This is amazing and hilarious at the same time!

First Day of School 09

The last couple of days we have enjoyed getting back to school and a schedule. It is going well. Enjoy the slideshows! The music used by permission from Judy Rodgers "Why Can't I see God?" CD.

We are back!

The last week has been a whirlwind of blessings and experiences. The family conference was absolutely wonderful! The sermons were amazing! Every day was so rich and full. We were truly fed with the finest of the wheat. We enjoyed sermons on the Song of Solomon by David Murray, a series on the cross by Gavin Beers from the UK, a series on Spiritual Declension by Pastor McCurley, and two other sermons, Predestination by Sherman Isbell, and Secret Prayer by Sean Humby. Altogether there were 12 sermons and it was rich indeed!

In between times there was lots of fellowship and play time, late night psalm sings, bon-fires and eating. S took a day trip with some of them to historic Lexington for a guided tour by Sherman Isbell. We met so many wonderful new friends. It was so nice to put faces with the names we have been hearing about. It really is a reunion from year to year. We already have registered for next years conference, Lord willing and got the same room we were in this year.

There were a couple things that added a twist to our week. First 4 of my children got chicken pox. W had had it two weeks earlier and several from our church were exposed. We quarantined our little ones. The setup was great at the conference where they could stay in the room and play and watch videos, and also go outside and enjoy the playgrounds etc. So we developed a system of caring for them at the conference that worked quite well. There was a family there at the conference that wanted their children to get the cp, so my children were happy to have some little friends to play with. Our pastor’s son also got chicken pox so he spent time in our room with the others sometimes as well. They are all now over it and I am actually very thankful that they won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Also, H broke her collar bone at the very end of the conference. She walked in front of a little boy swinging and fell. She had to pay a visit to the little clinic down the hill and get a wrap for it. Poor thing, she walks around using only one arm now, but hopefully she will heal soon.

After the conference we went for the weekend to visit our dear friends the Myers. Let me just say that when the 4 adults get together we do not sleep. We had such a wonderful time. There is something so sweet about old friends, friends whose memories with you go way back. We spent so much of our time talking, laughing, edifying conversation, eating, watching movies and just enjoying being together. The children played and played. We also enjoyed worshipping with them on the Lord’s Day and spending more time with their pastor and family as well. The picture above is of the two girls with the Myers little girl. They had such a fun time!

On the way home Monday evening, S dropped me off in Charlotte at a friend’s house who lives close to the airport. My brother was flying in that night. So my dad and mom picked me up and I went to the airport with them. It was after 2am before I was in bed that night, er morning. Actually as S puts it, we were in bed early every night of the week….that is early morning.

Yesterday then was so busy with grocery shopping, and unpacking. The boys dealt with “hurricane Moby” our van. The trailer had to be unloaded, etc. etc.

Today I cleaned the house to get on top of things around here. It feels good to catch up a little. SM is here helping me out today and tomorrow, which is a blessing.

Tomorrow we plan on going to get our school supplies. I have some more school organizing, notebook making, schedule planning, etc. We hope to start school Monday.

I am looking forward to spending time with my brother the next couple of weeks. We hope to go on some field trips with him and just enjoy his company before he leaves for boot camp.

So there’s a quick update of the last whirlwind week. What a WONDERFUL week it surely has been!

upcoming plans...

Our church denomination has an annual family conference each year. This year we are so excited to be able to attend, Lord willing. We leave Monday morning at the crack of dawn and return very late Friday evening. If you would like to read more about it you can click HERE. I think the photo above is the lodge that we will be staying it. It is the same building where all of the meetings are held. There is also a campground onsite where many are staying. And then, some are staying in motels/hotels offsite. There are three meetings each day, with several ministers preaching on a variety of topics. Two meetings are in the morning, and one in the evening. The afternoons are free for a variety of sports and recreation. There are bonfires a couple of the nights. And of course, lots and lots of rich fellowship! We are going with great anticipation of a blessing from the Lord.

This week I have also been deep into homeschool preparation and we have made some very exciting preparations and changes for this year. One of these days I will blog about it. I hope to start school soon after we return home.

My brother also comes for over two weeks shortly after we get home. He will be leaving for the Air Force in September so we are glad to be able to spend some quality time with him beforehand.

Happy Sabbath Day everyone!

August 1st

As I mentioned, today is E's 7th bday. Mommy and she went to go grocery shopping and pick out her birthday decorations and cake. She chose a chocolate chip cookie cake, and "princess" decorations...is anyone surprised? If it is pink, frilly and pretty, My Lemmis has an eye for it. :)

Also, today is my Aunt Janet's birthday too...Happy Birthday, Auntie!

Breaking News!

Big excitement around here the other day. J shot his first squirrel with his new gun. Here are a couple pictures of the very happy boy and his first success!