Meet Our Family

This is our family. Going clockwise from the top is Rich, then there is his lovely wife Donna, our beautiful 10 yr old Micah, our talkative 7 yr old Kyra, the clown of the family 6 yr old Eli, and last but not least the analytical 9 yr old Gannon.
Last July Rich completed his first 1/2 Iron Man in Sun River Oregon. A 1.5 mile swim, 58 mile bike and 13 mile run! Wow. He is already preparing for it again in 2006 and planning on doing a full Iron Man (twice the above distances)on his 40th birthday.
You know - he has been doing these sprint distance triathlons for many years now and they are so inspiring. They look like a lot of work (please note that as I type this I am sitting on my rear eating a chocolate chip cookie) but also a lot of fun. The 1/2 Iron Man did not inspire me - it looked like torture! I saw more that one person in amazing shape practically pass out after the swim. I can't imagine what the full Iron Man will be like - we shall see...
As for me - well I keep myself busy homeschooling 4 kids, running the Veneta Home Education Network - a local homeschool support group for West Lane County Oregon
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venetahomeeducationnetwork/
I teach step aerobics, am re-learning the piano after a 20 year break and in my spare time read, write and take any art class I can possibly fit into my already overscheduled life! Needless to say with 4 kids, 2 cats, 1 large dog, a rather talkative bird and a hamster housework occasionally takes a low priority... We are happy amid the chaos.
Micah is crazy about Harry Potter. She has read all of the books at least 3 times and can beat anyone at Harry Potter trivia. She also loves to read anything by Gayle Carson Levine and the Eragon series. She loves to paint, is very witty - a bit sarcastic - and is most beautiful when laughing. She loves horses and singing. She takes piano lessons and wants to learn the guitar to start her own band. She takes karate and can be dangerous so watch out!
Gannon is an amazing 9 year old kid. He is a Bear Scout and loves everything about Cub Scouting. He too is crazy about Harry Potter and Eragon and is often busy contemplating life and its idiosyncrasies. He loves to cook but will rarely eat. He is a very skinny kid. He loves to run and finished his first 5K in just 32 minutes. He loves to play chess and soccer. History is one of his favorite subjects but he could do without the Latin.
Kyra is our firecracker. She is passionate about animals and wants to grow up to be a vet. She loves her friends and siblings and is a very responsible 7 yr old. Kyra loves to swim and jump in the deep end. Kyra does not tread water too well and has had to be rescued more than once by the life guards - I think she likes it...
Eli is just entertaining. What can I say? He is a bundle of energy and fun. His favorite (and I asked him...) thing to do is eat. The kid can out eat anyone in our family and still be hungry, it is amazing! Eli has a very magnetic personality and makes friends rapidly. He has a crush on his former primary teacher and is always flexing his muscles for her at church. Her husband better watch out!
Well that is our family - read on to learn more.
Donna
PS - This is our newest family member: Kyra's kitten who she named Alisa Lala Jones