We had the joy of hosting our wonderful friends, Frank, Sheryl, Lizzy and Danny D’Elia at our home this past weekend.  I have known Frank since I was 15 – he was wearing his crazy fish tie at the LAB graduation, and offered me a ride home when I had none.  So – over 20 years ago!  Frank and Sheryl are lovely home-schoolin’ folk, and we are so glad our kids love to play together.  We launched a baking soda/vinegar rocket together – I think Matt is working on uploading those videos – they are really funny.

Here’s a professional pic that their friend Gem, an excellent photographer in the LA area, took recently (http://gemhelen.com/):

Lucy used a jump rope to hang a line that crossed the length of her bunk bed.  She’s actually quite good at tying knots.  She hung lots of scarves and handkerchiefs on there – and told me it was what people used to dry their clothes “back ago.”

As previously stated – Lucy is enjoying soccer.  She excitedly told me as she was getting dressed for game #2, that it was her “VERY second game!!!”

Today Max is attending his first day at the Artios Academy in Santa Barbara.  Artios is a program that meets once per week providing enrichment activities for homeschoolers.  The topics of art, music, history are taught with a Christian world view.  The local Santa Barbara chapter has decided to start the day with a 15 minute session of announcements, singing, prayer.  This is designed to help the kids get calmed down and ready for instruction so that the first period teacher doesn’t lose instructional time.  They are calling this time ‘chapel’.

Since Max has always been homeschooled, we were trying to describe to him what a ‘school’ day would be like.  Last night we mentioned that he will start off with a ‘chapel’ period.  Once he heard the word chapel, he made the connection.  He said, ‘So this will be like Victory Ranch but without the fun.’

UPDATE : Toby called while I was writing this up and said that Max had settled in nicely.  She had stayed for the first period to help him get accustomed to things.  Whew!

Lucy has been waiting 2 years to be old enough to play soccer.  She was so excited to play in her first game this past Saturday.  She loves the uniform and loves the running.  She also likes that she wears her hair in braids for the game.

Here are some pictures of Lucy in the AYSO Under-5 Red Lady Bugs uniform.

She has recently learned to wink (but only with the right eye).