With January comes a ramp up to our schedule. Our two youngest play Upward basketball (http://www.upward.org/), which is a Christian-based program. We are also a part of our local Classical Conversations group (http://www.classicalconversations.com/), which is a Christian-based homeschool program. We love both of these programs and we're so happy that we've reorganized our lives in a way that allows us to particpate in these.

But they do add to our schedule! CC meets all day on Mondays, from 9:00 - 3:00 (because Annie is in two sections of the program). For homebody homeschoolers, getting out of the house before 9:00 is quite an accomplishment for this family! Then, Annie has basketball practice on Tuesday nights. But that's also the night that Daddy has a men's prayer group to attend. Daddy and I also just started attending a small group that meets on Wednesday nights. The kids are happy with this because they get a cool teenage babysitter who plays games with them! Andrew's bball practice is Thursday nights, and then both of their games are on Saturday mornings. All of this only lasts a few months total ... and helps us get through these dreary, gloomy winter days. (Written on a gray, drizzly, foggy winter afternoon, as the temperature falls and we wonder if the roads will freeze before we leave for practice.)

Tomorrow, my big brother is having his prostate removed. He has cancer, and we're praying this takes care of it and leaves him with many healthy years to come.

Happy days and nights to all of you.
Jane