Swim Team

 This year, we did swim team for the first time!  Caleb and Jonathan were the only ones, and it worked out really well because they were in the same age group, so they had their morning practices at the same time.  We thought we'd start this new thing gradually!

Bob has wanted the kids to do swim team for, well, forever.  He and his family are all total fishes in the water, and they did swim team, diving, lifeguarding, the whole water thing, while they were growing up.  I, on the other hand, greatly dislike water.  I don't like water on my face, in my hair, anywhere, really, and I despise being in a swimsuit, especially after having so many kids.  So swim team was never my priority, certainly not in the early summer mornings! 

When we moved here to VA back in 2004, we didn't realize that pretty much every neighborhood around here has their own pool and swim team.  That was not even on our radar screen as something to look for, so we landed in a small neighborhood, one of the only ones without a pool.  I was never bothered, but the kids and Bob do enjoy swimming in the summer, so we would pay to join pools around us, but either not really close enough to do swim team, or one without a team.  But this year the mom of one of Nathan's football teammates emailed to say a friend was selling her membership to their pool, and it was really cheap.  I also happened to know this friend from homeschooling, so I contacted her right away, and we bought her membership.  The pool is still not right in our neighborhood, but it is an easy drive--about 10 minutes away--and not fighting traffic.  It's really nice, and it was so nice to already know Leanne and her family.  They are bigwigs in the whole swim scene, so she was able to help us know what to do.

 It was a good choice to just sign up Caleb and Jonathan, even though I know Anna would have loved doing it.  It was still a challenge getting them to practice, especially before it switched to mornings.  The thing I loved about this team was that when we signed up, we wrote them a check for $40, and then if we didn't volunteer our 5 shifts at meets, then they would cash it.  Oh, I would have GLADLY paid much more than that to not have to be at meets!  We were gone 2 different weeks because we had already planned vacations before we heard about buying the membership.  Plus, although Caleb and Jonathan could swim, they had no idea how to do butterfly and breaststroke.  They are definitely behind!  Jonathan did decide to swim in one meet, but Caleb had no desire to swim in front of people at all.  And hey, I was fine with not getting up to be at the pool for hours on Saturday mornings, starting at 7:15.  I know most teams don't have this policy, so I was incredibly thankful for it!  Now maybe we can do swim team again next year, and we'll ease into volunteering and meets, LOL.

 Once practices moved to the mornings, Caleb and Jonathan had practice from 8:30-9:15.  So I would nurse Drew at 7:45, leave him and everyone else with the older boys, drop off Caleb and Jonathan at the pool, and then I would walk for 45 minutes in the neighborhoods all around the pool!  It was so fun to walk around new neighborhoods!  I have walked around our neighborhood sooooo many times, with all these pregnancies and the gestational diabetes especially.  Nothing new to see there! 

There is also a lovely shady walking path behind the pool and continuing on for a long, long way.  This past week it was unbearably hot and humid, even in the morning, so I walked on the path every day.  It was so pretty!  It follows a pretty creek. I really enjoyed having this time of exercise all to myself for the past several weeks.  I will miss that!  It will be a real let-down to start walking around our neighborhood again!  But now swim team is all done.  At least we won't have to rush out the door every morning anymore!

Poor Drew

 Drew had a fun time at White Sulphur Springs too!  He loved playing with this big wooden thing in the lobby.  We were glad he was healthy because 2 weeks ago Monday I had to take him to Bethesda yet again.  He had been coughing a bit, and then he started running a little fever off and on.  But Sunday afternoon the fever came up and wouldn't go down, even once I started alternating motrin and Tylenol.  So we trekked off to Bethesda again, and he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  I picked up amoxicillin and started him on that, and his cough and fever cleared up over the next few days, so we were good to go to White Sulphur Springs last weekend!  Whew!

 On Monday morning after breakfast, another woman was holding him while I helped clean up the table.  She noticed he had some spots on his hands.  I immediately thought "food allergy!" and started going over what he had eaten for breakfast.  The only thing I could come up with was that I had given him a few bites of Micah's oatmeal, which I had poured soy milk over.  Could he be allergic to soy?!  No!!

 We headed off to Idlewild, and over the course of the day, Drew developed a rash all over.  It didn't seem to bother him, but he sure looked like he had some dread plague!  We stopped at Giant Eagle so I could buy some children's benedryl, and I gave him a dose right away.  It didn't help though.  By the next day, the rash was all over, head to toe, and very connected. 

 One of the women who is in staff there is a nurse, so I asked her what she thought.  The first thing I told her was that he was taking amoxicillin, and as soon as I said that, she said, "He's reacting to that!  I'm almost sure that's it!"  So I guess it is one of those threshold reactions, where he didn't react until there was so much in his system.  And he continued reacting because I faithfully gave him his doses Monday night and Tuesday morning, LOL.  Obviously I stopped giving him the antibiotic right then--he was only lacking 3 doses, so I felt confidant that I didn't need a different one--and eventually he did get better by the time we left.

Here he is smiling because his 4th tooth broke through while we were up there.  His big sister Anna had a eventful tooth week as well--she lost 3 teeth!  I didn't even realize she had that many loose!

We have really not had to use antibiotics very often, thankfully.  No one else has ever reacted to amoxicillin, but then again, Micah and Faith have never had it, and most of the others have probably only been prescribed it once or so, and not as young as Drew is either.  I am allergic to penicillin, so the propensity is there.  Well, hopefully this little incident will end our terrible month of sickness!  Crazy times!

White Sulphur Springs

We just got back from the most wonderful and relaxing week of Family Camp at White Sulphur Springs.  (WSS is one of the retreat/conference centers run by the Officers' Christian Fellowship, and it is in Pennsylvania.)  We used to take family pictures in this wagon, down by the old hotel, all the time, but we haven't done it in a few years!  Micah was very uncooperative, LOL.

The nice thing about WSS is that it is both mentally and spiritually refreshing.  We had a wonderful speaker in Tom Joyce, and we thoroughly enjoyed all the other families that were up the same week as us. 

The kids were happily occupied the whole week.  We only had the younger 5 actually with us for the week.  Nathan was on staff, Luke was doing their teen adventure program (AO!), and Caleb and Jonathan were at their Camp Caleb camp.  The girls had classes in the mornings and evenings, which they loved, and Micah and Drew were in the nursery.  There were a ton of other little girls, so Anna, Grace, and Faith made friends and played happily all week.  I hardly saw them! 

Here they are having tea.  There was also a picnic at the pond, a western night with a square dance, a campfire with a hayride, rock-climbing, ice cream, swimming in the pond, and much more to fill their time!

We snuck away Monday to go to Idlewild, the little amusement park not too far from Bob's parents' house.  It was very hot and muggy, but the kids had fun.  Wednesday we drove over to visit Bob's parents, about an hour and a half from WSS.  We had a lovely visit with them!

Here are all the busy boys.  They all had wonderful times, and we are still hearing stories!  Luke got especially wet because it poured down rain multiple times during the week, but that didn't seem to phase him.  His clothes were all sopping wet and musty, so they went straight into the washer when we got home!  Luke said his favorite part was the high ropes course, but he liked it all.  Caleb and Jonathan got to be in the same Camp Caleb this year.  They liked their counselors and their fellow campers.  It rained on them too, but they were able to stay better sheltered, LOL. 

AP Wrap-Up

On June 26, the College Board released a score report for the new AP biology exam that was administered this year.  It had some very startling statistics.  Here are the percentages for each score, compared with last year:

AP Grade	2012	2013
5	19.7%	5.4%
4	16.9%	21.4%
3	14.3%	36.3%
2	14.6%	29.5%
1	34.5%	7.4%

So you can see that there was a tremendous reduction in 5's, although over all more people passed (3 and above is passing, although hardly any college gives credit for a 3, and many only give credit for a 5).  I had thought the curve would be generous, since this was the first year of a completely new and redesigned test, but alas, that was not to be.  Instead, the CB went with an absolute standard, where you had to get so many points (78/99 unweighted) to get a 5, no curving at all.    To get a 4, you needed 64 raw points, a 3 needed 45 points, a 2 needed 26, and I guess a 1 was anything less than 26.  That seems a bit arbitrary--who knows how they came up with these breaks?--but oh well.  (Edited to add:  I've actually read a lot more from the College Board, and the average scores actually were not very different, compared to previous years' tests--but the cut-offs were very different.  Weird.  Nathan is a guinea pig again!  Story of his life, LOL.)

Here are a few of their other comments from the report:

 

Educators and students had reported perceptions that the multiple-choice section was easy, that it did not require content knowledge, or that it was a test of reading comprehension. None of these perceptions proved accurate. The panelists who took the exam themselves felt that the questions effectively balanced required content knowledge with fundamental quantitative, analysis, experimental design, and data interpretation skills. Student performance does not indicate that the section was easy. In fact, the results show that AP Biology students on average are not yet performing as well as college students on such tasks.

On the multiple-choice and grid-in questions, AP Biology students scored, on average, 61% correct.

By way of comparison, the mean score on the “old” AP Biology Exam (2012) multiple-choice section was 63% correct.

 

 

Five questions in a new grid-in question type required students to meet college biology’s standards for use of mathematics to solve biological problems and understand biological concepts.

The performance of AP Biology students on these questions was very low, with an average correct score of just 36%.

 

 

The low student performance, in general, on most of the free-response questions had a significant impact on this year’s AP scores.

 

 

AP Biology teachers are doing tremendous work to help their students develop the knowledge and skills essential to success in biology majors and careers, and measured by the multiple-choice, grid-in, and free-response questions on the redesigned AP Biology Exam. In many instances, AP Biology teachers are receiving students who have spent years in science classrooms that never moved beyond rapid coverage of textbook content, with very little understanding or retention of such information. The work needed to improve student learning of biology is made visible by very low scores on most of the AP Biology grid-in and free-response questions – the questions that require students to perform mathematics and describe, explain, and predict fundamental biological principles and outcomes. Many incoming AP Biology students have never been taught or required to demonstrate the quantitative, analytic, and interpretive skills now required, so struggled on the redesigned AP Biology exam.

College faculty who participated in the AP Biology standard setting agree that their own students are similarly challenged, and that the redesigned AP Biology program is the new gold standard, one that gives them confidence that AP students earning qualifying exam scores deserve placement and will be much better prepared for science majors than students who take their own colleges’ introductory biology courses. The college faculty participating on the panel sang the praises of AP teachers for teaching a course that is now an exemplar for college-level introductory biology.

The small percentage of students demonstrating performance needed for a score of 5 signals a need in particular to help students improve their performance on the grid-in and free-response questions. To earn a 5, students must learn the course content well enough to be able to perform the skills required in the grid-ins and the free-response section: when confronted with scientific data or evidence illustrative of the required course content, students must be able to “calculate,” “predict,” “justify,” “propose,” “explain,” “perform,” “specify,” “identify,” “describe,” “pose a scientific question,” and “state a hypothesis.” True understanding requires that students develop the depth of understanding required to perform such tasks with accuracy and precision.

 

We encourage AP Biology teachers to take heart and recognize that shifting years of students’ prior ways of learning science can take time. But what the AP teaching community has shown, year after year, is that they can meet and exceed the standards required of colleges for credit and placement. More importantly, AP Biology teachers are transforming the depth of science understanding and skills when in classrooms worldwide they shift the focus of classroom instruction away from rapid content coverage to help students learn to explain and describe their understanding of science content, and to design and conduct laboratory and mathematical tasks essential to understanding natural phenomena. If a student cannot perform such tasks, the research consistently shows that they will not retain or use the knowledge they have learned in AP Biology, and will be insufficiently prepared for much of what they will be required to do in science majors. Hats off to the AP Biology teaching community for the tremendous change you are seeking to effect in your students’ understanding of biology.

 

After reading that back in June, I was quite worried about how my students did!  Well, scores have been released, and I am very pleased to say that Nathan got a 4!  So did Isaac McC!  I'm very proud of them all.  It was hard to prepare for a test where we had no idea how it would actually look.  This year was definitely challenging for all of us, but the boys all worked so hard.  Most of the other kids taking this exam were juniors and seniors, whereas my kids were either a sophomore (Nathan) or freshmen (the other 3).  They did not have an honors or pre-AP biology class, other than life science 2 years ago, or a chemistry class other than BJU Physical Science year before last. 

 

I would love to be able to access a teacher score report for them, but that won't happen, since we're not part of an official "school".  That would give me more information on what exactly they missed, which would be helpful for me when I teach this again in another year to Luke and Caleb McC.  Oh well.  Even without that information, I have learned a lot, and now that I have access to the AP bio teacher forum on the College Board website, that has been so helpful as well.  (In fact, that is where I got this score report!) 

 

So the glory goes to the Lord.  None of us could have been successful this year without Him guiding us, showing me what to focus on, helping me help the boys understand the concepts, leading me to find resources, and so on.  I am so thankful!!

A New Neighbor

Grace got a birdhouse kit from my parents for her birthday.  As soon as testing was over, she went to work, putting it together and painting it (with some help from her interested sisters).  She chose to hang it in our front yard, off the middle of a branch, where it sways in the wind. 

 

I had my doubts about any bird actually building a nest in it, however.  The beginning of June is a little late in the nest-building cycle, for one thing.  And for another thing, what self-respecting bird builds a nest in a brightly painted box swaying off a branch of a tree nestled between our driveway and front walk?!  That's like building a house that backs up to the intersection of the Beltway and I-95, as far as traffic goes!

 

So Grace and Anna went off to Grandma/Grandpa camp.  During the week they were gone, I noticed that there appeared to be signs of a nest inside the house!  And eventually we were able to see the mom--a little sparrow, although I can't tell what kind.  [Edited a second time to add:  It's (actually!) a house wren.  I identified a bird by its song!  How fun!]  Grace was quite excited to have a tenant, and this made Jonathan, who had also received a birdhouse kit for his birthday, get right on the stick and put his together and paint it.  He hung his in the backyard (a much more suitable location, LOL), but I think it truly is too late in the season now, so alas, his has remained empty.  When we were in Ohio, my mom gave Anna a birdhouse she had been given that she wasn't going to use, so now that one is also hanging in our backyard.  Maybe next year.

 

In our quest to learn more about birds, I got out a fascinating book from the library called Secret Lives of Common Birds by Marie Read.  It's not too long, with beautiful photos, but it has all sorts of interesting information about various birds and their quirky habits, organized by seasons.  I'm really enjoying it!  I really wish I could recognize birds by their calls, like my botany and ecology professor, Dr. Silvius.  I have even added a book and CD to my amazon wish list!  Maybe that will be next summer's project for me!

Happy Birthday, Nathan!!

 Nathan turned 16 yesterday!  It's so hard to believe I've been a mom for 16 years . . . changing diapers for 16 years straight . . .  Nathan and I went out to breakfast at Mimi's, since he had noted that he had never been there.  After running a few errands, we dashed home so I could nurse and we could eat lunch, Then Anna, Nathan, and I trekked over to Bethesda.  Nathan thought a delightful way to celebrate his birthday would be to make a hospital visit in honor of his actual birthday! 

Well, not really, but as it turned out, on our drive back to Ohio Saturday afternoon, Anna got pinkeye in her other eye.  And at 4:00 Sunday morning, Nathan stumbled into our room to tell Bob and me that he had pinkeye in both eyes.  Our little bottle of antibiotic drops finally ran dry on Sunday, so we had to make another appointment to get some more.  Thankfully Anna was affected, because when I called at 6:30 Monday morning to make an appointment for Nathan, the appointment person told me there had been no same-day appointments released for the adolescent clinic--and that had been how it was lately--all due to "the sequester" of course.  Ummm . . . how about a few less million dollars for President Obama's Africa junket, and a few more dollars for adolescent doctor appointments?!

So we got the medicine (trivia fact--the active-duty Army doc we saw had 16 letters in her last name . . . the smallest font on her name tape that I have ever seen!) and headed home so I could put together and frost Nathan's cake.  He wanted a Cessna 182, which is the aircraft they fly for Civil Air Patrol.  Here is something I am realizing about myself--the fewer people that see the cake in person, the worse I do on it, LOL.  The proportions were all wrong, and it definitely ended up looking like the star of "Charlie Cessna Joins the CAP!"  Plus, the wings (which I made out of sugar cookie dough) sagged because I didn't listen to my better judgment and cook them even longer.  Oh well.  The evidence is almost gone!

Nathan got a speed bag, along with some contraption to hang it from the basement ceiling, as well as a shaker weight, a new dress shirt, and the game "Wits and Wagers".  Ryan, our good neighbor friend, has been over today, and they have already played 2 games!  Fun game!  We also got Nathan personalized dog tags, which he has been wanting.  I brought out a tiny, sparkly little gift bag, and he was definitely wondering, LOL.  But he was happy to see what it contained!  We got them from a seller on Amazon, Jason from "Tag-Z", and he was great to work with!  Another sort of early birthday present Nathan got were contacts!  Of course, now he can't wear them until the pinkeye is totally cleared up, but before that, everything has been going very well, and he is really enjoying being able to see without wearing his glasses!

So now Nathan is 16, and we only have 2 more years with him here at home!  I can't believe how fast the time has gone--I still remember so clearly his birth at the USAFA hospital, like it was not too long ago! He is so much fun to have around, and I love how he is a leader for the younger kids. 

Grandma/Grandpa Camp

On Saturday, June 8, Anna, Grace, and I got up early and drove to Washington, PA, where we met my parents for lunch at Cracker Barrel!  We were celebrating my mom's birthday, but I was also dropping off Anna and Grace so my parents could drive them back to Ohio for a week of Grandma/Grandpa camp!  My brother's daughter Emily and my Aunt Claire joined them on Tuesday.  They all had so much fun!!  They went to the Boonshoft Museum, always a popular fun destination.  They also went to Youngs, where they played 2 rounds of mini-golf and went down the big slide--even Emily, who was too scared last year!  They made apple pies, which were absolutely delicious!  They played in the little pool in the yard, played with toys, read books, and giggled for a week!

We all arrived Saturday evening, in time to eat dinner and sample the pies for dessert.  The next day we went to the base chapel and grilled out for Father's Day. 

Monday morning we went out for a special "girls breakfast" to Mimi's Café.  Even Faith and I got to go!  We sure missed Melinda and Elia though!  The 3 "Grandma/Grandpa Camp" girls wore their matching dresses and looked so cute.  People ask if they are triplets, LOL.  You may notice Anna wearing glasses in all these pictures.  She actually got glasses a year ago, but she rarely wears them . . . except when her cousin Emily is around!  She wore them all week long!  Except that she wore them on the end of her nose, so she didn't actually have to look through them, LOL.  I need to take her back in for another eye appointment!

Monday afternoon Grandpa took us out for rides in his 1928 Model A Ford!  Micah was quite excited about being in the car, especially when he was in the front seat, playing with the steering wheel.  But when Grandpa started up the car, he got so scared!  We had to stop and let him out! 

Tuesday after lunch Emily and Aunt Claire sadly had to go to the airport.  Here is a picture of 4 Claires, right before they left:  me, Aunt Claire, Emily Claire, and Anna Claire.

Another successful year of Grandma/Grandpa Camp! 

A New Scourge

Everyone is smiling here, but we've actually been dealing with a new issue--pinkeye!  About two weeks ago, on a Thursday, Nathan, Luke, and I took the younger 5 kids to Chik-Fil-A for dinner while Bob took Caleb and Jonathan to swim practice.  It was an eventful dinner, ending with one milkshake dumped on the floor, and another one punctured through the foam cup and leaking all over Luke.  But through it all, Drew's eyes were suspiciously gunky.  We all hoped it was. . . well, anything else, but when he woke up Friday with his eyes stuck shut, we knew the dreaded pinkeye had struck!

By Sunday both eyes were worse, and Faith had gunk in one eye, so I got up early to make a doctor appointment on Monday.  It was tricky because I also had a follow-up appointment for myself, to give me the results of an MRI I had done on my knee (it showed nothing).  I had to bring Nathan along as my designated big helper, but I was able to get appointments for Faith and Drew after mine, and, in a HUGE praise, we were able to be finished in the doctor's office before the pharmacist who sits in the pediatric clinic left for the day, so we didn't have to wait in the huge line at the pharmacy for the meds!  One thing the doctor wondered was how Drew could have possibly gotten pickeye?!  I had wondered this as well, since he has never even been in the church nursery, so you would think that if something was going around, the other kids would have gotten it first.  The first time I put the ointment in his eyes (Faith got drops), he cried and cried big watery tears.  And out washed a big black thing!  Actually it was one of those little back gnat things, but it looked huge on his cheek!  I think that had been in his eye and got infected.

So it took a few days for Faith and Drew to get better, but I thought we were through it.  Then on Friday afternoon, Micah's eyes started getting gunky.  And on Saturday, as we were driving to Ohio, Luke's eyes got gunky . . . At least we already had the medicine, so I started both of them on it right away, and everything went away really quickly.

Since we've been here in Ohio, Luke, Nathan, and I have also dealt with some vague kind of bug involving a cough and a low-grade fever.  And last night I realized I had pinkeye as well!  Unbelievable!  We were healthy for this whole incredibly stressful school year, and now that it is over, we haven't been healthy at all!  Which is a blessing, when you think about it, LOL.  All this sickness at least waited until we were done!  I am so ready for us all to be well again.  June has definitely not been a month where we have gotten anything done . . .

 

 

*Update*  Anna also came down with pinkeye, starting the day after I came down with it.  Sigh.  Our little bottle of antibiotic eyedrops has been like the widow's jar of oil so far, not running out.  May it continue!

Unrealized Plans

I really thought that once school was over, and testing was done, I would get so much done!  I had all these plans for organizing and decluttering--with no big school responsibilites hanging over my head, what could possibly stop me from becoming a wonder of organization and cleanliness?! 

Ha!  Well, it turns out that I have gotten almost nothing actually accomplished, unless you count eating.  That has turned into a major accomplishment for me this past week, LOL.  Drew ended up biting me again on the same side last Friday afternoon, just as I was thinking perhaps things might be starting to heal.  I had to start icing down my poor breast both before and after nursing.  I would stick a snack-bag of crushed ice into my bra cup, and that actually helped a great deal, both to numb it as well as to keep the swelling down.  I also started taking 800 mg of motrin around the clock.  But it was still excruciatingly painful to nurse.  I think Monday night was the lowest point.  I fell asleep thinking I for sure was developing mastitis, since I had this hard, very painful spot, and everything was just throbbing.  I spent Tuesday carefully nursing in different positions, and I think I kept the mastitis at bay.  Although I am still sore, it really does seem like things are finally starting to heal, praise the Lord.  Drew has still been nippy, although not as hard as the past 2 Fridays, but I have been saying no, flicking his cheek, etc.  Hopefully this will be a short stage.  I don't know whether to wish the top 2 teeth will hurry up and break through, so his mouth doesn't hurt as much, or if that would just mean he will have 4 sharp little teeth to bite me with!  I have blocked out what happened with Caleb and Micah once they got more teeth--but I am pretty sure they kept biting, LOL.

So anyway, I was so sore.  I also had those 2 canker sores in my mouth, and I used all the tricks I have heard of--baking soda, swishing with a mix of milk of magnesia and benedryl, etc.--but nothing worked like it usually would.  Instead, my mouth has just gotten overtaken with these huge angry ulcers that are so very painful.  I have like 6 of them now, and I can barely talk or chew.  Some are under my tongue, some are back behind my tongue--there's really no area of my mouth that doesn't have at least one!  I've pretty much stopped eating breakfast, because it simply isn't worth the pain to start eating.  And  they just won't go away!  Instead new ones keep popping up.  I think my defenses are just so low, with the constant pain of nursing, plus Drew hasn't really been sleeping through the night since we left for camping.   Interrupted sleep has always been a harbinger of canker sore outbreaks for me!

And so, instead of getting anything of note done, I have been wandering around in a fog of aching and discomfort!  What a way to  start a summer break, LOL.  I will say I am so very, very thankful that Drew was able to wait until after school was all done to start this biting phase!  Otherwise, I am sure I would be on my way to an insane asylum, LOL.

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

 

 Jonathan turned 10 yesterday!  Hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I was 2 weeks overdue with my 4th child, and I had to have my first induction, or else he may have never come out, LOL.  Jonathan has marched to the beat of his own drummer ever since then, and on his own time schedule as well!  He is a fun character to have in our family!  He is still my artist, and the only one who enjoys writing.  And he is also still my sole left-handed buddy!

 For his cake, he decided he wanted a scarlet and red macaw.  He's been quite interested in birds lately!  I have never done a bird cake before, so it was fun to do something different. 

 I had to use 2 cake mixes to make a cake as long as I needed, so I had lots of extra cake.  In fact, I only really needed 1 1/2 cake mixes to fill the 10x15 pan I used for the bird body, so I also filled an 8 inch round pan.  Jonathan decorated that (you can't tell, but it actually is modeled after the swimming pool we are members of--blue water, a black walking path, and then the forest in the background), and then I piped the "Happy Birthday Jonathan" on it, since we could figure out a good place for it on the actual bird!

Jonathan was very happy to get a birdhouse of his own to build and decorate from my parents, as well as a book on how to attract different birds to your backyard.  He also got a few other things, including 2 Robo-Fish and an aquarium.  This is in preparation of actually getting some real fish--although since the Robo-fish don't really last that long before the batteries die out (as we have found out personally), we may be getting read fish sooner rather than later, LOL.

Now that Jonathan has hit the big 1-0, he gets his own military ID card, something he has been eagerly anticipating for quite some time!  So now Bob has to figure out a time to get that errand done!  It's a good thing Nathan is carrying his own wallet around, with his own ID card in it--otherwise, I would be looking at carrying 5 ID cards in my wallet!

Things No One Warns You About . . .

I'm having a painful few days here.  I have 2 canker sores in my mouth, plus I totally burned my poor tongue by drinking (really!) hot chocolate Sunday morning.

But mainly I'm sore because Drew chomped on me during the cold Friday night.  He wasn't so much hungry, and I was nursing just to keep him from crying to disturb the other campers, who weren't all that far away!  He bit down hard and then turned his head, pulling on me as well.  It hurt then, but boy, it REALLY hurts now!  I told the boys it would be like smashing their finger with a hammer, and then having to suck really hard on that finger every 3 hours or so.  Sometimes it bleeds, so it sticks to my nursing pad.  I'm just achy and crabby!  I've been taking motrin, but there's really nothing else to do, since it's internal bruising.  Unfortunately, Drew is teething his top teeth now, so he's been getting up at 3:00 and 6:00 the past few nights, so I'm not even able to go a long stretch. 

And thus, the huge downside of having early teethers . . .  I am pretty sure I had never heard anyone complain about this before I had Nathan!  Although, just to document for future purposes, Caleb, Anna, and Micah were my worst offenders.  Caleb and Micah were my earliest teethers (2 teeth at 3 months), and Anna was demonstrating her extreme displeasure about my milk changing when I unexpectedly got pregnant with Grace when Anna was 4 months old, LOL.  I had to stop nursing her at 7 months because she wouldn't suck long enough for me to let down before she would start biting!

So now I wait for Drew to wake up, dreading nursing with every fiber of my being.  I actually gave him a bottle yesterday because I was hurting so much and didn't want to deal with it!  He has been refusing bottles for the past several weeks, but I used a different kind of nipple, and he did take that.  Hmmmm . . . maybe I'll have the boys give him another bottle, and I'll head off to Sams . . . Who knew I would be more excited about Sams than nursing?!

Amusement Park!

Bob and the 3 girls got up early Monday morning, after our weekend of camping, to drive to the amusement park not far from his parents' house in PA!  The girls are the perfect ages for this park--it has a great kiddieland--and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It was cool, around 70 degrees, and cloudy.  Everyone had such a great time!  When they were eating dinner there, the waitress told Bob how impressed she was that he had all the kids by himself!  Ha!  Faith's favorite ride was the merry-go-round.  I could never tell what Anna and Grace's favorites were, but Anna was very disappointed that they took out the "Dizzy Lizzy" ride.  I don't even remember that one at all, so that shows how long it's been since I've been to the park, LOL. 

Since they had all had such a tiring weekend, they opted to spend the night in a hotel, visit Bob's parents Tuesday morning, then drive back Tuesday afternoon.  They were all so exhausted when they finally got back!  The girls had lots of special memories with Daddy though!

Camping

This past weekend we went camping for 2 nights!  We used to camp all the time when we were stationed in Colorado, even once Nathan and Luke came along.  Then we would camp with the L's, and we had a great routine going, as far as who brought what.  It was great!  We camped a few times in Ohio, and then only one time once we moved here to VA--our eventful and rainy trip to Shenandoah back in May 2005, not long before I got pregnant with Anna.  I guess I don't like camping when I'm pregnant, and I've been pregnant 5 of the last 7 summers--and the 2 summers I wasn't pregnant, it was because I'd had a baby earlier in the year, so . . . camping just didn't happen.  Plus, we had outgrown our "7 person" tent, and finding a new tent to fit us all seemed like an insurmountable challenge. 

For the past 9 (?I think 9, anyway) years, our friends the H's have reserved an entire loop of a campground in Maryland for the whole weekend.  This year we were finally able to go, and we had such a wonderful, fun time!  We found a new tent at Costco, a "10 person" tent that fits 3 queen-size air mattresses!  That's where Bob, I, the 3 girls, plus Drew and Micah slept.  The other 4 boys slept in our older faithful tent from Colorado days. 

We were able to fit all the sleeping bags, tents, tarps, camp stove (thanks Ed and Elizabeth--that was one thing they always brought, so we don't actually own our own one, LOL--we had to borrow theirs!), equipment tub, food tub, cooler, etc.  only because of this wonderful thing called a "Stow-Away".  We actually bought it 2 years ago from someone in our homeschool group.  We went to get a hitch put on the big van, but we found out that because of the time someone rear-ended Bob, a piece was out of place, and so they couldn't get all the bolts on.  We didn't do anything more about it, except keep this big thing in the smack-dab middle of our garage.  Until 2 weeks ago, when we realized that unless we wanted to drive 2 minivans, we absolutely had to have some other place for cargo to go camping.  So Bob took the van into a place that hammered on the frame for an hour to get the piece back into place, and then they were able to install the hitch.  The Stow-Away worked like a champ!  It actually swings away from the back, so we can still get into the back of the van, even with it on. 

Here is a picture of our campsite.  We managed to get the 2 tents both on it with no problems!  The one on the left is the new tent.  It is really nice, although it is not anywhere as easy to set up as our old one.  That one goes up in about 2 minutes!

You can see the fire smoking away in the picture.  We had the fire going pretty much all the time Friday and Saturday.  That is because it was FREEZING cold!!  It was like we were back, camping in Colorado, except silly me, I certainly didn't pack like that!  Oh, how we all wished for gloves, hats, winter jackets, etc.  I think it was below 40 degrees Friday night, and it was sooo windy!  None of the kids in our tent slept really well because it was so cold, and by the (early) morning, both Drew and Micah were in bed with Bob and me.  Nathan was up around 6:00 to start the fire.  I had packed something like 35 packets of hot chocolate mix, figuring that would be more than enough for 2 mornings.  Well, we had hot chocolate Friday night and Saturday morning, and we used up all the packets, plus I was putting pieces of Hershey's chocolate bars in there to up the flavor!  We were so desperately trying to be warm!  A lot of us went into town for dinner at a restaurant, and we got some more mix at a store there for Sunday morning.  Saturday night was not anywhere as cold, though, and the kids all slept really well. 

Saturday before lunch we all took a hike to a waterfall.  It was not a hard hike to get to the falls, and then a lot of people climbed up to the top of the falls.  Unfortunately, Anna slipped off a rock and fell in up to her waist, so she was not a happy camper (ha!).  Bob had to carry her back, so he was not a happy camper either!  She is not as light as she looks, LOL, and we were all exhausted from our bad night of sleep!  I was stuck hiking back with Micah.  He trooped along for awhile, and we had a fun time looking at trees, birds, bugs, etc.  But then he wanted to stop and turn over pretty much every single rock and leaf on the ground.  I started to carry him, but he pitched a big fit.  Eventually he even laid in the middle of the trail for a bit!  Finally I picked him up, and he fell asleep, so we were making good time . . . unfortunately, due to all the distraction of a stubborn 2 year old, I completely missed the signpost where we were supposed to turn onto the trail back to the campground.  So I merrily followed the blue trail at a brisk clip, although I did start wondering why I wasn't seeing anyone else.  We had been going so slowly, I was sure Bob would have caught up to us . . . I called and left a message on his cell phone . . ."Ummm, are you following the blue trail . . .??"  When he called me back a few minutes, he was quite concerned, although I did explain that I wasn't technically lost, LOL; I was simply going on a different trail!  I retraced my steps (we really had gone quite a ways!), and Bob and the older boys met me right where I should have turned in the first place.  Just a little added excitement!

Sunday afternoon, after a little church service and lunch, a group hiked back up to the falls.  Twenty-two of them joined the "Polar Bear Club" and swam in the freezing cold water, including Bob, Nathan, and Jonathan!  Crazy . . .

The kids all had so much fun.  The McC's were there, as well as the M's, another Rivendell family.  These 5 girls had such a ball playing together!  Rivendell is going to be so fun when they all get old enough! 

I wish I had a picture of Micah.  He wore our trusty 3T USAFA sweatshirt--now on its 5th boy!--the whole weekend, since it was so cold.  He got tons of hot chocolate, as well as sticky marshmallow, syrup, and other assorted stains, on it.  It may never recover!  And he was so dirty.  This weekend was like his dream--be outside the whole time and get as dirty as he wants?  Playing in the dirt is encouraged?  What fun!  He didn't want to leave, LOL.  He followed the big boys around like a little man. 

Oh, a funny thing--he and Bob were walking around the loop, when another man struck up a conversation.  The man noticed Micah's USAFA sweatshirt and said he was an Air Force fan.  In fact, he had a son who had just graduated from AFROTC at Alabama . . . he was the dad of the former CAP cadet that Nathan had talked to last week when I was so late!  What a fun coincidence!

Finally Sunday afternoon it was warm enough for Drew to be able to sit in his bumbo without his huge fleece winter thing that I had fortunately thrown in at the last minute!  He rode around a lot in the front pack or the Ergo.  There were a lot of teenage girls around, and they did a fantastic job playing with him and holding him.  In fact, the H girls watched him Saturday during the hike so we didn't have to take him!  I think he enjoyed his first camping experience, although he was glad to get home to a warm bed, LOL.  He slept a good deal on Monday!

So now that we are back in the camping mode, we are hoping to do more of it.  The boys all really enjoyed it, and they were great helps with the fire, getting the tents up and down, etc.  We'll see!

Done!

With the end of testing last Wednesday, the year is officially over for us (exception:  Nathan, who has to take the SAT II biology and Spanish subject tests on Saturday)!  (Other exception:  not everyone finished their math and English books, so they have to continue working in those.  Also, we slacked off on Latin the last quarter . .  also history for the younger boys . . . ) Okay, we are never really done.  But my big responsibilities are done, so I am feeling light as a feather!

And it was just in time too.  I was starting to lose it, as evidenced by these 2 examples.  Last Tuesday only Nathan decided to go to CAP.  After a late dinner, Bob took the middle 5 swimming, so it was just Luke, Micah, Drew, and me at home.  Micah was filthy dirty, so I decided to give him a bath, and I knew he would just love being all by himself in the tub.  So I got him going and he was having a grand time in there--when I suddenly *really* looked at my watch, noticing the hour as well as the minute.  It was 9:20!  CAP ends at 9:00!  For some reason I was an hour off in my mind, thinking it was only 8:00, not 9:00!  Whoops!  I yelled for Luke to come get Micah dressed, and I leaped into the van, certain that Nathan must be frantic with worry.  I expected to have half a dozen missed calls on my cell, but to my surprise, there were none!  I called Nathan, who said if there had to be a night for me to be really, really late, that night was it.  A former cadet, who had just graduated from AFROTC at Alabama, was back visiting as he waited to get commissioned, so people were stayed late and talking to him.  So I pulled into the parking lot at 9:40, and Nathan wasn't even the last person there!  *Whew*

Then Wednesday afternoon, after testing was all over, Luke had an orthodontist appointment.  After he finished, we headed over to Sams to pick up some last-minute things for our camping trip (another post!).  I was so pleased to find my favorite cashier, and as I chose her line, I said, "I always pick your line because you are the best at packing my cart!"  She is a woman after my own heart--every item is placed, like in Tetris, into just the right spot!  A work of art!  Anyhow, after Zahida finished scanning everything, I was ready to pay--but I couldn't find my credit card!  I mildly panicked, but like I said to Luke, I showed it to the guy to come into Sams . . . where could it have gotten to?  That's when Zahida said, "Umm, isn't this your credit card?" sitting there on top of the machine?  Why yes, because I had given it to her before she started scanning everything, except I had no recollection of doing so, LOL.  How many years have we been Sams members?  How many times a month do I go?  Clearly I was cracking up, just a short step away fron the looney bin!  A nice long summer break is just what I need!

Testing actually went really well, I thought.  I think I learned a lot from last year, and this year a lot of new people got certified as testers, so that was great.  I felt more comfortable with everything, although I was still immensely relieved to send off that 25 pound box of tests Thursday morning!  Ahhh . . . summer break!!

AP Biology Exam

This post may not have a wide appeal, but I wanted to capture a few thoughts about the AP biology exam, before everything about the class drains out of my head!

The College Board redesigned the exam this year, based on a new curriculum framework that came out last year.  The idea was that instead of focusing on knowing a ton of random esoteric facts about biology (the old-style exam), the students would be more able to think and reason like scientists, within a framework of biological knowledge. 

No one really had any idea what exactly the exam would be like.  I am still praising the Lord for allowing me to get AP approved, so that I could access the practice exam!  But Nathan didn't really think the practice exam questions were all that helpful, other than helping with pacing.  The College Board sent out a second set of a little more than 30 practice problems, which I also sent out to the boys, and Nathan thought those were more helpful.  What was universally agreed that was NOT helpful were any of the test prep books.  We used Barrons, which came out in February, but they were just guessing on the questions like the rest of us, and their questions were still geared more to the old format.  People who used other books felt the same way though.  Hopefully the test prep companies will learn as well and offer better, more helpful books next year.

There were 63 multiple choice questions, and most of them had big, long sections of reading accompanying them, along with graphs or tables.  One big complaint from students on the collegeconfidential website, as well as from AP teachers on the biology discussion board (passing along their students' comments), was that they couldn't finish the multiple choice questions because of all the reading.  Nathan, Isaac, and Eric did not have trouble finishing the questions.  Apparently a lot of students felt like the multiple choice part was "the ACT science section on steroids".  Nathan hasn't taken the ACT yet, so I don't know, but it sounded like a lot of logic/reasoning/problem solving, more than just knowledge of tricky biological concepts.  A lot of students were upset by this, feeling like they could have just taken any honors biology course and done just as well.  Some teachers felt that students who slacked off in the course could potentially have done just as well as students who really studied, as long as the slackers were good test-takers.  Since the boys aren't supposed to discuss the specific questions, I don't know really, but from the sample problems, you did have to know the concepts to be able to make sense of the reading, and to do it in a timely manner.  I don't think someone could have just taken it cold and done well.  None of my boys thought the questions were as hard as they could have been.  Some kids on collegeconfidential thought they were really easy; some thought they were extremely hard.  I am glad that just in general we focus a lot on logic and problem solving around here.  Who knew it would be so helpful in so many different areas?  : )  As some teachers pointed out, we live in an age where we can easily look up random facts.  But being able to analyze data and draw conclusions is a more important skill for scientists.  Interesting to think about. 

In the first section, which was 90 minutes long, there were also 6 "grid-in" questions.  These are questions where you have to solve some sort of math problem, so the answer is a number, and you bubble in the correct number on your answer sheet.  Nathan again felt prepared for these.  There aren't tons of different math problem possibilities out there for biology, so it was pretty obvious to me that for example, one problem would be a Hardy-Weinburg problem.  And it was!  I was glad we hammered that!  The main problem experienced by kids was that at the end of the multiple choice section, there was a message that said "END OF PART A.  DO NOT STOP.  CONTINUE TO PART B."  Somehow, maybe just due to the stress of the test, a lot of kids saw that message, and thought the proctor would tell them when to move on to the grid-in problems.  So time ran out, and they didn't do them!  The good news is that the grid-ins were weighted exactly the same as the multiple choice questions, but still . . . the teachers said a lot of their best students didn't do the questions, which may cut their chances for a 5.  I had told the boys to do the grid-in questions first, since if they were running short on time, then it is at least possible to guess on multiple choice questions, unlike on grid-ins!  There is now a thread on the teachers forum about how to make the directions more clear (take out "STOP" completely?).  It sounds like this is partly a problem due to all the high-stakes standardized testing all these students take all the time--where they are conditioned to stop after each section.  Another advantage of homeschooling!

The last section were the essays or "free response questions".  In the new format, there are 2 long FRQs (which are supposed to take about 20 minutes to write the answers for), as well as 6 shorter one paragraph FRQs that are only supposed to take about 6 minutes each.  The College Board has released all the FRQs for the "Form O" test that most students took.  You can look at them here and ascertain for yourself whether or not you could answer these questions without a college-level biology course!  Nathan thought these questions were easier than he expected, and he wrote something down for each one.  Who knows yet what the scoring rubric will be, though, and if he put in his answers everything the readers were wanting to see!  The general consensus on collegeconfidential also was that the questions were not too difficult.  There has been a lively thread on the AP teachers' forum discussing potential answers to these questions!

So now we wait.  Scores are officially out on July 8, which seems a long ways away! 

Micah and Drew

Micah turned 2 on April 9, and Drew turned 4 months on (*cough*) March 30, and today they finally had their 2 year and 4 month well-baby appointments this afternoon.  What can I say--April was a busy month!  I took Jonathan along as my designated older helper, and he was indespensible, as usual.  How did I do it without older helpers?!

We had the nicest doctor.  I know I always say that, but really, I love the pediatric doctors at Bethesda!  I was a tad bit worried because I knew that Drew hasn't gained all that much weight--he's only 14.1 pounds at almost 6 months.  He was in something like the 57th percentile for weight at his 2 month well-baby appointment, and now he's in the 7th percentile, LOL.  Sound familiar?!  But he is obviously healthy, active, and alert, and I told the doctor that this is generally how we grow kids.  It was a good thing I had Jonathan along as an example, because Micah weighs 29.6 pounds, and is in the 65th percentile for weight AND height!  He is such an outlier for our family.  He's going to pass up his older brothers in no time at all, while Drew will be the scrawny little brother forever, LOL. 

Drew now has his second tooth through, and he has been sleeping better.  Since he wasn't sleeping well the past few weeks, I started him on some rice cereal, which he likes, and now sweet potatoes, which he is not yet so fond of.  Now that the teeth are through, he is sleeping better again.  Yay!  He's pushing up on all fours, but if he rocks, he just topples forward.  He still won't roll from back to front, even though I think he could.  He loves the exersaucer, the every-faithful Johnny Jump-Up (now on its 13th kid!), and all his older siblings, who adore him back.

Micah finally started talking more a few months ago, although no one would ever say he is a "verbal" child, LOL.  But he's saying a lot more words, and putting words together.  He is very physically coordinated though.  Since he's big and coordinated, people think he is older than he is--until he talks!  Micah loves being outside.  He'd be out all day if I would let him!  He loves balls, the trampoline, his scooter, running around, pretty much whatever.  It also looks like he is outgrowing (has outgrown?) his milk allergy.  He's gotten into stuff like pudding lately and has not had any reaction.  I haven't actually tried straight-up milk yet.  Maybe now that school is done.  That would be so nice if he really has!  Anna outgrew hers at 2, so there is a precedent . . .

Micah and Drew got some shots today, which did not thrill either of them.  Amazingly, the immunization clinic was not busy at all, and we got in and out of there fairly quickly!  I left here at 9:00 for appointments at 10:00 and 10:30, plus immunizations, and we got back home around 12:30!  I think that's a record, LOL. 

Happy Mother's Day(s)!

I have had a great weekend!  It started Friday, when I checked the mail.  There was a little package addressed to me from Joy down in Texas!  She and her husband Dan are friends with my brother and his wife, and they had stayed with us back in October when they came to D.C. for a little kidless vacation.  I knew Joy makes beautiful jewelry because I follow her business ("Wire We Here"--is that a great name?!) on Facebook, so I was cautiously hopeful that this mysterious package might contain something she had made . .  And it did!  She made a beautiful necklace with stones for all 9 kids!  I LOVE it!  And then I found out that her husband Dan had collaborated with Bob to get the birth months of everyone, so it was truely a group effort!  What a wonderful surprise!

Saturday night we all went out west to hear a friend named Katie play a benefit piano concert.  She's the same age as Nathan, and she is an incredibly gifted pianist, having won many, many awards, and played many special places, like the Kennedy Center.  She is going on a missions trip this summer, so this concert was to raise money for her team.  It was such a lovely concert.  I would have enjoyed it more without Drew and Micah, LOL, but it is good to expose everyone to good classical music!  Drew needed to eat in the middle of the concert, but unfortunately he did not want to just settle in and start nursing without fussing around and wrestling with the nursing cover.  So we beat a hasty retreat and I nursed him out in the foyer.  Micah made it 2/3 of the way through before he really just wanted to talk.  Not a ton, but considering the rest of the sanctuary was as silent as a tomb, except for the notes of the piano, it would have been distracting.  So Bob came out to the foyer, right about as I was ready to go back in.  Everyone else did just fine, I am pleased to report!  Still, it was a very refined and enjoyable way to spend the evening!  I will note that certain philistine members of the family were more concerned about the score of the hockey game, but even they listened politely . . .

Yesterday, the actual "Mother's Day", Jonathan made me breakfast in bed, and then he and Caleb gave me a massage!  I also got several lovely homemade cards from the girls, and Bob had already brought home beautiful roses.  In the afternoon, Bob grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, since I have absolutely no interest in going out to eat on a super crowded day with my huge clan, LOL.  I got to skype with my parents, which is always fun, and I also had a nice conversation with Bob's sister Jane, which was a treat!

Tonight just Bob and I went out to dinner (MUCH more enjoyable than taking everyone, LOL).  To be honest, we were also celebrating the end of my year of biology.  The AP biology test was this morning, so now it is officially all over!  Woo-hoo!!  We went to Genghis Grill, since we had a coupon for a free bowl for Bob's birthday.  Then we headed over to Costco for dessert.  Did you know that you can get these amazingly yummy hand-dipped chocolate-covered ice cream bars, rolled in chopped roasted almonds, for only $1.50?!  Bob and I shared one, and it was just the perfect ending to a great evening!

Birthday Week!

Last week, we had 2 special birthdays!  Grace turned 6 on Wednesday, and Bob turned . . . well, a year older, on Thursday!  Those 2 days happen to be the busiest of our week, since Caleb and Jonathan have flag football practice those nights, and Bob is their coach.  That just meant we had to prolong the celebrations!

We kicked things off Tuesday by going out to CiCi's Pizza before dropping Nathan and Luke off at Civil Air Patrol.  Wednesday was even busier than usual because we had to have our second weekly biology class that evening, instead of Thursday afternoon.  But Grace picked the complicated dish of "hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls" for her birthday, so I did manage to make that for her, LOL. 

She opened presents after Bob and the boys got home.  She got some Lego Friends, a sparkling coloring pad, and a build-it-and-decorate-it-yourself birdhouse, which was from my parents.  This has sparked an interest in birds throughout the house, so we;ve stocked up on bird library books.  I have always wished I was more familiar with birds, like Amy, so maybe this is my big chance!  Even Micah is big into birds--he will stand looking out the storm door and say, "Bird. . .  bird . . ." all day if you let him!

The day was too much for Faith, and she missed out on the ice cream by falling alseep on the couch!  Everyone else enjoyed a ton of birthday ice cream flavors.  I actually picked them out a few days before.  One of them was Junior Mint.  I love Junior Mints, so I thought that would be yummy.  Well--it's not, LOL.  It tastes really strong.  Not bad, just more like eating Altoids ice cream, except without the nasty Altoids licorice flavor.

Poor Bob didn't even get his birthday dinner until tonight!  I actually went to the commissary on his birthday, where I picked up a turkey.  He loves turkey, but I didn't get around to putting the rub on and letting it sit in the fridge overnight until last night, so tonight was the big meal.  Everyone agreed, it smelled like Thanksgiving!  We had a modified meal--just turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, and green beans.

Last Friday we were finally able to make Grace's cupcakes and sing to her and Bob!  She picked green and purple frosting for her cupcakes, and she frosted them, along with help from various siblings.  That is why it looks like it could possibly be an ancient alphabet written on the tops, LOL.  They sure had fun decorating them!  Grace of course picked Funfetti as the cake flavor, even though Luke was rooting for her to pick chocolate.  But what girl can resist sprinkles?!  Bob was a good sport as usual in sharing his cake opportunity and agreeing to purple and green frosted cupcakes!

 

 

Breaking News!

Well, I never did get caught up!  Grace and Bob had birthdays last week, which I for sure will eventually blog about, but first, today was such an exciting day! 

The AP biology exam is Monday, and since it's a new exam this year, there are no released old exams to be found.  Even the test prep books, like Barron's and Princeton Review, are just sort of guessing what everything is going to be like.  That has made it hard for me to know if we are preparing well. 

Well, over the course of the past few months, I've been checking in on the AP biology 2013 thread over at collegeconfidential.  The past few weeks I've been hearing about a practice exam that AP teachers were giving their students, put out by the College Board!  And then a few nights ago, I happened to check the thread, and lo and behold, someone had posted a link to it!  I was soooo excited!  I bookmarked the link, sent it out to the boys, and went to bed just beaming!  What I did not do was save it to a file or print it off or anything, because it was midnight, and well, I just wasn't thinking, LOL.  So when I got up the next morning and told Bob my good news, he immediately said, "Save it!", and indeed, when I tried the link, it was broken.  I was crushed!!

Over the next few days, I searched and searched for the test online.  I found some other online practice tests that weren't too bad, but nothing official.  Drew has been sleeping really poorly the last few nights, and he's been getting up at 3:00 AM.  As I was nursing him last night at 3:00, it hit me--the way for me to get access to the unreleased practice test was for me to get my syllabus approved, so I would officially be an AP teacher.  That is what I did not do last summer, and that's why we can't officially call this biology course "AP biology".  Last summer I was absolutely not up to it, but now, having taught the course, maybe I could get something together.

Drew was up again at 6:00, and after I nursed him and put him back down, I came downstairs to the computer and got to work.  I found some syllabi online, which gave me a start, but then I looked at the College Board website and read all the actual details they want in a syllabus.  Gulp.  I pored over the 4 sample syllabi, and worked and worked on getting everything in mine.  I could not have done this last summer even if I had wanted to!  I wouldn't have understood enough of what they wanted to make it work, and it would have been such an exercise in frustration, I am sure!

It took me about 5 hours to finish the syllabus.  Then I made an account at the College Board website, where I had some difficulties because I couldn't figure out what "professional code" they wanted me to enter. I called Christine, since she got next year's econ course syllabus approved back in March.  She couldn't remember, but she told me it took several weeks to hear back from them with her approval.  That was discouraging, since the test is Monday.  But I figured I would press on because once you get a syllabus approved, it's good for awhile, and obviously I have a lot of biology teaching in my future, LOL.  After a few more minor technical difficulties submitting the syllabus (and 2 phone calls to the nice tech guy, LOL), everything was entered and pending about 11:45 AM. 

I took a shower and ate lunch, in preparation for our very last biology class this year, which was just  review for the test.  After that was over, I checked email.  I saw an email from the College Board, but in glancing at it, it looked like the automated "your syllabus is pending review" email I knew I had gotten.  But when I looked closer, the title actually said, "AP Audit--Your Biology Course Has Been Authorized".    It arrived in my inbox at 12:31 PM--less than an hour after I submitted my syllabus!!  I could hardly believe it!  I immediately started looking around, and *voila*, under the "secure documents" tab, was the AP practice exam!  Praise the Lord!  So I immediately downloaded it, and sent it off to the boys to take!  I hope it will be useful to them--I am very curious to see how they do!  And now I am all set for the coming years! 

I can't believe that when I went to bed last night, I had no thought of even attempting such a crazy thing!  And God was so gracious to allow it to get approved so readily!  Christine, Shannon, and I have been praying for the past few months as soon as Rivendell classes are over on Tuesdays.  I really feel that the Lord is answering prayer, and I am so very thankful!  We are so blessed!

Anniversary Celebration!

On April 17, Bob's parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary!  This is a huge milestone, definitely worthy of honor, so we, as well as all Bob's siblings, had a party for them on April 20.  Bob's sister Ann did a wonderful job setting everything up!

 Bob's parents picked a nice restaurant, which had several big seating areas.  They set up 4 large round tables for us on a dance floor area.  The wood floor was surrounded by these metal arches.  Throughout the whole night, I would catch myself thinking these areas were mirrors, when in fact, they were open, so it was always a jolt to me to see my kids going right through them, LOL.

 Our kids took up a whole table!  Aunt Jane snuck in the picture too!  Bob and I, along with Drew, sat at the next table with some of his nieces and a nephew, as well as his brother Paul.  The food was really good!  I had roast beef, and Bob got "scrod".  We weren't sure what that was when he ordered it, but the restaurant said it was one of their most popular dishes.  It's a whitefish, we now know, and it was tasty.  The nicest part was dessert--the restaurant makes their own pies, and they were yummy!  There were a ton of choices--lemon meringue, apple, dutch apple, chocolate, coconut cream . . . I had chocolate, of course, and Bob had coconut cream, since he never gets anything coconut at home, unfortunately, LOL.   

 Bob's parents had a small ceremony, because Ann's mom had died just 3 months earlier.  They were married in their church, but they didn't have a reception or anything.  So Bob's sister Ann had the good idea to do the traditional reception things with them!  So Bob's dad took off the garter and threw that, Bob's mom threw a small bouquet of flowers, and they cut a cake Ann made and fed it to each other!  Then they even danced!

Jonathan caught the garter, and Anna caught the bouquet, so I hope no one else in Bob's extended family is hoping to get married anytime soon, LOL.  Jonathan gave the garter to Anna, who decided it made a better headband. 

It was a really lovely evening.  It was really nice to visit with all Bob's siblings, plus most of their kids.  My deep regret is that we didn't take any family pictures!  After all the reception stuff, the waitresses started clearing the tables, and a local band started setting up to play at 8:00.  So we all felt like it was time to leave, and I didn't even think about pictures until we were driving back to VA the next day!  So hopefully we can all get back together in 5 more years to celebrate their 70th anniversary, and then we'll take lots of pictures!

We actually went up to PA Friday afternoon, and we left Sunday afternoon, so it was a nice visit.  The weather was cold though!  I had to dig back out long pants for everyone!  Although it was colder, it was still sunny, so some of the kids and adults were able to go on walks.  Bob's sister Rose and her girls brought their dog Tucker, who was so cute.  At first the girls and Micah were really afraid of him, but they eventually warmed up and got a lot more comfortable with him.  They took a long walk Saturday afternoon with him, and another one Sunday!  And of course there was lots of food and card playing back at Bob's parents' house. 

Hello Again!

Hey, I'm back!  These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, but it looks like things are starting to slow down.  Whew!  This really has been quite the year!  Rivendell is almost over (2 more weeks!!), and the AP biology exam is next Monday (May 13).  Then standardized testing is the next week--I just got the big box o' Stanford tests yeasterday!  Now I need to go through them to make sure I got a test (and the right one) for everyone who ordered, and I need to rework the schedule and figure out which tester administrators go where.  I made a note to myself last year to "rework Tuesday", although unfortunately I neglected to write down exactly what the problem was, LOL.  Hopefully I will improve things, and not make them worse . . .

I'm going to do a few posts to catch up on things, because we did have some special occasions that need to be remembered.