Back to School

Ooh, ooh! Our turn!

This guy's already a few days into his JUNIOR year via LUOA. It seems like it should be a bigger deal than it actually is. I did try on the phrase, "He's graduating next year," earlier today and it didn't quite sound right, but it is what it is. He's had some pretty big changes lately. A job, a car, all the normal fixings of a teenage life. Some things were put on hold due to our geographic location of the past few years, but now that we're home, he's back on schedule and thriving. 

EIGHTH grade for this guy(and a birthday coming up soon!). This one is my learner. Always reading, always learning, always trying to one up his brother. He gained a guitar recently and has taught himself several songs via youtube. He's also got a few weeks of violin lessons under his belt. 

This one is entering FIFTH grade. He and the eighth grader will be doing things a little differently this year. They all chose to continue homeschooling in a sense, but I won't be the one doing the teaching. Thank God, because I'm tired. The middle two will be going to Wilson Hill Academy, if anyone's curious. Tito is into chatting with his friends in Japan and his drums. He got a full set. I thought they'd be a fun garage addition. Thanks to humidity, they are inside now. They weren't a fun addition to the garage. They're an even less fun addition to the inside of the house. It is so frickin' loud in here, all the tiiiiime. 

 This little rockstar will still have me as his FIRST grade teacher, but he kinda likes the one on one time. The cowboy boots were Simon's, once upon a time. I'm so glad they made their way back to us through the portals of storage. They are his footwear of choice and I don't fight it. 

I never saw homeschooling taking us this far. I never saw us taking homeschooling this far. It was all fun and games when they were little and we had time to get it all in their noggins. Things got real much more quickly than I anticipated. This year, I looked into private schools. I looked into public schools. I looked into running away to join the circus. I did a lot of crying, if I'm being perfectly honest. Yet here we are. Our tenth year of homeschooling? That seems crazy. 

It's the hardest thing I've ever done for so long of a time period. It's exhausting, but rewarding. It's frustrating, but fun. Up to this point, I can honestly say, it's all been worth it.