It's been a bit hectic around here lately. But then again, isn't that a common refrain for a homeschooling family?

Just to back up a few days....

Saturday we celebrabrated my youngest child's birthday. She turned 12. Do you have any idea how rough it is to know your baby is 12?
That means next year she'll be a teenager.
My baby.
*sigh*
Thankfully, she's not trying to grow up too fast:

And I never know what she'll want to do on her birthday:
*We've done parties with kids.
*Just family to see a movie. The interesting thing about living so far out in the woods is that going to a movie IS a big deal. We live an hour away from a theater....
*To the zoo in Panama City (Hey! She had broken her arm that year and that zoo is 2 hours away...).
*Chuck E. Cheese's (which I lovingly refer to as "Romper Room on Acid").

So this year?
She wanted family and friends that are like family to come and hang out.

I thought kebabs on the grill sounded great!

But it was a bit time consuming to get them ready, so I called in the Marines.
I love to call in the Marines!Look how good he is! And he grilled them, too!

We had a wonderful time but the very best moment for me was seeing this:Proof that they're not always fussing!