Last Day of 4th and 6th Grade May 2022

 We finished our school year on Friday, May 20.  Here is how we celebrated our last day.

 

 

We had a banana pancake and bacon breakfast.

 

We then took a few pictures before we started school.

 

 

We finished our final lessons and also filled out these fun questionnaires.  We always do these on the first and last day of school.   I will add them to their binders that include all of their pages from each grade.

 

I gave out a few certificates.  Here is Ben with his Fix It! Grammar certificate.

 

Do you think he was excited to get this math completion certificate??

 

Cruz's Fix It! Grammar certificate

 

Cruz's Math U See Zeta completion certificate.  He will move on to Pre-Algebra in the fall.  Yikes!

 

A comparison photo

 

We did the first semester of school in the U.S. and finished the school year in Guatemala.  

 

Yay!  We did it!

 

For lunch they chose Taco Bell.  

 

Playing Foosball at Taco Bell in Antigua.

 

Next we stopped by Dunkin Donuts for ice cream and donuts.

 

So yummy!!

 

They went to their last Awana class that afternoon and then we had a pizza and movie night that evening.  It wrapped up a very fun day!

 

We're done!!  

 

 Hello summer break!

 

The following morning we had a community/ family day at Encounter Academy to close out their school year.  The boys participated in the piano recital and both received an award for Awana.  

 

 

Piano certificates and Awana awards

 

 

Ben playing When the Saints Go Marching In at his piano recital

 

 

Cruz playing Standing in the Need of Prayer.

 

I am very proud of their hard work this school year.  It is a little bitter sweet to close out another year of school because it is a reminder of just how fast they are growing up. It's a wild ride and I'm just holding on trying to soak it all in.

Life Lately March 2022

 We began the month by attending the birthday party of a sweet neighbor friend of the boys.  Here is Ben taking a turn at hitting the pinata.

 

The first Saturday of the month was Community Day at Encounter Academy.  The school does eight week quarters and takes two weeks off in between.  At the end of each quarter they have a Community Day for all the families.  The activities are different each time but each one includes a potluck meal and a school presentation.  This quarter they had a multi-family garage sale.  I gathered several things to sell and Cruz helped me run my table.  He sold a few of his things as well.  It was the second year to have the sale and I have enjoyed getting to participate in both.

 

That evening the kids put on a talent show.  The ones who had been taking piano each played something that they had learned.  Here is Ben getting ready to play.  

 

Ben caught a stomach bug the following weekend and spent all of Saturday on the couch trying to recover.  Thankfully, he was the only one of us to get sick. 

 

Thanks to a teenage MK who is offering her babysitting services to the Encounter families, David and I had an afternoon outing to Guatemala City to purchase some supplies.  We went to PriceSmart (our equivalent to a Sam's Club) and also the grocery store.  Getting to shop without the boys is a luxury.  We took our time going up and down each isle, leisurely looking at everything..  When we finished shopping, we grabbed some coffee and a doughnut at their cafe.  It was very nice and refreshing to have that time alone.  It was not a typical date but we'll take whatever we can get. 

 

 

My sweet friend Katie had given me this coffee mug for my birthday.  Every time I drink from it I get a smile on my face.   At this season in life, we are very thankful for all the friends the Lord has brought into our lives and the lives of our kids.  The Lord has increased that greatly since we returned in January.

 

 

We attended the 18th anniversary service for Iglesia Del Camino in Antigua. It was a joy to see a father and son get baptized during the service and then have a church-wide meal together.  Here are David and I enjoying our lunch.   If you visit Antigua and want a bilingual service, Iglesia Del Camino is a great place to go.  

 

 

I was also able to attend part of this wonderful women's event at Iglesia Del Camino.  We had guests here visiting and my friend Denise went with me.  The conference was amazing and I hope it is something they'll offer again next year.

 

Speaking of women's events, a highlight of my week is Wednesday afternoons when I host a group of mom's for our Don't Mom Alone discussion time.  We sit around my table enjoying coffee, dessert, and some very rich discussion/fellowship time together.  Some of our recent discussion topics have been
understanding your developing teen, equipping your kids for difficulty, recovering from mom burnout, and parenting in the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is just a few of the great topics we have covered since we began meeting in January.  It has been a great way to grow together, encourage each other, and mostly to be reminded that we don't mom alone.

We hosted Rick and Denise Bearden for a week.  They are friends from Alabama that we have known since our Coban years.  They were our first guests since Covid.  You can imagine our excitement!!  It was a joy to have them in our home with us.  We had the sweetest fellowship time.  They are a precious couple and they encouraged us greatly.  They have been gone now for just a few days but we are still in a lull and missing them. 

 

 

We showed them all around Antigua.  It is an interesting time to visit with all of the pre-Semana Santa activities taking place. We showed them several of the cathedrals around town. We were specifically looking for the beautiful carpets that are made this time of year.

 

 

They got a great view of Fuego erupting as we were out and about.

 

We got a fun laugh out of seeing these pigeons hanging out on the wire. They were just above our vehicle and thankfully did not leave any droppings on our car.

 

 

A statue near the cross above Antigua.

 

The boys loved seeing this tree because they thought it looked like camouflage. 

 

The gorgeous view of Antigua from up above. That is Agua volcano in the distance.

 

 

A group photo at the cross.

 

 

 

 

The arch in Antigua is one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Guatemala. If you visit Antigua, you have to get your photo taken there.

 

This carpet was in the main cathedral in town.  They are made from colored sawdust.  During Holy Week the locals will make these carpets in the streets all over town.  It is a stunning sight to see!!

 

Someone had rubbed it and messed it up a bit.

 

They also line the carpets with real fruits and vegetables.

 

We ate most of our meals at home but we did get out a few times to enjoy some of the great restaurants around town.   You could probably guess that we took them to Pappy's.  They loved it just as much as we do.

 

Another carpet we saw at the jade shop.  This one has a tiny replica of a procession on it.  Once again, they are all made by hand using colored sawdust.

 

We made a few trips to the local market for souvenirs.  Cruz bought a new soccer jersey.  We love the colors of this one.

 

On their last night here we ate at Ta'Cool.  That is another favorite of ours. 

 

In addition to homeschool, a few other fun activities we had in March were visiting a Guatemalan theme park and going camping with friends.  When you add in all the visits David made with pastors, a trip to Coban, and four different congregations we worshiped in, it makes for a full month.  It has definitely been an enjoyable one.

 

 

Our family March 2022.

Thank you for praying for us.