Busy summer

So, things never really slow down around here. We have been playing a lot of baseball around the house these days. Caden has been getting pretty handy with a bat and Olivia is really learning how to stop grounders and throw a ball. The kids aren't really interested in playing on a team (with the exception of maybe Caden) but they have a lot of fun playing for an hour or two every day in our front yard. Olivia was not happy with using Caden's old glove - I mean -- it was BLACK of all things. Definitely NOT a princess glove. So, she got her own PINK glove and ball. She is very happy with it (and herself-- LOL).

Meanwhile we are still doing a bit of schooling. I have been using the fact that Zeke has been all but done with school since mid-April, to really focus on Caden's reading. It has REALLY paid off. Caden picked up a story book and read it to Olivia all by himself today. He is really starting to gain confidence in his own reading ability and beginning to understand he CAN read it for himself. YEAH!! Zeke is finishing up his Research paper on Andrew "Stonewall" Jackson, and asks every day about starting his 6th grade curriculum. I have promised to release his syllabus next week. Russell is doing really well on his CLEP test preparations. He should be ready to take the College Algebra and the Government CLEP tests at the end of this month. Then next Month he is taking the Spanish CLEP test and finishing his Literature class (the final exam for the Literature class is the Freshman Comp CLEP test ). We hope to have 4 CLEP tests = 4 College classes out of the way by end of August. Olivia is pushing hard to get on with her schooling, so I have started working on some basics with her as well. We have been focusing on numbers, and tying her shoe. She REALLY wants to learn to tie her own shoe. She is actually remarkably close to being able to, so I have been trying to help her each day. She can almost write her own name from memory and can copy it very nicely.

In addition to play and school, we still have Zeke taking drum lessons. He got to walk the mile to the music store and back by himself the other day. He said he had fun. He is getting so mature. He is also running and hiking with me again, and still working toward his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He was so excited today because his new sword came in. A REAL sword . . .He loves weapons. Caden is still in Tap Dance Class. He has one or two more classes before they close for the summer, and then he starts back up in September. He loves dancing and his teacher is still amazed at how quickly he picks it up. I am hoping to get Olivia into gymnastics sometime soon. In the mean time she still sings A LOT and climbs around on anything just like a monkey. Russell is busy lifting and doing a little running to get ready for football ( first mandatory practice is 25 July) . Russell, Ezekiel, and Caden are all running a obstacle course race at Quantico in June. I am so excited to watch them run and play in the mud. It is called Run Amuck.