Oh Christmas Tree!

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope this letter finds you anticipating a wonderful Christmas. We have had a fun year this year and I will try to update you a bit about the things we did.

We went on a big trip to Texas in March. We went to 4 different cities in the Lonestar State to visit with family and friends. We received Texas sized hospitality at every stop. We made wonderful memories with each family. We also hardly made a dent in the places available to visit in such a huge state!! On Labor Day, we decided we should go and tour the great Mammoth Cave. This was the busiest day of the year for the cave and we are thankful we arrived early! The last time we went, Erika and Kayla were both in backpacks. This time everyone was old enough to be on their own and also remember the trip! Erik and I enjoyed it alot more as well!

This is our third year of homeschooling and we are still loving it. We joined a co-op with other families last January and it has been a great addition to our school. We plan to continue with it as long as we are homeschooling. People often ask us if we will homeschool all the way through-that is our plan, but we also want to keep an open mind about what is best for our girls.

Erik is drumming every chance he gets, staying quite busy. He is still playing with Lew and the guys, but also drumming with other bands as well. We tag along every chance we get. He also remains on his downtown mail route and he loves it. Janice gave up Pampered Chef and Girl Scouts and couldn't be happier about it. They were alot of fun-but also took up loads of time. She still blogs, reads and does lots of crafts and fun stuff with the kiddos. Erika is 11 and in the 6th grade now. She loves drawing, sewing, needlework and anything that even remotely relates to crafts. She hopes to add basketweaving to her list of skills soon. Kayla is 10 and in the 5th grade. This year, she joined the local children's chorus and has enjoyed doing that. She probably won't do it next year but it has been a fun learning experience. It has definitely given her a whole new appreciation of music and singing. Lilly is still taking piano lessons and dreaming of being in a band with her dad. She is 6 and in the first grade. All three girls love school and learning. Of course, they don't brag on that or even admit it in public, but they do enjoy their schoolwork and, of course, all the extra-curricular activities!

We sincerely wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy New Year!

Much Love,
Erik, Janice, Erika, Kayla & Lilly