Gobble, Gobble!

So, we got a little crafty yesterday and these are our new little friends! Daddy gave the boys some grouse feathers from his hunt last weekend, and told them that Mommy would help them make a turkey! Ha, thanks, honey! :) So, of course, I immediately looked up Martha Stewart online and found some great ideas. We sort of combined ideas from several of her holiday crafts and came up with our own interesting looking gobbler!

I've got to say, these turkeys turned out better than I thought, and Garrett and Carson were beside themselves with excitement over them! Even Daddy was impressed with our craftiness when he came home from work yesterday.

Now it's on to the baking for tomorrow! Just one of the many things I am thankful for is that I am NOT responsible for the big Thanksgiving Meal! Both my mom and my mother-in-law still host the big dinner, so thankful me only has to make a dessert or two. And yes, that means we get to stuff ourselves twice tomorrow at both family dinners! :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Enjoy your time with family and the many blessings from our Great God!

An October Day in Pictures

Cousins Come to Play

It's not often that all these cousins get the chance to play together, so last month when the mid-western faction of our family came to visit, the kids packed as much outdoor play into one sunny afternoon as they possibly could! Complete with pirate sword fights and lots and lots of mud, thanks to the previous week of rain.
This is the gang after chowing down at Mom Mom and Pop Pop Barr's. My how times have changed! It used to be six adults at the table and now six kids have taken our spots! :)


My boys so enjoyed their cousins that it took a few days for the sad faces to disappear after they had gone. I'm sure by the time they have another play date, they will all be a few inches taller and be interested in different things. But for now the boys have great memories until then! :)

The Letter "I", Tomatoes and Pulleys

So, we are in the swing of things as far as kindergarten goes. However the fact that school begins in the weeks when the gardening harvest is at full tilt is kind of tricky.
I've got tomatoes coming out of everywhere, along with string beans, carrots, and peppers. And I'm still in the beginners category when it comes to knowing what to do with it all!


And I have no interest in learning that right now because I'm having a blast focusing on teaching my firstborn his phonics and math! I'd never in a million zillion years have predicted that I would enjoy this teaching stuff, but I'm LOVING it! Now, almost twenty years after I should have known what to major in at college and possibly pursue career wise, I may have figured it out! How's that for a little late! :)

Anyway, like my mom told me the other day, the Lord may have just planted this new love and desire in my heart in order for me to do my best teaching my little guys! My mom always has an insightful and very encouraging word for me! Love her to death!

Here's my kindergarten guy practicing his letter "I" all on his own. :)


And here the boys are consuming themselves with discovering everything you can do with a pulley. Thanks, Daddy, for a little science lesson. :)

Follow My Blog

Hey, friends, I just added the Google Friends thingy on the sidebar, so please feel free to add yourself and follow my blog effortlessly! :) Don't everyone rush now all at once to be the first! :)

More Great Books

I found a couple of helpful books at our local library this summer. The Organized Home Schooler by Vicki Caruana and The Ultimate Book of Home Schooling Ideas by Linda Dobson. I keep renewing them because they are just so chock full of useful information. Definitely books I would like to add to my bookshelf permanently!

I was really encouraged by the first book, The Organized Home Schooler. The author packed in so much scripture that I felt refueled for this daunting adventure facing me. Here are just a few of the verses she shared.

Of course, Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and love and self-discipline."

I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


All very familiar verses to me, but when applied to a specific area of one's life, they encourage immensely yet again! I think I will be laminating some of these verses on little cards and plastering them all around my laptop screen and around the window above my kitchen sink. (The two places I seem to spend a majority of my time.)

Have you read any great books lately? About homeschooling, or anything else, for that matter. I'm always up for a great book recommendation! I LOVE books! Can't wait to see my son actually reading a book all by himself!

I thought potty training was going to be an insurmountable task. This is definitely a bigger mountain to climb. But I know we'll climb it, and we're looking forward to the challenge! :)

A Change of Scenery

I need a change of scenery occasionally to jump-start my creativity. So I'm trying plaid out on the blog for a while!

And things are about the change around here! It's been five years of minimal schedules and roughly outlined goals and deadlines since I've been a stay-at-home mom. But we are about to enter the world of reading, writing, and arithmetic, requiring a bit more structure and schedule for our daily activities. I'm excited, but a little anxious.

Definitely looking forward to watching the little one grow and learn! And I'm hoping the 3 yr. old will pick up some of what his older brother is learning along the way. :)

Just Hikin' Around

One of the things we love to do as a family is take a long drive and go exploring! The hubby usually has a place in mind and me and the boys just ride along and see where we end up. It's lots of fun! This past weekend we spent some time checking out a state park and campground area. Great scenery, beautiful weather, and so relaxing just to be outdoors!

July is Flyin' By

I always have good intentions about blogging daily, but then life gets in the way! So here's a glimpse of what we've been up to the last few weeks!

July 4th, we had a family picnic at the Moyer farm. These times are so precious because I'm not sure how many more years we will be able to share these times together! My mind is flooded with so many childhood memories whenever I'm at the farm. The memories are especially poignant when I'm there watching my own children enjoy the farm the way I did at their age! I'm so blessed to have my children know their great grandparents!



We had a church picnic July 5th and the kids wore themselves out for a second day in row! This over-sized ball kept the kids busy for quite a while!














Garrett playing kickball with the kids who live across the street from our church and came over with their mom for the picnic. They seemed to enjoy getting to know the church people better, so hopefully they will visit for a service sometime soon.














Carson playing a little catch with Daddy.














Jeff proving he can still keep up in a game of volleyball! (I believe the married men team soundly beat the teen guys team!)














Carson and Garrett ganging up on Caleb, one of our pastor's sons. :)
















Then we finally got the boys some sand for the sandbox! Don't ask me why there's never any sand left by the end of the summer, but, they are now using the sandbox for what it was intended once again!

Of course, helping Pop Pop mow his yard with the riding mower is high on their list of favorite things to do! :)

And Mom Mom had some new gadgets for blowing bubbles, which was tons of fun, too!

All in all, July has been lots of fun! Whew! I think I'm just about caught up for now. FOR NOW! Ha, I'm sure I'll be falling behind again quickly. It's just the story of my life! :)

Swimming Fun!

We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon at a friends' pool the other day, and the boys had so much fun! I have a feeling their little kiddie pool at home will not provide as much excitement for them from now on! :)