My Mom is in town and last night we went to White Fence farms to eat. It was sooo cool. There was a playground, carriage rides, a garden, a pond, a gift shop and lots more we didn’t see.

We ate a hearty meal with corn fritters, bean salad, beets, cottage cheese, coleslaw, fried chicken and liver and onions. We played in the tree-house, fed the fish and shopped while listening to C&W music.

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We can’t wait to go back, here’s the last shot with Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence.

I was contacted by 850 KOA to talk with them tomorrow about HS’ing. I wrote instead since I am picking up my Mom from the airport (also I don’t like to talk, I mean I do, but not in public!)

Unfortunately tomorrow I am picking up my Mom at the airport. They’re are a lot of Moms in my HS group that are much more eloquent that I! (especially at speaking in public.)

A short response is this: I Homeschool my 4 children ages 11, 7, 4 and 16 mos. because I feel as a Christian that God has given me these children to train up. If I shirk my responsibility to them by loving them at home for 4 years and then packing them off to pre-school how am I training them to be Godly men and women? I am not trying to raise geniuses, just Christian men and women of Godly and moral character who are good citizens and are responsible for what they say and do.

The more I have Homeschooled the more my reasons have gone from purely religious to safety and the ability to give each child the individual attention they need to find out what they are good at and do it. Not just do it, but do it well.

I have seen Moms sacrifice to stay at home and teach their children, single Moms, working Moms and traditional SAHM’s who are forgoing material things in order to give their children school at home. People ask me all the time how I can do this, I must have so much patience! No, I just love my children and want to give them the best I can, and that is Homeschooling.

( Thanks for responding and for sharing your story. Perhaps we can talk on the air down the road,

April Z.)

BAILEY - The Department of Public Safety confirmed to 9NEWS that a gunman, claiming to have an explosive device, is holding two female students hostage in Platte Canyon High School.

This is about 25 miles or so from our house. 4 schools are in lockdown and students have been taken by bus to an (at first) undisclosed location. At least 1 shot has been fired, 4 hostages were released and he has 2 girls right now. He’s 53.

How sad is this, it’s an adult and he claims to have a bomb. Not only that but the kids that were evacuated weren’t told where they were going and parent’s couldn’t tell where their kids were. I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about some nut bringing a gun into my classroom and holding my kids hostage while I can’t get to them. And let’s face it, I’d know if my kids tried to bring a gun into my classroom!

This is NOT the only reason I homeschool-but it’s a darn good one and right up there in the top 5. Other reasons are Religion, no bullying/teasing of my child, family, no guns/drugs, so I can help them find out what they are best at and do it to the best of their ability. I’m not trying to raise a genius, just a Christian, a good citizen, someone who is responsible for what they say and do and someone who has strong moral values.

An update at 4:30 a shot was heard, the swat team entered and pulled out the 2 girls, 1 in an ambulance 1 airlifted in critical condition. The gunman took his own life after shooting 1 girl in the head, she died at the hospital. The bag that was supposed to have a bomb in it had sex tpys and they think some of the girls may have been sexually assaulted (which could mean fondling to rape)

Today (Sep. 28th)
In an extreme case of irony a girl that was interviewed today said yesterday was her first day at school. She had been homeschooled her whole life and yesterday was her first day at a real school, Platte canyon high school. I hope her family sees that they did a good job of raising her in a secure environment before they sent her to Platte Canyon.

To Emily who died and her family, I’m so sorry that this happened. May God keep you in His arms and may His love create a warmth for your family to get through this time and the rest of your lives.

Today we were finishing up Revelation. Our teaching Pastor, Alan Scott, talked about how Heaven will be Heaven because of the people there. We will be more joyful, more productive and be morally flawless and completley fulfilled. He asked us what we are trying to get “more” of here, more money, more love, more time. We won’t ever have a time when we don’t thirst or hunger until we get in Heaven, but sometimes being a Christian means saying “no” to some of our appetites. Maybe no to working longer hours so we can be with family, no to looking for fulfillment in things we shouldn’t. At the end he said, “If Heaven is about people who are there, how should we live now?” So this week I am going to try to be kinder, more gentle, and more joyful.
Here is a picture from the church parking lot of Mt. Evans with it’s hogging of the snow this weekend:

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Here’s from a park we like:

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We went to Washington park to pick leaves like these:

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Bethany, Grace and Hannah enjoy a popsicle:

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Hannah chases the geese:

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Bethany and Grace pose:

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and again:

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It’s 40, feels like 33 right now. The mountains got 8-18 inches of snow, we got nothing. Not even the 1/2 inch the weather-man promised. But, Hannah decided to try on her new snow-suit anyway. She looks like she had air inserted in her suit! At least this year it’s not blue!

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