Apple Picking

Went apple picking today at Lynd's Apple Farm with the homeschool group. A delicious apple pie is in the oven as I am writing this.....making the whole house smell good.

Brutsells

This is the name we have given when our 2 families combine....we are "the Brutsells"!

Zach spent a week in Arkansas with them and then they headed this way and spent a week with us here. During the big kids wrote, directed and edited a movie, being sure to include all younger siblings. There were a few tears and hurt feelings, but the movie prevailed! The kids played video games, rode bikes, went to our subdivision park, jumped on the tramp, played in the playhouse and camper. We even had a great kick-ball game that Kevin got involved in.

The Finzers and the Becks joined us at different times throughout the week and the total of kids here on Kellerman would be 15! We went through lots of food, good laughs and lots of fun memories.

Now it's time to get serious about school and get lives back to a schedule (sorta). Zach is getting up @ 7am and taking Kylo for a jog (although the dog is NOT liking it), showering, doing his chores and getting started on his school day. The girls are also getting into a routine for their school day. Rachel is able to finish up right around lunch and Jord is finishing up around 2pm or so, depending on how distracted she gets with R & A.

Enjoy the pictures!

Finally

Finally, here is a blog update. Summer has been busier than expected and fall is lining up to be busy as well. How do we get involved in so many things? The business that had slowed down, but has now picked back up, the church, where we serving in lots of ways, the homeschool group, in which I serve as a Leadership Team member and a list of house chores that had to be finished before company arrived Monday.

Most of you may know of our neighbors (who moved in 2005 to Arkansas) here on Kellerman Ct. that remain dear friends of ours....the Hutsells. Back on the 27th of August Keith Hutsell flew into town to pick up a 15 passenger van. We went to dinner with him (Skyline of course) and had joked about sending Zach home with him for the week since they had already made plans to come to Cincy and Columbus over the Labor Day holiday. Well, our thoughts turned serious after speaking with Melissa and agreeing that an opportunity like this may never come up again. So, we packed Zach up and he left Friday morning with Mr. Hutsell and headed to Arkansas to spend the week with his best friends ever.....that was a long week for us. We missed him around here ALOT! He helps me do so many things around the house and helps with the girls when we go places and he helps me load and unload the car (like on homeschool group days or grocery trips). We missed his singing and carrying on about the latest Tim Hawkins video and even his silliness and teasing with the girls. Jord and Rach took turns sleeping in his bed and Jord cried everytime she spoke with him on the phone. The Hutsells headed back this way on Friday the 4th and we headed to Cincinnati to meet them. We stopped in Jeffersonville for an inspection and the outlet malls (found some great deals) then on to our hotel. They arrived around 11pm and we had our boy back. The Hutsells went on to visit family in Cincy for the weekend and we headed home on Sat. We spent the weekend sprucing up the yard and house getting ready for the Hutsells to descend up on us Monday evening. They are spending the week with us and we are enjoying every loud and crazy minute of it.

I've spent the past 3 weeks or so going thru every room in the house....taking everything out, rearranging and getting rid of lots and lots of "STUFF" I am happy to say that every nook and cranny of this house has been cleaned! Now we can settle down and start school.....after the Hutsells leave of course. I don't think I have ever started this late. Although we did go into the 3rd week of June before we stopped for the summer.

Other updates:

• Rachel lost her first tooth.....it was very dramatic!
• We still haven't bought a new vehicle....still saving up the cash!
• Homeschool group has started:
• Z - World Missions & Journalism/Writing
• J - Spanish & American History
• R - Choir & Earth Science
• A- 2's & 3's class: butterflies, astronauts, post office and lots of crafts and games
• This year we are doing 7th grade, 4th grade, 1st grade and some Pre-K.

The fall holds lots of activities, fun and work. So glad to be serving Him while serving this family, my church and homeschool group. May the Lord just grant a little more "down time" in the next coming months and bless us as we start school.

Oh and Happy Birthday to my dad......Love you dad!