Mom's Turn

 There is a beautiful path that leads into the woods by our chicken coop.  I had a feeling it would make great pictures.  So we tried it out yesterday.  I like how it turned out!

 Michael took these for us.  I had to pull him away from working on the chicken coop. :-)

 Joel, who is five, took this one.  He did good.  :-)

Fall is HERE!!

 Hooray...fall is here.  It's so pretty here with the colors, trees, grass, everything.  I am pretty excited about taking pictures this year.  So friends, come out for a visit.  And I might try to take your pictures too.

We are enjoying the weather with bonfires, shooting, hikes, and staying outside all the time!

 Boys are learning how to shoot their BB gun.  Joel is ready to go hunting!!

 Grandpa's wagon makes a great prop.

9 Chickens and Counting...

 Lucky, Allie, Lilly, Burgundy, Fern, and the rest of the girls are seeming to enjoy their new home.  We drove way out in the country (and if you think we live out, you ain't seen nothing) to pick them up on Thursday.   They are sweet and tame and love corn.  Elmo our gentle lab plumb came unglued when he saw the birds and attacked the one we named Lucky.  Lucky for Lucky, Grandma was there to save her.  They are about five months old, and they should start laying one egg a day soon. 

The boys LOVE their hens.  They love petting and holding them...ALL DAY LONG.  :-)

The End of Summer

 Summer is almost over, and I find myself lamenting the passing of this season's highlights like lightning bugs and the beautiful green hue of life that surrounds me.  Despite all the challenges and stress of the move, our first summer has been very special in Serenity Valley.  Everything is new and exciting around here.

 

Karis has enjoyed water more than any other baby I have had.  

She has no fear of it and wants to put her head under.  She recently started walking in August. 

Clark learned to swim a few days ago.  He asked to take of his life jacket, and he jumped in.  He has my curse of sinking, but he is confident and can swim underwater.  He was doing flips under the water and jumping off the sides within minutes. 

 

 The love gardening, and this year I started a butterfly garden.  We have a variety of butterflies that float around.

Muddy Buddies

  This mud puddle has been at the center of hours of enjoyment this summer.
 It's been a prehistoric lake, a monster truck mud pit, and many more things.
This one little puddle has made my little heart so happy.  Who would have thought?

One of my favorite things here is summer is the dragonflies.  They gracefully dance and soar all around us.  When I am stressed and wonder what in the world we are doing here, I go sit by the pond and watch these little amazing creatures dance in the wind.  I am reminded there are many reasons we are here, but the fact IS I AM HERE.   And it's up to me to make the best of every situation I am in. 
     

 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

A view from my window

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for the day I took a look out my window to see my boys running and romping in the yard.  It made all the WORK of packing, moving, and unpacking worth it. 

There is nothing like seeing your kids in their element cutting loose and being 100% wild and free!

I praise God for the view from my window that morning.  It did my soul good.

Now I need to start moving in dirt and grass seed to fix all those bare spots.  :-)

First Day of School 2014-2015

 August 4th was our first day of school.  Joel is now officially a kindergartener!  He is very excited about his new books and learning!

 Clark is now in 2nd grade which is my favorite grade to teach.  He's pretty excited to get back into school.  He wrote three stories and read all day.  I think he missed the routine!

Levi is doing preschool.  And he has the best teachers!  Clark, Joel, and I will take turns helping Levi with his materials.

 

 

We have been here in Serenity Valley  three weeks.  One of my top priorities was getting the classroom ready for school.  It had a lovely purple and pink wallpaper and dark trim when we moved in. 

 

Clark and I worked to get it ready.  After stripping the room, we pulled off the first layer of wallpaper, wet scrapped the second, mudded the messed up sheet rock, sanded the walls, and painted twice.  Then we sanded the trim boards and painted them white to lighten the room. 

First Birthday and First Fish

 Grandma and PawPaw moved in this past weekend!  So now we are a family of EIGHT!

And we all went fishing in the backyard this week.  Joel got a big one on his first try! 

 I think he's a fisherman for life!  He asked all day if we can go fishing again!

Karis turned one on July 18th. She is 19 pounds (30%) and 31 inches (90%).  She loves to sing.  If she hears the humming of a motor or a dog howling, she joins right in!  She is so sweet.  She loves playing with her brothers.  And she loves putting little things in her mouth.   And she just started cruising.  I am so thankful for my pretty little girl!

Ain't Gonna Lie

This house is gorgeous and more than I could ever hope for. 
The mist rising off the pond in the mornings and the views of God's creation all around are absolutely beautiful.  The picture above was the sunset on our first night.  It was incredible with the sunbeams spreading out like God's fingers over our new home.

This is everything I have ever wanted....yet I'm heart broken.

I am mourning the loss of things of the past.  I am resisting change.  I am not ready to move on.  I can't let go...... yet. 

Hang in there with me.  I know I'll get there eventually.   Just know, my heart is broken even though you might see a smile on my face.

Boys and Their Toys.....Our Little Tractor

With all the grass and acres, we need something big to cut the grass.  The formers homeowners happily cut us a good deal and left their tractor!  (pun intended)
The boys enjoyed riding around the yard with dad!

Home Sweet Home???

Our house sold, and we think we found our next destination!!!

We should be moving here next month if everything works out.

 And boy do we have SPACE to roam!!!

5.6 acres, almost 4000 square feet, pool, pond, unclaimed land all around.

It's going to be an adventure for sure.

Front porch charm...It has a huge wrap around porch with lots of space to sit, relax, and play! 

   

The magical forest in the front of the yard.  You can see the house in the distant background.

 

 The pool and back porch are nice.

 My favorite tree and the rock wall and tower in the background

 The chicken coop that needs some work.  So exciting.

 The stocked pond with catfish, bass, and perch.  The boys just love throwing rocks in the water.

It is our dream come true.  I've always wanted to give my kids my childhood, and it looks like the kids are going to get it and then some.