Vaughn Family Winter Beach Trip

2011 Winter Beach Trip - Online Slideshow Creator

We had such a blast with Matt's family at our bi-annual winter beach trip. The kids had so much fun with their cousins playing endlessly whether on sand, in water or in the house turning closets into caves and beds into boats, not to mention the daily pillow fights. Nana bought the movie Dolphin Tale for a family movie night, which was a great family film. The last day at the beach we saw dolphins and the kids were chasing Winter (the main character of the movie) down the beach. We collected a multitude of seashells and other beach treasures, made cookies, visited the NC Aquarium, had a beach scavenger hunt, shared wonderful meals together, and made memories that will last a lifetime.

Finding life in the most unexpected places

"Lord, make us mindful of the little things that grow and blossom in these days to make the world beautiful for us."
- W.E.B. du Bois

About a month ago Matt was cleaning out the gutters and he found a flower growing in the top of the chimney. It wasn't a lovely flower by any means; enclosed in a black bud, it basically looked dead. Caleb brought it inside and placed in a flower vase with water. I humored him and kept it in the vase. Even though I thought it was ugly he thought it was special. Then, low and behold, after being in the water for about a week it started to bloom. How extraordinary and unexpected. Caleb was so excited when he saw it, declaring "I knew it would grow"! Isn't that why we are called to be more like children...to have that kind of faith- to look at the future with hopeful expectations, to find life in the seemingly dead. Maybe I am over-analyzing the situation (as I have a tendency to do), but it is amazing how a simple little yellow flower blooming in winter on my windowsill can offer encouragement.




“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful implanted in the human soul.”
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Elijah's first violin recital

This summer some wonderful musicians visited Greensboro for the Eastern Music Festival. Some of the musicians participated in a wonderful program through the public library system where they performed for the children. I took my kids and they absolutely loved it. After watching the strings performance Elijah told me that he wanted to learn to play the violin, so I started looking around for a teacher. With Charlotte Mason in mind, I wanted to pick a teacher that was truly passionate about the instrument, not just someone who could teach him how to play- but someone who really loves to play. I think I found a perfect fit for us. You can check out her studio here. She is also the only teacher that I have found that allows siblings and parents to take lessons together...so in the spring I think I will be ordering 3 more violins!

stick sculpture

Back in the fall we went to explore a free stick sculpture exhibit on the campus of Guilford College. The structure was absolutely fascinating and the kids had a blast weaving in and out of the stick village. The sculptor, Patrick Dougherty, is quite famous in this art and you can check out his website here.


this picture shows what the sculpture looks like from above and how he is inspired by the shape of the honeycomb


this picture shows the size of the sculpture in comparison to Elijah who is over 4 feet tall


Jonas inside the sculpture


Miss Ruthie looking pretty next to the sculpture

Funny Things...

This year is gone.
This year was fun.
Next year is another one.
Every year,
From here to there,
Funny things are everywhere.

(If you know your Dr. Seuss this may sound familiar...from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)

So very thankful

a thankful heart hath a continual feast. ~W.J. Cameron

There are so many things to be thankful for; some things are obvious and automatic, while sometimes we have to be very intentional about recognizing our blessings- especially when times are hard and our eyes get blurry. I want to live my life seeking the blessings that can be found in all circumstances and living with a heart that is overflowing with thankfulness and gratitude.
I am thankful...


For the husband of my youth. 10 years of marriage and we still hold hands on the couch and stay up late talking. I am thankful for his servant heart and devotion to our family, for his hard working hands and leadership in our household.


For sweet big brothers, quiet moments, the sun shining into our living room and giving warmth.


For brothers that are friends.


For wild boys that bring so much excitement to our lives.


For a sweet little girl who likes to dance and sing. She is the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts...


For loved ones who have passed away, but are very much still with us.


For time spent outdoors in God's good creation.

and so much more...

She tries hard to keep up...

but some times it is just too hard!



I cannot believe that Adara Ruth is a year old. She was born on Yom Kippur last year and our verse for her was "the joy of the Lord is your strength". If I had one word for her it would be joy. There is something about her that gives us all encouragement- maybe it is her sweet nature and gentle spirit...or that she almost always has a smile on her face. She is saying lots of words, but she particularly loves ducks and likes to make quacking sounds. Although she hasn't shown much interest in walking until lately, she is starting to discover that when she takes steps, her feet will take her places that she wants to go. Now that she has had that revelation I'm sure it won't be long before she is running around with her brothers. Speaking of those brothers, out of all those wild boys she is actually the most daring and curious baby. She gets into absolutely everything and she's also the earliest climber that I have ever had. I'll be doing dishes and I'll turn around and some how she is standing on the kitchen table! Yikes. She also likes to go head first down the slide at the park and swing really high on the swings. Miss Addy Ruth you sure are a mess- but a very, very sweet mess.