Chryst Chronicles

If your wondering....

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

what my children have been up to these last few weeks while I've been completely absent from blogosphere- here's a good summary

I have been truly grateful for the warm sunny winter weather. My days have found themselves to be very long as Philip has found himself in the position of contractor for the remodeling work at the church. He's gone from way before sun up to way past sun down. My kids have found themselves relegated to the outdoors more than usual for it being winter.

Ryan has been spending the last few weeks setting traps and planning for bird stew. He's torn between cooking his captured birds or keeping them as a pets. He's still hoping for a dog but I think realizes that he might need to take matters into his own hands. He faithfully checks his traps throughout the day and unloads bird seed throughout the yard. Peter has joined in on the bird hunting ventures but is taking a different approach.He's going for the David and Goliath method. He did get to go squirrel hunting with a church friend recently. Amazingly, they sat in the cold for 3 hours without ever seeing a squirrel! Thanks to all the bird seed Ryan's been spreading and the warm temperatures the birds are flocking to our yard.
Nathan's happy to follow along in his "cowboy boots" and his soldier stick. This particular occasion he was given permission to carry the bird net. Yes, it really is a fishing net but that's all they had at Walmart!

As for Emma she happened to be inside at the time of these pictures reading a book.

Apple nachos

2012-02-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

I have been so delinquent in keeping current with my blog. I have a running list of excuses in my head as I think to myself, "I should really update things". Oh well; maybe one day I'll finished posting our vacation pictures. In the mean time, I tried out a new snack yesterday - apple nachos Although apples and peanut butter aren't that unusual in our house, it was really fun to serve them like this!

When 6 becomes 4

2012-01-18T16:45:00.001-08:00

When my mom left here following Christmas, she explained to Nathan that when we got back from Boone he could come to her house. Well as they say in Roxboro, this little guy is smart. At least once a day while we were in Boone, Nathan asked if we could go home so he could go to Granny's house and feed Maggie (their dog). Although there were many tears from him as we were packing up and preparing to leave "his Boone house", as soon as we pulled into our driveway he declares that it's time to go to Granny's house. Thankfully, my parents were open to the having Ryan and Nathan spend some time with them this week. I don't know if I could have held Nathan off any longer.
Ryan got to join in on the fun while promising to serve as interpreter and to do all his school work that I sent along! It's been a long time since Philip and I have had just Peter and Emma to ourselves. It's been such a blessing to spend these few days with just the big kids. I miss my little guys. I'm thankful that they are soaking up some undivided attention from their grandparents and I hope they are filling up their grandparents hearts with love. It's been really quiet around here. The Lord has used this time and extra room in my brain to speak gentle words of encouragement to me. I am thankful.

Ruff Ridge

2012-01-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

While eating our lunch on the parkway, we say the park ranger passed by us about 3 times. On his third time past us, he graciously stopped and explained himself. They were patrolling the area in search of a certain suspicious vehicle. In our brief conversation he did give us the suggestion of driving down the parkway a bit and trying out the Ruff Ridge trail. As soon as he mentioned the trail, I recognized it from my college days. Refreshed from our lunch, we hit the trails again. I'm glad we took his advice because it was a beautiful place.

Hiking

2012-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

We welcomed the sunshine the following day with great enthusiasm. It's our tradition to hike the Viaduct so that is where we headed to after we had breakfast and packed a picnic lunch. Again, we were greeted with beautiful and unseasonable warm Boone weather.
Our normal entry point to the trail was blocked off so we improvised by walking down road until we found a way to enter the trail. Luckily there wasn't much traffic!Nathan was a champ on this hike. He was determined to be like the big boys and walked for close to an hour.
After a wonderful time in the woods, we found a way out of the woods and back to the road to lead us to the car and to our lunch.I'm quite sure that money could not have bought a more beautiful setting for our lunch.
I love how Nathan knows that these are the blue ridge mountains! Can you tell we had Cheetos with our lunch.

rainy days

2012-01-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

After a great weekend with friends who joined us at the cabin and a refreshing visit to the church of my college days, we greeted Monday morning with a down pouring of rain. What's to do in Boone when it's raining? We camped out at Chick-fila while catching up with another friend from college and then hit the bowling alley!It was a fun way to spend a rainy Monday. We stopped by Goodwill on our way home and Philip scored a $6.00 pair of skis and I scored a $3.50 hiking/backpack! Good times.

Vacation recaps

2012-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Day One: We set out to experience Howard's Knobb. It's a landmark in Boone and a site I remember visiting while in college. It was a mere coincident that the landmark is named for a man connected to the Revolutionary war times. Check mark for field trip! Unfortunately, after we drove there we find that the park is closed during the winter months. However, we borrowed the drive way of an abandoned house to see the view.

A question

2012-01-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why but I can distinctly remember a woman asking Philip and I this question about 11 years ago, "If you don't watch TV then what do you do?". A lot of time has passed since we had that conversation and for the most part we still don't watch TV. We have come a long way since then. Back then our TV was in a closet and we only brought it out when we had a movie to watch. Now, the TV does sit in the living room and it gets turned on more than it did 12 years ago. We still only watch it on occasion more than I would really like. Nathan has probably watched more TV in his 2 and 1/2 years than Peter watched in 4 but at least he knows how to sing along with the best of them.
This video - this night - of a spontaneous dance party with friends reminded me of that question.

Gingerbread house

2011-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

The kids received a Gingerbread kit for Christmas from a friend. Our Christmas celebrations have been quiet and low key.
I am thankful for the change of pace and the opportunity to just enjoy the season.

Coming to a mail box

2011-12-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

near you....
The kids and I worked from 11am - 3pm yesterday folding, stuffing, addressing, sealing and sorting 450 Christmas cards. Some families "go big" on gifts; some on decorating; some on food and feasting. About the only thing our family goes big on during the Christmas season is Christmas cards. Each year our total number creeps higher and higher. I am not really sure what possessed Peter and Emma yesterday but they were on fire. They truly wanted to work on the Christmas cards. They were on a roll and didn't want to stop until we were finished. I never intended to complete the entire task; we even had some helped lined up for the next day. They were determined. It made me super proud. We had Pandora going on the computer; we even opened the windows. Ryan and Nathan played together just about the entire time except for lunch and a nap.
If you get a Christmas card from us and the fold isn't perfect or the mailing label is a little crooked or even upside down, just know that it was done with love from us.
I hope you enjoy it! If you don't get one in the next day or two, let us know and we'll add you to our list. There's always room for more.

Sleep over

2011-12-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

Last week Peter and Emma had friends over to spend the night. We all had a great time. Philip built a fire; we roasted marshmallows. We had a dance party. They played outside and read stories inside. All through the evening, I kept having visions of what is to come for our family as our kids keep getting older. Philip and I want our kids to invite friends over. We want our house to be filled with kiddos on weekends. We are thankful for the friends that God is providing for our kids. We realize that it's our job as parents to help our kids cultivate good relationships. What better way to build relationships than to have sleepovers.I just need to start figuring out who to feed everyone!

On to Animals

2011-12-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

We've about learned all we want to about the American Revolution, the Native Americans, the Pilgrims and all that history stuff. I have decided that we would move from history on to science. I will admit that it Peter who did the majority of the American History studies so far this fall. I did my best to bring it down to all levels but I found that to be quite challenging. I also have a hard time balancing history and science so I decided I would just alternate the subjects. We are going to be studying Animals. I know this is a subject that all the kids can enjoy and learn from together.

I knew that the concept of the animal classification system would probably be a bit to complex for Ryan. I figured he could always understand something having to do with candy!I dumped all the Halloween candy we have left in the center of the kitchen table and divided it amongst the three. I sent them off to private areas to categorize the candy as they saw best.I loved seeing how they each had their own system, each being age appropriate.It really worked out to be a great introduction to classification. The following day, I did some teaching on the classification system. Remember: King Philip Called Out For Goodness Sake. Then I dumped all the stuffed animals I could find into the center of our living room and gave them the job of sorting between animal, reptile, amphibian, bird and fish! It was a fun start to hopefully a great learning semester.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-01T10:37:00.001-08:00

With Thanksgiving right behind us, help from my parents and friends, we gave into the kids request of putting up the Christmas tree before it was even December.

Admittingly, I think it took longer to get everything out of the attic than to actually decorate our little tree.

I don't think that deterred the kids excitement one bit.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite holidays of the year: Thanksgiving. I love it because the roots are undeniable. A time to gather; a time to give thanks; a time to be with family and friends. It has yet to become tainted and tarnished as other Holidays have - at least in my opinion.
This year we gathered with the Chryst family in Charlotte.
Needless to say we had a big or should I say huge time!
Charlotte has an annual Thanksgiving parade Thursday morning. There were horses, camels, marching bands, puppy doges and floats. Great times.
It was a special time to celebrate for the Chryst family with a new child to join our family and a wedding in the future. My heart is full with things to be thankful for. I'm thankful that all my children could find something to share when we circled the room and shared each of our own our thanks. God has been gracious to us this year and it is to Him that my thanks goes to.

West Virginia excursion

2011-11-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

The kids and I took a quick fall trip to WV to spend some time with my sister and her kids. This time with my sister is so enjoyable. The kids play together wonderfully, for the most part!
Nathan and I got to babysit baby Calvin while my sister took the other 6 to a homeschool class.
Somehow, I think I got the better end of that deal. Even if it meant trying for over an hour to convince Calvin that drinking from a bottle wasn't really that bad. Unfortunately, I lost that battle and called my sister so she could come home a bit early.

That was the smiling Calvin before he figured out that I only had a bottle to offer him.

Two outtakes from my attempts at getting 8 kids to look at the camera and smile at the same time! You'll have to wait for my parents Christmas card to see the best attempt!
It's always hard to be the one who has to bring the kids back to reality, pack the suitcases and drive away. I am so thankful that they are only 5 hours and not 15 hours away.

Halloween

2011-10-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

I announced to the kiddos that we were off to the library and the Person Co. offices to do some afternoon trick or treating. In about 10 minutes, the kids were dressed in costume. Halloween has never been a holiday that I'm really fond of. With 4 kids, I frankly can't afford to buy them all costumes so they are left to their own creativity and hand-me downs.
Confession: I neglected to even buy a pumpkin this year...
Even without store bought costumes or a pumpkin on our front porch, we enjoyed a few hours of afternoon entertainment. Thanks Person County offices for having us; it sure beat trick or treating when it was dark, cold and crowded!

Ponies

2011-10-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

We got the call yesterday morning. The ponies have arrived! This summer the boys Sunday school teacher left corporate America, IBM, to become a miniature pony owner. Needless to say, Nathan has been asking weekly about the ponies. These pintos are precious.Nathan was a bit disappointed that Mr. Ernie didn't get an Appaloosa. However, he seemed pretty smitten with the ponies.

There were two 6 month old ponies who were determined to stay together. Although they aren't siblings, they were raised together and wanted to stay that way.

Walking a dog on a leash is only slightly different than leading ponies!

Alamace Battleground

2011-10-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

In my meager attempts so far this fall to teach history, we have studied the American Revolution. We breezed quickly through the Native Americans and explorers as Peter was eager to get to the battles. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for us to attend the Colonial week celebration at Alamance Battleground. The kids and I made the 1 hour drive Monday. We all had a wonderful time and learned a tremendous amount.You can tell by the look on Emma's face that she was enthralled with this process. However, I'm not so sure they appreciated the lesson these ladies gave on what each of the children would have been doing throughout the day to help their parents. Nor was Ryan too impressed that he would have been wearing a white dress!
We came to the cooking station soon before lunch. I have to say I'm so thankful for sliced bread, peanut butter and jelly.
I'm glad we have this practical example to refer back too when the kids ask for their own room. Twelve children and 2 adults, in the family of John Allen, lived in this tiny log cabin. I'm guessing nobody had their own space or even their own chair at the dinner table.Amongst everyone, the favorite station was the cannon firing!Following closely behind, in second place, was the musket shooting.As cheesy as the saying is it was really great to see "history come alive". The Regulators were stationed near this rock and Govenor Tyron's militia was stationed by the red flags.

Buzz cut

2011-10-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

It again was time to oil the clippers and this time Nathan was on the docket. I have delayed his hair cut as long as possible. I even had a friend cut it when I knew he was close to getting sheared by his daddy.As we expected, he smiled all the way through the buzz and I was close to tears as my baby boys blonde hairs fell softly to the ground.

I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to endure this again. I might just weasel out the cost of taking Nathan with me when I get my hair cut so I can still rub my fingers through that baby blonde.

I must say with all three boys having just had a hair cut it is more than obvious that they are related! Can you see any resemblance in these two blondes?

Ryan at 2 years and 2 months.

Behind again....

2011-10-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have done it yet again and allowed a few weeks worth of memories to store up on my disc. Forgive me as I unload - I really wish I understood how to make photo collages...oh well!

My husband, whom I love dearly, thought my kids would enjoy a birds eye view of well, I don't know what of....They loved it, of course! Thankfully, Nathan moderately understood that he wasn't "big enough" yet to get on the roof!

Philip had a birthday last Sunday. We celebrated in style and tradition. Two Angel pie's; one for him and one for everybody else to share. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and cabbage were on the menu for his birthday lunch.

Cookies

2011-10-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I can't even remember when we made these but I do remember how good they were!
Emma did the majority of the work and even helped clean up!

a break...

2011-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

My parents and their dog arrived late yesterday afternoon and will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. There stay will be less than 48 hours but it is amazing how helpful it is to have two extra sets of hands for that short of time. Not long after they arrived, we sent them off to take Emma to gymnastics and they actually stayed and watched. Something Philip and I don't usually have the luxury of doing. Then they came back home and stayed with the 3 youngest so Philip could take Peter to Cub Scouts. Philip had the luxury of staying with Peter for the entire cub scouts and I was able to sneak away to the UMW mtg which conveniently and deliciously happened to be at a restaurant! That was just in their first 4 hours of being in Roxboro.So today, we took time to buy Pansies. We went to Lowes and bought a much needed new toilet seat that my Dad installed. We went shoe shopping and bought Peter a new pair of sneakers that he's needed for about a month.I took pictures and am actually posting them in real time! The days only a little half over.....It's been like a breath of fresh air.
Thanks Mom and Dad!

The Bullfrogs

2011-09-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ryan has entered into a new stage of life. We enrolled him with Parks and Rec soccer. He has become a Bullfrog!
I'm quite positive that Peter didn't start playing soccer until he was 6. Ryan is most certainly that 5 year old player who is mostly excited about seeing his friends on the field and getting to use his "mad face" when he's going after the ball. He's had a good time and feels quite proud of his uniform. He's had his time on the field chasing balls, kicking them toward the wrong goal, falling down on the field when somebody else gets tripped and getting some great exercise.
I think I remember now why we waited until Peter turned 6 to start organized sports!

A hard goodbye; a cherished friendship

2011-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have put off writing this for two days. My eyes have been brimming with tears for those days so I tried to not think about it. Denial. The tears are emerging as I remember our goodbye hug. Neither she nor I could hardly speak but in my silence I hope she heard me tell her that it has been an amazing 5 years. Heather was my first friend in this new land - this new life - this new place.I met Heather at story time about 3 months after moving to Roxboro. I was lonely, homesick and ready to make new friends. I prayed that morning for God to give me a sign and the boldness to initiate a friendship. The sign was a common paci and the friendship came easily.
Heather and her family also just moved to Roxboro a few months before from Colorado. She had a son Peter's age, a daughter Emma's age and a baby Ryan's age. The kids are all just weeks apart in their birthdays even Heather and I are ten days apart in age.
Over the last five years, we have spent countless hours together, shared birthday parties, play dates at the park, trashed each others houses, been on field trips together, drank lots of coffee, had meals together, cried and laughed together, had a fourth child and watched as Roxboro became each others home.
The kids can hardly remember any other time in their lives other than their time in Roxboro. They can't remember any friends from before the Weigands. They have grown up together. They've been like family to each other. They know each others likes and dislikes.
The time has come for the Weigands to move back to Colorado. It's the right thing for their family to do but it's hard to say goodbye. It was hard to see their van drive away. It was hard to look at my kids and explain how very far away Colorado is from here. It was hard to answer the enevidable question honestly and say, " I have no idea when we'll see them again.". I'm thankful that I didn't hide my tears from them because we have all been touched by their friendship. I want my kids to know that I need friends just like they do. I want them to remember the Weigands and remember that God gave us a tangible gift by placing us together 5 years ago in a little library in a little town with a little green paci.

a new approach

2011-09-08T03:56:00.000-07:00

So our family has already logged oh about 20 or so days of school in for this year. Somehow, it still feels like I haven't gotten into my grove yet. We are trying things a little differently this year. It still blows my mind that I've been at this home educating thing for 5 years now. Before my very eyes Peter has become a 4th grader, Emma a 2nd grader, Ryan a kindergartener and Nathan an adorable 2 year old. Needless to say on days that we have fulfilling, productive learning days, the house is a whirlwind of books, toys, learning tools and stuff by the end of it. By Thursday, the end of school week, it's really bad! This year Peter is doing a lot of independent work. I am capitalizing on his love for reading and trying to put before him as many books as I can find. He's enthralled with the American Revolution right now. So there lies the topic for the majority of his reading.
Emma has chosen to study sea animals. So we are discovering and learning about some very amazing and breath taking animals that God has created for us that unfortunately we will only experience through the written work. Have you ever seen a picture of a blue-ringed octopus? It's my new favorite sea creature. It's beautiful, small, and deadly.
In the midst of all this, we have Ryan who is emerging as a kinetic learner. He is happy when he has something to "play" with. I have come to realize and am fine admitting that his alphabet recognition skills are a little behind the others. With five years of experience, I have finally learned that before I know it, he will be reading up a storm like his older siblings and all things will be OK.

I have yet to pull out my well thought out schedule from last year. The planning notebooks books of last year are empty. My lesson planning notebook of this year, is loosely detailed. We are on to yet another season of life. It's not where I'm comfortable; it's not well planned out in the long term. But I think it might work for now or at least until there's another shift in seasons!

Fresh Air

2011-09-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

It was Saturday morning and I felt the need to get out of Roxboro, get a little bit of fresh air and exercise. So the kids and I headed across state line into Danville, VA. We have been to the Dan Daniel State park a few times before so I knew this was just where we needed to go. The kids brought their new scooters and Nathan brought his bike. I knew enough to know that Nathan and his bike would only last but so long so I brought the stroller as well!

Nathan and his horses

2011-08-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

My boy Nathan has been smitten with horses for a very long time. Really it's been as long as I can remember! He knows exactly where to find the library's section of horse books - the non-fiction section. Unfortunately, we only have about 6 to choose from so we have read them all multiple times. Repetition is developmentally appropriate for this age and I guess it's starting to pay off.

We have started to buy the horses carrots. Whenever he hears that somebody is heading to the grocery store, he reminds them to buy " more carrots for the horses".

He just loves these 4 friends.

He wants so desperately for these horses to be living at his house.

The big 9

2011-08-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

I have become a very inconsistent blogger these past months. It's like 3 weeks since Peter's birthday and not even a peep from me about it. Yikes-We did celebrate the big day. The last year before double digits in grand style. He decided he wanted a "Ryan size" party. So we invited just about everyone we could think of, ordered a cake from Costco and played a great game of kickball.

Yes, this is a picture of Peter flinging Nathan across home plate. Yes, Nathan has a gigantic grin on his face. No, he didn't get hurt. Yes, Peter still adores his baby brother.
I found a picture recently of Peter's 5th birthday party. We had our neighbors and a family from church over. It's such a blessing to see how God has provided friends for our family over the years.
Peter is an amazing 9 year old. He has taught me a lot of over these 9 years.

Watermelon

2011-08-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

This evening's weather felt like a gift. It was a perfect night to dig into the remaining half of a watermelon we had in the fridge.My kids are quite excited when they find out that the watermelon in our fridge has seeds in it. There happens to be a certain Daddy in our family that grew up having watermelon seed spitting contests.
The tradition seems to have been successfully handed down. Too bad Nathan hasn't quite figured out how to escape the spitting.
Although, he really didn't seem to mind having a face and head covered in seeds.
It's nights like this that I truly enjoy my kids. They are a gift.

July in review

2011-08-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Seeing as it has been an entire month since my last post, I figured I needed to do one large update. So here goes my first attempt at Windows movie maker!

Happy 90th Great Gram

2011-07-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Just about 12 hours after Philip arrived home from Jamaica, we headed in down to Charlotte. Philip's grandmother was turning 90 and her family was throwing her a surprise party.It was really fun to see the surprise on her face. Philip's mom is Betty's oldest daughter. She has 4 sons who live with their families in either Minnesota or Denver. Although, Betty had her 4 grandchildren and 6 great children with her this night, she has many many more up north. Many of the others, sent cards and pictures to help her celebrate. I hope when I turn 90, I'm able to have as much fun and love as Betty. It was a blessing to be able to celebrate with all the family.

Organization

2011-07-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for sometime that Nathan's room needed a little organization. The little guy had basically a basket overflowing with books and a train table in his room. I was hoping to bring some toys out of the living room and kids room to his so there was more reason to play in his room. So last night when I passed by this cool looking bookshelf at Costco, I went for it. This morning while only Nathan and I were awake and the coffee was still brewing, I assembled the shelf and brought a little order to his room. Although the shelves did bring order and toys and even the interest of playing, it also brought chaos! I never really had to pay much attention to straightening up Nathan's room but I see that now he'll have ample opportunities to learn the clean up song!

Day 9 of 9

2011-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

We are hours away from the return of the mission team from Jamaica. The kids and I decided that we would make the trip to Raleigh so we can be there when Philip and the others get off the airplane or should I say get to the baggage claim. My kids don't ever go to the airport so I figured this would be a fun outing although definitely not as fun as it used to be.
Ryan is resting up for the big adventure!Nathan having already had his nap is ready to play with our new family friends. He is in love with horses so when we saw these at the dollar store this morning I couldn't resist. I think we might actual go back to buy a couple more horses so everyone has one. Nathan has just started referring to himself in the third person. He calls himself, "NayNay". It's just about as cute as he is.

West Virginia

2011-07-01T18:16:00.001-07:00

With Philip being in Jamaica and my sister having had a new baby, I couldn't think of a better place to spend a few days. The 5 1/2 hr drive with 4 kids on my own was not something I was looking forward to but I knew once we got there it would have been worth it. And it definitely was- baby Cal is precious and the cousins played together from sun up to sun down.It was hard for Nathan to decide which cousin pairs to follow around and try to convince that they should play with him.
It's definitely getting harder to get everybody to look the same way and actually smile- not to mention get the lighting right so nobody has to squint.
I tried my hand at taking some photos of Cal while we were at the park one morning. He was a trooper and a cutie.
It's getting increasingly hard to figure out what to feed all these guys and the grown-ups. I can't imagine what it will be like in 5 years. Hopefully some of them will be doing the cooking and cleaning up by then.
I baby sat all the kids one morning while my sister had a doctor's appointment. I ( or I should say Charlotte, Peter, Nathan, Emma and then finally myself) got to feed Cal his first bottle. He took it like a champ no matter who was holding it or if they were paying attention to him.
This time away reminded my that relationships matter. It's not always easy to travel, to sleep in somebody else's bed, to manage a house with 11 people in it but it's worth it. I'm so thankful that my kids are growing up to know their cousins deeply and that we are taking time to invest in each others' lives.

Baseball

2011-06-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Peter finished up his first season of baseball. We had a wonderful experience with the Parks and Rec dept. We enjoyed the evenings at the ball park, the popcorn, the snow cones, the bleachers. Well maybe not the bleachers...He did enjoy his stint at baseball but isn't so sure that he wants to sign up next year.

Sunday afternoon

2011-06-20T16:51:00.001-07:00

We spent Father's Day afternoon with friends at a friend's lake house. Swimming in the lake is one of Philip's favorite things to do so I'm glad it worked out. One of our friends made this great video summarizing the fun. Nathan wasn't too keen on the lake so I opted to stay clothed and play with him on the sidelines. I am so thankful that our kids are growing up with a Daddy as wonderful, loving, caring, nurturing and fun as he is. I know they will be better Christians and adults because of the father they have. I love you Philip. You're a great dad!

more birthday

2011-06-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

We actually got Nathan this for his birthday but it's rather hard to hide a big wheel for a month.
He was rather anxious to get his candles blown out so that we could do it "again".

Nathan's 2

2011-06-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

It's so hard to believe that two years have gone by and my baby is now 2. After he arrived in our arms two years ago, we were torn between the names Daniel and Nathan. Nathan means "a gift from God". I knew that his presence in our life had already been a gift so it just made sense; he would be Nathan. After two years, he continues to live up to his name.
He loves life. He claps like crazy when he's happy. His entire body moves as he claps. He is a sweet boy. He loves babies and wants to hold everyone he sees whether we know them or not.

Although the independence and opinions are beginning to be vocalized, I continue to speak into his little being that he is a gift! Although he doesn't speak with full sentences, he has mastered using the potty! Although he can't quite keep up, he never tires of playing with his siblings. Remarkably they have yet to tire of him either- mostly.
We drink a lot of water at this house. Although Nathan had his own camelbak sippy cup, he much preferred grazing off his siblings camelbaks. So I felt it was time for him to run with the big dogs and have his own. A good friend of mine said recently, "If I was guaranteed to have a boy as sweet as Nathan, I would have another in a heart beat.". I have to say, I couldn't agree with her more. He is a gift and keeper in my book. Happy birthday sweet boy.

Bear cub

2011-06-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Peter has yet again successfully completed another year in cub scouts. The Blue and Gold awards ceremony was last week. Peter was awarded with his Bear cub badge along with several other elective awards. Peter and his Cub Master were explaining to the audience what some of the requirements were for the Bear cub badge and what some of the other patches were that Peter had earned. With his dad's help and support, Peter accomplished many things this year. We are very proud of him.
For the record, Peter landed this nasty forehead injury after running into a tree playing flashlight tag! Sometimes it tough being a kid!

beach week in review

2011-05-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

We had a most enjoyable week at the beach last week. It's hard to know where to begin. We had an all around great time!We fished; we spent hours at the beach.We ate out at some of our favorite beach joints; we ate foods with no nutritional value.
We spent time with friends; we enjoyed time with cousins and grandparents.
We stayed at the beach longer than we ever have- long enough for the kids to actually ask if we could go home.
We played with the puppy; we took bike rides and walks on the beach.
We even talked Philip's cousin into babysitting 7 kids so we could go to my cousin's wedding. We came back and they were all wearing tatoos!
We wrapped vacation up with icees from Burger King.
You know it was what we call, "vacation, vacation" when Nathan gets his very own icee.
Oh and did I mention that I got an Ultra Flip camera for my birthday! So if all these photos weren't enough for you get ready for some videos!

Happy birthday Emma

2011-05-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that my one and only baby girl is turning 7 tomorrow. It has been a fun year watching Emma grow and mature. She's had her first year of gymnastics and her first sleep overs. She has become a great reader and one who enjoys to learn, draw, paint and write. She continues to be a great helper who enjoys being with others. I've heard her tell others that she wants to be a nurse when she grows up. Not too long ago, we shared a beautiful conversation around the kitchen table about boyfriends. She told me doesn't even want to have a boyfriend until she knows that is what God wants for her. She has grown in her understanding of God and how he lives within her. She has cared for, fought with, read to, played with and loved her brothers in such beautiful ways. She is a blessing to us and we are proud to call her daughter.

The zoo

2011-05-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

It's been two years since we took the kids to the Zoo. We joined up with a bunch of Philip's family and took advantage of the free passes due to our homeschool.As way of introduction, this adorable little fellow on Peter's lap is Ethan Russell Chryst. He is in the process of officially becoming part of the Chryst family by way of adoption but he has already made into our hearts and into the home of Peter and Nantasha!
It was great to have additional hands and arms as Nathan spent most of his time out of the stroller!
Although the temperature couldn't have been any cooler, it's hard to resist the mist fountain.

Irresistible

2011-05-11T04:38:00.001-07:00

It's hard to decide which one is more irresistible this juicy fresh picked strawberry

or this face?We met some friends at the strawberry patch on Mother's Day to pick some yummy strawberries.

As if Nathan's face wasn't a confession enough, Philip did confess that we ate a "few" strawberries when we paid. They assured us that it's included in the price!

Spring Fever

2011-05-03T12:08:00.001-07:00

I am no longer able to deny that I truly have spring fever. The weather has been just too beautiful to stay inside. I've tried opening the windows but the outdoors continues to draw us. Some days we bring our notebooks with us allowing me to feel at least slightly productive.
We wrote about the things we saw, heard and smelled. We drew pictures of the things around us.
Other days, like today, we just played. There's definitely more on my school agenda to complete before we call it a year.
I just know these refreshingly cool and bug free days won't last much longer and I hate to spend them indoors. Besides, there is so much to learn from playing.

byebye blonde

2011-04-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

I knew it was time.
I didn't have the heart to have his Daddy's buzz cut- just yet.
So a friend graciously gave Nathan his first real hair cut.
These will be the last photos of that baby blonde with hair long enough for a pony tail or a
bath time mohawk.
He does look "all grown up" but he's still as cute as can be.
At least that's what I think.

Emma's turn

2011-04-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Luckily for me, Emma chose a fairly easy project for her turn. We patiently waited for Nathan to take his nap and Peter to go for his Cub Scout trip. She chose to make potato stamps. Although we worked diligently, we still weren't finished when Nathan awoke. Since I was in the 'yes' mood, I thought, "he'll enjoy painting; it can't be that bad".Emma had a lot fun teaching Nathan how to use the stamps. It didn't take him long to catch on to the process.
He looks like a little professional doesn't he? Oh and yes he is wearing his pjs and yes it is around 2 in the afternoon. He did have on clothes but after discovering his fishy pjs in the pile of clean clothes he really wanted them on. After listening to him cry, say change- fishy, and follow me around for a good 15 minutes, I gave in to his desire!

yes

2011-04-18T03:52:00.000-07:00

I awoke Saturday morning with a clearly overcast and obviously rainy day ahead of us. Soccer practice was canceled; baseball practice was canceled and even I wasn't going to send the kids outside. Something within in me was prompting me that I needed to say, "yes" today. I must admit that I am not great at saying "yes" to things that will probably make a mess, cause a disruption, require me to help or well you get the picture.
So when Peter asked me before he had even had breakfast, "Can I build a castle out of cardboard?" I was prepared.
"Yes."
I didn't even tell him to eat breakfast! When he acquired all the cardboard he could find from the recycling, I could tell that it was either him or I that was going to have to be using the utility knife all morning. In the spirit of "yes", I found myself teaching Peter how to use the knife and then praying that that wasn't a mistake and wondering do other moms let their 8 year olds use these things?Not long after he had quickly mastered the knife, I realized that Elmer's school glue just wasn't going to cut it. If this project was going to be successful, I would have to supply the hot glue. I was busy enough keeping my other 3 kids at bay from this very interesting and large kitchen table project that I didn't want to be the one hot gluing all afternoon. So before I thought too much about it, I taught Peter how to use the hot glue and then thought, again, do other 3rd graders use hot glue guns.I'm really glad I said, "yes" this morning because I was truly amazed by what he created.
He has grand plans of painting the castle. Well he may let his sister do that for him! As the teacher in me, I was thrilled to see the attention to detail he paid. I loved that he had out Ms. Frizzle's Medieval Castle book out the entire time. I was pleased to hear the vocabulary words stumble out of his mouth like portcullis.
Stayed tuned.....I said yes to other children in the house too. I even gave Emma our Great Big book of Art book to browse through for ideas. I did declare that it was a one project per person at a time and that did make it much more manageable!

Field trips

2011-04-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to a good friend who is still creative, ambitious and organized after having two kids, Amy, we had a fun morning with Mr. Fuller. Mr. Fuller owns one of the Taekowndo schools in town. He spent an hour with the kids teaching them about "stranger danger", respect, how to love your parents and then finally some self-protection moves.This would be the beginning "STOP" position!
This would be when you jump to avoid a kick while yelling STOP at the same time. Needless to say this group of all boys but Emma were really good at yelling stop.
This would be Nathan who spent the majority of the time hanging out or trying to play the part of the "attacker"!Although Mr. Fuller, clearly explained that the moves he taught should only be used in his classroom or if you are in danger, they have been reenacted in my living room. It was decided that the moves could be practiced outside as long as they didn't come crying to me if they got hurt!!!

Alligator

2011-04-12T17:57:00.001-07:00

We haven't been our usual faithful story time participants this year. Unfortunately, it just hasn't worked out. However, the last few weeks we made it a point to go. At the end of the stories, Ms. Christy and the kids sing this song. Apparently, Nathan had been listening!
They sing the song through twice and then do a "big ending"! That would be Nathan's favorite part.

Oh- Nathan is fairly good at saying alligator but has yet to say "Peter".

Just a little Shout out...

2011-04-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a little shout out to the best wife ever. She is my best friend, and I thought this picture really portrayed her well. She is fun and energetic. She does such an awesome job keeping up with the blog. I could not make it with out her. We make a good team!

First born

2011-04-09T10:52:00.001-07:00

The house is relatively quiet and I'm resisting the urge to take a nap. I have been thinking for some time that I haven't actually recorded any of my thoughts about the kids or life lately. My time and mind has been on other things. Peter has been growing and maturing this winter like no other. Practically speaking he weighed in at his allergy check up at 4'5 and 70.2lbs. It's no wonder that I can hardly keep this boy full! His hopes and dreams right now are to play basketball for Duke and become an archeologist. I don't mind so much that he dreams of going to Duke because he knows full well that he has to make some amazing grades to get there! When he's not talking about basketball, his conversations usually fall to some other sport or perhaps a book he's read recently. I am thrilled that he has learned to wash dishes. His love for his baby brother has yet to wane. I love to see the care and interest he show Nathan. Admittingly, there are times when I have to declare Nathan "off limits" in order to keep him focused or to just give Nathan some space! He is bright, loving and respectful and I'm thankful that he's ours.

Beach trip

2011-04-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

We stole away to the coast while Philip was with the youth group. The air was crisp; the wind was brisk but it was still the beach.

Flight of Honor

2011-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

My grandfather had the opportunity to participate in the Flight of Honor. He actually was interviewed by WRAL- TV5.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-27T10:33:00.001-07:00

It's a little past the date but I thought I would go ahead and post our fun times at a friend's home. She hosted us for a St. Patrick's Day party. The weather was wonderful.

The kids painted murals.

We ate and drank foods that were green.

There was even a contest to see who could wear the most green. The boys seemed to turn this hammock into a boat.

Needless to say there was a lot of shooting going on! Nathan was trying to figure out how to blend in with the big boys. He's getting the shooting noises down pat but aiming is another subject.

Birthday boy

2011-03-19T18:42:00.001-07:00

Ryan shares his birthday with my grandfather. As he enters his 5th year my grandfather begins is 91st year. It's such a blessing that we get to celebrate the day together!Ryan is a cowboy at heart; he's been one for a while but just hasn't ha the outfit to prove it. Well, he's all decked out and ready to fight the outlaws.I have to admit that in my 8 1/2 years of motherhood these are the first two toy guns that have entered our possession. Sure we have light sabers and a clone trooper gun thing- but these are the first click and shoot guns. I'm afraid to admit but I will be buying a few more for a certain 1 year old that loves to have possession of the weapon.
I'm glad my grandparents have good stable hearts because when we show up to visit we certainly cause a little bit of a disturbance from their normal quiet routine!
I hope that we have will have many more birthdays to share together!

Oreo Olympics

2011-03-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

The kids participated in an Oreo Olympics this morning! It was lots of fun. They built towers;they measured distances
and tried hard not to eat all of them.

Room to breathe

2011-03-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I have had a great week. In many ways it felt like a 'staycation'. My parents graciously offered to take Peter and Emma for the week. While the older two were away writing books for this year's PBS Kids writing contest, I had room to breathe. I didn't really know that I needed room to breathe until it was given to me. When strangers or friends comment to me about 4 kids being a lot of work my token response is, "If you can handle two you can handle 4". Though I still believe that, I was pleasantly reminded that there is a huge difference between 2 and 4 kids. We all had room to breathe. Ryan had room to be the big man on campus. He had room to climb to new heights and shoulder the responsibility of being a big brother. We had tea parties, baked cookies, went the the park, made it to story time and read lots of books.
Although, there was some sibling conflictthere just didn't seem to be quite as much! I am looking forward to returning to a family of 6. I hope to find a way to keep the peace, fun and room to breathe that we found this week.

Hair

2011-03-03T16:30:00.001-08:00

There's a certain fellow in my home that either needsa bath or a hair cut or both!

we're safe!

2011-02-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Our woods are safe!
Thanks to the Adventures of Robin Hood! I never anticipated that Peter would be able to read the book. It was only $1.04 and I couldn't pass it by. I thought maybe over the summer or next year he'll pick it up. I was wrong. In a matter of about 4 days our life has begun to revolve around Sheerwood forest.
Peter and Emma are spending the week with my parents. They are at "Writing camp"! My mom is helping them write their books for the PBS kids writing contest. This evening while talking to Peter on the phone he couldn't tell me enough how quiet it was there. He kept looking around for Nathan. He really missed him and Ryan too!I tried to encourage him to enjoy the quiet!

Tubes....

2011-02-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

We took Nathan to the hospital last Wednesday for him to have tubes placed in his ears. The ENT and surgery staff were unbelievably fast. Thirty- five minutes after we said "good bye" he was back in the recovery room. He took a much needed early and long morning nap. He seemed to have slept off much of the grogginess that the surgery caused. Unfortunately, he seems to have had a virus going into surgery so he's yet to be back to 100%. At least in my opinion, Nathan's vocabulary has skyrocketed since surgery. He will now attempt to repeat words that are said to him and can put two words together. I'm thankful we decided to go ahead with the tubes. I look forward to staying out of the doctor's office for a good long while!

building

2011-02-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

While my mother-in law was busy recovering my couch. My handy father -in- law was transforming the copy room at the church. It went from a copy room- where your store things you don't know where to put- to an office! It was an amazing transformation. Bob was patient enough to let the older kids "help" him over the 3 days he worked in the room.
It was a weekend of transformation here in Roxboro!

tattered and torn

2011-02-15T03:31:00.001-08:00

After being in our living room for 12 and 1/2 years, bearing the brunt of 4 kids and countless people who have sat upon or even slept upon, our couch has torn.Its' not just any couch, to me it holds precious memories. It is a visual reminder of how God provides even the smallest of details to those whom He loves. I bought this couch just a few months before Philip and I were married. I bought my first piece of adult furniture with money my grandparents had given to me upon graduation from college. I bought this couch at the first place I stopped to look for couches. When I walked into the doors of the furniture store that was literally a few doors down from Philip's house, the owner said to me, "Today's your lucky day. Anything you want is 50% off". Seriously- I asked. I knew I needed to take advantage of this and was determined to find a couch. So, I'm attached! Emotionally attached to this couch. When I looked down a few weeks ago and saw that it was torn, not just in one place but in 3 places, it was crisis mode. I wasn't ready for a new couch. This one holds way too many memories. It's just right. It's the couch I sleep on when we have guests join us. It's the couch that ever so often I get to take a nap on. I wasn't ready to throw it to the curb.
Thankfully, Philip's mother came to my rescue. She saved my couch and extended it's life. Silly, I know, it's just a couch. But I do love this couch.

Happy Birthday

2011-01-25T17:46:00.003-08:00

My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday last week. The kids and I were able to share in the celebration with many of my aunts and uncles.

49.6

2011-01-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

That was what my indoor thermometer read when I happened to look at it around 2pm this afternoon. Everybody, put your shoes on your going outside. Surprisingly, there were not complaints. I think they may have actually missed the outdoors.

Peter was in a tree (literally) so I wasn't able to capture him! It was such a nice change of pace to actually spend some time outdoors. We definitely all needed it.

Coming soon...

2011-01-17T12:17:00.001-08:00

So maybe I'm on a roll...oh wait I hear Nathan waking up from his nap.
So for those of you who haven't seen this picture of Emma on facebook- this summarizes our trip to Boone. This would be Day 3- sledding down the hill at the back of our "Boone house" as Ryan understands it.
This would be Day 4 - after a few hours of sledding in what is now a foot and a half of snow. It's amazing how much snow can accumulate in 24 hours.

The

2011-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind with my updates it almost seems silly to begin posting. However, God has given me a sweet simple gift this afternoon and I have to record it before I forget. According to Peter we haven't "done school since like Thanksgiving". He is little off but that is probably what it feels like. Today is the first day that we got back to a full day of work. A full day is what my kids think of as a school day- you know, chores are done, language arts books are used, handwriting is checked, math is done...In a quiet moment, Ryan had the opportunity to have my attention so we could do his school work and when my gift arrived. His writing is the highlighter. It's his story I recorded but he wrote the word "the" (in every sentence). Most days, I hope this little fellow will read by the age of 10. Today, I have renewed hope that even though he is the third child and has no where near the amount of one on one teaching time that Peter had as a 4 and 1/2 year old, he is learning.

Arctic/Antarctic Animal Survey

2011-01-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the results.

year end

2011-01-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

We spent the last of 2010 with a morning at the museum. It was a nice day to burn some energy and explore new things. We are making preparations for our annual Boone trip. We are all looking forward to getting away. The kids are so excited about skiing. I'm really excited because I don't think it will be quite as frigid as years past.
Happy 2011!

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T05:43:00.001-08:00

White after Christmas

2010-12-26T12:17:00.001-08:00

It has been a beautiful day to enjoy the snow. The kids are really getting the hang of snow man building and snow ball fighting!Although you can't tell, Emma is leaning against the "body" of a snowman they kids and their daddy built!

joy

2010-12-07T04:08:00.001-08:00

My family (except for Nathan and myself) have been singing this song for at least a week straight. I'm glad that it finally made it's debut so hopefully we can put it to rest! Sometimes, I wonder where do my kids get their creativity from and why do they often burst out in some made up song. This seems to be the reason! Enjoy....
I estimate we'll continue to hear this song sung around our house for atleast 8 more weeks then it should die out.

snow!

2010-12-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

I was nestled in on the couch reading my book for Sunday school when I noticed the snow out the back window. Needless to say, our afternoon plans were altered. The winter coats were officially dusted off and outside the kids went.Emma told me that she prayed that God would make the snow stick so they would have something to play in. She got what she prayed for!
Thanks to a Peebles 60% off sale and my 20% off coupon, Nathan was able to break in his 2 day old new winter coat! I got this sucker for $15.00!
Can you tell what Peter is attempting here? That would be older brother teaching little brother to throw snow balls at me!!!

puppies

2010-12-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Not a day goes by without at least one of our children asking for a dog. Their desire for a dog is just about to do me in. They would like to have a do so bad that it's not unusual to see one (if not more) of them crawling on their hands and knees with some type of leash around them and the other pretending to be their owner.
I really don't know where this desire has come from. Unfortunately, for them this is as close to a puppy as they are going to get in any foreseeable future!
Perhaps when they are all old enough to earn their own keep....we might be open for discussion.

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents house. My sister and her family came in from West Virginia. The weather cooperated beautifully and we hardly had to kick the children outside. They were eager to enjoy the sunshine and the wide open spaces on their own.Nathan is still playing peek a boo from the previous "funny face" photo opportunity! The kids stair step their way from 4th grade to PreK and then Nathan. My sister is pregnant so next Thanksgiving their will be another baby in the mix.

a moment to remember

2010-11-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

I can't really remember now exactly how it happened. Somehow under my feet, Emma and Peter and then eventually Ryan decided that they wanted to use their allowance to buy food for the Christian Help Center's food pantry. They had overheard me talking about how the food pantry's shelves were bare. Somewhere in their minds, they decided that they should give. They looked through the grocery store coupons on Thursday and realized that they had enough money to buy food.
It was set; Friday we had a date to go grocery shopping and I would match whatever they bought.
Ryan spent $0.65 on a can of tomato soup. Then another $0.25 on bubble gum for himself!
Emma told me, "I would rather spend my money of food for those who don't have any than buy myself a toy. ". She spent $4.50.
Peter spent $2.00.
My heart was full. My children got it. It didn't come from a lecture and it didn't really even come from an example. They internalized the need that they overheard. They determined that they had the means to help. They didn't even dismiss the idea because they only had a few dollars and what could a few dollars to help. They gave and gave generously; they gave til it hurt.

Leaves

2010-11-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting my "blog" these days. My memory card has lots of pictures that haven't found their way here yet. I'm not sure what's happened. It might have something to do with the time away from home that Philip has had recently.So I grabbed my camera as we ventured outside yesterday and was determined to post what I captured. Nathan- the little cuttie that he is- was also determined to rake like his older brothers even if it meant finding a canoe paddle when all the rakes were taken.
My heart is full with the blessings that God has bestowed upon me. How could I not be when I have the privilege of seeing this precious smile from sun up to sun down.

The thinker

2010-11-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

We are day 4.5 into our 8 long days with Philip being away. Last night, I was eavesdropping on Peter's conversation with Philip (on the phone).
Peter: "Daddy why can't you use the computer in Jamaica?" (He meant specifically why can't you check your email. Peter and I had this conversation a few days ago. I did a horrible job explaining why Philip doesn't have wireless internet access in Jamaica. )
I couldn't hear Philip's response but Peter repeated his question a few times as I'm guessing Philip was trying to figure out what he was really asking.
Peter responds: " I guess it's because you're just too close to that imaginary line that divides the world in half."

Outtakes

2010-11-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

We have a great time last Saturday in Duke Gardens! We met some great friends for a family photo swap morning. They took our pictures; we took theirs. It's much easier to find the outtakes than to find my favorites.
I can't believe how many pictures Nathan's belly is showing!
I admit even I was getting a bit tired of all this picture taking.
I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day and more cooperative children! We finished the photo shoot with a great picnic in the gardens. I have even more respect for photographers after this experience!

Down under

2010-10-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Our history studies brought us to the land "Down under" this week. Oh wait, it's just Tuesday. Typically we study history on Monday and Tuesday; so we're done for the week.
We made "Moth mix" for our lunch today. It was basically homemade cracker jacks! I enjoyed reading and learning about the early days of Australia and New Zealand. They are definitely places that I just don't think about very often.Of course, we had to finish the day with a boomerang- none of which actually returned.

Pumpkins

2010-10-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

and Mums...I am not sure how time slipped away so quickly. It did and we are 6 days from Halloween and just now getting our pumpkins! We head to Durham Friday morning to meet a friend of ours who graciously agreed to snap family pictures for us. After this brief episode of picture taking, I hope our friend can shoot quickly! I'm doubtful that this will be Nathan's most cooperative year for family photos!Good thing we're aiming for casual photos!

The fair

2010-10-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

We made our traditional treck to the State fair last Friday. This year we were able to recruit even more grown-ups to join us so the adults outnumbered the kids!
Nathan's favorite part of the fair was all the animals! As you can see, he spotted the cows.
I'm not positive but I think one of Philip's favorites of the fair are the corn dogs! So they indulged in one for breakfast.Somehow, the ferris wheel was the big event for the kids. For weeks leading up to the fair, that was the topic of conversation! They were very excited to finally get way up in the sky.Nathan definitely gets the best trooper award. Thursday morning, I had a slight suspicion that he might have an ear infection. So I made an appt with the Dr. Low and behold, not only did he have an ear infection in both ears but also the early stages of pneumonia. The Pediatrician agreed that he was well enough (and not contagious) to go to the fair! We were glad that we spent only the morning because it gets pretty tricky to navigate the double stroller once the crowds arrive.

Revived

2010-10-13T04:29:00.000-07:00

We're in the midst of Revival at our church. I must say it's tough to say if I'm feeling Revived or exhausted! Our kids have been troopers and thanks to some good refreshments after wards and at least one other family from the church.
Unrelated but will bid some time for me until I can post something current, here are the rest of the camping videos!!

Again, unrelated, most folks think the boys look just like their Dad. Well, this is their Uncle Pete. I think they (especially Ryan) have a strong resemblance to their Uncle. This man was the glue that tied the trip together. With a Marine and Army back ground, he was the reason I wasn't terribly nervous for the 5 days they were gone and I didn't hear a peep from them!

Camping videos

2010-10-06T18:31:00.001-07:00

Well, the stories are continuing to trickle out. Peter spent all day Tuesday in his pjs and on the couch. He was just plain wore out. Interestingly, Emma spent most of all day today in her pjs and on the couch. So I'm guessing there bodies had some catching up to do. Here though are some videos that I discovered on the camera!

There's more where this came from so get ready.

Ryan Sayings...

2010-10-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired my friend Michelle to get better at recording some of the too cute things that the kids say!
Background: Two weeks ago a dear saint of the church passed away, Mr. Joe. The funeral was at our church at 2pm. When the time came, I decided it just wasn't going to work out for the kids and I to attend. Somehow though, Emma, Ryan and I ended up on the front porch shortly before two. We respectfully observed the family receive visitors as they entered for the funeral.

Ryan said: Mommy, when I get old like Daddy's age, and he dies don't worry because I will marry you.
I reply: Ryan, you would make a great husband- when you get old like Daddy- but I will still be your mommy and you can't marry anyone in your family.
Ryan: Well, then I will just have to marry Ms. Earnestine because she needs a new husband since Mr. Joe died.

After.....

2010-10-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Check out Philip's blog for his after thoughts!

resemblance??

2010-09-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

People often comment that Nathan is looking just like Ryan....Nathan and Ryan at 16 months.

Before

2010-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Twas the night before the 2 Chryst men, 1 Philips (brother- in- law) and 4 children under the age of 8 ventured out into the Great Smokey Mnts for 4 nights and 19 miles. This trip has been talked about - dreamed about - planned for and long anticipated! The count down chain has been completed. Now all that's left is for the little campers to be aroused from their slumber at 5am so the adventure of their lives can play itself out. I hope the men will remember to take pictures and maybe even a movie or two. In case they don't, I had to at least snap a few before pictures!Ryan's expression tells it all. His first camping experience and he already knows it all. He has told many this week that his Uncle Pete is going to fight off all the bears except for the one he will be bringing home for a pet.
Peter's backpack is filled to the absolute brim. He must rise to the occasion and pray for strong shoulders! He is truly anxious for nothing.
A ray of sunshine in the midst of 3 boys and 3 men. I wouldn't want to be in her place for an instant. I can't even begin to imagine what this little girl will be like when she grows into a young lady. Being able to handle herself with poise and dignity, yet endure with all this testosterone. She's a brave little girl!
They are truly stronger than I! I can't wait for them to be back home under my wings.

The fellas

2010-09-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

I had some time this morning with just me and the boys. We did our best to get our school work done when Nathan was napping. Then like clock work; he wakes up and we head outside. It's been a while since I've taken my camera with us outside so here's some shots of us just chillin'
Philip joined us briefly before he headed to a funeral of a dear man who past from our congregation this week.
I was told by this handsome 4 year old that, "When I grow up to be Daddy's age and he dies, I will marry you.". This isn't the first time Ryan has told me that he wants to marry me so I think he really loves me!Ryan has really turned into a bike riding machine! He loves being on two wheels.

PBS kids

2010-09-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last winter, Peter and Emma submitted a book to the PBS Kids Young Illustrator and Writers contest. The awards ceremony was held at the Great Wolfe Lodge in Concord. After the 2 hour ceremony, our family was able to use the facilities as part of the awards day. This was quite an offer. Normally, it would cost $45 per person to have a day pass to the Great Wolfe Lodge. Needless, we all had a blast!

Reed's Gold Mine

2010-09-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing about "Reed's Gold Mine" for quite some time so I was looking forward to the trip. The mine was about 30 minutes from where Philip's parents live. We had a great tour guide. I learned a lot! Did you know that the first piece of gold discovered in USA was found at the Reed's farm? It was discovered by one of John Reed's sons. He brought it home from one of his fishing excursions in the creek. They didn't know it was gold; only that it was a pretty rock. It remained a door stop for 3 years until Mr. Reed brought it to Fayeteville. He sold it to a jeweler for $3.60 - a week's pay. The jeweler in turn sold it for $3,500 and there starts the gold rush.After touring the mine and watching the Stamp press, we were able to pan for gold! It was quite a success for our family.Ryan found a flake in his pan. Please don't ask him about it because I have no idea where his vile is!

Soccer

2010-09-08T18:35:00.001-07:00

Soccer season has begun. Unbelievably, Peter scored 3 goals during the first game. He loves it. Although it's just the beginning, you can see a confidence about him. There are a few of the same boys on the team so it's been fun to see how they have all grown over the year. I look forward to the season. It's pretty neat to see how far 8 boys can come over the course of 10 weeks together.

The moment....

2010-09-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were beginning our morning with our Bible reading and Devotion book. Today's devotion was centered on the verse from James, "Faith without works is dead". It was truly a timely lesson. Shortly before we sat down to read together, I explained to Emma that I knew of a little girl who wears Emma's size that needed some clothes that were suitable for church. I had just bought Emma 3 skirts for this fall. I asked her to pick one out that she could give to this little girl. Maturely, Emma picked one and explained, "I picked the one with the pink plaid because I think she would really like this one. I didn't think she would like the blue plaid as much and I still have the purple plaid. So I picked one thinking of her and not thinking which one did I not want." It wasn't until we read our devotional story that I got chills. The story was about giving clothes to those whom you know needs them. She immediately responded by connecting what we read to what she just did. Conversations continued and I read a little more. And then The MOMENT....Emma said, "I know about God in my head and all that stuff. But I want to really feel Him."
As soon as she said that I knew this was important; I knew this required a response; I knew this was the moment that many parents hope for.
So we prayed. We joined hands and asked the God that we know about to show Himself to us in a way that we could not explain otherwise and allow us to feel His presence in a new way.

Atoms, molecules and fun...oh my

2010-09-01T17:28:00.001-07:00

I blindly ordered Adventures with Atoms- Chemistry experiments for young people for this year's Chemistry studies. I didn't know anybody who has used it but it was recommended in a book that I'm using as our curriculum guide. It was cheap and all the materials were household things. So I went for it. I honestly am not very good at actually doing science experiments so I'm pretty proud of myself that we've done them two weeks in a row! Today we answered the question, "Do hot molecules move faster than cold molecules?".
We answered that question with 4 different easy experiments using hot water, cold water, tea bags, ice and food coloring!

My little gymnast

2010-08-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

My heart strings were pulled in many directions as the day finally arrived. August 30th - Emma's first day of gymnastics. Philip and I decided to give Emma the choice to take gymnastics or participate in the Parks and Rec soccer team. I was flooded with memories as we arrived at the gym. Gymnastics was a huge part of my growing up years. My parents sacrificed tons for me and gymnastics. Am I ready for this?It appears that she is in a joint class of Level 1 and 2. I think she can rise to the challenge the other girls have unintentionally set for her. Perhaps, we need to do some of our own practicing in the back yard!

Day 2 of 180

2010-08-25T11:46:00.001-07:00

It's 2:45pm. Not including our evening read-aloud and a 30 minute quiet reading time, we are finished with school for the day. Although NC homeschoolers aren't required to log a certain number of days, traditionally we aim for 180! If the first two days are any indication of the remainder of our year, we are going to have a great year. I think Nathan will even come to learn to love the gate! He actually only cries for the first 30 seconds and then does enjoy the rest of the time.

Back in action

2010-08-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful week of vacation, we are heading to school. It's been a long time since our family was away for the week. As we finished up our "vacation, vacation" last night at our kitchen table eating pizza. We talked about the things we enjoyed. The list goes something like this: fishing, hermit crab island, Meredith and Colin's wedding, seeing the ponies, eating at Max's Pizza, swimming in the ocean,

going to the Ocracoke, canoeing, getting a Jr. Ranger badge,

the ferry ride, spending time with everyone, and swimming in the sound.

We are back and back in action! The school bell rings at our house this morning. I can't believe that we now have a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, a Pre-schooler and a toddler. It's very daunting to think about what this school has in store for us.

on the move

2010-08-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Nathan is full speed ahead these days. I think he really is enjoying his abilty to walk. His knees are definitely appreciating the break!

Passionate

2010-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

As an 8 year old,it only makes sense that you would find something new to invest your time and money and energy into....

He's 8

2010-08-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

I keep telling Peter that I'm not old enough to have an 8 year old.....I can't believe it! The Star Wars marathon sleep over was a success! They had such a good time and were so well behaved that I think Philip might do it again....sometime!

Let the party begin

2010-08-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, Peter's Aunt Tasha and Uncle Pete gave him a light saber for his birthday. It was a brand new toy for him. He knew very little about Star Wars. It wasn't too long before a few of his friends caught onto to the Star Wars phenomenon and it seemed as if everything going on here was related to Star Wars. However, Philip decided that Peter needed to be 8 before he watched the actual movies.
Today is the big day. Peter along with 5 of his good friends are headed to the Lake to have a Star Wars marathon slumber party along with some swimming and hanging out. I can't believe that Peter will be 8 tomorrow.
Emma is having her first slumber party as well. She is spending the day and night with her dear friend Aubrey.
I know they are both going to have lots of fun but I have a feeling their time with their friends will be very different!