local wildlife

Just a quick look at our recent nature opportunities.  We had fun waiting for our monarch caterpillar to hatch from it's cocoon.  We actually missed the actaul moment it emerged but we had fun holding it while it got it's strength together.  Here is Jaybird showing off his new buddy - it actually stayed around us for over an hour.

Now you have to look really closely but here is Spiderman holding a cool spotted salamander we found out back.  That's the first one we've ever found here and I was glad to see the boys were both interesed in holding and examining it -though the girls kept their safe distance. 

 

Here is Goose trying her hand at milking a cow.  She had been bugging me for a year or so about wanting to milk a cow and we finally had our chance.  All the kids gave it a shot and figured out the proper technique.  We were really put to shame when Mr. Noe took hold and did some serious milking in very little time.  Very impressive.  The kids tried some fresh, warm milk but decided they prefer it cold!  The Noes were nice enough to send our milk home with us so we could enjoy it for the next few days.

The Budding Chefs

As part of a summer experiment and teaching opportunity, we decided to have each of the kids try their hand at playing chef (planning and preparing the meal for the family).  They had to choose what to make, check the pantry for ingredients, make a shopping list for what was missing and then prrepare and serve the meal on their night.  Each week, we had a night where it was someone elses turn.  They loved it!

Goose went first and planned a big meal of chicken lasagna, garlic bread and jello parfaits.  It was all delicious but I forgot to take any photos.  Silly me.

Spiderman here chose homemade pizza, fruit salad, and this cake for dessert.  They relished every step, from what to make and how to prepare it.  Can you see the big smile?

Jaybird chose to BBQ for his meal and you can see the hot dogs and burgers sizzling on the grill.  He paired that with chips and salsa and pumpking pie (his favorite dessert).  Oh the power he weilds with those tongs...

Boo had a more creative touch with her meal plans.  You can see her showing off her ocean themed seashell mac and cheese topped with octo-dogs.  Finish that off with a big bowl of dirt and worms (chocolate and gummy respectively) for dessert and we all felt like kids again. 

GOOD JOB KIDS!

Summer Camp

This was the first year my kids have gone to Church Camp (mostly because I was asked to help and that required them coming along).  This was the SCCA Junior Camp for 3rd & 4th graders but all 4 kids LOVED it!  I was thankful it was only Sun thru Wed. as I'm getting too old for all that fun out in the heat.  I may have gone reluctantly but God got my heart right while at camp and blessed me by the opportunity to love on these kids.  I spent many years as a camper and I know how important those experiences, lessons and memories can be.

This is Boo with her new friend, Christian.  The first night she slept by me but then she moved her bed to be next to her.  It was great to see her making friends and seeing the other kids treat her as a peer instead of a little kid.  She did her fair share of memorizing verses for the team too.  The week's theme was "Believe it" and the lesson I had to teach was on Deborah (Judges 4:). 

Here is Goose with one of her many new friends, Shana.  She really has no trouble making friends and if anything, her struggle is juggling the demands of the other girls around her.  She's learning that you can't make everyone happy all the time.  That's difficult for one with a compassionate heart but a necessary lesson to learn.  Like the other kids, she was not ready for camp to end and is already planning for next summer.

The boys had a great time but as I wasn't allowed in their dorm, I don't have a picture of them for you.

Summer Celebrations & Such

We just celebrated a wonderful Independence Day.  We enjoyed a yummy cookout with friends and while we waited for the fireworks that evening, we made tie dyed shirts and played four-square (it was amazing how long they kept at the game).  Here is the beautiful outcome of the shirt project and the happy faces of their designers.

The next day we went blackberry picking at the family farm.  You can see it was a very fruitful few hours in the heat, thorns and ticks.  That's why they say, "no pain, no gain."  Now we are enjoying the "gain" in the form of jam, syrup and smoothies.

A huge blessing has been the recent arrival of the newest Ethiopian friend.  Jonah was welcomed home by his new family and our little group of friendly support.  I can't tell you how excited my boys are that another boy has been added to the group, even if he is a bit older than they are.  Please pray for Jonah & his new family as God knits them together and they adjust to their new life together.

Now this one probably doesn't qualify to many as a celebration but I disagree.   My man and his boys worked hard to reroof our shed this past weekend.  Not only was this a first for all of them but it turned out great.  You wouldn't know it was a first for them.  The boys mostly did the dismantling but they were proud to help out Dad.  Good job Babe!

Final Visits

Our last day out East was spent with some more relaxing family visits and the guys even did some skeet shooting together.  It was a relaxing day to finish up the whirlwind week.

We started our trip home on Father's Day and stopped in West Virginia to visit with Big Skip & Sue.  My man's best hunting buddy, Skip, is their son but he is in the Phillipines this summer on a mission trip.   We had a great visit with his parents and they treated us like kings & queens at their gorgeous hunting cabin for the evening.  If my man has his way, he'll be back out to hunt with the gang this fall...

After that, we spent the last day driving for 13 or so hours to get home!  As nice as it was to be in our own beds that night, we weren't thrilled about the nasty hot & wet weather we returned home to (we are about 12 inches AHEAD in normal rainfall this year and we're ready to build an ark).  And so ends our 2010 vacation.  Now back to real life....

D.C. - Day 2

We started off our day with a trip to Arlington National Cemetary.  There was a lot more walking so this was a bit tougher for the kids with sore feet and thirsty bodies but watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was worth it.  It's about a 15 minute process which is very precise and respectful.  Amazing to think that they do this AT LEAST once every hour, AROUND the clock, in ALL weather and every day! 

Arlington is simply a sight to behold and to remember what great sacrifices have been made in the pursuit and protection of freedom.  I first visited here in college and it was even more powerful to bring my children.

After Arlington, we met me sister and her friend at an Ethiopian Restaurant.  The food was wonderful and for the first time, even my 3 other children found something on the plate that they could eat willingly. :)  Not usually the case but the food was great and it was in the heart of the city rather than the tourist area.  Even that was an adventure for us country folks.

By now we were ready to head to the National Air & Space Museum.   There was an amazing amount of stuff to see - hanging everywhere you looked.  I can see why this is the most popular museum in the country.  The kids loved it and as it was smaller, we were able to rush through it in about 3 hours. 

Here are the kids with the Wright Brothers, sort of. :)  We did actually get to see their plane, The Kittyhawk.  It's amazing to think of how far air travel has gone in such a relatively short amount of time.

We made it back to the hotel to get the van and headed back to the Grandparents for the night.  The kids loved that we again got to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (5 miles long) which they think is SUPER cool!  We didn't see everything we wanted to in DC but there is only so much you can do in 2 days.

Washington D.C - Day 1

The much anticipated aspect of this trip was our nation's capital.  Last school year we studied American History so this was quite a way to finish it off and also to launch us for next year.  Icing on the cake was that my sister met us in the city and spent some time catching up with us (Thanks Aunt Susie!).  It was so hard to choose some photos to represent our time here but here is my snapshot view. 

The kids were quite surprised to see how tiny the Washington Monument was.  Spiderman was ready to put this in his pocket to bring it home. :)  Actually, he spent the week squinting at everything thanks to those glasses sitting in the Atlantic somewhere.

Jaybird and Goose each tried their hand at reading from a teleprompter at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History.  I don't recall what speech Goose picked but Jaybird read Regan's famous speech, "... Mr. Gorbechev, tear down that wall!"  Though you can't see it in this photo, the scene behind him substitued his body in the same scene where Regan was supposed to be.

And here they are at a piece of that actual wall.

I'm not sure the occassion but the Marine Corp band was playing a concert while we were at the World War II Memorial.  Awe inspiring!  It was a pretty warm day and I marvelled at their stamina to play in full dress uniform.  

We took a short break to reflect in the fountain and relieve our ACHING feet!  After spending 7 hours in the History museum and walking the National Mall to see the monuments, every one of us could barely walk.  This was only a temporary reprieve.

My man cringed at how much these shirts made us look like tourists but who are we kidding, most everyone there was a tourist.  The kids loved it and the size and scope of the Monuments was worthy of some patriotic shirts.  This city has the unique ability to stir up a deep sense of pride in what God has done in our nation over the years.

This photo is precious to me.  While visiting the Vietnam War Memorial, the woman in black struck up a conversation with me.  As it turns out, she and her mother (also pictured) had just attended a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary to honor her father, Richard Castillo.  He had been shot down over Laos 38 years ago and that afternoon had been laid to rest at Arlington.  The story is powerful enough on its own but she also shared with me how her mother had raised 6 children without a father and that her faith in God has carried her all these years.  Then she insisted that I meet her mother and see her father's name engraved on the wall.  It was very emotional for me but I thanked them for their sacrifice, losing a father and a husband.   This meeting was a precious highlight.

By the time we were finished for the day, we were exhausted and very hungry.  We never really stopped for lunch (just snacks) and by now it was 9:00 pm.  Some locals guided us to a small burger joint called Ollie's Trolley that they considered to be in walking distance from the mall (our feet disagreed but we kept on).   We ordered too much food but made short work of all of it.  It's never tasted better.

Then began our trek back to the hotel.  We'd used the metro to get around that day and this was a first "subway experience" for all of us country bumpkins.  To Jaybird it was just an underground train and he has ALWAYS loved trains!  Everything about the metro was exciting to the kids and on this night, we missed our shuttle back to the hotel so we even added on the kids first taxi ride to their list of new things.  We collapsed at the hotel by 10:30 pm and dreamt about the next day.