Fun visits

 We are so glad people are traveling again and we've enjoyed having people stay with us!

The Joyners came for a couple days....  It was a spirited time!

...And then Mom and Dad came for a long weekend!  Even Gus was thrilled.

We took them to all the hotspots... including a college soccer game and world's coolest toy store

Resurrection Day

 He is Risen!

Highlights of this day for us were being able to walk to and from church, ringing little bells everytime the word Alleluia was sung, and having the whole family together.

Plus there was the feasting.  I forgot to take pictures, but we gathered a couple friends and drove down to Pittsburgh for dinner at the Boyers' house, which was delicious!

A Major Accomplishment

 When you're the fourth-born it may be hard to ever achieve something that your older siblings have not already done... but Milo has done just that.

Every year that we have done Classical Conversations our kids have achieved Memory Master status by memorizing every single fact of the year and repeating them back in one sitting (to 4 different people).  This includes:

• 24 history sentence/passages
• 24 science facts/passages
• 24 facts about the English language
• 24 facts about Latin
• About 120 places on a world map
• About 160 historical events in a chronological timeline
• All of the times-tables up to 15 x 15
• 13 other math facts/equations
• The U.S. Presidents in order

THIS YEAR, though, Miles did the ultimate challenge by memorizing all THREE YEARS' worth of those things!  (So multiply the first 5 items on that list by 3!)  Even speaking at his auctioneer-voice speed, it still took him over 2 hours to recite all of that information each time.

There was a lot of moaning and groaning this year as I pushed him to do it, but in the end he surprised himself by how much he could remember -- and we are all impressed.

The young mind is an amazing thing!

Montana!

 For Milo's 12-year-old trip, he made the wise decision to go skiing in Big Sky, Montana.  He and Pete had a blast on their trip, with plenty of hiking thrown in as well.