Does it count as a blog if you post once a year?

Here is it, the end of June in 2011, and I haven't written for a year. I think facebook is to blame - I started this as a way to stay connected with family far away, but I've been remiss...

Not that much has happened in a year. It's been quiet around here... peaceful... changeless... NOT!


Last fall (November 1, 2010, to be precise) Satchel went to New Zealand with his backpack, a few dollars, and a work permit good for a year. He met up with his cousin Jan Marc from Holland, and they sometimes traveled together, sometimes separately. He got work in a Backpacker (Youth Hostel), climbed Mt. Doom, went rock climbing, went surfing, went to Australia for a month (where he stayed with his cousin Isha and her husband Brenton), went back to New Zealand, camped in a free campground by the beach, found a job picking apples, made friends from all over the world, and had a fantastic time. He got back here at the beginning of May, and hit the ground running, finding work immediately.


Will spent the winter at Evergreen, his second. He concentrated on Calculus & Physics as prep for Atoms, Molecules & Reactions next year. Now he's really enjoying the home cooking, the sunshine, and hanging out with his brothers.


Reed was in third grade this year, and had our favorite teacher, Laura Honda. (I think we win the prize for most years with her as teacher - Satchel in 2nd & 4th, Will in 3rd, Carson in 4th, Reed in 3rd.) It's a year full of environmentalism, nature, science, caring, field trips, crafts, and much more. We've been lucky, and he had a great year. He also got into building stuff this year. Here's a photo of him with a catapult that he built (with very little help) over a weekend.



Carson, on the other hand, had a rough year in 7th grade. Rough enough that we've decided to give homeschooling a try for next year. Exciting and a little scary! But mostly exciting - we're looking forward to this new adventure. In this photo, he's Dan the Man in the school production of Guys and Dolls.

But right now, it's full-on Butterfield's House O' Bedlam! And chaos. And entropy. Someone asked me the other day if we've done improvements to the house, and I laughed. No, mainly we just try to patch up the damage caused by 4 boys, two dogs & a cat. And fantasize, wistfully, about the day we'll be able to afford to actually make it look nice around here! But it's worth it, just seeing how much the brothers enjoy each other's company, and how much fun they have together. That's worth the price of admission, right there.


Which brother spent the winter studying in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and which spent it in New Zealand, camping out and picking apples? Three points for guessing right!