Greensboro Science Center

Nana and Poppy met us in Greensboro, NC for one of Samuel's gymnastics meets. It wasn't until the evening, so we spent the day at the Greensboro Science Center. It was fantastic! A zoo, aquarium and science center all in one!

Annabelle giving us her best penguin pose.

This was the strangest thing. This fish was completely smitten with Rosie. He would swim right up to her and just sit there watching her. She would put her hand up to the glass and he would put his nose on the glass. We would walk away and the fish would swim away. There were so many people standing and looking into the tank, but this fish showed no interest in anyone but her. Very cool.

November - First Half

Daddy teaching Annabelle how to club throw. She's bound to be a pro. Notice the "bucket o' clubs"

We found this while playing in the backyard - a snakes skin. Which is now housed in the boys' bedroom.

Joe loves cursive!

I love watching them work together during free time.

But, I especially love walking in the room and "catching" them reading their bibles.

Sam off for his first ever intra-squad competition.

I think he just looks so handsome in his uniform.

Andy is hilarious. He bought a bunch of new clothes for his new job and wrote himself a gift card. I opened it after it was delivered and just chuckled. I love his quirky sense of humor. 

Lucy came to visit and we had such a wonderful week with her.

Albemarle County Fair

The weather has just been incredible. I cannot get over how nice it's been. This particular Saturday we had just set aside to do housework... well there was no way we were going to stay inside with how gorgeous the weather was. So, we decided to hit up the county fair. I'm so glad we did. I just stayed up late that night to clean and got it mostly done. Definitely worth the loss of sleep.

Rosie slept almost the entire time we were there.

My dancing princess.

My two sons! Oh how I love them so!

But we did get her to take a picture being a pig.

We were able to watch some fun animal races, take a tractor ride, pet some cute animals, watch a bee keepers demonstration, look around at the 4H winners and have some yummy food. So thankful for Saturdays together as a family.

Praying Mantis

For living in the city we really do get our fair share of wildlife. I am always amazed at how creative God is when you look at a creature like this.

Leopard Moth

We found this moth on the front of our house. God's creativity just amazes me!

Rosie Meets a Frog

Squirrels

We had a mama squirrel think our attic was the perfect place to birth and raise her young! This mama thinks this house isn't big enough for two mamas, so one of them had to go, and it wasn't going to be me! We had some trappers come and set up some traps while the mama and her baby laid in the tree watching every move they made. We never caught them, but they are out of our attic, so we can now repair the holes. Always an adventure around here!

Gamba Turns 9

I remember it so well. Once I graduated college I was finally able to meet up with Andy in NC where he had already checked in to meet his platoon. He had moved into our home a few weeks prior and was waiting for his bride to arrive. I moved in late one week and the very first Saturday we had together in our home we went in search of our puppies. We wanted two brothers. We came home late that afternoon with the two most adorable puppies we had ever seen. They were 41 days old.

Since then we have lost his precious brother, Lutalo. But Gamba is still with us. We are so happy he is our dog. We could not have asked for a better dog. He is so patient with the kids. He literally lets them walk all over him. He loves to take care of us. He loves to snuggle. He obeys so well. He still acts like a puppy even though his hair is turning gray in places. He fetches like his life depends on it... rarely stopping for a breath. We are just now starting to see him slowing down a bit.

 

We celebrated this year with making him some dog friendly popcorn balls. He was thrilled.

Our home would not be complete without this dog! He brings so much joy to our lives.

Buddy Junior

My sweet bird, BJ, of 22 years has finally said goodbye to this life. Such a sweet friend that I will miss dearly!

High Quality Pet Care

I asked Annabelle to put Gamba in his crate, and she thought it would be best to give him some things to do while he was in there. How thoughtful!

Sam's First Horseback Riding Lesson

For Samuel's 6th birthday, Aunt Julie got him his first horseback riding lesson. She is an avid rider and had her first lesson at age 6. He had an absolute blast! His teacher was very impressed with his natural ability. So, if we can convince Aunt Julie to just fund this sport, I think we're on to something!

 

Look at that smile. What a cutie.

 

Julie got the kids all their own horse brushes and they all got to take turns brushing the horse. The teacher was just wonderful with them all. We had a late afternoon lesson so she let them all help her feed the horses and get the barn all read for the evening. They loved every second of it.

What a great experience it was. They are so blessed to have such a sweet aunt!

Lake Gaston Trip

We just went on vacation nearby to Lake Gaston with Andy's family. It was perfectly timed after several hard weeks of life and right before we dive into our first year of officially homeschooling. It's amazing what a good vacation will do for your soul!

Samuel was such a fish. He was fearless of the water and spent every chance he could swimming off the dock.

Lots of time was spent on the boat.




Goat Island


Lots of disc golf was played

GranRan celebrated his birthday on Monday. The boys were more than willing to help blow out his candles.

The kids adore Mr. Patrick (Julie's boyfriend). He is pretty awesome!

These two pictures say a million words about Andy and Annabelle and the special relationship that they share. Nothing more adorable than a man and his daughter.


Sweet Joe Joe

Samuel blew us all away and went tubing with Andy. So proud of our brave boy!

Snuggles with Gigi

Summer is officially coming to a close... now it's time to turn our attention to finalizing our school plans! It's going to be a great year!