Urban Goes Country

We are finally starting to get into the groove of things. Homeschooling is going so much better now that we are in a routine. I wasn't sure at first but we are all really starting to enjoy our homeschool group, Classical Conversations. Every week each kid has to get up in front of their little class and do a speech or presentation of some kind. Public speaking is a huge fear of mine and literally something that I have had nightmares about. I can only see one person in our family being comfortable as a public speaker and that is Hope, so I am glad the rest of us are being forced to step out of our little comfort zones and learning to public-speak.

Today they were supposed to show how to do something, using visual aides. Simeon showed how to solve the Rubiks cube, which is always sure to impress any audience.

Jude wanted to show how to play the piano, but we decided that a piano was too big of a visual aide to carry with us. Instead he made Chex party mix and shared the recipe and a sampler bag with all his classmates.

Liesel taught how to write a computer program! Of course her dad taught her how to do this while they spent two weeks together in Ukraine. Here we've been trying to help her find her niche and we have been looking in all the wrong places! She was 'too embarrassed' to do ballet, too nice for sports. She loves music but doesn't like to show off. But her face lights up when she works on a computer! She was beaming and said, "Mom I think I'm going to grow up to be a nerd!" ha.

Anyway I'm not sure what to think about the fact that my kids now know more than I do about computers, music and sports, among other things.

Jude and Liesel are best buds. They want to start a band, for only our family to enjoy. Jude plays the piano and Liesel plays the guitar. They are so cute together, even playing duets and making up songs.

They are also planning to start an orphanage someday on 500 acres. They will have horses for the kids to ride, and music, and they will teach all the kids to decorate cakes. Jude will be the preacher and Liesel will be the teacher. :) I love to hear them talk about these kinds of things.

It was a beautiful weekend, so we went horseback riding. Zoya has been a few times,

But Joseph....experienced his first horseback ride.

I think he loved it.

And Ava did too, as always.

This morning as we were walking out the door Simeon asked me where Zoya was. I  said I didn't know.
He turned around and this is what I saw.

She started meowing.

I think I feel a  Halloween costume coming on......