April

Gretchen attended a special birthday party in costume and charmed all the little princesses with her fantastic storytelling. 

Bridgette joined a friend for "Maryland Day" at the University of Maryland.  She tried several different activities and got behind-the-scenes looks at several of the labs.

Happy Easter!  

Obligatory family photo after church =)

Hosting friends from church and neighbors for an excellent Easter lunch potluck feast

Aunt Vallerie treated the girls to see My Fair Lady - what a special performance!  They loved it!  And they also loved meeting up with Uncle Steve for dinner afterwards.

Shenanigans seen on our after-dinner family walk

The kids and I hiked one of the Billy Goat trails near Great Falls National Park.

Thank you, Grammy Deb, for the Easter treats!  They were a great reward after our hike =)

Enjoying school work on the porch as the weather warms up

I hope it works!

Rooke plays a LOT of basketball; in the driveway with friends, with Ryan, by himself, team practice, tournaments, local games, on the neighborhood court with friends . . . he loves the sport!  It's fun to see Ryan and Rooke play each other.

The girls and I went with Rooke to a tournament in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is considered "Amish country."  Hello delicious dairy-fresh ice cream!

A beautiful picnic dinner and walk with food from a local gyro joint

Lots of basketball!

And the team went to an arcade place, so the girls and I tagged along to try the activities also.  My first time on a hoverboard - pretty fun!

Gretchen dressed up for Great Debate day at our homeschool co-op.  Her class argued pharmaceutical medicines vs. natural remedies.  She was later awarded Best Speaker from all the 7th grade debaters!

Rooke also dressed up for Great Debate day, then promptly shot baskets while waiting for our carpool to pickup.

Gretchen presenting one of her "Best Speaker" arguments!

Rooke and his team preparing for one of their debates on military service being required.  Their team made it to the Debate-Off and was later awarded second place.

I think he gets the award for Most Handsome 9th grade debater =)

Our month ended unexpectedly with an accident involving our parked van.  Unfortunately, a drive hit our van bad enough that it was totaled.  Thankfully, the girls and I were on the porch when the crash happened and were able to immediately help.  No one suffered any serious injuries.