My family and I have just finished reading the book Bloomability by Sharon Creech.  It is about a girl named Dinnie who moves to Switzerland.  She lives with her Uncle and Aunt and goes to an international school.  She meets lots of friends.  She also runs into a lot of drama.
Dinnie is an interesting, nice, thoughtful kind of girl.  She meets Guthrie who is an exploring, optomistic, nice, out of this world kind of boy.  She also meets Lila who is pessimist, drama queen, spoiled kind of person.
Dinnie learns that changing to a new place isn't going to be easy.  You are going to have some hard times in life but you keep on going.  She also learns that you have to have a good attitude to take advantage of exciting oppurtunities.
I liked the book because it caught my interest and it is some of what I am going through and I recommend it to all ages to read.  I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
P.S.  My mom loves loves loves this book.
by:  Kathryn

A New Kind of John Deere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGOhoHktJc&feature=related

That is how I felt when I looked out our back door last night and saw the hill behind our house was being mowed...by sheep.  I guess they do this because gas for a real lawn mower is too expensive.  I am excited because I miss our dog Khloe, so I am going to pretend they are my new pets.
By:  Joshua

Belle in Boots

Kami has taken the song "There must be more than this provencial life" from Beauty and the Beast to heart.  We are all enjoying the weather, the yard, and the beautiful view.

The Field Trip

Today we went on a hike with our neighbors. It was fun because we don't go on feild trips very often.  That is one of the advantages you get to have if you are homeschooled.  The other  advantage is you get to go  outside and have fun with other people.  You get done a lot earlier than regular school time.  The hike was long and fun I hope we get to do it again some day.  Kathryn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

John and Ben, This One Is For You...

We have been partaking in that painstaking activity of visiting churches.  The kids are mortified at this process because they have been completely spoiled by our home church of CMPC where when they walk down the hall most people know and love them. When we asked Jackson after the service which of the two churches we have visited so far did he like best, he replied, "Chestnut Mountain." But they are being pretty good sports and not complaining too much.  Thankfully, there are a few english speaking congregations to pick from and this weekend we went to a very special one.  It was in the Church of Scotland of Geneva in the Calvin Auditorium in Old Town, Geneva.  Christians have been worshipping in this building possibly since the 5th century and it is also the place where John Calvin and later John Knox each delivered sermons.  I could hardly concentrate on the message because I was so excited to tell John and Ben and the rest of our Chesnut Mountain Presbyterian Church staff where we were!  You guys would have loved it.  We took some pictures to share and even got you some souvenirs (yes, they actually sold them in the library and although I know you wouldn't approve of that-we couldn't resist).  Hope all is well there, and Jackson is right, yall are still our all time favorite :).
Love Mary

The Reign of Terror

Jackson and I have been learning about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror (when thousands of French people; innocent, guilty and children alike, were guillotined following the revolt against Louis XVI).  The second "Reign of Terror" came this past week as the Voorhees family descended on Paris!  Here are the kids' thoughts, pictures and videos of their first trip outside the Geneva area.

Jackson:

Paris is not what I expected.  First, Paris is not the cleanist city in the world.  There are also a lot of homeless people.  But Paris is very cool because all of the historical sites we visited were very large.  I couldn't believe how big The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Catherdal at Notre Dame and The Arc De Triumph were. From traveling on the subway to staying at the hotel, our whole trip was an adventure.  The food in Paris is pretty good.  The guide that we hired was extremely helpful and nice.  Her name was Stephanie.  I attached some pictures and videos of our trip for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4V6kfVygd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cd3VgrPoOg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnR2EtCz1m4

Bon Jour Y'all!

I was in Paris this past week with my family.  I went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, Venis de Milo, The Winged Victory, and Michelangelo's Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave sculptures.  I went to the Ace de Triumph and it is right in the middle of the busiest traffic circle in the world!  I went to The Cathedrel at Notre Dame which is an old catholic church.  I climbed the stairs at the Eiffel Tower which was the scariest of all because I am afraid of heights!  The Subway was also scary because people often steal your belongings, but it was a great way to get around the city in order to go to far away places.  As you can see, I had a blast and I learned a lot.  Here are some pictures and videos of my crazy adventure in Paris.
Kathryn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeSYJQaO2nQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ3oK7EVaWo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P01hBce7bbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du1x9-5-2MQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFJK0h0qaX8