July 2009

Click here for July pictures

We have been having such a fun summer so far, and are sorry to have to switch gears to school so soon! Here's what's been happening in the Brown family in July...

We headed to Valpo for a family wedding early in July and turned it into our annual blueberry-picking trip as well! It was the first time Matt had been blueberry picking and it was a perfect day for it with awesome berries! We've already made 2 pies and lots of other yummies.

Quinn and Clara both managed to snag seats at the Hoosier Academy for next year! It is a public charter school and they will attend classes at the learning center 2 days a week and be at home (working, of course) the other 3 days of the week. We are excited about this new and different opportunity for them! We are giving it a shot for a year to see how it goes. Zane and Millie will continue as planned at the neighborhood schools. Zane will be starting 2nd grade and Millie will be going to kindergarten--I can't believe it!! She is SO excited to do all of the things she's seen her brothers and sister do for all these years. Finally she'll be able to actually get ON the bus :o)

Quinn and Clara are also joining the New World Youth Orchestra and we are excited about that. Rehearsals start August 16. Clara will be playing soccer this fall and I think the other kids have settled on taking a gymnastics class. I obviously won't be working at the high school this year since I'll have Quinn and Clara at home 3 days a week, but I have managed to get several new piano student prospects and I'm excited about that. I enjoyed my year at the high school, but in all honesty I think I needed a part time job. It just ended up being too much and things at home started to fall apart a bit. Matt is ecstatic to always have clean clothes, dinner at home, and his lunch packed for him in the mornings. So we've learned to be a bit pickier about what job I might have in the future :o) Matt's business is continuing to do very well, for which we are thankful!

I posted several times during July, so scroll down to see our other news. We are heading for Mt. Rushmore tomorrow and I am planning to blog while we're gone, so check back soon for an update or two!