Green Water

Our Tadpoles water has turned a dark green and they are all swimming on the bottom. Should we change the water? Should we feed them?

Baby Shopping!

First of all...no we don't know that it's a boy. I just couldn't resist! The Walmart here in Statesville, NC, carries Carters! I love Carters clothes on babies. They had such a cute selection on clearance, so I couldn't resist picking up this three piece outfit. It has cute little blue and green dinosaurs and the jacket makes it perfect for a winter baby in Florida. I'm going to eventually buy a girl outfit when one catches my eye too. Then, our plan is to wait until December to buy some gender specific things for the baby. We'll keep them hanging in the closet with the bag and receipt attatched. That way when the baby comes and it's, let's say, a girl, we'll return the boy stuff, or vice versa. I love baby shopping!

Beth's Character

Beth was the recipient of the "Special Plate" again! I'm sure all of you other parents pray for the same thing, but one of the things I pray for each day is for my children to have Character. I want them to do right no matter what, no matter who's watching (or not watching :) ) And do right with a right heart. Beth has shown over and over again lately that she is truly developing Character in everyday situations. Things like.....hopping in the shower when she knows it's time, without being told, clearing the table after dinner, without being told, just being so helpful when it's no gain to her. It may sound like little things, but it's things that took effort and thought on her part. I'm so proud of her! She's growing into such a lovely young lady that has such a sweet spirit and giving heart.

Tadpoles

I think I'm reliving another one of my childhood memories. We've had some rain here lately and big puddles have formed. The kids were so excited to see tadpoles. Not just a couple, but thousands! It hasn't rained in 2 days, so the big puddles are drying up and the tadpoles are dying. Brenna said, "It's just terrible!" So, they decided to catch as many as they could and try to save some. They ended up saving several thousand....no joke! We'll see how they do. They are very tiny now. It will be fun to watch them grow, if they make it. We did this when I was a kid and put them in a 10 gallon aquarium. I remember one morning we woke up and had tons of frogs jumping in the aquarium. It was so cool. Hopefully, soon, I'll be making another post about our baby frogs.

By the way, Beth put one of her little plastic frogs next to the rubbermaid container full of tadpoles tonight. It was so cute. I don't know if she's showing them how they should look like or giving them protection, or what. I thought it was cute!

Remember Jiffy Pop??

Patrick and Josh have been craving some good buttery popcorn. While we were in Walmart they brought Jiffy Pop to me and said, "Do you know what this is?" I was so excited! Mom used to make this kind when I was little. You have to shake it back and forth across the burner and watch it grow. It was so delicious and fun, too!

Hip Hip Hooray for School!

Yes, it's true.....we've started school this year! When our books came in early the children begged and pleaded for us to start early! I'm so glad that they are so excited! It's actually a great advantage for our family. We have several missions conference between now and Christmas, and sometimes services are planned for during the day, we'll be taking an extra long Christmas break since the baby is due shortly after, and then we'll be taking an extended Spring Break to move to Canada! Since we're starting a month early, I think we should finish on time! We use the A beka curriculum, which is an Awesome curriculum! This is our 3rd year to use the DVD program and we LOVE it! I was telling my Mom that I feel like we've really learned how to use the system very well. We're starting a couple of new time savers and incentive programs. Ideas are just flowing out of our heads on how to do things! It's going to be a great year.

One of the things I love about A beka is that there is a Christian perspective to everything they do. They are always going back to the Bible and how the Lord made everything, and how we should serve Him. I'm so thankful that the children have a Godly influence in their life....even if it is through the DVD. I think Taylin would agree, you feel like you truly get to know the teacher and the students in class. I'm so thankful!

Brenna's Violin

Brenna has been saving her money for a new violin. When we went into the violin store we realized she has a violin way too small for her. She was using a 1/4 size when she needed a 3/4 size. She was short about $15 to get a violin at the store, so we looked on Ebay and found a really nice one in her price range. She was ready to bid! And she won! She was so excited to read the email that we won, then that it had been shipped, and then that it was finally delivered to the campground we are staying at. It is a beautiful violin and she did very well picking it out and buying it. It has a beautiful rich sound. Way to go, Brenna! We are so proud of you!

Date Night

Tonight was date night! We did things a little differently this time. Normally we each take out the kids one at a time, but this time the girls did their date night together with their Daddy. They stayed at home and had crab legs and watched a movie. They had such a good time. They LOVE crab legs and were so excited to get some! They love attention from their Daddy.
Josh and I went out to dinner together. Patrick has done such a good job teaching our son to be a gentlemen. Also, my Mom has bought a gentlemen book for Josh by Sword of the Lord. It's an excellent book! While I was getting ready, Patrick tried to give Josh $10 for dessert, Josh said "I already have my own money that I'm treating Mom to dessert with" How Sweet! He wore cologne and opened the doors for me. We chose to go to Red Lobster. We had so much fun and devoured all the food! We picked to share the Chocolate Wave for dessert....MMMM! It was fabulous. We left so stuffed! Josh said, "Mom, I think you've got your appetite back!" The best part about the evening was the way we just talked and talked and laughed and enjoyed being together. I'm so blessed. I had a great time with you Josh, I can't wait until we can go out again! Love You, bud!

"Montreal Life"

Joshua wrote a play entitled "Montreal Life". This is the 2nd play he has written. He does such a good job writing the different parts for the girls and him. They're very funny too. They hung a sheet from fishing line across the motorhome so they would have a curtain to go behind. Then, they make copies of the script for each of them. This play was about a boy and his mother that moved to Montreal. The boy had a hard time understanding "french." Patrick and I love it when they put on plays for us!

Happy Birthday Brenna!!

Brenna turned 9 on July 6th. Since her birthday fell on a Sunday, we did some celebrating on Saturday. She wanted to go letterboxing and we found one close by that was in a cemetary. It was weird looking around in the bushes for a letterbox, but we found it! It was a huge cemetary with lots of tombstones from the 1800s . It was so interesting and beautifully landscaped. Sunday night she wanted to go to McDonalds and have 10 chicken nuggets. That's what she got. I think she enjoyed her birthday. I can't believe my baby is 9!

Yipee! Marc's blanket is done

I'm so excited I finished Marc's crocheted blanket! It took a while, but what a sense of accomplishment! I think it turned out pretty nice. He's so sweet, he got it in the mail today and called to say thanks. Love ya, Marc! You're a great brother-in-law!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! I hope you enjoyed your day! Ours was great. On the 3rd we went to Mooresville, North Carolina for fireworks and festivities. It was great! The program started at 6pm.

They had an orchestra play lots of patriotic songs. It was beautiful. We enjoyed seeing so many different instruments and musicians. We had an excellent spot in the grass where we laid down our blanket and had an Arby's picnic with Beth's birthday picnic set. Then, they had lots of free things for the kids. Free bounce houses, slides, rock climbing, ice cream, glo sticks....it was unbelievable! The kids enjoyed themselves so much. Once the sun started to go down we each picked out a snack. We got Rita's icees, a candied apple, and a funnel cake! MMMMM!

When the fireworks started we laid down on our blanket and enjoyed the show. It made me be so proud to be an American. We sure do live in a great land where we can enjoy our freedom!

Our 14th Anniversary

On July 2, Patrick and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. I'm so blessed to have married such a Godly, passionate, loving Man! We truly are soulmates! My prayer is that each day we'll grow closer to each other as we grow closer to the Lord too. It's amazing how that works.

Since our anniversary fell on a Wednesday, we celebrated on Tuesday evening. The kids are so cooperative when we have a date. I prepared some of our favorites....crab legs, stuffed potatoes, lobster cakes and Chocolate Mousse Pie. We also bought the Hallmark Movie "Love and War". It was an excellent movie and I highly recommend it. It's based on a true story and perfect for "date nights" I love you, Patrick, you're the love of my life!