School is on the BRAIN!!!

This is always a very challenging time for me.
Good and Bad!
I love having my kids around,
But.... case and point,

     I took my two oldest to the doctor,

And then finishing school shopping,

And our 8 yr old was on

For the 8 hours we were out and about...

with out pause... 

Is that possible?

"The apple does not fall far..."

Many of you who know us well,

Are probably whispering this under your breath...

shhh!

These guys are energetic and so ready to take on life, and I love it...

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

Which is why it is so hard for me to send them on to somewhere else, someone else.

It has been such a blessing for me to be able to stay home with our girls.

I was able to see every first giggle, every first step....

and all the silly antics our girls could come up with.

I do not take that lightly at all.

I am very thankful.

AND....

I appreciate all the momma's that pine for that time...

Although,

They probably have their 'act' together way better than I do :)

Over the years, sending them off to school, has always been horribly difficult.
It has driven me to tears at many points.
But most importantly, it has brought me to my knees.
And, year after year the LOUDEST words I receive are...
"IF YOU TAKE OUT THE LIGHT, WHAT THEN IS LEFT?"
These are the words God has given me,
They are not one size fits all,
And dare I try to put them in a box to say they will never change.

In fact in one school, we did decide to pull out our girls to homeschool briefly. I can not say that it was the school, it was a good school. It was just not a good fit for us at the time.

So for a brief minute, I had my lovely girls back

Wow... What a WONDERFULLY HARD MINUTE!!!

But, well worth it.

We have since moved two more times, each time moving schools.
I am so pleased with our current school, it is not perfect...
The staff and the parents, that can, really try to make it GREAT....
And this... I can truly appreciate.
Do I have concerns?
Sure...but, God has always worked them out.
And, as I said before, I am constantly on my knees,
Asking for guidance,
And boldly walking in the confidence I find in his words.

SO BRING ON THE GLUE,

BRING ON THE HOMEWORK,

AND BRING ON THE CRAZY.....

Cus we are ready....

Oh, God, Please Make Me Ready.

Petting Zoo at Public Library

Traveling can be a challenge for us. Especially, for long extended periods of time.
So this trip, we split the gang. With 6 of us and 2 dogs, it can get a bit 'crowded'.
We have such a WONDERFUL extended family, and they willfully accepted the 'opportunity' to watch over our 'pups'....
Thank you Again,  SOOOOO much!

I drove up to leave our dogs, and only had our youngest 2.

In our travels, we were encouraged by Grandma to go to an event at the Larchmont, Norfolk Public Library.

The public Library has a very impressive range of activities to choose from, these days. It has come along way from  the traditional 'story-time'...
Which of course, as a child, is ALWAYS MAGICAL.
But in our pursuit to find cheap/free fun...
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, fits the bill to a T.

For adults as well. 

Check into your local Library. Their websites are usaully very detailed.

Mr Fuzzy Feet...

This Event was brought to the Library Grounds by

Beach Party Ponies  http://beachpartyponies.com 

If you are in the Tidewater Area...

From Hampton down to Moyock...

You could take advantage of this service.

They are a 'mobile petting zoo', amongst other things.

So if you are in need of some very friendly barn animals at your next soiree, consider giving them a call.

They are not over the top, just good 'clean' fun.

They all took turns brushing

Many, Many, Many Brushes on hand

Hearts were popping up everywhere, during our trip.
Can you guess what this is?

See the display eggs?

See the Child's hand inspecting display eggs

Poor guy, he wasn't expecting that.
Pardon the Blur, I wasn't expecting it either.

All the Animals were very calm,
Hands were everywhere,
and they did not seem to mind at all.

Now, that is a real live 'My Little Pony'

Thought he was mad at first,
But then I noticed a little boy scrubbing his back side,
And then I realized,
He was not mad at all...
He was in Heaven!

This guy was pretty happy too!

In all, it was an unexpected, fun event. And, because it was hosted by The Public Library, it was FREE!

declaimer :)... for the sweet boy I do not think that egg was knowingly placed in the basket, all the others were cracked and cleaned...BUT kudos to his momma, she handled it very well, better then I think I would have :)

There is nothing more endearing then little ones, holding hands

Sneak Peek

Oh My....

Friends,

It has been a long...

fun packed couple of weeks...

We are finally home.

AND...

Once we have our feet planted back on the ground,

And not dreaming of our toes in the sand,

We will begin to share our adventures with you all.

For now here is a Sneak Peek,

Of our week...

In the Outer Banks,

of

North Carolina

 First Day at the Beach 

Wonder if this is what life will be like, for our girls. 
Together! And at the beach!

Kitty Hawk Kites

Right across from
Jockey's Ridge...

Oh Yes,

We did the sunset

Way up on the dunes.

This

was

just

the

beginning

Poetry in Motion!

Can only imagine the storms
 this sign has weathered

Too Much FUN!!!

COLOR!   COLOR!   COLOR!

Normal Beauty...

These are just a few of the pictures from our visits...
In the days ahead, we will show you the wonderful people that made many of these activities, so amazing and unforgettable.