Atta boy!

Jackson lost his first tooth this week- not that you can see it in this picture because it's on the bottom and he was just so excited he only had one expression. His mouth wide open with pure joy! Billie was the one who pulled it out.

Today Jackson ran a race. A fun run to earn some cash for the Refugee population here. As soon as the whistle blew and the herd of kids took off- Jackson fell scraping up his elbows and knees. He bawled and we went straight to the first aid booth. Before any pain relief could be administered he bolted off the examination table and headed back into the race. The tough guy would totally ignore me (shocking..I know!) when I said he could sit down and rest...or just walk to the stations. He ran his heart out to earn stamps stopping at each station. Rewarded him with one of the most deserved ice creams ever after that race.
And yes, he did play his full soccer game right after the race. Then made me carry him from room to room around the house the rest of the afternoon. "Take me to the playroom, Mom. I can't walk and I want to set up my army." And he can read chapter books all of a sudden.

You know you're a homeschooler when...

Last night Billie spent the night camping out with her Brownie Girl Scout troop. It's her first night away from us (not with family). She is wholly excited. There's nothing shy about Billie; not with adults, not with kids, not with older kids, she's ALWAYS right in there talking and being IN it.
So, she checks off all the items on her campout list and packs her own bed roll. They sing songs and tell stories around the campfire, cook hot dogs and smores. They tell spooky stories with a flashlight after dark. They all fall asleep (I heard her tent went to bed 'early' around 11:30pm). They make breakfast and do crafts in the morning.
When we pick her up we ask her what her favorite part was.
"Um...my favorite part was when they told us the RULES!!!!"
???!
You know you're a homeschooler when she loves to hear a list of rules. I'm always like "oh, you can do it your own way. It's fine if you make your letters backwards. Art can be anything you want it to be...and so can math." Her favorite bit is the rules. good grief!

stroll down memory mountain

We spent the weekend in Cappadocia. All the folks here working at the Embassy (Turks and Americans) paid for small trees, then a few of us when to plant them (mostly Bill). Sloane and Cort could hardly carry the darn plants up the hillside so we put them to work as being a symbol of goodwill, cuteness and all that is right in the world. The hotel where the group was staying was booked...so we called ahead to reserve a room at some other place. When the bus pulled up it was a hotel Bill and I had been to before...on our honeymoon trip!!! We didn't actually sleep there because upon arrival we found tics in the bed and noticed more on the ceiling where they kept dropping from...so they kindly gave us our money back and we checked out soon after checking in. This time there were no tics anywhere and we were so giddy at finding this old spot that all was forgiven in an instant. We walked around the town- this time with 4 kids; repeatedly reminding everyone to stay on the sidewalk, which is hard to distinguish from the road, and enduring pleas for constant snacks.

We passed the 'old version of us' on the road all the time...backpacking hippie couples who haven't thought of the future beyond 2 months ahead. It was fun to see them and think of us, to visit our old favorite Kose Pension and find it still owned by the same kind-hearted people. We walked through our old campground where the puppies would come to visit every morning. Here we are- breastfeeding and homeschooling and knitting and being all professional-like (that's the Bill part) almost 10 years later.