The Mergenthaler Family

I have just been to busy to keep this blog up to date, so Makayla has decided to take things into her own hands.  I'm OK with it.  In fact, I'm guessing most of you have given up reading this anyway because it has been so long since I did anything with it.  Are blogs a thing of the past?  I like that they are an avenue for us to keep in touch with family and friends, but I have fallen out of the habit of posting pictures and stories even though we always have a lot of amusing stories to tell. Anyway, below is Makayla's first post on our blog.  She did a great job . . . . This summer has been so much fun. We visited friends and family in Washington, Utah, and Colorado, it was like having a HUGE family reunion on both sides. Starting with visiting Grandma and Grandpa Mergenthaler and our cousins. We had so much fun taking walks to the beach.... ....And having lunch with grandma and grandpa at the park. The kids especially LOVED the zip line, ...

The kids are back in school, which should mean I have a lot more time on my hands.  Unfortunately, that's not as true as it would seem.  It is true that I have less noise and chaos during the day, but I still have just the same amount of things to do.  So, in short, I am still working hard every day, but maybe with a little less stress and chaos invading my every moment . . . a little.  Back to school means back to me spending at least an hour a day helping the kids with homework--especially reading and math.  I'm hoping to help Ricky make significant progress this year, but that will take a lot of time and work for both of us.  Sometimes I think I might have learned enough about teaching strategies for children that I could compile a book.  I still have a lot to learn, but I think we are learning what works for Ricky (and the others) and what doesn't.  No matter what, it is a serious time investment.  It has also stretched my com...