handsful

Caught this guy hanging out on my coneflowers the other day…love his color.  Thankfully, he wasn’t eating the flowers.

Took this from the back deck.  The field gets cut one day, then a day or so later they bring in this funny tractor attachment that stirs it all up so it dries.  Another tractor comes next to push it into rows.  Finally, it’s baling day!  I love watching all this, if you can’t tell.

We had a few sunflowers this year, including this monster one (see the smaller ones beside?).  We harvested some of the seeds for next year, and will share the rest with the birds.

Think we need an extension ladder?  We’ve been needing to clean the spider webs from around the top windows for a while.  Today, Randy got creative with the tallest ladder we have, an extension pole, and a duster head.  Yes, it made me nervous to watch him.  Wondering about the tire?  We might use it for a tire swing.

Randy finished the mowing today.  This is down by our shop building, with the area in front where we have bonfires.  With as much land as we have, it can sometimes take a couple of days to get all the mowing done.  The boys usually help with another rider and a push mower, but they ditched him today for a day at an amusement park in Charlotte.

Walking back up towards the house.  We desperately need to add more gravel to our driveway.  And, see the very overgrown garden on the right?

And, there you have it.  A few random shots around our house.

I love it here.

Our 13th year as a homeschool family began today.

Based on that number, one would think I’d have this down pat by now.  When I was a new homeschool mom, I remember thinking that one day this would be “old hat”.

Heh.

I was wrong.  I didn’t take into account that kids get older, which means math problems get harder.  As the number of students increases, so does the planning/grading/teaching time of mom.  And, every year, there seems to be even more curriculum out there to choose from…which can make the decisions harder to make.

But, it’s still our life, and it feels right.  We do take time to re-evaluate each year and will always be open to making changes according to what our kids need in regards to education, and what we feel led to do by God.

So, with the exception of an outside biology class for the trips, and the littles Classical Conversations day on Wednesday mornings, we’re home this year.

Lunch break…

PE

Did I mention we have a senior in the house this year?

Not to mention a few 10th graders, a 2nd grader, and a 1st grader.

Smile kids, it’s the first day of school.

How moms want our kids to feel about the first day.

How they really feel…

The principal makes a special appearance on this first day :)

Here’s to a fantastic school year…

Did ya’ll think I totally forgot we had a blog?

About 2 weeks ago, we hosted a birthday bash here for Marley, Payton, and Ethan and their friends.  I was going to blog about that…and, then remembered that I failed to blog pics from Lainey and Dylan’s party with THEIR friends a couple of weeks before that.

So, we’re going back in time a bit.

There’s a cool place in Charlotte called Bounce U, with lots of indoor bounce houses, slides, and climbing walls.  Perfect place for a bday party with 6 and 7 year olds!

This was a big hit…the kids climbed through layers of fabric straps (kinda like webs) inside this very tall structure, and then slid down a slide.  Out of all the kids there, Lainey, Dylan (prosthetic leg) and their friend Anna (born with spina bifida) were the only ones to make it to the top…several times!  So impressed with their “never give up” attitude!  (that’s Dylan at the top in the pic)

The cupcakes were Batman theme (the kids choice), so this was just right for the party :)

Marley joined in the fun, too!

Make a wish!

Batman mask…loved it!

Thanking her friends for her presents…

Everyone agreed, it was a fabulous place to “party” for your birthday!

Approximately two weeks later…the trips finally found a date where they WEREN’T busy, and we had their birthday party.

They started the evening with a neighborhood scavenger hunt…oddly enough, no pics of that.  They were divided into 3 teams with about 6 kids on each (Marley, Payton, and Ethan as a captain on each).  We drove them to a near-by neighborhood with a list of things they had to either find and bring back OR take a picture of on their phone.  They experienced some very friendly neighbors (all three teams came back with a t-shirt) and some very unfriendly ones (a couple of doors slammed in their faces).  In the end, EJ’s team won.

Once back home, they scarfed down 6 pizzas (the kitchen looked like this, or worse, the whole night) and then it was time for the game Marley planned…

We put out sheets to cover the floor, paired everyone up guy/girl (a couple of girls paired up because several guys said “no way” to this game), and broke out the make-up and blindfolds.

Girls blindfolded, guys endure the agony…

This next part we’ll call…”the guys revenge”

After filling a trashcan full of make-up stained baby wipes, it was time for…Cake!  As usual, EJ wanted a cookies and cream ice cream cake, Marley wanted a vanilla with buttercream frosting (that her and her friends made that day), and Payton wanted a warm apple dessert.   They requested a “group” bday song this year :)

M’s cake close-up…tie dye!

Anyone up for charades?

It was around this time (midnight or so?) that I was fading fast…Randy always takes the “night shift” with these late nights, so I bid everyone goodnight.  The kids split up into two groups…one watched a movie, while the other went down to the Shop and had an impromptu dance party.  In the morning, I was up early(ish) and put out a quick breakfast for everyone cause most of us were due to be extras at a movie set at 10am.  :)

So, with July gone, the 5 birthdays are over and done with.  The next family birthday will be Jack, the top dog around here.  He’ll be 11 in September…or 77, however you wanna look at it.

Since we’ve had kids, we’ve lived in 6 different houses.

That seems like a lot to me, given our oldest is only 17.  Anyway…

In that time, Randy has designed and built swing sets for the kids.  I’m thankful that I have a very handy husband, who can figure out / build / fix just about anything.  What a blessing!

When we moved here, there was already a small swing set in the back yard.  Great!

Not so big, but it worked.  And, they used it a lot.

Which is why not too long ago, it broke.  I don’t mean got wobbly…it had been that way for a while.  The wood supports broke and it was dead.

So, swing set #4 was set into motion.  First, take down dead swing set.

Blank slate!

To build the new one, Randy salvaged parts and wood from our old set that were still usable, and also parts from a friend’s old set that Randy helped take down.  Add in new parts and wood, and we have what we’ve coined “Franken-set”.

First tower is up.

And, on and on it goes.

He’s nearly finished with it.  Since this picture, he’s added a fireman’s pole.  He’ll complete the top of the left tower, and then move on to the right.

Let the playing begin…soon!

That title might be misleading.

We’re not celebrating 45 of anything…just 3 kids turning 15 :)

Warning:  I’m gonna sound like a mom here.

I can’t believe they’re 15?  I look back at pictures of them when they were babies (and Randy and I were bleery-eyed parents, who slightly acknowledged each other as we passed in the hall…), and wonder where the time went.  In some ways, those baby days were eons ago.  But, at the same time, it’s flown by…

With 5 birthdays so close together, we decided to do a combo-dinner for all of them.  But, how would we EVER get them to agree on ONE place?  Once we thought of a day trip to Boone (Randy’s idea, actually), having dinner at the Dan’l Boone Inn was easily agreed upon.  Nothing like having bowls and plates of delicious (healthy?  eh…) southern food placed in front of you, with promises of more if we just ask.  It’s hard to leave there hungry.  Impossible, really.

So, we left that morning for Boone, and our first stop was the Mast General Store.  Love that place, and they have barrels and barrels of old fashioned candy.  Given I have a sweet tooth (or two), I have to restrain myself.  But, I did come away with a bag of jaw breakers and a couple of sugar daddys.  Yum.  The other kids chose a few favorites, and they we decided to attempt a trip to Linville Falls.

I say attempt, because it’s done nothing but rain lately and the skies looked a little angry.

We started down the trail, and noticed that everyone else seemed to be going the other direction.  Hmmm.

Payton had the camera, and was snapping pictures of everything.

This lone yellow leaf really spoke to him…

Dark clouds turned into thunder, and then some sprinkles.

Back to the van for us.  Just in time, too, it started raining hard.  We decided to bag the idea of sight seeing and head to the restaurant.

We had to wait outside, in line (typical for this place) and ended up meeting a family with 5 adopted children from China.  As we talked, we both realized that we follow each other’s blog.  Actually, hers was one of the first ones I ever followed, even before we were matched with Lainey.  Meeting them was one of those sweet God surprises.

No pictures of us eating.  I mean, who has time to take pictures when you’re eating salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, fried chicken, biscuits, baked apples, ham biscuits, corn, slaw, and a choice between three desserts?  Not us, that’s who.

After dinner, we walked…with difficulty…outside for some picture taking.

All the birthday kids.  Posing with a bear.  Of course.

They have a party with their friends planned in a couple of weeks.  They have no idea what they’re doing, but they keep telling me they’re working on it.  We’ll see.

Happy Birthday, Marley, Payton, and Ethan!  We love you!

July is basically birthday-palooza around here…Lainey and Dylan share a birthday on July 4th, and Marley, Payton, and Ethan share theirs on July 7th.

Let’s start with Lainey and Dylan

Present time…

Lainey had made her wishes known…she wanted a new game system.

Dylan was a puzzle, but knowing how much he loves watching Lainey play her old one, we got him one of his own.  Thank goodness for finding pre-owned game systems!

As you can see, they were a hit.

The rest of the 4th was spent getting ready to have our friends over for dessert and fireworks.

Before the pyromania began, Lainey and Dylan had some wishing to do…

Sugar cookie cake, decorated by Marley (with the assistance of me to write their names)

And, then it was boom time.

It sounded like a war zone all around us.  Guess that’s what happens when you live in the country…lots of land, means more room for fireworks.

And, what’s July 4th without sparklers?  Boring, I say.

Lainey and Dylan think it’s extra cool that their birthday is on an American holiday…

I mean, how many people can have a guaranteed firework display every year on their birthday?

God bless America…and, happy birthday to my Independence day babies.

Summer is going quickly, it seems.  And, we’re busy…no surprise there.

Last week, Dylan did something he’s been DYING to do.  He went to soccer camp!

He had all the gear.  Shy of one shin guard that…well, didn’t need guarding.  Maybe the other kids should have toe guards?

It was really hot all week, and despite putting sunscreen on him everyday, he’s now sporting a mad tan.

Yes, I’m a little jealous.

I took some shots of his last day…

Her name’s Katie.  And, yes, he’s holding her hand.  He had three blond haired girls surrounding him, taking turns hugging him goodbye at the end.

The coach is the director of our area’s recreational soccer league…he said Dylan was (1) fearless and (2) had incredible balance, even compared to the “two-legged” kids.

We’re signing him up for soccer in the fall.

Last Sunday was Father’s Day, and we were blessed to have Randy’s dad and my dad here with us.  The big kids had their last local Testify choir concert that same day, so they were able to attend with us.  What made it even better is that all the kids were scheduled to do their “parts” that day (all the acting parts and solos are double-casted so they take turns with performing in concerts).

Pictures first, of course.

Father of the Year…

“Hey, jump in and hug”….boys, that’s not what I meant.

I’m pretty sure some heads got clunked here.

The big kids were at rehearsal…

Randy and his dad.  My mom took a picture of me and my dad, but I didn’t get one with my camera.  Ugh!

Soon, it was time to head to the concert.

Payton plays Mason, a highschool junior struggling with his commitment to his faith.

Payton’s about to get tagged…

Abbey is Toni, a “groupie” to the highschool bully.

And, she dances.

Marley sings with her friend Kylie, they each have solo parts in the same song.

Ethan has a solo and…

plays a drum box.  I’m told it’s called a cajone.

Randy gives the invitational message each night…and, did I mention that he also wrote the script for the play?

At the end of the concert, all the dads of the students were invited up to sing along with their theme song “Testify to Love”.

The whole crew, after the concert…see, I was there that day!

As of this morning, Randy and the bigs are on tour in Tennessee for the next 6 days.  It’s just me and the littles, which is weird!  But, we’re taking advantage of our time together to do fun stuff and I’m tackling a few projects that I never seem to get around to.

Here’s to another fun, and busy week!