resemblance??

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

Before

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

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

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

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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

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