Anticipation

August is fast coming to a close. In less than a week, the kids and I will be headed home to Michigan. We are enjoying the time here in Washington State with my parents and siblings, but know that there's a lot to look forward to when we're home.

The day after we return, Maxim has his first appointment with his specialist since July 14. He has had such terrific freedom outside any casts since then, but according to the plan, he will again be casted from just over the knee to his toes starting September 1. Then they will do the surgery to correct his feet on the September 11. I will definitely take more pictures of his feet just before that so we can make good comparisons later. After the surgery, the doctor has said we should anticipate between 8 and 10 weeks in casts of some sort, so it will be awhile before we can see the results.

Please pray about Maxim's range of motion specifically. During these pasts many weeks outside casts, he has been able to regain strength in his abs which was lost during his recovery from hip surgery in May, and range of motion in his knees and hips has really improved with the physical therapy and just ability to move more anyway. Once he goes into the casts again in September, his knees will suffer from being locked up for a while. His future walking is not just dependent on correcting his feet; the strength/flexibility of his hips and knees are also crucial.

We are also anticipating a really challenging but exciting school year. Cyan has asked for more challenge in her academics which I'm so glad she is feeling driven toward. It will be a test for all of us, because certain things are really tough for her without extra effort anyway; physically and academically. So this year we'll be starting earlier each day and likely going later into the afternoon so that she can take in more subjects and really be stretched as she desires. One of her greatest obstacles to academics is that she reads extremely slowly for her age (17).
I'm interested in any input in resources that will allow her to listen to text rather than having to read the typical textbook for every subject. She loves to read but it takes so long that it is not a practical approach for all of her schooling. Can any of you suggest resources that are appropriate for middle school/high school level learning but based on audio?

Brina is looking forward to orchestra once again. She will not hear until after August 26th whether or not she made it into symphony orchestra or not, since some students will not have auditioned until then. Hard to wait. We're excited to see what she'll do. She is also taking the fiddle class again. One exciting sideline is that she and I have been able to work on some my own compositions together lately. I arranged a part for her so we can play together (me on piano) and present a particular piece at Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles - see Leviticus 23 and Galatians 3:26-29).

Joel is also preparing for band this year. In addition to concert band, which he thoroughly enjoyed last year, he will also be participating in brass choir again and is hoping to be included in the Big Band ensemble as well. In the latter, he will attend the first couple of weeks of class and that will be considered his audition. After that the director will consider each players skill and decide who will continue. This will be a great challenge and privilege for Joel to even be considered. Even if Joel is chosen based on his musical skill, we will still have to find out when the outside commitments are scheduled (such as festivals and competiitons) since we will not want to compromise on our commitment to Sabbath. We always trust that if God has given us any talent at all, in any area of our life, He will also provide a way/place to use it for His glory without compromising any other area that He has commanded us in. We have been convicted on the issue of the seventh day being the Sabbath, set aside and holy and not to be blurred with other things in life. A day of delight, no doubt, but not one to purposely pursue things for our own gain. Soooooo, may Joel and all of our kids have many wonderful and rich opportunities to grow in their God-given abilities, and may God give us wisdom to see which opportunities will truly allow us to honor Him more fully.

I am still a little up in the air as far as how to approach Maxim's schooling this year. His comprehensive skills in English are amazing after being home for almost eight month now, and expressive has come a long way as well. Being in a very structured group setting even a couple of times a week would be really good for him socially and academically but I haven't found the right place yet. There is an excellent program that our other kids participated in a few years back; a co-op school, just on Thursdays. Homeschool moms, who also happen to be certified teachers, lead classes for kids K-8, all day, and then assign homework for the week. It's really a neat program and I think Maxim would do very well except for the fact that this program uses space at a church which is quite old and the classrooms are not handicap accessible. I would have to stay there all day on Thursday to remain available for getting Maxim from one class/activity to another since he does not yet have a wheelchair to take himself and it's not accessible anyway. Sooooo, I want him to have that group opportunity but can't commit an entire day of the week of my own time comfortably. Maybe there is a way to accomplish it that I'm just not recognizing at this point. Anyway, the challenge in homeschooling is to make sure each student is adequately stretched in their learning (actually developing a love of learning hopefully) while maintaining the strength and integrity and peace of the family. Again, I have to trust God to lead.

Brina and Joel will have the added challenge this year of a program called College Plus. It is available to anyone, but a wonderful tool in the home school community for sure. Basically, it allows students, starting at as young as 13, to thoroughly prepare for and then test out as many college level courses as possible. There are certain colleges and universities that will accept any of these positive test scores as credit for those particular courses. By reading all of the required texts and then testing out our courses, rather than actually enrolling in college on a campus and sitting through classes, students can save a great deal of time and money while pursuing college degrees. By the time they are finishing high school, they will also be finishing an Associates Degree. At that point, they can continue to complete their Bachelors through College Plus, enroll directly to certain colleges/universities as distance learning students, or apply to finish their schooling on campus somewhere, with their completed course credits transferred there.
It will add some great incentive this year to be especially structured and wise in how we use our time and help each other stay balanced.

Once we are home from Michigan, it will be just a month until Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). It is such a special time of year for us. We enjoy traveling to different places and renewing acquaintances from past years as we celebrate. It is eight days of studying the scriptures, singing, dancing in worship, teaching the children, and just enjoying the company of others who desire to celebrate these times set aside by the Heavenly Father. We see each of the holy days (Sabbaths) set aside in the scriptures, as gifts from Him so that we are continually reminded, all through the year of Who we belong to and that He has an amazing plan for His children. The Sabbaths are simply weekly and annual markers for His people as we wait for Christ's return. Sukkot is the joyful culmination of the year's holy times, set at a harvest time so we see all around us the evidence of crops sowed and now reaped, and pictures the time when Christ completes the ultimate harvest which we want to be included in, along with those we cherish. It is a time to look forward to finally being in complete reconciled fellowship with the Heavenly Father and Christ our King. No more tears. No more dying. No more mourning. A time when full healing has taken place for all and we are rejoicing with Him. Isn't it amazing to confidently look forward to that, even with all the craziness of our present world. We are His, so there is hope.

Anyway, this is our upcoming year in a very large nutshell. May you blessed as you plan ahead for your households too. May His peace, wisdom, strength, and clear leading be evident to you and your families as we all press on.