A Day Worth Remembering

Tom took Christian to obtain his learner's permit today, and we are happy to report that he passed on the first try!

Some of you might be thinking that since he is 16, he should have been getting his license today, rather than his permit. We decided to take a different approach than most, and have been stressing for the past few years that just because the law states that you can have a license at 16, doesn't mean that you are going to get one. Knowing how their parents feel about the issue has kept all expectations for a license in perspective for our three kids.

An extensive study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that motor vehicle crashes constitute the single largest health problem for 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States. They account for more than one-third of all deaths in this age group. With those kinds of statistics, we are not rushing to put keys into any of our childrens' hands before we determine maturity.

In Christian's case, he has not pressed the issue, because he said he was very nervous and apprehensive about taking control of that much power. A healthy fear and diligent studying of road laws has shown us that he is ready to begin his driver's education.

Please be in prayer for all of us as we begin this new adventure!

Andrew is at a milestone as well, as he is entering his high school years in the fall. High school presents particular challenges, and to assist us in those challenges, our family has found The Potter's School (http://www.pottersschool.com/) to be a wonderful partner on our homeschool journey. Both boys are enrolled in Potter's School courses in the fall, and some of their classes meet simultaneously, necessitating that Andrew have his own computer (Christian already has one). Tom found a great deal on a used, Sony laptop on eBay, and has worked many hours rebuilding the hard drive. Today, he presented Andrew with the finished product (almost finished I should say -- there are a few applications that still need to be loaded), which made for a very excited Andrew!

Following the boys' exciting morning, they went to music lessons in the afternoon, and then we met the Anderson's at the Rogers' house for a swim. For those of you who don't know Wayne and Judy Rogers, they are our Pastor and his wife -- they are so generous with our congregation in allowing all of us the use of their pool.

The garden continues to grow, although my yellow squash is struggling. I have noticed other gardens around town in which the squash is struggling as well. Our friend, farmer Larry (www.twodovesfarm.com), said his squash isn't doing so well either, so that makes me feel a little better. We should have some tomatoes ready for picking this weekend, and the cucumbers should start to be ready by the first of the week.

We're going to have watermelon! Woo hoo!