some everyday

my sister sent me an email saying she missed seeing posts on here.  sometimes i feel like social media just makes me lonely.  i really long to connect with people in real life, you know in real conversation instead of just liking their pictures on facebook and leaving the occasional blog comment.  i don't even have a smart phone, but i feel like this article is right on the money.  but my family is spread all over the planet, my brother and sister-in-law just had a baby in India, friends have moved away, and time is so so short.  and plus, i like to go back and look at pictures of the kiddos as they grow, even if over half the photos on my camera are blurry unidentifiable ones the kids took.  here are a few poorly photographed moments of the dog days of summer.  sometimes we get a taste of fall in the morning and we so look forward to being outside more when it cools down a bit.

the other day, g went to play with a friend and mar and i had some sweet time while littlest bro napped.  we will soon be saying goodbye to the orange kitchen.  my house is slowly becoming all cool colors.  my brain needs rest from the bold colors for now.

this is my sweetest little niece caroline. we can't wait to meet her at Christmas.  isn't she the most precious little bean?

 

typical morning

shenanigans

this is our precious new neighbor all the way from south africa.  miles adores him, though i'm not sure if x is crying or smiling in this photo

a butterfly the kids "rescued."  look at its poor tattered wings.  this is typical of our outdoor adventure.  some creatures is always being rehabbed, or hurried to the grave...whatever you want to call it.

oh this sweet boy.  he is having a really hard time lately.  i love him to pieces, but my hair is going gray i think and he has trouble with sleep these days.  he says the cutest things though and gives the best cuddles.

fun daddy had the idea to catch fireflies and keep them in a jar for a night light.  the kids felt sorry for them and let them go, but had so much joy in the catching.

a picky eater, but LOVES smoothies!

so big and handsome

graham started soccer with some friends from church and my dad came to his first game

these shorties were so cute.  g really got the hang of it by the end of the game and had the happiest look on his face.  he scored a goal and my dad says "had a taste of blood."  it was a good feeling, you could tell.

cheering on big bro

elvin princess

g asks to go creeking every day.  we do it a lot, especially if adam is off for some weird chunk of time in the middle of the day

the boys got bunkbeds and we enjoyed the boxes

i'll have to take a picture of the actual assembled product later.  poor g is sleeping so much better now that he is no longer sharing with night-acrobat miles

it is wild around here

reading is becoming easier for mar and every once in a while she snuggles up her brothers and reads to them. 

this is one of those elaborate rainy summer games with all the pillows and chairs...a nest/trap or something?

we are so ready for residency to be done, but meanwhile i'm thankful for a husband who spends the narrow margins with us...even if it means mowing the lawn like this.

we've started back to our co-op and it has been good for us to get back into that groove.  today marit gave a presentation about rescuing a hummingbird off our neighbor's porch.  the story spilled out rapidly and she had the hiccups the whole time.  it was so cute.  graham gives his presentations while holding onto some part of me.  today he talked about lizards (surprise, surprise) and held his reptile book in front of his face the whole time. 

that's all for now.  we are fine and we probably miss you so don't be a stranger!

1st day of school

I was moaning to a veteran homeschooler at church yesterday about my lack of excitement about starting school this year. I've always struggled a bit with impending change. adam was wise to encourage me not to speak so negatively about something I know in my heart I love and want to do, but just isn't really always easy or fun. that's ok...most of life isn't always easy and fun. anyway, my prayers have been those of pleading for joy and a good start to our year. have I mentioned that marit cried for 4 hours on our first day last year? I cried too.  My attitude really affects how things go around here. I know this, so I prayed for God to work on my heart first. And he did! I'm so thankful that I woke up without the cloud of fear I have been feeling. On my run (oh joy...a grace to do that before we start)I found a beautiful dead emperor moth to use for our nature journal today...what a gift! and my veteran homeschool friend told me we should also go get donuts as a fun treat after school. so we did that too. it is a privilege to educate these sweet little people and i truly am thankful, even while we take it one year at a time and keep things pretty simple. just for funsies, here is our curriculum list:
saxon math
handwriting without tears
1st language lessons
classical conversations memory work
Bethany press nature readers
Vos Children's Bible
memoria press literature treasury (thanks lauren for the idea!)
story of the world
and probably many other little resources I have forgotten

my pre-k student is larger than my 1st grader

we thought a balloon might keep miles busy

handwriting

"helping" organize the pencils



donut happy (how many kale smoothies to counteract this?)

school security



first nature journal entry of the year

semi-organized school cabinet (aren't those noonday cups cute?  they smell a little strange to drink out of, but make great pencil/brush holders)

emperor moth

carolina, i love you still

we just returned from a wonderful several day trip to my late grandparent's mountain house. it is a place filled with memories and calm for me. it was such a joy to see this dear place loved and laughed in by my own children. dr honey bunny has had 2 days off in the last several weeks so he very much needed a change of pace. it took him a full 48 hours to start relaxing. there were hikes at nearby parks and down to the stream on the property, mommy-sons date, daddy-daughter date, husband-wife date (thanks to my sweet parents who met us there), a couple mountain runs,and a lot of creature catching and exploring. it felt like we were in the girl of the limberlost because there were butterflies everywhere floating in the trees...truly magical! there were some misadventures too: a black widow on the deck, a couple wasp stings, a fire in the oven, and some typical intense parenting moments (you can't vacation from those!).

one of our goals was to not be in a hurry, to have little agenda, to not rush the kids when they wanted to stop and examine something. I think this slower pace was realized and it was so sweet. we returned in time for adam's first job interview (for the day when residency is over) and real life resumes here as we make plans to start school and ponder more house projects. i'm so thankful for the precious family the Lord has given us and for the beauty of His creation that nourishes our souls.

can't go hiking without your net!

DuPont state park

we forgot how frightening small children near waterfalls can be

goof balls

blue-tailed skinks caught on the porch

graham helped us bushwhack down to the stream and found mr boxy the turtle 

baby toad is so "hoppy"!

patiently waiting for mr boxy to come out of his shell

nature expert

loved watching them tumble down the quiet gravel road with so much joy.  childhood is fleeting.

two of my dad's wonderful sisters came up to visit with us and they spent a little time working on allocating my Grandma's beautiful things.  they were so sweet with the kiddos too.  we love them!

they let marit have a little tea party with my grandma's real china.  this was very special for marit and I know my Grandma would have loved the delight the beautiful dishes brought her.

these things became miles' obsession.  here papa is not helping him go to bed:)

rainy-afternoon cardtable fort village (thanks b-ma for the idea!)

another beautiful spot-Jones gap

we love b-ma and papa!

papa had the idea to build a dam and adam turned into a little boy!

sewing with b-ma

lunch date with my honey.  lovely.

coffee/Bible/porch-sitting view

miles was tuckered out

mama black widow-yikes!

pretty wildflowers



bathtime hair is so fun!

how cute are they? she is working on a nyt crossword puzzle and he is tinkering with a light fixture.

 farewell for now favorite little spot.  we look forward to returning and making more memories with the next generation.