For us September is crazy so I’ll have to break this post into 3 at least.

We’re in our last month of school covering testing, seeing who’s failed and who moves forward.
We’re advertising changes for next year schedules, teachers, classes and tuition.  This year we had to add a supply fee and in stead of raising a $1 on tuition we had to raise it $2 to cover rising costs.
Thankfully the changes have been received fairly well and we still registering children for November.
The budgeting for November has already begun.

We are still praying about the Kusanone Grant funding from Japan.  We should know October if we have been awarded it or not.  We are competing with 7 other schools so we’ll see, it’s in God’s hands.

A round the first week of the month we start preparing for the End of the Year school carnival.  I think we added 6 new games and refurbished the older ones.   This project was off to a real, real rocky start.  With my workers not really cooperating on the build, by avoiding it, not listening, calling in sick and when we went to the city they accomplished pretty much nothing.  After a week of 18 hour days a number of my boys started pitching in, so very thankful for that.

On the last night before the carnival, we were setting up everything, tents and games, it rained again big time, it flooded the yard.
Some of the games were not finished.  The big rental tent we got was erected in the wrong place while I was at school.  That night we spent hours in the rain I think until 9 at night trying to wiggle the tent to where it was suppose to be.  It was 21 meters long and we all picked up a pole and carried it.  We got it over the swings in the way and past all the trees. We took down part of a fence and then it would not go.   Though the distance between the building and the tree was enough it was so long that we couldn’t get it past the trees and swings again to get it on the pad.  It was physically tiring, it was real late and we were done, but the tent wasn’t, we didn’t make it.

With, mud and rain and exhaustion I really felt discouraged thinking we might have to cancel the day.  I felt sad to cancel but I felt more shame that so many people worked very hard to end up short and not make it.

The house woke up at 4 am and I got up I think 5 or 6 am and when I could finally pull myself from the bed.  Looking out over the yard it was somewhat dry.  The sun was shining and the tent had been moved.  My kids and the staff broke the tent into sections and moved it to the cement pad.  By the time I got downstairs they were finishing up and didn’t really need my help.

The kids at the house always, always come through for me.  I am quite thankful we had their help over the years.  I’ve had a couple chances over the years to compare our children to guest teenage kids and I personally very proud of them and their level of responsibility.

1st grade shared their blessing dance with us which was very, very nice.

One of our new games this year was our Little John pugil stick challenge.
Padded sticks, helmets, life vests and an 8 inch board over the pool.

Joseph had the first victory of the day, though it was because the other child swung, missed and fell off.  Joseph celebrated like a pro.

Also new we made huge connect four boards

Lightning Alley ball roller

Toilet toss.  While I wanted to use brown play-dough we ran out of time and stuck with tossing rolls or paper in stead.

Also new was the CLAW mystery box.  We used a couple trash pincers and a drop slot.

Ball tosses

secret what’s in the bottle pick

Water races

Lollipop tree

Plinko

Loose Tooth

Ring Toss

Ball Toss

Basket Ball