Updates

I realize that my posts have been devoid of pictures lately and I apologize. We are heading up to Oregon at the end of next week and I hope to have lots more to post then. In the mean time, if you want to see some pics of our adorable family head on over to http://www.chadmartinphotography.com/ and check out the recent sessions. Our friend, Chad, is an amazing photographer, so if you ever need pictures taken, we highly recommend him.
Okay, as far as updates go, I realize that I never mentioned how we did on the "No Spend Challenge" in February. Believe it or not, we did really well. We did have a couple lapses here and there. I spent $5 on a milk frother (which I think saved me money in the long run; I haven't been to Starbucks since!) and Justin and I both have a weakness for discounted books which cost us about $30 at the end of the month. In all we were able to save enough for two months tuition for the kiddos. It was great to pay this bill with cash on hand, even though the cost is set aside in our savings.

In other Peter's Family news, we have decided to probably home school the kids next year. We hadn't planned on doing this for the next year, but a number of things are pointing us in this direction.
For starters, the homeschooling program that we are interested in is through the kids current school. The kids would be able to come on campus for chapel days, and attend field trips with their friends. The school takes care of the record keeping, etc.
Second, we have a desire to teach our kids skills beyond academics. With our family schedule the way it is now, we don't really have time to develop other skills that the kids want and need to learn.
Third, even though they are in a "Christian" school, they are surrounded by non-Christian kids. While this has led to many different discussions concerning language, modesty, divorce, etc; we realize that our children's corrupt little hearts may be drawn more to the ungodly example in their fellow classmates. We would rather they see the gospel lived out in our daily lives and our interaction with unbelievers.
Lastly, cost. Of course it's a factor. We have always seen our children's education as being something worth sacrificing for. We still believe that, but we truly believe that they will learn better through one on one instruction. In this case, we are exchanging monetary sacrifice for personal sacrifice. While I know this will be a challenge for me, I am excited to spend more time with my kids and guide them in their quest for knowledge.

As a final update, I cut my hair off. Most of you already knew this, but if you didn't click on the link at the top to see how it looks.