It has been quiet but that may change

Another page on the calendar has been turned. February simultaneously inched and flew by. The weather taunted us with warmth and sun for brief moments in between cold and wet.

School this month was kind of hit or miss. We have consistently been doing math and handwriting and reading lots of books. Nathaniel is making good progress on Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Jeremiah reads for about 2 hours every afternoon. He continues to love his science class. We are behind in our Core work (history & geography) and haven't done any formal Language Arts in a few weeks. I was tempted to get worried about this, but I am not. It is obvious the boys are learning, a lot, it just doesn't look like "traditional" education.

I have continued to struggle with this "mysterious illness." This week an abdominal ultrasound revealed gallstones. I have an appointment with a surgeon next week to see what the next steps are. I am not excited about surgery but if it will take care of my symptoms (which have come and gone since Thanksgiving) I am ready to get it done. It is really hard to spend so much time not feeling like myself. And I will admit that I got pretty discouraged and complained a lot. However, I have also been made more aware of the struggles my friends with chronic illness experience and I pray for them more.

We have signed Jeremiah up for the spring soccer season. This is through the YMCA not through our city league. So far we have been very impressed with their organization and communication. Aaron will not be coaching. We are looking forward to spring evenings at the soccer field with new friends. Jeremiah moves up to the big field this year! Yikes!

We are making some decisions about Aaron pursuing his Education Specialist Degree. It would mean a very intense year for all of us (the program is June 2013 - June 2014) but the long term benefits are many.

It is funny how life seems to be moving a long in a comfortable, predictable groove and then suddenly things change. We continue to take one step at a time, trusting God's guidance and love for us.