July in Review: End of the School Year

It's true!  We finally finished our school year!  Woohoo!  After skipping much of the school year during our Home Assignment (read: constant travels and not a lot of routine for accomplishing school), we had a lot of ground to catch up.  But catch up we did, and I am sooooooo proud of these boys!  Caleb and Kai were rock stars and really got into the groove of regular school after we moved to Chogoria.  We found a rhythm and routine that worked for everyone, even Asa, and these boys got through our curriculum for the year and learned a ton.  Not to mention everything they learned just by living this life we're doing.  These boys are rock stars!

Now Caleb is officially a 2nd grader, and Kai is a 1st grader!  

And I must brag on Kai a bit.  Because of where his birthday falls, he should only be going into Kindergarten.  But he's been doing school alongside Caleb since the start, because he was that 2-year old that didn't want to be left out and who, apparently, could keep up just fine, so now he's already going into 1st grade and will be doing 2nd grade math right alongside his older brother, along with other 2nd grade material like Social Studies, Science, and Bible.  Basically the only 1st grade material Kai will actually be doing is Language Arts.  Our 5-year old is smart as a whip!

Well, the end of the school year called for a celebration.  On the day we finished, Eli took us out to dinner at the hospital restaurant.  I know it doesn't sound fancy, but not cooking from scratch or having to wash dishes afterwards was quite a treat!  And the food was good too.

Then, the next day we made donuts!  It's a labor of love, but such a celebratory thing to do.  They are oh so delicious, and I had to share them with lots of people lest we eat them all.  We made chocolate glaze and maple glaze, and tried adding sprinkles for the first time, which worked rather well.  The boys were pretty pleased, as was I.

Dipping the donuts into the glaze is my favorite part.  It completes the whole process and makes them look utterly delectable.  And it's fun to twirl your hand around as you flip the donut upright, causing the glaze to lay perfectly on top.  There's something so satisfying about glazing a donut!

Kai was enthralled at the idea of adding sprinkles this time.  This picture is one of my new favorites.  Doesn't it just scream the word delight???

And here they are.  So pretty, right?  And trust me, they were goooooood!

So we've got one more year of homeschooling under our belts.  We get better at it every year, namely myself.  The boys have known no different, so they roll with the punches pretty well, but I feel like I'm in a constant state of acclimating to being both mom and teacher.  It's weird and wonderful, exhausting and exhilarating.  I'm so thankful for the chance to do this, even though I would've never chosen this outside of this missionary life.  I love knowing exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are, and learning how to capitalize on those strengths and nurture those weaknesses.  I love seeing them thrive in this homeschool life, with lots of learning and tons of time to play still.  I love it when Caleb pauses his writing to come give me a hug because "I just wanted to hug you, Mom" and I love it when Kai asks to read me another story because he's discovered the joy of reading.  There are so many perks to homeschooling, which is what I remind myself of in the many moments when I wonder what on earth I'm doing this for.  These boys of mine - these students of mine - make the effort worth it.