First Day of School August 2026 9th and 11th Grade

On Monday, August 3, we started back to school.  This year Cruz is in 11th grade, and Ben is in 9th. 

 

Ready or not, here we go! 

 

 

11th grade 

 

 

9th grade 

 

 

  

 

me and my boys

I love being their teacher! 

 

 

 

 

It is Ben's first year of high school. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is the curriculum we will be using this school year.

 

Cruz:

English 11- College Preparation Writing for High School Semester 1: Research and Writing Basics

                   College Preparation Writing Semester 2: Critical Thinking and Augmentative Writing

                   American History Literature 

Math- Math-U-See Pre-Calculus

Science- Masterbooks Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab

History- Masterbooks American History

Electives:

Beyond Personal Finance

Liberty University Online Academy- Essentials of Business

Liberty University Online Academy- Public Speaking

Liberty University Online Academy- College and Career Readiness 

 

Ben:

English 9- IEW American History Writing Lessons with Literature and Fix It Grammar Book 6

Math- Math-U-See Geometry

Science- Apologia Biology with lab

History - Outschool World Geography (semester 1)

                State History from a Christian Perspective- Mississippi History (semester 2)

Electives:

Spanish II- Homeschool Spanish Academy

Bible- Masterbooks Foundations in Faith

Health and P.E.- Not Consumed: Thrive   

Art- International Cooking 

 

David Turns 53!

 

  On August 2 we celebrated David's birthday.  He turned 53.  

 

birthday breakfast 

 

 

We did not have our traditional birthday pancakes because we were having pancakes the following day for our first day of school. Instead, I fixed one of his favorite breakfasts- sausage, egg, bean, and cheese croissants. I buy the croissants fresh from a local bakery.  

 

 

opening gifts 

 

His birthday fell on a Sunday this year.  We went to church and then had lunch at Fridas. 

 

 

We came home for birthday dessert.  This year he wanted this cheesecake from PriceSmart. The flavors were plain, strawberry, chocolate, and turtle.  It was delicious!  

 

birthday supper 

 

 

That evening I cooked him one of his favorite meals- chicken, broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole, carrot souffle, green beans, and black eyed peas.  We had more cheesecake for dessert.

 

Life Lately May 2026

 Here is a look at some of our family activities during the month of May. 

 

The first Sunday of each month local churches do the Lord's Supper.  We were in two churches the first Sunday in May and enjoyed it twice. 

 

In early May David attended a pastor's conference at Lake Atitlan. 

 

 

I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day celebration. 

 

 

Cruz and his friends have discovered a love for pool and have found a few places in town where they can go play.  These three do a lot together.  In addition to pool and meal outings, they went bowling and saw two movies in May. 

 

 

David made a trip over to the Chiquimula area to make visits. Below are a few of the people he saw while there.

 

 

He was in La Libertad with Nicolas. 

 

He drove up the mountain to Nearar to check on the church and visit with Pastor Rafael and his wife Luz. 

 

He stopped by Camotan to see the Lubecks. 

 

 

Also in Camotan, he visited with sweet Jane.  She runs El Olam school, which is where Cruz attended preschool when we lived there years ago.

 

 

I enjoyed a long lunch outing with my friend Susan, who was back in Guatemala for a visit.  She lived in Antigua for several years but has since returned to the States.  She loves playing cards, and I miss getting to play with her.  It was fun to catch up!

 

For many weeks now Cruz, a few friends, and the youth group leaders have been going out to eat together after Wednesday night youth group.   He loves these outings!

 

 

We had our last day of school on Friday, May 15. That is always a fun celebration day.

 

 

Our night-blooming cereus or sometimes called Queen of the Night cactus bloomed in mid-May. I had been watching it all week knowing that it was getting ready to bloom. The blooms only open at night and last just one night.  By the following morning they close up and die.  They can be as big as 8-12 inches across.  In all, over a three night period, we had thirty-six blooms!  It's a beautiful sight with the sweetest smell.

 

 

 

David and our teammate, Mark, made an overnight trip to Ixchiguan to visit with ministry partners and make plans for our upcoming Indigenous conference.

 

 

On Cruz's birthday eve he enjoyed a meal and outing in town with friends.

 

 

He turned 16 on May 26. 

Here is a look at Cruz's 16th birthday celebration. 

 

 

The following day he got his Guatemala driver's license.  He was very excited! 

 

 

We traveled as a family over to Copan, Honduras to visit with Pastor Nahum. 

 

 

While in Copan, we made a visit to Macaw Mountain to see the birds. 

 

 

Lastly, we ended the month watching baseball.  It was fun to see the Ole Miss Rebels advance to the Super Regionals.   We'll be watching this weekend hoping they advance on to the College World Series.