Are We Crazy? What the children have to say....

When we arrived home it was an adjustment for everyone. The first few days were filled with cute comments that the children said and I wrote a few down. Some people may find these comments strange, and think "Why do their children have to live on a bus when they have a home? They are just not thinking about their children. What are the children learning? Are they crazy?"  However, if you are one of the "crazy" families that choose to live in an RV, travel around,  or work in different places , you will be able to relate.  Believe me, we have gotten several comments along with a lot of strange looks. 

Therefore, I want say:

# 1 (and most important) - for us we feel that this is a ministry that we are called to do.  We go around to different campgrounds and share what God has done for us and what only He can do for others. We look for opportunities to serve people in the campgrounds and in the community.  ( I will post some ways we have been able to do this in upcoming posts.) We are living out our Faith in real and practical ways while we travel the United States enjoying God's creation. 

#2 - Our children are doing fine. We love each one of them and their protection is foremost in our minds. We are not depriving them of life's benefits. We are showing them things that most people only get to read about in books. They are actually touching, climbing, investing, and learning about people, places and things each day.  Do they miss family, friends, and home?  Sure they do. Do they enjoy what we are doing?  Most days, especially when the sun is out.  Just today, we were talking about all the things we have done and Jacob said, "I want to go back to Fort Davis. We didn't get to go lie on the rock and watch the stars."

#3 - Homeschooling is going fine.  The children are right where they need to be.  Andrew is now reading. He got an "A" on his report card for Math this nine weeks.  Katie received a glowing report from her therapist that said she has greatly improved since we have been traveling. Joshua is learning to write his letters, Melissa now loves to read where before it was a chore, and Jacob loves to be outside learning about crawly creatures before he would have nothing to do with them.  Hannah - What can I say?  I can't keep Hannah busy enough. She is learning her letters, learning to write her name, and her vocabulary has increased.  Sierra is learning about American History and American Literature what a better place to learn it than actually traveling around America.  Bus schooling is different than school at home but just because it is different doesn't mean learning is not taking place. 

#4 - We are NOT CRAZY!!  We are loving our Lord and Savior, following His direction on our life and stepping out of our comfort zone on Faith. We are loving our large family, learning about each other and learning about our country.  We are living out loud and loving it.  Yes, there are times each one of us would like more space, bigger beds, more quiet, but these times do not compare to the things we are experiencing and the opportunities we have had to introduce others to Christ. 

Hopefully, with all that said, I will not get an inbox full of negative comments relating to the cute things that have come out of the mouths of our children since returning home.

Here is what the children had to say the day we arrived home:

Sierra -"Mom, I have to look for you now when I want to ask something." "Oh, I have major work to do on the stairs."

Jacob - "I remember where I sit at the table."  "Look Mom, at how big the table is."

Melissa - "Has our house always been yellow?"

Mom - "Joshua, go wash your hands."  Joshua said, "Where?" 

Andrew - "I need to use the bathroom." Mom - "Well, Andrew just pick one you now have 3 to choose from and I don't need to know which one you choose. Just go." Andrew - "Is there anyone in there?" Mom- "No, Andrew. You do not have to wait in line. Just go."

Mom - "Hannah go get ready for bed." Hannah - "Are we sleeping here? Can I go sleep on the bus?"

Just this week I have heard the children say:

Melissa - "When are we leaving? I am ready to go see some people."

Hannah- "Can Daddy put wheels on our house and pull it with the bus?"

Katie - "Van - Go" as she stands by the door and looks outside.

Andrew - "When can we go see something fun?"

Joshua - "Can we go hiking today?"

Jacob - "When are we leaving?"

Sierra - "I can't go or do anything because of my foot!"

It has been so good to realize that Yes, we do miss home; but, when we are home, we miss our home on wheels.

Hopefully, in a few weeks, we will be back to traveling.