D- Deer and pheasant hunting- Levi, Dylan and dad went on the big hunt this year. Our hunting party ended up with three deer. Levi, Dylan and Isaiah have enjoyed pheasant hunting with their new Beagle puppy - Bailey. .......
E- Early riser - Clay is awake at the crack of dawn most mornings - usually in a great mood and ready to play... his sister on the other hand likes to sleep in. They have become great friends and love to spend time together.
R- Roping- Levi, Dylan and Isaiah did a lot of roping this year. They competed in the regional event in August and Levi went to the state event and placed fourth in breakaway roping. This was also Levi’s first year to do team roping.
U- Undertaken - We undertaken another house project. We are building on a large living room and the lower level will be a schoolroom / rec room for the kids!! We are excited about the project and have done all the work so far ourselves
Y- Youngsters and Youth - Sierra is five years old and started kindergarten and is a Cloverbud in 4-H. (this was a big deal for her - she has been waiting a long time to join 4- H) Clay turned three in August and is our little farmer. He loves to play with farm stuff and loves animals. Levi is thirteen, Dylan is twelve and Isaiah just turned eleven in December. They are active in their various hobbies and activities. We still participate in music lessons, 4- H and the area homeschool group.
T- Teaching - We are in our sixth year of home educating our children. Rich and I attended the annual homeschool convention and were encouraged by the speakers we heard and the people we met. We have encountered good days and bad days with having the kids home everyday - but we have seen the Lord’s desire for us to teach our children. It has been such a blessing to get to know each of our children and to develop a close relationship and to watch them grow in the Lord !!
E- Entertainers- We have had the pleasure of watching our children share their gifts with other people. Levi plays the electric and acoustic guitar and piano. Sierra has an interest in the piano, guitar and violin. She plays her guitar everyday after lunch and has played a few songs at the local nursing home. Dylan is taking piano lessons and hopes to learn another instrument in the future. Isaiah enjoys playing the piano, bongo drums, and violin. He performed many times this summer with the SD Old Time Fiddlers and even competed in the SD Fiddle Contest. The Lord has given him an amazing gift and we have appreciated his willingness to share his music with others.
R- Richly Blessed - We have had another amazing year. We have experienced good times and have had our struggles but through it all we have seen the Lord’s hand in the plan for our family. We are very thankful for the Lord’s blessing on our farming operation and for His Protection of all of our family members. If you get in our area stop in for a visit.... The DeRuyter’s.. Rich, Steph, Levi, Dylan, Isaiah, Sierra, and Clay