Catch-Up Post

Oh. My. Goodness!  Time to update!  Bullet highlights time with more detailed posts to follow...

• We survived a 6-week separation while Ted was in Texas for training for his new job.  He returned April 14.  Woohoo!
• During his absence, Lucan turned 4!

• Ted got to celebrate his birthday and Easter with his family in Colorado.  It was a quick trip but a blessing for all of them.
• He also spent a weekend with dear friends of ours, Chas and Melinda P.
• While he was gone, Charis and I went to Paris for a weekend with two other moms and 3 daughters.  Wonderful families took care of my other 5 children, and I welcomed the break and the opportunity to have some girl time with friends and my firstborn!

• Tobin turned 11 the day before Ted returned home, so we waited a bit to celebrate together.

• The week after Ted came home we had our ultrasound and learned we are having another BOY!
• Ted had to hit the office immediately and was put to work...not even allowing time for jet lag recovery!
• But the second week he was home he did manage to get a few days of leave time, so we took some day trips.
• First day trip:  Capua Amphitheater, an ancient gladiator training school.  So fun to explore!
• Second trip:  Cuma, Greek ruins close to the coast.
• Third: We left the younger 3 with a babysitter and took the older ones downtown to see the Naples Archaeological Museum and then take the Naples Underground tour.
• We finally finished Year 2 of American History and took some time off school.
• Our next box of curriculum--covering the Eastern Hemisphere--arrived, and we got a slow but eager start...might as well keep on rolling since we already know we'll need some time off for traveling this summer and when the baby comes.
• Our semester of PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) studies wrapped up, so my teaching duties (The Hole in Our Gospel) are over.
• However...I kept pretty busy planning "Slaves No More," a mini-conference about human trafficking that we hosted this past Friday night.  God is so good!!  Can't wait to tell you about this event!
• We celebrated Mother's Day in a low-key way yesterday, opting to forego an expensive dinner out and instead stay home and simplify.  The kids decided the movie Brave was a good Mother's Day themed choice, so my gifts included the movie (which we of course watched!), beautiful flowers, and a crocheted hat from Charis!

And that about summarizes the last 5-6 weeks or so!  I'll try to post more pics and details about our adventures in days to come, but at least this helps get me caught up so when I look back there isn't quite as big of a gaping hole in the 2013 journaling!