Cherry Blossoms~

The best moments in life are the ones that fall into place at the last moment~

the unnaturally, sunny, 80 degree days in March when kiddos have the day off school, flights are open, and Daddy doesn't have to work~

yup! You know me... PLANE trip! Road trips are highly overrated in my estimation- I'll take the sky any day!

Cherry Blossoms in full bloom~

Alexandria in its full spring splendor~

Really, I could move here instantly. Wheeeere IS that money tree?

In all seriousness-- Alexandria, VA is a beautiful historical town and fun DC side-trip.

Kiddos hanging in there even tho their crazy Mom gave them a 3am wake-up call.

Life's TOO short to spend it in bed :) Right, kids??

All brick-lined roads lead to ....Starbucks......

I know, I know... we were here for education and culture. Starbucks doesn't count.

Except this Starbucks was housed in a building older then 1775- Works for me :)

Ah, yes... here's our money tree. But they won't even give you a little tiny sliver of their printed paper for a souvenir. Cheapskates. Neat tour, though~

All that in one jam-packed day~

Pure JOY!

And then there were 2....

Seems like yesterday there were 8 of these little things running around. Down to 2 now--- bittersweet for sure!

It's amazing just how attached you can become to a little pup.... time for new homes and new adventures! Thanks all for making wonderful homes for these little creatures.

It's SPRING... and we're BACK....

Yes, it's been FOREVER, as I've been informed by my mom :)

Much as changed and I suppose I owe you update or two. We'll go with the condensed top 10 version:

First off...

You really MUST get your puppy spayed as soon as she is of age. Bad puppy parenting results in.....

puppies! 8 of them, 3 in new homes, 5 scheduled to leave within the week. Bittersweet :(

2. Yes, for my inquiring minds, the children are in a public school (except Jacob). For answers to your questions...

Yes, it's been difficult, and yes, they have adjusted well. They are now completely socialized into the ways of the world, bullying is a very real thing, 7th grade is indeed a difficult time, and as you have all said, things are NOT what they were when we old folks were in school. However, not all may travel the same road, and you have to find what works for your family- academically, we've made GREAT strides in the areas that needed work. Oh-- and yes, Mom is adjusting well also- most days. At least there are not daily tears of failure anymore. Usually :)

3. Don't believe the Dr. Oz miracle, painless, vein injection technology promos. Varicose vein treatment hurts. A LOT. It is a medically necessary treatment with cosmetic benefits, but not without a price. Physically and financially :/

4. Along those lines, compression stocking are horrid. HORRID I say- especially with the warmest spring on record :(. Aren't you glad I filled you in so you no longer lose sleep at night? But no complaints. Really :)

5. Travel has been blessed to be more frequent, and yes, this mom is using a bit of her time to contemplate a home-based travel agency.... any thoughts?

6. No-- karate has not filled our evenings as of late. We still think of returning- at least Daddy and Elisha do, but we are still adjusting to the fulfillment of house-projects about complete, and replacing those evenings with more family adventures.

7. Some of those adventures include the Civil Air Patrol-- Elisha has enrolled and is learning many valuable life lessons. It's a wonderful way for younger teens to become actively involved in leadership roles.

8. Lydia still has a passion for horses, and is becoming equally fond of volleyball- which now fills most evenings.

9. Our house-remodel is almost done---- what a great feeling to see the results and now have more time to..... play :)

10. Views on just about everything in life are subject to change. Frequently as you age :) Life is short and it's time to embrace, enjoy, and LIVE! Bring on SPRING! The only view that won't change--- this Mom's love of SUN and HEAT! ;) Global warming doesn't necessarily have to be all that bad.... does it........???

Young Ty

Having a very active young male as your oldest child can sometimes prove to be a…. um….. challenge to mom who is an only child and tends to like…. quiet…..peace…

I’ve read all the books (really…. and there are a TON!) claiming the amazing academic success of homeschooled students, the simple, peaceful lifestyles while the children in the home work together, the outstanding delicacies made by the 4-year-old as soon as her mom ground her fresh flour (yes, that one I do—the flour part anyway), and, well….

BaHAhahahahah!!!  Let me tell ya~ in our home, I could write my own book, and it would probably tell just a bit of a different story .  Yes- this mom is a bit of a worrywart, constantly fearing missing a huge gap in education.  And at times, our house is anything EXCEPT PEACEful.  But…

On the more difficult days, I always think of my guy, Mr. Ty Pennington.  (And seriously WHERE is that guy when you need him??)   He was a little ‘hyper’ as a child, right?  Even claiming the ADHD thing… 

And look how his life turned out!  So, I’m thinking that my eldest isn’t too much unlike him and it gives me hope   Just look at those delegating taskmaster skills-  he doesn’t even need a bull horn because his voice carries well enough (TRUST me!).

This go-cart was his ENTIRE idea- planned, cut parts with power tools (ugh!), and assembled all himself.  (With a few squabbling sibling’s and a puppy’s help.) 

But, the rewards were great!

And this mama’s proud!

I did give the disclaimer that any ER visit co-pays would come out of allowance, thus reducing Lickity Split trips.  I think they heard me.

Just wait til you see his doghouse!  Look-out Ty, I think you may have met your match?!

a seasonal update? :)

I know!  It's been oh…. 3 months or so since there’s been an entry here- but who’s counting?  In those three months, what’s been going on?

Well…. let’s see…..

puppy life…

fishing….

beach living…..

Mommy traveling….

What could make for a more perfect summer?

he was a good little tadpole…

Little Cooper hung right in there—all the way to Florida and back—even enduring the torture of 4 lively children.   But even little tadpoles just can’t do it all…  R.I.P. little Cooper~

We’re sorry the excessive, record-breaking heat wave just didn’t agree with you.   You will be missed.  And possibly replaced with a hamster….    sigh…at leaat it’s not a snake

April 31, 2011 – May 30, 2011

May you find sunny swamps in froggy heaven.

Thank you!

 

To all of you who have served, or are still serving, thank you!

he’s growing

 

Because I just KNOW you’ve (esp. you Lauri! ha ha!) been losing sleep over the status of Cooper- rest assured, he’s alive and kicking.  And ugly.

He’ survived the many many many miles to Florida and back while providing entertainment for 3 young ones~ did you know how thrilling it is to flick a tadpole’s cage and watch this creature (him?, her?, it?) jump?? 

As for the saying about some babies being only beautiful in their parent’s eyes….  let’s take it a step further… there is a reason some creatures eat their young.  Frog legs anyone?

Introducing… Cooper

 

Thanks to a nifty little Learning Express Store, Lydia fell in love.  With a frog.  But not just any frog- instead one that needs nurtured from the beginning frogish cellular level.  Oh goody!  And so arrived the Styrofoam box on my porch yesterday.  If I had been as excited as she was, I would have remembered to take a picture of that first container.  It was pretty cute… as far as stryfoam goes.

Meet Cooper~

And Cooper’s new home.  Now, this special frog can’t just survive in any water source, but MUST have SPRING bottled water.  But not just any spring water-  bottled spring water that IS NOT distilled.  Have you tried to find that lately?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this water will work just fine…

And so we have it.  Cooper’s new happy little home.  Now for the best part???  He, oops- (Lydia tells me he’s a she!) SHE has to travel 1000 miles to Florida.  Hee hee!  Can you imagine how much Daddy is loved by the Grandparents right now??  Do you remember Monty I AND Monty II, the praying mantis from a few years back? 

~Welcome home little frog~

Happy travels to Florida—snicker snicker…

 

Happy Easter!

Over the years, our family has been realizing what’s really important in life~ It’s not the stuff you strive for, but instead simplicity that counts most~

Sharing~ taking turns~

Working together as a family~

Not crushing one another’s eggs (ahem ahem….  I will not mention any names Daddy)

And creating memories~

or LOTS of egg salad sandwiches…. and deviled eggs…

Happy Easter!

Growing Up~

Parenting may be the hardest job on the Earth, but there are moments when it is also the most rewarding.

 

Congratulations new Black Belt! 

Morning Smiles~

For the mornings you need a sunny smile~ 

Breakfast, silly glasses you find at the park, and UNO- what could be better?

Life’s Treasured Moments

It’s the little treasures of life that are important~

Like those moments when all ya need is a cup of coffee, and are welcomed not with some dried-up biscotti to go with it, but instead a tray LOADED with warmth, straight from the oven!  Let’s not forget  SCRUMPTIOUS biscotti dough that will forever rival ANY cookie dough!  If you know me, that’s saying A LOT!  We also can’t forget the ‘warm-your-heart-right-up’ lentil soup and most importantly, the refreshing conversion to go with it! 

It’s these things that truly “soothe the soul!”  Thank you!!!

 

Fly the Friendly Skies

 Just in case you’re planning little getaway, you may find the following sites useful.

Yapta.com will allow you to track any flight of your choice and email you all price changes.  You can use it to track flights before you book, or follow the flight after purchase.  If the price of your purchased ticket drops, you can request a refund from your carrier of choice.  Who doesn’t like a refund?

Hipmunk.com will allow you to compare a variety of flights while you view the ‘ease’ of travel with each one.  Layovers, flight times, and meals will be compared with a nifty little bar graph to help you find flights that best fit your personality

Happy travels!  Hope you’re headed somewhere sunny!

New Inspiration

Yes, it has been a long time. I pray you are all well! Since the Christmas season, we've been... busy ... just like everyone else :). I contemplated quitting the blog thing for good. Didn't feel like I had anything of importance to say and figured no one cared anyway. While that may still be true (on both occasions) I've realized that I miss adding little blogs here and there, and, for our family, it's been a great way to journal our lives. Since I will never ever scrapbook, (this time my 'never' REALLY does mean NEVER) it's time to get back to the updating. I figure this blog's pretty much for me anyway, all ya have to do is hit the delete button if you're not interested. :)

It's been an incredible year to date. Full of so many things on so many levels. Full of the personal turmoil that I think sometimes only mom's can know, and yet still, wonderfully, full of adventures. Short unexpected jaunts to Punta Cana, weekends with Bruce Springsteen, gala events in Nashville, and most importantly- priceless, lifetime memory-making with friends~ what could be better? Along with all of that, we are in a stepped-up, organizing, simplifying mode around here, but yet READY for more adventures!

The signs of spring have brought new inspiration on many levels. What's been going on with you guys? If it's dreary where you are, just THINK SPRING!! xoxo...