Being Productive or at least trying to be...

This month's issue of Countryside magazine features a collection of several articles on homeschooling and homesteading with children in tow. I actually laughed out loud while reading one of these articles, so I thought I would share. This lady Kristie writes " Avoid comparing yourself to the Jones'- This is still an area I struggle with the most. My challenge is to avoid comparing myself with the "COUNTRYSIDE Jones'" or the "blogging world Jones'." When I read about a mom who homeschools her 10children, grows and preserves all her own food, milks goats daily, runs a craft business on the side, cooks amazing dinners (which she manages to blog about), and spends time each day doing craft projects with her children- from a solar and wind power home which she built herself- I'm tempted to think "what am I doing wrong?" We had scrambled eggs for dinner (again), the kids watched too many videos today (again) while I mowed the grass, and the only thing growing in a big section of my garden is red pigweed. What am I doing wrong?"
Anyways, I got a good chuckle out of it. She goes on to explain that one thing she is doing wrong is comparing herself to others and she comes to realize that each family situation is different. I don't really find that I spend a lot of time or energy comparing myself to others, but I do find myself wondering how other people can get so much more accomplished in a day than I can. We are all working with the same number of hours...so, what makes other people more productive? If there are any productive people out there reading this post then please offer your insight:) Most days I just feel lucky if I get the bare essentials accomplished...taking a shower, feeding my kids 3 healthy meals, washing the dishes and folding this giant, perpetual pile of laundry.



Everyday Elijah reads to me out of the McGuffey Readers (which I absolutely adore for their pictures, poetry, and moral stories). Well, the other day Elijah read a story called The Money Amy Didn't Earn and it reminded me of myself. It starts out, "Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at once as she ought." Amy doesn't come from a wealthy family and one day the town storekeeper asks her if she would like to earn money picking berries- he offers her 13 cents a quart for all she can pick. She was very excited about earning some money so she runs home to get her basket with the intention of returning immediately to pick berries; however, when she arrives home she becomes curious about how much money she would earn if she picks 5 quarts. She sits down to do the math and allows herself to become distracted by wondering how much money she would earn if she picked 10 quarts, then a dozen, then 50, then 100, then 200 and by the time she was done doing all these sums it was time to eat dinner. After dinner she rushes to get to the berry patch only to discover that some boys had already come and picked it over. She hardly finds enough for 1 quart worth. The moral of the story is "one doer is worth a hundred dreamers".
I am so much like poor Amy! I spend so much of my time making elaborate lists and schedules- dreaming of being organized; and the ironic thing is that all my planning actually ends up hindering my productivity. I don't mind being a dreamer, but what is the point of a dream or a plan if it never gets put into action? Sally Clarkson's advice for when you are feeling overwhelmed with your house or homeschool is: stop complaining, stop trying to come up with a perfect system, stop feeling sorry for yourself and just DO something. This is good, simple advice, right? If you want something done, just do it. However, if you have a perfectionistic, type A personality like mine, then this is easier said than done. But we all have to start somewhere...and if you are like me, you just need to start:)

A note of encouragement

Have you ever had days where you feel like you are having to discipline your children all day? I was having one of those days recently and I picked up Season's Of A Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson (whom I turn to when I need mom to mom encouragement). I opened up the book only to stumble across these words:

"It is so easy for me, as a parent, to become overly concerned with every jot and tittle of my children's behavior. I can spend so much time correcting them and teaching them all the right rules, that I forget the real goal of my instruction- to win their hearts for the Lord. Training and instruction alone cannot guarantee a heart for God. If you really desire to reach your children's hearts for Christ, you cannot do so until you build a deep and trusting relationship with each child. They must feel that they can find no better confidant, no more loyal friend, no greater encourager, no one who better understands their thoughts and dreams, fears and doubts, joys and hurts. And even though they understand that you want to help them grow to maturity in Christ, they must also sense that you accept them just as they are, and love them no matter what they do."

Then I was flipping back looking through other chapters in the book looking at passages that I had underlined and these words jumped out at me:

"It's not enough for my children just to hear me talk to them about loving God and loving people, they also must see me doing it. God will be real to them only if He is real to me... children imitate and become what they see in their parents. In the same way, my children will not grow to maturity because I have taught them the right things, read them the best books, or used the right curriculum. They will mature because I have shaped their hearts to love God and to love people."

Sally always has a way of speaking directly to my heart and giving me gentle reminders of the real goal and purpose of motherhood, which is to turn the hearts of my children to God and to be a living example for them, so they can be a living example for their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren... a multi-generational vision, so to speak.

For more encouragement from Sally Clarkson, I strongly suggest visiting her website here or purchasing one of her many books (I recommend all of them!) or try to attend a Mom Heart Conference- it will be an inspiring and edifying weekend with other lovely mothers and worth every single penny:)

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Group

I have been a part of a wonderful Charlotte Mason co-op the past 2 years, but this year I decided to break away from the larger group and form my own little co-op that meets in my home. Six very sweet families (including mine) make up our group. All together we have 15 children under the age of 8:) and this is what we studied this fall term:

Nature Study: Fall crops- apples, corn, pumpkin, squash etc.
Composer: Beethoven
Folk Song: Waltzing Matilda
Picture Study: Norman Rockwell
Habit: Attentiveness
Bible Song/Hymn: Books of the Old Testament
Poetry Recitation

I think our first term together went really well. My kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed learning alongside the other children. Even the little ones (under 3) are listening and absorbing so much. Waltzing Matilda was a BIG hit with all the kids. I even found myself singing it all the time...it kind of gets stuck in your head.
We also really enjoyed Norman Rockwell. His artwork is very kid friendly. Our group went on a really awesome field trip to the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh to view a touring exhibit of Norman Rockwell. It was FABULOUS. The kids and I loved it. You can find out more about the exhibit here.
I am very excited about next term. I have a lot of fun things planned that I can't wait to share!


This is about half the group drawing in their nature journals.

The "Me Time" Myth

I want to preface this post by saying that I do think it is important to have time alone to think, pray, and reflect. I also think time spent with dear friends can be life-giving and encouraging. The point of this post is to speak to the mentality of selfishness and escapism.

"Me time is a myth. It is an unattainable, always interruptible, never satisfying piece of junk psychology. Me Time, by its very name, suggests that who we are during the daily grind is not who we truly are. It begs us to search for fulfillment outside of the titles of “wife” and “mother.” It accuses precious little ones and God-given spouses for suppressing us. It reduces motherhood to a disease in which little dirty faces and endless monotonous tasks slowly suck the life out of us. It says we can never be refreshed by spending time in the presence of those we care for day in and day out. It points out a perceived hole in our world that needs to be filled, a tank that must be refueled, a monster that will swallow us if we neglect to feed it Me Time.

The more we indulge the thought that we are somehow owed this time away, the more we will seek after it. The more we seek after it, the more every little opportunity afforded us to take a break will seemingly end too quickly. The everyday life of being a mother will become drudgery. We will dread every aspect of this role. We will snap at our children any time they try to draw us out of our precious time alone. Not getting this time will ruin our day, and if we do manage some time away, we will despise the re-entry."

This is part of a blog post by Amy over here please visit her site to read more about the me time myth. It is definitely worth the read.

Caleb is 5!!!!

It is hard to believe that my children are getting older and growing bigger. For some reason Caleb has always seemed older to me than he really is...maybe because he has spent most of his short life trying to be like Elijah...trying to be bigger. The good thing is that I feel he is finally starting to become his own person and make his own decisions. He is coming out of Elijah's shadow and I LOVE the person he is becoming. He is very unique, spirited, and artistic. He was our latest talker, but I am almost convinced that he could talk, but just chose not to:) He has never been one to "perform" for others. He has always been kind of a lone ranger- very reserved, a home body, always loyal, very intuitive, humble and tender hearted. He finds meaning in the little things. He notices details. He is also extremely comical- the one always making silly faces and keeping things light-hearted. I am so thankful for my sweet Caleb.

Giving Thanks

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting."
-Psalm 136:1-3









Little arms reaching up to me, little hand in my hand, warm breath on my chest. Touch. Isn't this what we all need? To be close to someone.
Big eyes looking at the world with awe and wonder. All things new and exciting. God, open my eyes so I can see.
Lots of laughter- giggling, joyous sounds. Isn't this what we all seek? Lightness of heart.
100 times a day of look at what I made, look at what I drew, look at what I can do, look, look, look at me...isn't that what we all want? To be noticed.

My heart is full of thanksgiving for all these sweet moments. They are life-giving. They remind me of what is important, what is beautiful, what is good.

The journey from pumpkin to pie

This year I decided to ditch the canned pumpkin and try my hand at making a pumpkin pie from scratch.
The first step is picking the right pumpkin. There's a great pumpkin site here to research all the different varieties. There are several pumpkins that are good for making pumpkin pie, but I chose to go with the Jarrahdale.



The kids were so excited when we cut open the pumpkin. At first they were a little hesitant to get their hands in the goo, but before long they were digging for seeds like they were gold.




We put the seeds aside to roast and placed the pumpkin in the oven.



The pumpkins produce a lot of water while baking so it is important to place them in a baking dish instead of a pan otherwise there will be a real mess in the bottom of your oven. Place the pumpkin skin up, poke skin with a fork several times, place in the oven at 350 for 1.5 hours (a little less or more depending on size).



When it is done a fork should be able to easily pierce through the skin.



Then scoop out the flesh and drain in a mesh colander until most of the water has been removed and then puree with a hand blender or food processor.





When it has a nice, smooth consistency then you can start to assemble your pie. This is the recipe that I used:

2 c. pumpkin
2 eggs
1.5 c. heavy cream
1 T. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 t. cloves

beat eggs in a mixing bowl, add pumpkin and mix well. Mix in all other ingredients one at a time stirring well and then pour into your pie crust.

Crust recipe:
1/2 c. butter or shortening (whichever you prefer)
1.5 c. whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (which you can purchase in bulk from here if you live in the Triad. Their flour is the organic King Arthur flour that you would buy in the store, but it is MUCH cheaper to buy it directly from the mill.)
1/2 t. salt
2 t. sugar
1/2 c. ice cold water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter or shortening, then crumble with fingers until very fine. Add water a little bit at a time stirring rapidly with a fork until it forms a big clump. Form into a disk and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out dough about 2 inches wider than your pie dish, fold it gently in half to transfer, then unfold and pinch the outside.

....back to the pie...Place aluminum foil over crust to prevent from burning and bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn down to 350 and cook for an additional hour. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean when placed an inch from the crust. Don't worry if the center is still a little jiggly- it will set as it cools. Place in refrigerator overnight. The flavors will be enhanced and it helps the texture as well (just my opinion).



Then get a plate, fork and some whipped cream and enjoy some homemade goodness! We had so much fun making this pie and even though it is time consuming, it is actually quite easy to make. This is definitely going to be a new Thanksgiving tradition for the Vaughn family:)

Nature Journaling

"Your goal in nature study is much more than just to 'inform' your children about the details of creation. Your greater task is to 'form in' them eyes that can see the Creator in his creation (Romans 1:20), an abiding sense of wonder and appreciation of what God has made (Psalm 8 and 19) and a passion to care for, subdue and rule over this earth as God's highest expression of created being (Genesis 1:28)." -Sally and Clay Clarkson, Educating the WholeHearted Child

I have been making my children do nature journaling for about a year now and it is something I love and think is so wonderful for children, but I never realized it could be wonderful for me too. In the past I have used the time while they are drawing to hurry up and do a chore or prepare for the next lesson, because they were quietly occupied. But lately I have been trying to really implement the tomato staking idea in our house, of staying together in all that we do- cleaning, schooling, playing etc. I have a regular journal that I keep, so I decided I could keep nature drawings in it as well...that way I can teach by example and not just with words. It was a glorious fall day and I gave my children the task of drawing a picture of fall. I left that up to their own interpretation. They drew acorns, inside and out- they drew trees changing color, and squirrels busy at work. I chose to draw a leaf that really stood out to me and then Elijah decided he wanted to draw the leaf as well. It has been a long time since I have drawn anything and it was such a good feeling to be outside sitting in the warm, fall sunshine with my children drawing a leaf. It might not be the best leaf drawing in the world, but it inspired me and I think it inspired them a little bit to see mom working along side them. It is good for the soul to take time to be still, to look around and notice the details of God's marvelous creation. Much better than running off to wash a few dishes:)

A tiny glimpse of our home school

I haven't written too many things about the way we home school but I am planning on writing a lot more about it this year. I am VERY passionate about Charlotte Mason. Her philosophy on life and education is one that speaks directly to my heart. What she says makes so much sense to me and just seems so natural and good. So we mostly apply her philosophy to our days but in a very eclectic way. I don't follow any one curriculum or program. I haven't found the perfect curriculum yet and I am pretty sure there is no such thing, so I just use what I like best from a variety of sources. For example, I use Ambleside as a resource for picture study and music study and I use Simply CM's Shakespeare schedule. I pull my literature selections from Sonlight and Ambleside, but only use what I think will really interest my children. We use Math-U-See and love it and I really want to use Beautiful Feet for History but haven't had the money to buy the packages, so I look for the books at used book stores and the library and have had great success finding the books for very little money. I use Queen Homeschool's Language Arts for the Very Young along with English For the Thoughtful Child for an intro to grammar, but I am also going to look into Emma Serl's grammar books. We use the McGuffey Readers and love those so much. They are very old, but full of beautiful language and pictures. I try to mix up copywork everyday. Sometimes we do Draw Write Now, letters to friends or family, scripture, poetry, literature selections etc. We do a lot of nature journaling and nature walks for science and I adore the The Nature Study Handbook- it is a true treasure. Every now and then I do a unit study from KONOS because that curriculum is so fun and easy to use for all ages and they always LOVE doing the projects because they are so hands-on. I know I am leaving lots of things out, but that is basically the core combination of resources that I use and I can't wait to expand more on these things in future posts.




These pictures are from the unit study we are doing right now on Native Americans. We used Konos and they made their own Native American shirt (brown paper bag) and found symbols that they liked and painted them on the front. They learned Native American sign language, made tomahawks and a drum, studied the crops that we got from Native Americans. Most importantly, we read numerous books about Native Americans such as Sitting Bull, Pocahantas, Sacajawea, and Squanto just to name a few.

The final harvest

I think I have already mentioned that we are part of a community garden, but we had not visited our bed since before Addy was born six weeks ago. No weeding, no watering. We thought the garden was pretty much done and we didn't plant any fall crops. However, a friend of mine was visiting the garden and asked if I would like her to harvest what was left in our garden. I told her she probably wouldn't find much, but boy was I wrong. The garden had a second life and we were so excited about what she brought back!




This a picture of the peppers and one delicious breakfast that was made from them.

They love their sister

The boys absolutely love having a little sister. I can't explain how different it is, but the biggest thing is that they don't see her as a threat. They don't feel the need to compete with her, but they are still competing with each other over who gets to hold her first and who can make her smile. I am glad she has so many big brothers that love her and want to protect her. Elijah and her seem to have the most special bond. He has wanted a sister since I was pregnant with Caleb and he loves walking around with her, singing to her and rocking her in the rocking chair. If she is crying she instantly stops when he picks her up. It is really sweet watching how he cares for her and I know he will be a great father some day...all of them will be.
I had to add a picture of wild-eyed Ezra. Since she was born he seems so much bigger, though he really is still a baby himself. He is definitely having a delayed reaction to her being born... a little bit of anger has set in, but so far he hasn't directed it towards Addy...though the other day I put her on my bed so I could brush my teeth and when I was in the bathroom I heard Ezra climb onto my bed and say "squeeze the baby"! I ran back in the bedroom very quickly just to find him nicely sitting next to her- thankfully no damage was done:) Needless to say, I won't be leaving her alone on my bed anymore.
She continues to be sweet and is finally giving us a little more sleep at night, which makes her even sweeter. It seems like she is changing a little each day. It is amazing how fast they grow at this stage. She is smiling and cooing and blowing bubbles...so adorable. We love our little girl.

Major Changes

Cutting hair shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is. It totally changes the way you look. The other day Matt said the days of the long hair have come to an end. Our boys have ALWAYS had long hair (except one time when we got the crazy idea to shave Elijah's head when he was 2 and it was a major mistake). Most people might think this is a good idea at the beginning of summer, but as with most things we tend to do things in our own time. It all started with Elijah. His hair really was getting long, but it was always in his eyes and he was starting to create bad habits like chewing on it...sooo it was a good run surfer hair, but you had to go. The crazy thing is that we were still planning on keeping it somewhat long which you can see in the picture, but then after Caleb got his hair shaved Elijah decided he wanted to do the same (I don't have the final pic of Elijah's shaved head, but look for it in future posts...he looks totally different). Then Caleb was next and he decided he wanted his head totally shaved. The funny thing about Caleb's haircut is that when we shaved his hair he became a different kid. He has been the happiest we have ever seen him. Kind of strange. Then it was Jo-Jo's turn. I couldn't hardly stand to see his curly red locks being cut off, but at the same time I am so glad not to have to brush it anymore because most of the time it was more like dreads:) Ezra just got a little trim in the front and Matt's hair was the last to go and he went for the total shave. He goes through phases of long and short hair, but the beard always remains:) So those are the major physical changes.
The second major change was taking the plunge to finally get rid of our TV. This change slowly started taking place 5 years ago, which was the last time we paid for cable. However, we still had rabbit ears. We decided to get rid of the rabbit ears last year, but we still kept the TV around for the occasional movie night. For years I have been praying for guidance and direction about raising our children and every time I prayed I would feel VERY strongly like I needed to just get rid of the TV, though I never had the guts to go cold turkey. I made excuses for holding on to it, but the other night I read a great blog post about being lukewarm and longing to live a more radical life. It inspired me and gave me the final push I needed. It feels really good to finally unplug that thing. Most people view TV as a way to relax or escape, but for us I found it was a life sucker and time stealer...and since then I have found many other satisfying ways to relax. Another good feeling is that I have repurposed our TV armoire into a storage place for lots of our homeschool stuff that was taking over the kitchen and always making me feel a little bit annoyed, like a stuff bomb had been set off. Now I can shove all that stuff in the armoire, close the doors and not have to look at all that stuff that never seemed to have a right place.
Sometimes change feels uncomfortable, but this time it just feels right.

Treasure Island and an Old Ford Pirate Ship

About a month ago I picked up the audio cd version of Treasure Island by Jim Weiss from the library, but I didn't realize it was going to turn our boys into pirates! We love Jim Weiss. He's a fantastic, award-winning story teller and it's definitely worth the money to invest in a few of his CD's. So the kids listened to the story several times and slowly I started seeing them draw pictures of sword fights and they would come out of their room in the morning with hats, eye patches and swords in hand. Well, last week Matt's truck wouldn't start and so it stayed at home and they saw it as the perfect opportunity to transform that old truck into a pirate ship. We taped 4 long sticks together, placed a sheet over the top and made a sail for the ship and it provided HOURS of endless fun for them. I was inside nursing Addy and I would hear really loud calls of "Land Ho" and "Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum". I also let them eat lunch on the ship and even heard Ezra (who is only 20 months old) say he wanted "pirate booty"! Very funny. Elijah has been doing all kinds of research about the real pirates and dreams about finding Blackbeard's treasure, which is thought to be buried somewhere on Ocracoke Island:) Who knew a broken down truck, some sticks and a sheet could be so much fun.

Welcome, sweet Adara Ruth

We finally have our little girl! Adara Ruth was born on Friday Septmber 17th (Erev Yom Kippur). Her due date was Sept. 14th and the weeks leading up to her due date were extremely stressful. For some reason I had terrible anxiety and fear about the birth this time. On her due date a good friend of mine gave me a scripture verse that has become "her verse". All the people gather for the fall feasts and Ezra reads the Law aloud to them from early morning until midday and when they heard the words of the Law the people began weeping and Ezra said to them "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." So when my friend gave me that verse I had a very strong feeling that she was going to be born on Yom Kippur- and she was:)If anyone is interested in the full testimony of how God spoke to me and worked on me through this pregnancy then I would love to share it with you, but it is too long and personal for a blog post.
So, now that she is here our lives are forever changed. I can already feel the household getting a little bit softer. Matt and the boys are all melty over her. She is so sweet. Her little hands and feet are very dainty and even the sound of her voice sounds like a girl voice. It is even strange saying "her" and "she". It is really funny too, because Matt thought she was going to be daddy's little girl, but she is turning out to be a mama baby;) I am sure that will change as soon as I wean her! This is the beginning of something new and exciting. I love how she is already changing us all and I know she is going to continue to add so much joy and beauty to our lives.

A very sweet day

Ok. Most of you already know that our sweet baby was born 3 weeks ago and most of you know that I have been seriously neglecting my blog... so even though this is 2 months after the fact I still had to do a post on my wonderful, girly baby shower. My good friends Lacey and Alison worked together to give me such a fabulous day and everything was just perfect. Everyone brought delicious food to share...and the cake was divine thanks to Alison (Martha Stewart). I also have to give a shout out to Shell for riding the train and spending a "weekend with the Vaughns" :) I truly loved being surrounded by all my sweet friends and family and looking through all the beautiful gifts. Everyone was so excited about me having a girl that I literally got showered with girl clothes. I don't think I will have to by a single outfit for the first year of her life! Thankfully the ultrasound was right and she was a girl:)

Finding the Balance

"I am sadly concerned that thousands of mothers are so over-burdened that the actual demands of life from day to day consume all their time and strength. But of two evils, choose the lesser: which would you call the lesser--an unpolished stove or an untaught boy? Dirty windows, or a child whose confidence you have failed to gain? Cobwebs in the corner, or a son over whose soul a crust has formed, so strong that you despair of melting it with your hot tears and fervent prayers?

I have seen a woman who was absolutely ignorant of her children's habits of thought, who never felt that she could spare a half-hour to read or talk with them--I have seen this woman spend ten minutes in ironing a sheet, or forty minutes icing a cake for tea, because company was expected.

When the mother, a good orthodox Christian, shall appear before the Great White Throne to be judged for the "deeds done in the body," and to give her report of the master's treasures placed in her care, there will be questions and answers like these:

"Where are the boys and girls I gave thee?"

"Lord, I was busy keeping my house clean and in order, and my children wandered away."

"Where wert thou while thy sons and thy daughters were learning lessons of dishonesty, malice and impurity?"

"Lord, I was polishing furniture and making beautiful rugs."

"What hast thou to show for thy life's work?"

"The tidiest house, Lord, and the best starching and ironing in all our neighborhood!"

Oh these children, these children! The restless eager boys and girls whom we love more than our lives! Shall we devote our time and strength to that which perishes while the rich garden of our child's soul lies neglected, with foul weeds choking out all worthy and beautiful growths? Fleeting indeed, O mother, are the days of childhood, and speckless windows, snowy linen, the consciousness that everything about the house is faultlessly bright and clean will be poor comfort in that day wherein we shall discover that our poor boy's feet have chosen the path that shall take him out of the way to all eternity."--Author Unknown

I came across this anonymous letter to Elizabeth Elliot when I was searching for advice on how to maintain an orderly home and homeschool at the same time. As our family grows I feel like it is constant work to keep our house in order. There are days that I spend cleaning our house just for it to become dirty again the next day and it feels like all my efforts are in vain... I have to (and want to) maintain some standards of cleanliness but at the same time I don't want cleaning to be the primary focus of my days and in the meantime having my kids running around unattended. It seems like putting a lot of energy into something that doesn't have any eternal value. I know I have written on this subject before, but I am still trying to find the balance...I'm up for any suggestions:)

A Civil War Birthday Party

For the past year or so Elijah has been really interested in studying and reading about the Civil War, so this year for his 8th birthday party he requested a Civil War birthday party. I was really excited about the idea but I wasn't quite sure how I was going to pull it off. I knew costumes would be essential so my sweet mother in law ordered some confederate and union hats for each child and my mom provided aprons and bonnets for the girls along with mustaches for the boys. Elijah wanted to have a yard battle between the north and the south. Each kid got their weapon of choice, the soldiers faced off on opposite sides of the yard and charged at each other. Some were wounded, but we were very fortunate to have good nurses on the battlefield to help those in need:) Then Matt organized some yard games of flag tag, water balloon toss, and a major water balloon fight. For snacks we provided some food to capture the spirit of the Civil War, such as hardtack, "goobers" (unshelled peanuts), and fruit leather (along with cheese, crackers, fruit and veggies- which would not have been on the menu for civil war soldiers). It was so funny because some how the name of hardtack was changed to "heart attack" and they were all asking for more "heart attack" bread:) Elijah requested chocolate eclair cake for his birthday, which was also changed to "I declare" cake:) It ended up being a day of great fun and what Elijah called "the best birthday ever"!

A summer visit to the mountains

Matt has been working so hard on remodeling our house and I wanted to give him some solid time to work so I took my kids and my niece to the mountains to see my parents for a little mountain getaway. We had such a fun time. My parents have a lake in their neighborhood so we spent a lot of time swimming. Elijah and Trinity were so proud of themselves for swimming to the middle of the lake and back! The little guys just enjoyed playing in the shallow water and sand. One day we went to Carl Sandburg's house and saw an outdoor play of the Rootabaga stories which was really fun and cute. Then we went to the little goat farm on the property and had a little picnic by the creek. The weather was just glorious and the property at Carl's house is so beautiful. Then we took the kids to Belle Chere (a fun festival in downtown Asheville) and they got to ride the rides and make crafts and eat ice cream and popcorn. We all had such a blast and can't wait to go back in the fall to pick apples:)

A slow recap of the past 4 months that I have neglected my blog!

I came to the realization a few nights ago that I haven't done a post on my blog in 1/3 of a year. I have a lot of lame excuses, but I'll spare you. A lot has gone on since I last posted so I am going to attempt to slowly go back starting from the most recent event and catch everyone up on what's been going on in our lives. So I guess you could say I am officially back in the blogosphere:)

I'll start with sharing a few pictures of swimming in Nana's pool...or I should say pools (one for every stage of life as Nana likes to say!) My kids start begging Nana to put her pool up starting somewhere around April when the first warm days start to appear. So when Memorial Day rolls around and Nana breaks out the pool the kids become beside themselves with joys. They have a very specific summer time pool routine at her house. They eat lunch, go swimming, get out and eat ice cream, watch a short clip of Tom and Jerry and then they get back in and swim for a few more hours. It sounds silly, but they take it very seriously. They have even more fun if the cousins or some neighborhood kids can take part in the summer time fun. Thanks Nana and Pop Pop for setting the pools up and giving them so many fun summer memories at your house!