Recap of our year

WOW, It is April already! This school year started out looking great. I planned and planned and wrote out lessons, had tons of amazing ideas. The world held such promise. Then our life took a turn, a good turn that entailed many changes. We began renovating my sisters old cottage house near my hometown. What a project! Chris and I had never done work like that before. We hung drywall, bead board, put down new floors and carpet...this house is over 100 years old and there is no such thing as square in this house. So we finished in December just in time to cram our 1200 sq ft worth of stuff into our new to us 750 sq ft home. God love us!
In the mean time school was put on hold. I had to rearrange my wonderful plans, not to mention my 6yo was not as ready for first grade as i thought he was going to be and my 10 yo began to display or better I say I finally realized his reluctance to reading and writing has roots in dyslexia. SO...I was back in the planning mode when i wasn't cutting and measuring at the little house. Our rhythm was shot, but i had high hopes to get it back once things settled down. But you know what, it never did.
Perhaps a week after we moved in, Christmas Eve, I got a phone call that my mother was in the hospital. ICU. My sister and I would look heartless to anyone who doesn't know this pattern, exhaled and gave a half eye roll. Her Spirit visited me that night though as i tried to sleep, she was scared and needed me. I went to her the next day to find her so frail. I had never seen her so sick. She had sores on her body and tubes everywhere. She was barley alive. A few days later they were telling us we needed to make decisions about her life support. This may have been the hardest day. Well actually the night before was the worse, going into the hospital was hard. We had made our decisions and bravely walked into her room and the woman opened her eyes and looked at us! I was filled with such a great happiness and an equally horrifying sorrow.
Now it is time (my scheduled, preplanned time) for school to begin again; First Monday in January 2010! That Monday the boys and i spent running from hospital, to lawyer to social security office etc. In efforts to help mother. And it has been that way pretty much ever since.
Over the last 2-3 weeks as her rehab has taken her from bedridden to independant, and my generosity has moved into resentment, my visits are now down to once a week. We got 2 days into our rhythm before Lillie came to stay with us. Uprooted again! So here we are. Still trying to have somewhat of a school day. The boys did learn how to ride bikes, a task of healing for Malachi. We are getting outside now that the weather is warm. We are raising chicks, 5 Rhode Island Reds. Building a chicken coop and loving every bit of life that we can.