Sorry for the lapse in communication. The year is certainly in full swing and the month of January simply flew by! We are back in full swing and loving life here in Calaveras County! Church, Bible Studies, homeschooling- just some of God's many blessings! We're still living with my parents and business is going strong. We're hoping to move into our own place soon and the housing search is in full swing. There are certainly a lot of properties up for rent right now, but we need to have a decent sized yard hopefully with a fence for our two dogs. Right now Shiloh is living with my sister and her boyfriend in Stockton and Kris' parents have Avalon on their property above Volcano. We deeply appreciate their willingness to take care and love on our doggies, but we miss them and can't wait to be reunited on a full time basis!
So here's a glimpse of the last month.
We spent the day in Elk Grove visiting the Riera family for the first time since before we went to Belize. We actually hadn't seen them since the end of July! What fun we had reconnecting with Marc and Stacey and how the boys loved playing with Drew and Tyler... oh and I got to spend most of the day loving on their baby Joshua!! Isn't he adorable?
 |
| Sweet Joshua! |
 |
| Jonathan & Drew- born two weeks apart! Riding their scooters |
|
|
 |
| On the homeschool front: J is learning to READ!! And he's loving it! |
Jonathan can pretty much sound out any 3 letter word that has a short vowel. We spent some time at the library last week and found some early readers for him to practice with. "I can read this all by myself!" He states proudly! It's amazing to watch him learn and grow, making huge strides lately!
 |
| My cuddle-bug Aaron |
 |
| Yep, already learning to use the computer! |
|
Here at my parents' house the boys have enjoyed cable television, something that we haven't had at our own houses. We've found some decent and educational shows on the PBS, Nick Jr., and Disney Junior networks. I was excited to see that each network also has a website with great games based on the shows and characters that they like. So we incorporate a few games into our school week. Learning to use the keyboard and mouse has been a challenge, especially for Aaron who's not one to be left behind... but they seem to be enjoying it.
I'd like to introduce you to my children- just back from an adventure in the jungles of Belize (they came back looking like the monkeys we left behind in Belize!):
 |
| Long Haired Monkey-Child #1 |
|
 |
| Nicely Trimmed Handsome Boy #1 |
 |
| Super Shaggy Monkey-Child #2 |
 |
| Slightly less shaggy handsome boy #2 |
|
And yes Aaron's hair does look uneven because it is uneven. I was using clipper which usually makes it quick and easy, but Aaron has never been a fan of hair cuts. As soon as the little flying hair pieces start falling down onto his neck, face, arms, etc he starts wiggling and freaking out. So this is the best I could do. Thankfully their hair grows in pretty quickly!
And finally one of my newest obessions: Pinterest! It's a great idea organizing site. I can create boards for certain things: crafts, recipes, decorating ideas, etc. I've really liked finding and trying out recipes I've found there. No more printing out recipes that I find on line! Now I just pin them and can find them at a moment's notice!! One of the things I tried recently was bacon pancakes... and boy were they yummy!! Here's a pic:
 |
| Bacon pancakes! |
Here's the link to the original recipe:
Bacon Pancakes!
