015

It's been a while since I posted.  Here are pictures from late summer:

Posing with the frog they found...

We went to the State Museum with the Ziebers.  They liked playing in the one-room schoolhouse...

We played at a playground for about half an hour and it was ROASTING.  Abby said, "I so sweaty!"

Playing at EdVenture that evening...

Taking a cooking class at Edventure:

Abby doing her "school": 

First day of Classical Conversations.  It was actually our 20-something day of school since we did a few days over the summer:

My class at CC:

Yet another museum we visited with a friend:

She likes purple:

Caleb made his own "Super Alaska costume":

Little look-a-like:

Out to eat to celebrate Ben passing his big test:

 Reading in the hammock:

Looking at leaves:

Our friend Jake (an artist) came and taught the kids at CC:

As a result, the kids are constantly drawing:

Micah's 9th birthday.  He wanted to play flag football with friends:

Meanwhile, Caleb tried to fit himself in a bag under the table:

A kid brought the Lego Death Star to CC to show everyone.  My boys were just a little thrilled:

Saturday morning ipad time:

One of the first pretty fall days, we took off school to clean out the backyard a little and burn some brush:

Caleb's birthday... (not sure why these pictures downloaded AFTER Micah's birthday pictures.)  He and Becca Zieber had a shared party since their birthdays are only a few days apart.  Aunt Carrie made a Minecraft cake for Caleb and a "beach" cake for Becca:

At our friend's baby shower.  The guys had to do a game where they raced to finish a bottle of grape juice:

Caleb's birthday fell on a CC day.  So we took chocolate cupcakes in to his class:

First baptisms at Vineyard Rock Hill.  Ben baptizing Helen:

Ben and Lindsey baptizing Sarah:

We had not actually thought through how to get the water back OUT of the hot tub. :)

 Playing "minute to win it" games at the Ziebers:

Basketball with Dad:

Of course, Caleb had to stick out his rear end for one picture:

This is the drawing Micah made to thank Jake for coming to CC:

We had a HUGE adoption fundraiser garage sale, and we had a TON of donations.  We made about $2,200!

Abby discovering "new toys" in the garage for the garage sale:

Playing at the library:

 Digging for gold in the yard (for the "Haiti kids") :)

Abby said, "Look, I wrote my name!"  That's the first time I saw her do this:

Lost a tooth:

Abby's drawing:

Micah's ninth birthday.  We went to Charlotte to Discovery Plave and ate at Qdoba:

Astronauts in training:

On our way to Lazy 5 Ranch with our friends from CC:

Abby loved the pigmy goat:

Playing in the "corn box":

Halloween costumes:

Caleb drew Wall-E (the top picture) and Mohanddas Gahndi (bottom picture):

Birthday present from Aunt Darlene:

Collecting fall leaves:

Second tooth gone!  Just in time for family pictures. :)

Nature hike with CC:

Abby looking at a picture that got emailed to us upside down:

Ben passed his final test at work, so he is DONE studying.  (It was a little close... he needed 75% to pass, and his practice tests were all coming out to about 85-87%.  He thought the "real test" felt about the same... and he got a 78%  whew!)  Mike (his boss) said, "Now forget everything you learned for the tests... you'll never use it!" 

Our dossier is ready to be authenticated, and we have almost everything we need to finish it off and get it translated.  I'm hoping to have it DONE and ready to send by the end of the year.  

Mike Jette (Ben's boss) went to Africa for two weeks, and got really sick AND the house he was in (in Africa) got robbed during the night.  The next day back here in South Carolina, during the day, someone broke into Karl and Lindsey Bucher's house.  They stole their really nice laptop that Lindsey used for graphic design AND the church's laptop and some jewelry.  So last week was pretty stinky. 

We are ready to head to Maryland on Wednesday and then off to Ohio for a few days.  Can't wait!!