Update 1

Back for my monthly post! :) It is in three parts this time because I wanted to put in lots of pictures. This first part is about our homeschooling. So far everything is working out well. We are kind of co-oping with another family - the Garrisons - so we kind of share the days of the week and we can adjust our schedules if the moms have something special. Like next week the Garrison mom (Kara) will be up at the northern border meeting with a group of women from a neighboring country for Bible studies and I will have the kids on her days. Later, when I have meetings, she will take over for me.

So the first picture here shows Seth & Grant with Katie and Jake around our "dining room" table making models of cells. I do the science and Kara does the writing stuff. We share the history and Bible and any other daily subjects.
We are studying Ancient civilizations and the Old Testament mixed in. Here the kids are making a pyramid out of sugar cubes (always a winning activity).
And my favorite activity shown next -- we are mummifying a chicken!! :) Unfortunately I didn't have a good picture of it. It still has it's head (kind of curled over to the side) but we had to cut its feet off to fit in the ziplock bag. We have to keep it in a salt mixture for 6 weeks (we are on week 4) and then we perfume it and wrap it in cloth strips. Doesn't that sound fun!! We change the salt mixture periodically and we put cloves in with the salt to help it smell better. After the first week the smell really hasn't been too bad. But let me tell you -- I wouldn't want to be mummified!!
Here they are after labeling their bones - the older sibling labeled the younger sibling. They all get along really well and I think they are learning lots, too! :)