Still here!

This is by far the longest time I've gone between blog posts!  It's okay, though, and I am enjoying the approach of laying 'secondary' things down for a while when life gets too busy and more important things are pressing.  Instead of giving you an exhaustive list of what's happened at our home since November (which would probably be too tedious for anyone, anyway!),  I'll just hit a few high points and share some photos.

Keely's Challenge group competed in a small science fair. Keely worked on her project from the beginning of December until mid-January. She did a great job and we were so excited when she won second place!

We have a slew of birthdays around here during December and January. Annes is now five, Joe is seven, Sam is three, and my little Elijah is one. Sniff. After Christmas, Kevin and I decided to change the girls' room assignments. We have done this several times, to allow different girls to get to know particular siblings better. We also try to consider the dynamics that exist between particular pairs of sisters. Sometimes we try to avoid pairing a struggling older sibling with an impressionable younger one, sometimes we take the potential conflict head-on to help facilitate growth in a rocky relationship. This latest pairing is Row and Lily, and though we have had some bumps, these two are having a blast together. I'd say having a blast together about 67% of the time, bumps the other 33%. :)

To those who say I have to always have a baby in the house, I admit it. It's true. This is our new baby, Bella. She's been equal parts fun and work, but the kids might tilt that ratio toward the fun! She's a sweet doggie, and the kids were delighted and shocked when we presented her as a late Christmas present!

We had some extensive sickness here lately, and now that we are all better, I recognize that the illnesses were a blessing in the sense that I am just happy to be able to carry on with normal life and homeschooling, instead of struggling with the stress and weight of it all. Hope you are all well, and are keeping your eyes on our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!