Our Recent Trips

We have been busy, busy. I am not sure where I used to fit school in??

We had two trips, so that makes things get busy.

We are still waiting on the land. Our realtor keeps saying its a go, but deed changes and paperwork take time and patience, so we wait. 

 

The girls had their 'ant' presentation for the homeschool group. They did a great job!

 

This was their display

Second weekend in May found us making a quick trip to Virginia to celebrates David's sisters graduation from nursing school. Amber and Jenny went home with Grandpa and Grandma to PA for almost half a week.

We all stayed in a guest house together. It was nice to be able to do that! David's brother and his family had just gotten home on furlough from Honduras, so the cousins had 2 years of catching up to do!

 

 

The next weekend found us all together again at a cabin in North Carolina for the weekend.

Smore time!

I had brought along a bubble making kit. It wasn't as successful as I hoped, but we did manage a couple bigger than normal ones

The cabin actually had a table big enough for us all to fit at!

David had some work that had to come along on vacation too /:

Amber and Franklin became good buddies

We recently added a new member to our family. A new kitten we named "Chloe" made the kids very happy when she came to live with us.

Birthday Time and Lessons in Life

When I sat down to do this post, I tried to think of what to say has happened the last month. Well, not much out of the ordinary. I think the last month has been full of learning lessons for me. Right after my last post, we found out that our land contract was void, cause the sellers weren't communicating with each other and one was selling without his partners knowledge. Their attorney suggested we move on. The buyers said they needed to figure things out? We made it a matter of prayer. Even the kids prayed every night about it. I guess I can say I learned a lesson about patience and laying MY will and desires down. I really wanted it to work out, I had my heart SET on it. After battling over it a couple days, I can say I finally reached the place where I could say ok, God has a reason for this for, and I was ok with giving up my hopes for the land to work, no matter how badly I want to live closer to my friends, my church and to send the kids to our church school. Today our realtor emailed to say that by word of mouth from the sellers, its a go, but to not say for sure till the attorney gets it on paper. My first response was, finally. My kids put me to shame by saying, "God answered our prayers"!! Another lesson learned!

Something else I have been working on. I am reading a book, and in there she was talking about the importance of being joyful and thankful, always, this is God's will for us. Cause EVERY circumstance in life is part of His plan for us and we need to rest in that! It is a challenge for me. Especially today for example. My washer over-flowed, again, half my kitchen and pantry was under water. After dealing with the urge to throw the washer off the back deck, I decided to look at this in a better way. I have been really badly needing to clean under the washer and dryer, this wasn't how I intended to do it, but now it got done!

As for school, well, our last day is, TOMORROW!!! I cannot wait!

Easter Sunday, Trey and Rissa's Sunday school class

Amber and Jenny singing with the older school students, Easter Sunday

The girls are really gonna miss the horses when we move! Its the first thing they want to show friends that come over.

Wonder how she would react to catching a real fish! (:

Trey did finally get his birthday bike figured out

These kids really are desperate for a baby!

We have had a beautiful spring and the garden looks really nice. Except for my green beans. The pesty fire ants ate half my seeds and did a number on the surviving plants /:

On Easter Sunday, we found our precious kitty, Nick, dead on the road. The kiddos were heart-broken to say the least! They wanted a grave for him. I got a memorial stone that has a sweet poem, his name and date he died. They were quite pleased!

The finished grave

They quite often can be seen visiting his grave. I thought it looked like Jenny was really letting him have it here, probably for ever being on the road! (:

We took the kiddos to a small town circus. They had a blast. I was surprised how interesting it actually was!

"Are those muffins ever gonna get done??"

David had his birthday April 29. The kiddos are proudly giving him their cards.

I really wanted to do a 'different' cake for Davids birthday. I searched internet for 'guys cakes' and when I seen this one, I knew I needed to do it!

Biggest Whopper he ever ate! (:

 

Birthdays and Science Project Pets

The last couple weeks have been on the busy side! We had two birthdays, and prepped and planted the garden. We are having a houseful of company for Easter Sunday, so I did some spring cleaning. I was quite happy the other day when I managed to wash down all the walls in the house. My joy was squelched a little while later when I noticed that the dreaded yellow pollen from the pollinating pine trees had settled on my window sills and probably my clean walls!

We are down to 6 weeks left of school, a great feeling of relief is right around the corner!

We were very excited to get word this past week that our offer on 10 acres of land was accepted!! Now, we REALLY need to get this house sold!!

Marissa is 5!

She got a horse, (that she needs to share with her sisters) that their dolls from Christmas can ride.

Its always fun to get gifts in the mail from far away family!

And as always, the date with Daddy is the high-light of the day. Applebees was her choice to eat at because she "likes the french-fries".

Treyton is 3! My 'baby' went to Sunday School for the first time today. And for the first time, we have NO children during our Sunday School time. I must admit it was with mixed emotions as I watched him proudly walk to his class. Guess we have entered a new phase in life?! /:

Treyton was quite proud of his gift! We also got him his first bike, but it was too big and he was scared of it. /:  Treyton got to have a 'family date' at Pizza Hut for his special day!

Trey's gifts that came in the mail

His one gift came late, so he had "another birthday"!

I am not sure how impressed the girls were, but they were very good helpers by shoveling horse manure all afternoon for on the garden! My garden this year is cut in half in case we would end up moving. I planted spinach, potatoes, green beans, and onions so far.

Jennifer learned about ants in science and ever since has wanted to make an ant hill. Not sure how to dig up fire ants and make them a habitat, I ordered this nifty 'ant hill'. Once we got the hill,we sent off for ants. They came in this package a couple weeks later.

They immediately went to work carrying the 'dirt' from one side of the mound to the other. They were supposed to tunnel.

This is now what the 'hill' looks like. Never did I think I would have  pet "large Harvester Ants" from the dessert of Arizona on my kitchen counter, but its actually very interesting watching them. They never stop working it seems. I have seen them helping each other. Like when one was seeming too tired to keep crawling, another came behind it and held it up! We did have a couple die, and the others buried them. The girls need a science project to present to the homeschool group, so hopefully the ants keep living, cause this is going to be their presentation!

Valentines Day and More

 Where has the time gone? Christmas was the last pictures I posted?! Sorry for failing you who faithfully check for updates!

Not much worth taking time for pictures or blogging has taken place, but I will try to show a little.

Life has consisted of...

SCHOOL...

 

SCHOOL...

more school...(Rissa has become quite proud of the fact that she is learning to read her letter blends now)

and waiting for our house to sell. A very slow process. I am preparing myself to be homeschooling once again next year cause I don't quite see us having sold, built and moved till next fall.

Treyton saw this book at the library and just had to bring it home to see "Uncle Brandon's tractors"!

Jennifer lost her not her first tooth, but a first top front one.

Rissa sat like this for a long time talking to Nick, I wonder what she was telling him?

Treyton's reward for becoming a 'big boy' and being completely potty trained.

A highlight every other week is story time at the library. The kiddos love to be 'helpers'.

To get us in the Valentines Day spirit, I made these brownies. Just use a heart cookie cutter, remove the piece and fill with colored icing. Treyton looks so proud here cause he was insistent it was his birthday.

Valentines party at the library.

We had our Valentines supper at home. The girls had blast setting the table fancy, eating by candlelight, and drinking home-made sparkling grape juice. They decorated the cookies on each plate too. We grilled shrimp, pork ribs and pork chops. I know, not very healthy, but Valentines Day is only once a year!