A Cup of Tea with Joy: Living Hope Academy...

Friday we just finished our first term! Unbelievable! It seems like we were just getting ready to start and here we have our first 7 weeks under our belt and are looking forward to our first vacation week. Over all the kids did really well. We all seem to be adjusting to the schedule and our days are full. One of the things that has been really different for me this year, is that school is taking quite a bit longer than it has in previous years. Of course for Teddy, it has been increasing every year, but I have been able to be finished with my part usually by noon. This year, I am taking a break to fix lunch and then after lunch we all head back up for at least an hour sometimes 2. That is is taking some getting used to.

One of the things I am hoping to accomplish during this break, is to get more of our meal prep done, and in the freezer. Also hope to make several "mixes" that will be time savers, too. Since we are all home for the mid-day meal, it just works better for us to have our main meal of the day at that time, instead of in the evening. But, with more time needed for school during the day, it is taking some "creative planning" to make that work, and still enjoy a nice dinner together. :-)

It is exciting to see the kids making progress! Teddy has done an in-depth study of the Pacific Islands and is currently in the middle of a study on Australia. He is just about to conquer Long Division and Complex Multiplication problems. Next he will be moving onto some pretty complex work with fractions. (I'm so glad Daddy is near by to help out with Math!!) He has also been learning a lot about the Human Body. Just finished studying the digestive system. Also an in depth study of how the kidneys work. Really quite fascinating Not sure who is enjoying it more, Teddy or me? ;-)

Carla and Matthew have been learning about ancient history. I was a little concerned at first, that it might be over their head, especially working as ESL, but I have been very pleased with how much they have understood and retained. In Science they learned all about the Water Cycle, and we spent some time on Weather. Now they are starting a study of plants.

Carla is doing great with her reading, and she seems to really enjoy it. She is struggling a little in Math, but, is making progress, and we are very pleased with that.

Matthew has made unbelievable progress with his small motor control. If you compared his work today with what he was doing even 6 months ago, you would never believe it was the same kid. I am so proud of how hard he is working in this area. He is still struggling a lot in the "decoding" part of learning to read. Not because he doesn't know the sounds of the letters, but his problems with speech, make it difficult for him to put the sounds together in a way that he can hear the word. We are working on some different things, and praying that we will find the right combination for him. I have no doubt that this little boy will learn to read. He has never failed to accomplish anything he set his mind to do, be it learn to walk...talk...feed and dress himself...write and cut.... It just might take a little bit longer to accomplish, but what is that in the whole scheme of things? :-)

We thank you so much for your prayers for our family. It is such a blessing to us to know that you are praying for us.

Blessings, Joy

Matthew's "pizza"

Even Carla's babies enjoy school! ;-)

We enjoy "field trips" to the beach!

We spent time in Monti Cristi learning about culture things. Here Teddy is showing a couple tagua "nuts" and the plant they came out of. Tagua is known as "vegetable ivory".