Earlier this month we had our family photos taken. It went so smoothly and I wasn't crazy mom so that's a win! I love these little people of mine. They are a joy! Here are some of my favorites...

A couple photos of some good moments this past week homeschooling. It's a total grind and totally worth it. I'm definitely a student of balance right now. Trying to figure it all out. As a homeschool parent, it's always really interesting to hear what people have to say about homeschooling. Often I prefer for them to not say anything because sometimes it's really judgmental. One thing someone said to me yesterday was that she feels sorry for the younger kids (toddlers, preschoolers) in homeschool families. And I was kind of like, yes and no. My Maeve gets to see so much of her sisters and be so involved in their lives. And she gets so much less time with kiddos her age. I try to remember that what is really happening when people offer their thoughts on homeschooling is they are often running through a pro and con list of what it would look like if they homeschooled themselves. Unfortunately it sounds more like I'm being analyzed... Anyways... there's lots of reasons why I homeschool. And one of them is that I'm prioritizing sister relationships over friendships with other children. Every family looks so different and has different needs and wants. I really truly believe that there is no one right way for everyone. What I need to work on is not taking people's thoughts about homeschooling as criticism. 

Anyways... back to my cute kids! I pulled out playdough for Maeve this week. Big win! And then there was this little scene of my girls reading while eating their lunches. So awesome! Another reason why I homeschool... my kids have more time to read for pleasure.

One of my favorite things about living in Spokane is the cross country program at the schools. It's so great! This past week Holly and Greta had their first meet of the season and they rocked it! They worked hard and I'm proud of them!

One thing we never got to this summer was riding the Hiawatha Trail. We snuck it in this last Friday on the last weekend it's open. It was really fun, however, I definitely recommend finding the cushiest ride possible because it's bumpy. My bike has no shocks and pretty narrow tires. By the end of it, my head and neck felt like I had spent the day at an amusement park. So now I know... Otherwise, the views were incredible and the weather was perfection. It was a fun trip! Greta struggled a little towards the end. Maeve did great the whole time in her seat. She loves the bike!

This is kind of a big deal... this past week I became a US citizen! Pretty exciting. The process was really quick (less than 4 months start to finish!!). I submitted my paperwork, was fingerprinted, had my interview and civics test and then the last step is to take the Oath of Allegiance. I have begun filling the paperwork out a few times over the years, and now felt right to finally do it.

But, I will tell you how grateful I am that it was so easy for me to first get permanent residence status and then to become a US citizen. I am so privileged to live in North America. My experience immigrating definitely has an influence on my political views and I'm so excited to vote! Overall, I feel immense gratitude that there are so many paths in life that I've been able to choose. It's incredible.

To celebrate, I of course threw myself a party where everyone brought an apple pie! It was so fun and so low key and I feel so grateful so many people showed up to celebrate with me. I made a gluten-free salted caramel tart and it was so good!