As many of you know by now my blogging can be sporadic, but instead of thinking of it as laziness on my part I prefer to say that life is so full that it leaves little room for blogging. Aka known as laziness. So sadly I will be combining week 3 and 4 into one blog post of awesomeness.
Week 3 (March 19th-25th) is void of lots of pics cause the camera somehow always ending up inside. Hum??....
This week ...
We:
- completed the chicken coop (finally) and moved the girls into their new home
- enjoyed dinner with all my family at our monthly get together
- had a rather uneventful week that mostly included lots of hard work.
- (the kids and I) took Luly on many walks in the hopes of training her. Yet ended up getting pulled all over the place and being exhausted.
- (the kids and I) walked to Sonic, the grocery store and the convenient store in our adventures with Luly
Killian:
- got stuck in his laundry basket while playing around with Lotus and had to be pulled out of it by Scott and me. Sadly I made a mistake with the camera and failed to capture this hilarious moment.
- finished Unit 19 in his Exploring America literature/history and advanced in his pre-algebra studies
- hung with his friend Tyson
- had to shop with me more than he would like
- walked Luly every morning without being asked. It is a miracle!!
Lotus:
- explored the backyard and added info to her nature journal
- got her first bloody nose in months.
- continued reading the second book in the Diary of a Dorky Girl series
- enjoyed playing with the next door neighbor in their backyard oasis complete with hidden playhouse, trampoline and a half acre of make believe adventure
- practiced her dog whispering skills on Luly
- helped mom with the chickens everyday
- finished her division workbook and is ready to move on
- finished Lesson 18 in Learning Language Arts through Literature
- learned about Africa and TN's river systems
- read David Livingstone: Foe of Darkness with mom and learned about this great missionary to Africa
I:
- worked hard everyday
- got a work out walking Luly
- enjoyed the time spent exploring our neighborhood with the kids
- battled a little bit of the enemies lies and had to remind myself of God's grace
- avoided talking to God because of shame, but was slowly letting him heal those places
Scott:
- worked hard completing the chicken coop
- worked hard at work
- was very tired from working hard. Poor guy.
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| The studly husband fresh from a day at work. |
- continues to be a incredible stud of a husband :-)
Week 4 (March 26th- April 2nd).....
This past week:
We:
- (the kids and I) went to Muddy Pond Mennonite community with the Memaw & Papaw and got some awesome cheese, some really cheap spices and an amazing, leather collar for Luly. Plus we got the most incredible homemade ice cream and enjoyed the beautiful countryside.
- (the kids and I) then visited Alvin C York State Historic park and learned about this famous TN native that was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I. Which went along with Killian's america history study.
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| tank named after Alvin C. York |
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| Alvin C. York tank |
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| Barn at Alvin C York |
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| guns on tank |
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| Alvin C. York home |
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| Alvin C |
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| (Clockwise from top left) Eating ice cream at the mennonite village, visiting Mark Twain spring in Jamestown, Lo with Mark Twain, Killian at the mill, Lotus at the mill, Lotus & Killian in front of the spring..the peace sign was her thought. :-) |
- (the kids and I) also did a side trip to a few other historic sites and ate til we were stuffed. It was the perfect field trip.
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| Mark Twain Spring in Jamestown, TN |
- went over to our good friends the Browns house for dinner, great conversation and lots of fun.
- also did lunch with them after church and did some planning for our coming camping trip.
- (the kids and I) went to see a ballet perfomance of the Ugly Ducking with our fellow homeschool friends Susan and Gracie Pilkay.
- enjoyed a week of great weather.
- cleaned out from under the carport and made it our picnic/work area.
- BBQ'd and ate dinner under our newly organized carport
- watched as the chickens learned to use their trap door and grew accustomed to their new home
- found 2 more eggs in the bird's nest that has taken up residence in our shed. That I have now started calling the barn. Honestly actually called it the barn by accident the other day. I like it.
Killian:
- learned about Alvin C. York while exploring the state park named after him and learned a lot from my dad about other war hero's
- thanked God his parents weren't Mennonite because he is sure he could not stand to live that kinda life. Which in his mind is only hard work and lack of video games. Oh the horror!!
- finally put the black hoodie away since the temps have been so high
- annoyed his sister every chance he got
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| Killian annoying Lotus, but Lotus making sure she poses for the picture with a smile. |
- spent the night with his friend Tyson again and had a Call of Duty marathon with his friend Nicholas
- has a fascination with guns that should worry me, but actually gives me hope that he is not completely addicted to video games. Well actually he just enjoys watching Son of Guns and reading about them. Hey at least he's reading.
- decided he wants to see Hunger Games which plays into my plan to read the books together. Yay!!
- avoided getting a haircut, but refuses to go out without a hat.
- avoided getting his picture took which is why you will notice we have few pics of him
- hated seeing Ugly Duckling and begged me to not take him next time.
Lotus:
- learned about the Mennonites and their customs
- absolutely fell in love with the little bonnets they wore
- and I wore our long skirts on our trip to the mennonite village and were sure we could live that way
- enjoyed shopping at the general store and leather shop.
- brought home a horse shoe as a souvenier
- got a kick out of the miniature Statue of Liberty
- finished the second book in the Diary of a Dorky Girl series.
- yelled at her brother everytime he did something she thought was dangerous. Making it very clear she is my daughter
- was also very emotional this week and tested my patience a few times. What is happening to my sweet little girl??
- and I went to the Great Cake Bake at Neyland Stadium and sampled delicious desserts. Plus got to vote on our favorites and see the stadium for the first time. Coolest part eating our sweets, drinking Cruze Farm chocolate milk and sitting in the bleachers over the stadium.
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| Lotus and I at the great cake bake with a few of our favorites and taking in the views of the stadium. |
- watched Twilight for the 1st time under my supervision and is a fan now. Not sure how happy I am about this and little does she know thats about the only one I will let her watch.
- went to Ugly Duckling and then went shopping with her friend Gracie.
- loved having her picture taken.
I:
- started a strange fascination with head coverings and found some I love, but was informed by Scott that it would freak him out if I started wearing them. Well I do have to respect the hubby, but I might sneak one in occasionally. Dont you think the one below by Garlands of Grace are adorable.
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| By Garlands of Grace |
- got a great laugh at this sign
- thought the mill at Alvin C. York was beautiful
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| the mill waterfall at Alvin C York park |
- loved our Sunday morning worship and communion at White Stone
- was reminded how much I cant wait to go back to Haiti. Not only to visit Shannon, but to be a part of what God's doing there and introduce Scott and the kids to a side of God you dont get to see here in the states.
- started organizing the basement
- mowed the lawn so Scott didnt have to, but managed to run into a pole on the carport and hurt my leg (and pride). Also managed to get a ginormous bruise and lump.
- enjoyed the time I spent talking to my good friends Susan and Christy
- went to lunch at Fountain City Diner with my friend Lynne and Lotus
- loved getting out of the house and exploring a piece of TN I hadnt seen before
- vainly took pics of myself and realized that I love the fact that Im 39. Even if that means my boobs sag and I have wrinkles. God forbid I have to go back to who I was.
- made a huge mess of things with some of my friends and was reminded that for all my apparent growth these past few years I am still a sinner. A sinner that lies, gossips, gets angry at stupid stuff, jumps to conclusions and tells have truths to cover my butt. A sinner that needs a merciful God and a saviour that is willing to not give up on me when I make a mess of things. That is willing to forgive me even when I cant forgive myself and offer me a clean slate even when I dont deserve it.
- was also shown how much insecurity still plays such a huge part in my daily life and how much I need to spend time with Jesus to allow him to heal those parts.
- was humbled and ashamed by the fool I made of myself.
- was fearful that I havent finished paying the price for my foolishness.
- prayed that the drama would stop with me and that I hadnt made to huge a mess. Still am.
- had to confess things about myself I hoped were long gone, but that showed themselves in the last few weeks.
- was thankful for friends that forgive (Chantay and Alicia)
Scott:
- had his annual visit to the doctor and found out his blood pressure is still high. So we will be making plans to adjust our lifestyle.
- worked 6 days straight and still was able to come home and work outside
- fell off his bike while going down the backyard hill. Show off still thinks he can do tricks like he did when he was a kid.
- worked hard in the backyard while I took a nap on Sunday. Well he did get an hours nap, but the outdoors were calling him.
- ached because of his fall.
All in all its been a good couple of weeks, but as you can see I still have a lot to learn.
