That Our Sons & Daughters...

***I wrote this post over a month ago...that is pretty much how my life is these days!  I was tempted to delete it and start over, but man, it took me awhile to create it so here it is...five weeks later.  I hope you enjoy.***

***I know I have some faithful followers that really do care about us and pray for us and its because of them (and my mother, of course!) that I have been agonizing over my little blog.  How can I keep up on my blogging in the midst of what feels like an overwhelming schedule right now?  How can I avoid giving it up altogether or blogging once every few months??  I am not sure I have a great answer but I have an idea.  Let's see how it goes from here on out!***

My mother sent me this verse this week and i thought it was beautiful.  I confess my first thought was "How???"  I find myself more and more running to the WORD for answers to all the hows? in my life.     

I am well aware of the date of my last entry.  

I am also well aware of the fact that to fill you in, even briefly, on our lives the last four months would take many, many posts.

I am even more aware that I simply don't have the time I would like to do justice to the past semester.

Yes, I see my life in semesters now.  My children's semesters.  My semesters.  My husband's semesters.  Our lives are broke up into Feb-June=1st semester.  July=much needed Winter break. Aug-Nov=2nd semester.  Mid Dec-Jan=much needed Summer break.  And then we start all over again.

So, here we are entering the final week of our marvelous month of vacation.  Daddy is home. Mommy is home.  The two kiddos are home.  Grammie came to visit for 19 marvelous days and all too quickly flew home to her world this past Wednesday.  Did we ever enjoy our days with her.

I am quite pleased to announce that after much struggle and many tears and even more prayers, our Chloe Maria has learned to read!  She is even enjoying it and is writing up a storm on every piece of paper she can get her hands on.  I find little notes all over the place and it does my mommy heart GOOD!  In four months she went from stubbornly declaring it is completely unnecessary to know how to read to reading everything.  My mother spent hours reading to the children during her visit and Chloe even started reading in English.  Wow.  Whew.  God is good!  Huge Victory #1 for our semester #1. 

Noah Miguel had a very shaky start at his new school behavioral wise but after finding out his teacher is stronger and more stubborn than he is, he has settled down and became a favorite in his classroom.  I can only thank God for both of my children's teachers.  Patient, loving women of God who have looked beyond my children's strong wills and seen potential, building on their strengths and always encouraging growth in their weaknesses.  Both Pro Jessica and Pro Ellen have brought out the best in my children and we all look forward to semester #2.  

My husband is officially a graduated Environmental Engineer!  Our semester was so incredibly full of victories and this was one of our greatest.  After a tough, tough four years, he has completed his engineering degree.  It goes without saying that the children and I deserve that diploma too!  I am so proud of him for never, ever giving up and in spite of immense obstacles, he remainded disciplined and motivated to the very end.

June 2017-Brazilian Valentine's Day
Igreja Comunidade Restauracao
Couple's Dinner

And by God's amazing, abundant GRACE, I completed my first semester as the High School teacher at C.A.S.A and finished well. I fell in love with my students this semester and am incredibly proud of them for their hard work, dedication and diligence to the very end.  Theirs is not an easy road, two school programs simultaneaously, but they are committed and so am I.  So, here is to semester #2 of 1/2 credit Fine Arts and 1/2 credit Health.

                                                                Blessings be yours,
                                                                                      Jama