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.

Best Day EVER!!!!

We are on vacation with family so it has been extremely challenging to blog.
We will have soooo Much to share at the end of our visiting.

BUT..... We had such an amazing day Yesterday.
That we could not wait to give our Thanks,
To the wonderful folks that opened their lives to us.
We had such an over the top incrediable day,
Thanks to their willingness and generosity.

Please stay tuned for the bigger picture on our day soon,
When we can sit and put it all together.
In the mean time please check out these sites.


http://www.kinnakeetclay.com 
Antoinette Gaskins Mattingly

http://www.bluepelicangallery.com
Jennifer Johnson

Sonny's Waterfront Restaurant

Around And About

We headed for the beach on a SATURDAY.  Wow if traffic has not gotten crazy coming in to OBX, these days. I cant say that it was ever that bad growing up, but times have changed.
SO to come in to the beach we decided to go ''old school way in, not bypass, but it has been awhile.

AND... we ended up going a little out of our way, oh about an hour.
WELL.. Seems it was a blessing, because traffic was horrible coming in the main bridge.
The babes slept the WHOLE way.
So even though it was out of the way, our route was perfect, smooth sailing, no traffic,
And Oh My Goodness..was it EVER BEAUTIFUL...
It took me everything not to stop and take pictures, but that would have awoken the little ones.

 By the time we made it into Nags Head, it was dinner, and we were starving.

We met up with the rest of our family, At Pete's Pour House for Dinner.

Half of our crew had been there already, so by the time we got there, they were already done.

So our poor waitress essentially, started a whole new meal for us. Those of you that have waited on tables, know exactly what that means. She did not skip a beat, She was full of energy, and was above and beyond great with the kids...She was fun, and it made our meal fun.

The atmosphere was energetic, but not overwhelming, so the kids, could be kids, and it was not out of place.

Oh and by the time, we finished, more family made their way in...because of the traffic.

So our poor poor waitress, had to start all over again. But as before, she just kept on rolling.

We asked to take a pic with her, She really made the night for our family.

SO WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND PETE'S POUR HOUSE, for your family.

AND DON"T FORGET TO ASK FOR CLAIRE. tell her the crazy family sent you.

OH SO HOT...

Visiting with family, and We haven't had a lot of time to stop and blog... 

We will be a bit random for the next couple weeks, but are excited to share all the fun places we explore.

Today we stopped in at a Norfolk, Va, Library. For a 'Petting Zoo'.

Remember to look for moments of Free Fun, even when you are vacationing, you maybe surprised what you happen upon.

 REMEMBER AS YOU PLAY, TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER...

Think FISH...and for ever breath you take...take a glup of water.

Have a Great weekend, and remember to be deliberate in you actions and words with your loved ones...

(Oh, I have a great story about trying to get out of Point A.. Nothing like kids to help keep a person grounded)

Military Discounts

This is mostly for Military Families.
Many of know there are several activities available for discounted or waved fees.

By now we all know that Bush Gardens  and its sister parks are free to Military
but there are many more discounts that many of us have not tapped into.

Last summer our family went to the frontier Museum in Staunton VA.
Now it was near the end of summer, kinda like now, and the budget by this point was kinda low.
When we went to pay they said, it was "free".... "FREE??!!"...We had such a great time. What a blessing it was... Again a family of Six, nothing is cheap. It was a wonderful Museum and we all had a great great time.

like this commercial
0:31The Perfect Beach Vacation  (:30) - Beach Angel ...by TRAVELOCITY

0:16NEW! Biddly Boop Price Guarantee- Commercial by...

Our favorite commercials

A link to find what Museums are in you area go to
http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index2011.php
You may be surprised at what you might find. Especially if you have a trip planned and want to find something to do in that area.... FOR FREE!!!