December 16, 2019

(click here for today's pictures)

• It was a pretty rough morning since we had not done school in a few days. First, it was difficult to wake my people up. Then, they weren't used to doing any work at all. Bless Graham, he almost had a breakdown because something that was marked as #2 was also marked as #3. 
• When our homeschooling journey is over, I can't say for sure what all my children will have learned, but I definitely know that I have learned patience. I am no way perfect, but I am a much more patient person than I was a few years ago. 
• Now, all of this drama just happened for about an hour this morning, because it was soon to stop and get ready for the day. Today was our homeschool Christmas party. We didn't do a while lot of Christmasy stuff, but we had a massive game day.
• The day was so much fun. Everyone played so many games. Whitman and Brody played game after game. The big kids spent a really long time playing poker. Campbell and Keaton also played a bunch of games. It was neat seeing the different games. I do believe that we had so much fun today, that we will probably do this again.
• Not only did we have fun playing games, but we also had fun eating. I made ham and cheese crossiants. There was fruit, a veggie tray, green beans, cheese dip, salsa, spinach dip, popcorn, homemade graham crackers with dip and rice krispy treats. Needless to say, it was a real party!
• Everyone stayed a while playing the games. When they did leave, the kids helped clean up the house which didn't take too long. I had time to wrap a few presents before the boys left for their Trail Life meeting.
• Tonight they toured the Benton police department. The big boys were pretty pleased that they got to hold an assault rifle and Whitman even was put into a jail cell. 
• While they were doing this, the girls and I went to the Wilson's house to watch Shannon bake. She baked the entire time that we were there-I helped a fraction of the time, but mostly just watched. She had it all under control. Of course, everything that she would make, I would have to sample!
• The boys joined us with their supper. The kids played some games upstairs while the grown ups chatted downstairs. It was a nice end to a busy day!