What's up?

Yearbook Party - the party where we got our year book (yes, we homeschool - our homeschool group puts together a yearbook - we're in it)

 The party was at the Royston Wellness Park. This was the first time we had been there. We'll definitely be going back it was REALLY nice!

I took pictures of the other kids but they were in motion and you can't tell who they are.

After the yearbook party I came home to these beautiful nieces (and a nephew):

DeKendra

Danielle

Destiny

The nephew is Dakota and their Mama is expecting again and can't think of a "D" name that she likes (or that she and the Daddy can agree on). Don't know what their having yet but feel free to suggest "D" names in the comments.

I've enjoyed taking pictures this week of the growing things outside (plants - not these hungry yard apes that keep coming in).

This is my lavender, marigolds and something else.

 My sweet, young, friend Jani - who is taking care of her ailing sister took the time to bring me a bucket full of beautiful flowers from her court yard. They smell wonderful! I've got them in the kitchen and the living room.

Saturday morning I helped Lake Hartwell Right to Life booth at the Hartwell Pre-Fourth Celebration.


AnnaMarie putting on the finishing touches (I've not seen a booth look the same way twice).



I don't recall the name of this Princess but she gathered our 30 week "fetus"
in her arms with such love I asked to take her picture.

What a great day of educating the masses we had! Lots of encouragement. A few eyes opened. A couple of personal testimonies shared with us.

But then I bummed out on AnnaMarie and went to a very special graduation.
My Aunt, the one who proved to us that homeschooling is a real option (I'd say that she proved that if she could do it I could - but she doesn't think that's the nicest way to put it. So, Aunt Audrey, I'm didn't say that, See?), graduated her baby girl from the Beals' Academy.


Uncle Doug, Princess Sarah and Aunt Audrey

And one more pretty picture because my Mama calls the "red hot pokers"

Shall we gather at the river

Over the winter some dear friends, the Mitchells, asked The preacher Daddy to baptise two of their young'uns when the weather was warmer.
So, today, that's what we did.

 

What a beautiful day!
And we played and ate.

The little boys and their new buckets - the perfect thing for putting your mud in.

That little one with Ava is My Chance! The Petitt family was camping and came to see us.

Boys with a log.

Boys with Lora on the log (she was lighter than them and floated better - this was a well traveled log).

The big boys went tubing down the falls.

While the daddies grilled hot dogs at the top of the hill.

Lora, Jorja and Gabby wading to the falls after lunch

Elijah and Ryan

Alex

Daddy and Josiah falling down (on purpose)

Lora sitting



 After we cleaned up our mess, and all who would had slide down the falls we went to visit with the Petitts at their campsite.

Me and Chance

Me and Ann and Chance (Not the greatest picture but Jorja tried hard to take it)

Another photo by Jorja of Daddy and his mommy, Marcia (aka Grandma)

Thankfully there are NO pictures of our Geo-caching adventure. Some unnamed boys wanted to go find a treasure (or whatever) but went so far and decided to come back and get the Mamas so they could go further. So, us Mamas, strapped on a little one, stopped by the potty and walk down a big, steep hill in the woods to an unused trail. I was NOT going back up that hill with the little ones we had in tow (I wasn't dragging them back up) so we followed the trail to the road. Forgot that the road goes UP and up and up and up . . . dragging/carrying little ones.
We made it back to the camp and guzzled down some water.
We didn't find the treasure but I think I've officially started that exercising I've been wanting to do.
Thanks boys!

Here's one more just for good measure - Gene took this one at the local hardware store.


Elijah and Alex learn where babies come from.

Now, its Sunday afternoon. And almost quiet. At least not terribly loud. I've had a short nap and ice cream is calling us.


Birds in Your Window are MUCH Better than Bats in Your Belfrey

Several months ago a pair of birds (maybe Sparrows) found that our bathroom window doesn't close all the way (all the windows are old and roll out, the storm window is on the inside) and they began to build a nest. They worked and worked and worked. I called them my beeping birds because every morning I'd hear their beeping as they chatted about their plans for the day.
Finally I noticed that one was sitting inside the nest and the other would bring her food.
Then TA DA! Baby Birds!
We couldn't see them when they were really little but would occasionally hear a tiny, faint "beep." Eventually, we saw both parents bringing food. OFTEN! And then little heads began to look out the "door."
Then one morning we woke up to find five little copies of the parents hopping around in the window.

They amused us for about two days. I realized that the little things couldn't figure out how to get out the window.
And since this particular roll out window just doesn't roll out (or in) I went outside and pushed it open. Several flew to the bush just behind this window. One need some encouragement. One needed a little lift to get started (and not be terrorized by the small dog or small children).

And they flew away just in time to reinstall the little AC unit in the bathroom.

Our carport bird family came back. We expect those babies to begin to fly in the next couple of weeks.

In other news . . .

We're trying out the summer reading program at our local Library again this year. Every Tuesday someone comes and tells a story, or demonstrates something, or has puppets or "magic."
In years past I've walked my gaggle of smallish persons into a hot, packed out little library full of  lots of other smallish persons and some biggish person trying to perform something. This year, our sweet librarian, Mrs. Emma, reserved the slightly larger Community Center right across the road from the Library. What a smart, cool, roomy idea!!!
The first day was Ken Panse, "The Reptile Wrangler," and his exotic critters.

We ALL enjoyed him. And we learned a little too!
Did you know snakes can't hear? And that it really is NORMAL to stop your car and help a turtle across the road? (I'm not the only one!)
The next week was a skinny, funny man, named Andy Offutt Irwin, musian and storyteller. I thought he was hysterical! (And I can see Alex as him in about 40+ years). I didn't take his picture but you can find him on YouTube.
We didn't go this week. But we'll be back to "Dig into Reading!"

Gene, his mother, sister and baby niece, took a trip together to Arkansas to see Grandma Lore. She was in the hospital but is doing dandy now.

Four Generations: Gene's mom, Marcia, Sister Melissa
and cute neice DeKendra, Gene, & Grandma Lore

Uncle Dennis and Gene

The children and I had a busy weekend while the Daddy was gone. The children presented the Gospel in Daddy's place Friday night at the Nursing Home.
We went to Walmart. We traveled to Lawrenceville to visit with a family I grew up with as they mourn the loss of their sweet mother, Deborah Plott. What a wonderful legacy she has left down here!!!
Grandmother took us to the fire department to have The Mama's blood pressure checked. It was high. That is weird. And since it was high, and The Mama was HOT and thirsty and the kids were hungry, we went to Arby's. And The Mama, who didn't feel hungry at all, ate like a starving person.
We came home. We went to church. We went to church again. And Finally The Daddy was home!!!

Oh! We finally got a flag to hang outside on the old, small shed. We put it up before church Sunday morning and stood around (some still in PJ's) and said the pledge.

Mission Friends & John 3:16

My wonderful, smart, superduper little Mission Friends class made up (with a little help) motions for John 3:16. They are too cute! So without further delay, (drum roll) some of my Friends reciting John 3:16:

Translation:
"For God" (point up) "so loved" (big hug) "the whole world" (stretch arms out) "that He gave" (arms/hands out like your giving something) "His only Son" (arms over head - make a SUN. I explained this wasn't the same thing but was out voted) "That whosoever" (said as a question - cause I kept going "Who's a whosoever?" - hands at shoulder level, elbows bent) "believes" (tap head with pointer finger) "in Him" (point up)  (say this next one very seriously, hands at sides) "Should not perish" (then stop - act dead, tongue out to one side, head flopped over)
"BUT!"
"have everlasting life." (finger pointed up making a circle, above head - 'cause that means a long time) "John 3:16" (it helps if you say this one like you have just done something remarkable - it may be more helpful if you 4 or 5 and super cute).

My Insane Asylum Runneth Over

Jorja and friend on the back porch bouncing a big ball back and forth and telling knock-knock jokes:
"Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Orange." "Orange who?" "Orange you glad your my chicken?"

And they continued repeating this same really bad joke, substituting different things in "Orange you glad your my ______________?" (pigs, mama, papa, door . . .) None of which made any sense.

Most of the play of the day looked just as ridiculous.

While attempting to read our Bible Lesson for the day things didn't get better.
Josiah was hiding behind my chair because he had Alex's Hot Wheels and didn't want Alex to see - Alex saw, mid-sentence, and committed himself to the retrieval of his coveted possessions.
The Mama put a stop to it. After all, we are in the middle of our Bible Lesson and no one is injured (yet).
Not many sentences later, the victorious youngster leaped from behind my chair with a lovely blue sock hat on and singing his version of "Jingle Bells" while smiling like the guilty, but very cute, party he is was still is.
Order somewhat restored and reading once more commenced, the phone began to ring.
Sometime I ignore it but when it's VIPs (Grandmother or The Daddy for example) I just go ahead and answer it.

While explaining to The Daddy how insane HIS children are this morning, Elijah, in the next chair, declares, "I'm famous."
I continued my conversation with a new example.
A few moments later, "I don't know if anybody else is hot, but I'm famous."
(totally straight faced - and he IS big enough - smart enough - to know what he's saying).
I couldn't even talk. I thought I may cry.

The hysterics past.

Papa, who had run some errands (and may be the lead inmate) came back and needed my assistance.
That was just part of this morning.
We'll finish (or totally restart) our Bible Lesson later.

First Swim of 2013

The lake is full. The fullest I've seen it since we moved up here. It's beautiful.
They've but new post in and moved the boundry line up at the beach. It's about 4+ feet deep at the yellow line. Where the old post are its about 9 feet deep.
Friday morning, right after breakfast the children and I doned our "babe-in soups" and went for a dip. We played on the play ground while the tractor finished smoothing down the sand.
We had the whole beach to ourselves for a little while. Then a couple of other moms with kids came. We meet another homeschool family with four cute little boys and played with them.