Summer 2019 Horse Trek to Kol Ukok

End of the school year demands an outing with friends to celebrate!

This year we planned a trip up to Kol Ukok; a first for our family.

The Stamp kids with their friends.

The field outside of Kochkor where we picked up our horses for the trek.

This girl loved riding and was pretty much always in the lead.

Seth, racing back to join the group.

Gwangi and Indy with the valley of Kochkor behind them.

Indy on his horse. Yes, even with big Kyrgyz horses Indy is still a tall guy.

The kids, posing on their horses.

The brick house by the yurt camp we stayed at for the night.

Our yurt for the evening.

Group picture!

Sissi by Kol Ukok.

So, I have several good photos of the lake...don't get bored, it really is that beautiful.

Yep, the lake again.

Group shot while we were resting. My horse kicked Seth in the leg and his leg was pretty bruised.

Not much different from the picture above, but I still like it.

Other side of the lake, we walked along the long side and were able to look back over the pass we had come from.

Sissi, galloping down the hill. It was hard to get her off of her horse most of the time; even when the rest of us were taking a break, she was still riding.

I really liked the way the colors turned out in this shot. So lovely and no edits...just the way the light hit the water and the clouds. 

Indy and I, at Kol Ukok.

On the way back down.

End of the 2018-2019 School Year!

What a year!

This year I had a high schooler and two middle schoolers, next year it flips on me.

How in the world am I going to have two high schoolers next year...ahhhh!?!

But, seriously, this year has been fabulous!

Lots of cool things to remember...

Krypto finished his first class with The Potter's School (TPS). He took English 2/3: High School Writing Intensive and loved it, finishing with a strong A. Next year will be English 4/5: Arthurian Literature and Composition.

Gwangi got more involved with computer coding, doing Coda Kid all school year and designing his own levels in several online gaming platforms. He'll be taking an online class with TPS next year as well, Introduction to Computer Programming with Python.

Sissi has been spending more and more time drawing and finding her "style" which is a kind of cartoony style that she says some people call "cartanimea."

All the kids did great with their memorization this year...they memorized the whole book of Galatians first semester and then Ephesians this winter and spring. We miss the opportunity to be in JBQ and BQ, but we try our best to recreate some of the aspects of it here. Next year we'll be doing the book of Mark.

So, what will we do for the summer...we'll continue with some language learning, Krypto will continue writing the 2nd book in his fantasy trilogy; stay tuned to details about us self publishing his first book in the next few months, "The Bow of Ice." Gwangi will continue some fun online coding projects, and Sissi will do art. Both of the boys will continue with their Khan Academy PSAT prep work as well.

My three kiddos, all done with school...

Krypto, all finished with 10th grade.

Gwangi, all finished with 8th grade.

Sissi, all finished with 6th grade.

And, because the kids were all standing and posing, Vera did the same thing and wanted her picture taken as well.

Our 8th grade graduate! Ready for high school!

Gwangi, all done with Algebra and moving on to Geometry.

Krypto, he completed Algebra 2 and is moving on to PreCalculus.

Sissi, all done with Zeta and moving on to Pre-Algebra in the fall.

The first shelf is just some of the books we read for history and literature this year, we have a TON more on Kindle. The second shelf is the pile of books for next year. We'll be covering the Fall of Rome to the Founding of America using Year 2 of Tapestry of Grace.

Finishing up a science experiment today. A chicken bone that sat a week in vinegar that he bending in half.

Our last official Russian class for the school year. We were re-telling the story of Noah using an online cartoon. We'll be reviewing word lists, focusing on writing and reading (something we don't do much of in the GPA method, which focuses mostly on speaking) and we'll be watching some Super Book cartoons this summer, in Russian!

Sissi working on a princess picture in her "cartanimea" style.

Krypto quoting the book of Ephesians to me last week.

Gwangi's 14th birthday!

Gwangi celebrated his birthday over two days...really three! Having your birthday on a local holiday is a pretty sweet deal!

We had his friends over for a slumber party on the Friday and Saturday before his birthday. He was able to open his gifts, enjoy his special meals, play the "Prince Valiant" role playing game, share time with his friends on the WiiU, and watch a Star Wars movie on May the 4th. They all had such a good time, that even as I'm writing this, they are making their way to our house for another gaming day!

His gifts from family, all wrapped up and ready to go.

Starting off the night right, pizza and presents!

And S'mores Cheesecake!

Group hug. This is such a great group of boys.

Snacks and treats from friends for Gwangi's birthday.

Another sweet gift from a friend.

Minecraft for the WiiU...definitely a hit.

A few new Infinity characters that I bought last year. You've gotta have Han and Luke when you're a Star Wars fan, such as Gwangi.

Another big hit, with ALL the kids...Super Smash Bros.

Carrying on our pin collecting tradition, I found this fun Aladdin "video game console" pin. The kids say I'm finding so many good pins on eBay, they don't want to trade any of them!

Another tradition...comic books!

The big surprise gift, the board game, "Star Wars Rebellion."

Some of the figures from the board game.

Then the boys took some time and put in the new WiiU games Gwangi received for a bit of play time.

While they were playing, I got busy making bagels for breakfast the next day. We served them with bacon and eggs so they could make a classic bagel sandwich.

Pictures of my boy on Sunday, May 5th.

The backyard is often a good spot to take some family photos.

My handsome boy.

I love it when he puts his head to the side. So sweet and cute, with his double dimples!

Looking so grown up.

On his actual birthday, the 9th of May, the country of Kyrgyzstan celebrates Victory Day, noting the surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in 1945.

We met up with some friends in town and watched the parade to the Eternal Flame.

Looking at some of the hardware on display.

Standing on the sidelines as family members walk by carrying signs and photos of family members that served during WWII.

Lunch time! We enjoyed a meal at a local Georgian restaurant.

An evening view at Ala Too Square. The night was beautiful!

We're so proud of our boy and thrilled that he celebrated another year with us. He has grown in so many ways this year, physically, but also mentally, in his character development, and spiritually.

Happy 14th birthday, Gwangi!