The tree house

For as long as I can remember, the kids have asked for a tree house.  After spending some time in Charlotte last week, Philip was inspired by his brother's tree fort.  He has spent the last two days (with help from the kids) out in the woods and up in the trees.  He's doing an amazing job!

Peter got the prized job of drilling screws into the planks of wood that would form the flooring.

Ryan did a lot of hauling of materials and holding wood that was being cut.

There was definitely a lot of ladder holding going on.

Nathan and I didn't do too much more than sit around and look cute!

Tumblefest

Emma finished up her second year of gymnastics Monday night. She's had a great year and looks forward to starting Level 3 in the fall. We're proud of you sweet girl.

back from the big city

Philip and I returned this week from a week away in the North East! We traveled to NYC, Providence, Boston and Philadelphia. We did a lot of really cool things.  Boston was my favorite.  This is a shot of the USS Constitution and the monument at Bunker Hill from our harbor cruise tour. 

Close behind Boston as my favorite was our tour of Ellis Island. I am glad we took the free National Park Rangers tour.  Our tour guide did a beautiful job explaining what it would have been like as an immigrant to pass through Ellis Island.  Both Philip and I have great grandparents who came to America as immigrants.  Our tour guide challenged us to remember this place and what our ancestors went through generations past as we think about immigration in todays culture.

We both loved the opportunity to read! Philip especially enjoyed his book of choice for this trip.

While in Boston, we found ourselves in the midst of a high school group on their way to a tour of Finely Park. We decided to tag along until we got kicked out. Luckily for us we either blended in well or they didn't really care.  We ended up having an amazing tour of the ballpark. I think Philip enjoyed it much more than all the high school students put together!

Of course the food was amazing. Not having to cook, clean, wash dishes, do laundry or cut other people's food was a welcomed break in itself. However, we found our selves eating some great pizza, sandwiches, Italian food, Phili steak and cheese, and of course desserts.

We couldn't have done it without the blessing of my parents standing guard of our precision young ones! I remember only one occasion when my grandparents traveled from their home in NY to care for my sister and I while my parents went to Italy. They opted to leave us with our neighbors the day my parents were due to arrive so they could get a head start on their trip home! (We had a great relationship with our neighbors so it wasn't that bad.)  I was pleasantly surprised to find that my folks didn't carry out that tradition! Since we returned to Roxboro on my birthday, my parents and kids planned a surprise party complete with decorations, a meal of my favorites, cupcakes and ice cream. It was a wonderful welcome home.

Sassafras fork farms

We had the pleasure of visiting with new friends at their home and farm. Ms. Kathleen, Mr. J. Ed and their daughter Stephanie are two years into running a naturally grown (almost organically certified) farm about 15 minutes out of Roxboro. Ms. Kathleen spoke with Philip recently and invited us to tour their farm and meet their new baby sheep. The offer was too good to refuse.

The highlight of the trip was getting to know Miss Prim. She is an orphaned lamb that is being cared for by our friends. She followed for the 3 hours we walked through the farm.

We collected eggs, saw their cows, visited the greenhouses, walked through a pasture of bulls, visited with Ms. Prim's other family members, checked out the baby birds, snacked on fresh veggies and learned all along the way. 

The farm is beautiful; so full of live and love.

Well, I guess Ms. Prim did get carried for a large portion of our farm tour!

We will be going back to check on our new favorite lamb. I can now completely relate to Mary and her little lamb.

strawberry time

We hit the strawberry patch Friday for the first time Friday.

This year we picked at a patch that is owned by friends we know from home schooling.

They were definitely some yummy strawberries!

VIR race track

The kids and I joined some friends at the VIR race track for a tour.  We had to cross over the state line to Virginia but it was well worth the 30 minute drive.

The folks at VIR took us on a trolley ride tour of their 1300 acre campus.  The race track itself spans 4.3 miles.  Needless to say there was a lot more than just racing going on here. 

After the tour of the campus, we were able to watch many of the racers who had come to the track a few days early to get in some practice runs.

After we had watched a 30 minute practice session, we walked around the pit area. We met two very kind race participants that let all the kids sit in their cars. Needless to say, this was the highlight. They answered questions and didn't even mind posing for a picture. What a great group of employees and racers!

more photos

I believe this might have been Philip's maiden voyage upon horseback! He couldn't resist the opportunity to saddle up.He rode like a champ!

This would be Max! He's our neighbor wild but very friendly dog.

Art show

Along with a love for horses, the kids also share a love for art. On an unseasonable chilly morning, I brought out all the art supplies I could locate.They went to town creating pieces of art that we dedicated to our dear friend who will be spending a long month in the hospital! We hope the pictures help bring color to his white hospital walls.

horses and cousins!

We had an wonderful time with my sister and her children. It was a rare treat that our time together was spent in Roxboro. My sister has always loved horses so it was with out question that a trip to our neighbors would be in part of our agenda!It didn't take long to figure out that her kids inherited her love for horses.
I think they could have stayed on horse back our entire time together!

new duds

This is my very first post from my very first new laptop. Oh wait, sorry mom and dad, this is my second laptop! Thanks for that high school graduation present; that was an awesome laptop. Well, some 15 years later, I have found myself so excited about my new laptop.When we moved to Roxboro 6 years ago, Philip offered to buy me a laptop but I kindly turned down his offer. It's taken my that long to figure out it was now time! Thanks to the generosity of our neighbor, who works at CompUSA, the kids and I now have our very own laptop! Thanks to my sweet hubby who kept his offer open for six long years.

Wilmington

Philip's super cool cousin got tickets for our family to go to a Veggie Tales Live Event in Wilmington last Saturday. It was the whole Veggie Tales gang on stage singing all the hits. Fun times!
On our way to the show, we stopped off at one of our old favorite past times - the Arboretum. It's a beautiful public garden done by the NC Cooperative Extension. It was a rainy and overcast morning but the azaleas were in full bloom.

It wasn't long after we arrived when Peter comes running back to where we were excitedly declaring, "Come quick; there are frogs mating". Yes, all 4 of my children dashed to follow and see the event. Yes, I consented and photographed the event but I will not post! I just love these kids.
We were all sad that the rain forced us away from this place before we had finished exploring and soaking in the beauty.

My firstborn

There are days when my firstborn frustrates me because he has yet learned how to read my mind.
There are days he aggravates his little brothers til they cry.
There are days when if his shoes could reach out and bite him they would but he still can't find them.
Then there are days when he begrudgingly washes the dishes.
Then there are days when he carries his youngest brother across a creek so he doesn't fall in.
Then there are days when he chooses to do a writing assignment on Carl Lewis so he'll be able to do research before writing.
Then there's this moment at Walmart when my heart truly melts and I see how God is working in his life. I am able to witness Peter spontaneously and unprovoked (except from the children's sermon the day before)decide that he wants to spend all of his money to buy canned meat for the food drive our church is participating in. He spent every dime of his $8.00 and then apologized for taking so long to decide on what to get. I want to remember this moment for a long time.