First two weeks of school?!

I wanted to write something the first day of school, then the first week, and now we're already headed into our third week?!? It would probably be weird to be teaching just one child for the first time in many, many years, but I feel like I've been thrown all the way back to the beginning of our homeschooling anyway, with one in school and three preschoolers running around. Oh, and now we have a university student in the house, too:

I haven't had a free moment to feel any weirdness of just teaching Bogdan, of having him in high school, or anything at all. Instead of life slowing down at the end of summer, it went wonderfully crazy. Asya left for her grandparent visit, and the same day a family of five moved in with us. They're our beloved friends from Kherson, and their children are our "imaginary grandchildren." For a while they lived here in Frankivsk, then went to Kyiv, and now they're moving their family back here. They're staying with us until they find a place to rent. 

The next day Vika, Asya's friend from church in Kherson, arrived with her mother. They were also staying with us until Vika could get settled. It turned out that she's settling with us! She is going to be renting the room in this house that our landlord used to live in. So, her mother was here for a few days, and then left. Vika, of course, stayed on.

Since then my friend from Kherson wanted to stay with us to visit her son who was on leave here and someone else who would usually stay with us came through town. I had to tell both of them that there was no room in the inn. (But then to add to the craziness I had to make a quick trip to Kyiv to get a document, and I got to visit my friend there.)

So, we're alive and well and actually starting another school year. A few more photos from the first day:

Kayaking

One of the most fun parts of this summer was a three-day kayaking and camping trip that we went on with the older kids from our Sunday school. Our pastor's wife, who is also one of the Sunday school teachers, leads these kayaking trips for other people. Last year Bogdan and I went with her on one, and this year Asya went with a group of adults that she took just before this. But this trip she planned for our little group. She said that she took three Hunsuckers to captain the three boats other than hers. We had a total of four kayaks, twelve people: eight kids from the Sunday school, Asya, Vira, and I (three Sunday school teachers), and Tanya aunt/guardian for two of the kids and friend/leader for all of them.

I shared all of my photos here, and Tanya's photos of kids and nature are online, too. Enjoy!