Family Vacation part 3

A few random pictures here and there.
Here I am with the head hauncho! At Cherry Hill RV Park camp store!

This ride on the METRO we were at the very end. This particular day we still had a little daylight left on the ride home

The Fall leaves were still out and I could not resist. They were so beautiful!

This statue was not of particular importance to us, but it was the first one we saw and there was a horse...therefore a picture was a must! Plus they did think it was Theodore Roosevelt!

This was some of the most gorgeous architecture around DC that we saw. This was the Archives building. Having learned about the columns last year in world history made all of the kids take notice of the Roman and Greek influences.

Family Vacation part 2

First day in DC was all about the Monuments and the Memorials. We walked and walked and were super tourists. The night before, when we were driving by, there were squeals and screams as the sites came into view. Steve said I was the loudest. I doubt it! We became very acquainted with the METRO and everyone we met in the area was super helpful and kind. When we rounded the corner and the Washington Monument came into view, there was a collective gasp. It seemed like we would never get there, but we did.
This was the view seen most often. These six blondies were always at the front of the pack. They had become well versed in their map skills, and knew the location of most of the places we were visiting.

This was the view from the east window at the top of the Washington Monument. Amazing.

This was out of the west window. The newest memorial World War II was very impressive. Out the north window was the White House. It was very strange to see so many surrounding buildings. I was most surprised at how close the Pentagon was to everything...memories of 9/11 came flooding back.

This picture was taken at the Ranger Station where we had lunch. The girls were their typical monkey selves, climbing all over things!

The WWII memorial was very inspirational. The metal scenes that lined the walkway told the unforgettable story.

In front of the reflecting pool. It is about to be under construction...no more green water.

This was one of the top favorites of all of us. We loved reading the wall, climbing the stairs and just being there.

Being respectful and quiet while at the Vietnam Wall just came natural. We had a special moment listening to soldiers talk with a volunteer about serving this country. It was one of my favorite memories of the trip.

Jefferson Memorial. We just did the drive by.

Another drive by. The Pentagon. Up on the hill at the Iwo Jima gave us this perspective of the city. The Arlington National Cemetery was just to the south. We were able to walk over and see the vast sea of white markers. It was breathtaking.

This is my most loved photo of our trip. It was the girls' idea to stand at attention and salute. They were very serious. They loved knowing Uncle Aaron was a Marine and it helped make the connection between us and history.

Family Vacation part 1

Our first leg of the trip was a stop over in Brunswick, Georgia. We were able to spend some long overdue time at Nan and Poppy's home. We felt right at home. The girls enjoyed Spot and Missy, their sweet dogs, and the beautiful harp. Stephanie was won over instantly with the plate of brownies, and Olivia had a special kinship with plucking the harp. Steve and I felt like we had just won a grand prize and it was a stay at a comfy bed and breakfast. It is so great to be loved and taken care of! Gary and Peg took the Friday to show us around and treat us so kindly. After breakfast we went to see where "spys are trained", so said the girls!
We were limited in our picture taking, but I got a few in here and there.

Getting security clearance!

In Poppy's office where it is serious business!

Memorial near the Chapel.

We headed out to St.Simons Island next. The beaches were very dark sanded and murky, but shells could be found! It was so windy and the tide was WAY out!

Climbing the Lighthouse was next! It was 129 stairs up and we did it! It was such a pretty sight. We could see across the inlet to Jekyll Island and there were some shrimp boats pullin' in too!

Lovely sights!

Next stop was Hardeeville, SC. Then a whole day of driving to finally get to College Park, MD.

My how time flies..unless you are a rock!

Time seems to be fleeting around here when it comes to life and school. This past month has included getting Grandpa's book to the publisher..done! A church yard sale, which included cleaning out closets! Teaching school and enjoying the fun of the fall festivals were just added bonuses!
This month we are focusing on the earth and geology! Once again, I am going to sing the praises of the group of families we home school with. It is a tremendous blessing! These moms bring their A game and teach serious school. The girls would not be so successful without this group! I am very thankful for this time we have and I do not take it for granted. Being able to stay home and teach them and extend our time learning about life together is a treasure for Steve and I. His willingness to work so hard and all the coupon cutting, short cuts and fruggle-ness I find myself being a part of is worth every cent, even on left over night!

Classifying rocks! Who knew it could be so easy to understand! Thanks Krista!

Microscopes big and small....how cool was it to see!

Rice Krispies and marshmallow sure helped when learning about the layers of the earth! That magma looked hot, but it was just fluff!

Paleontologists have nothing on this crew....using toothpicks and brushes they found fossil after fossil of chocolate chips in cookies....are retrieved them in perfect condition!

A short field trip to the polling office on Voting Day! I was almost embarrassed when one of them whispered (loudly) about me voting the way Steve TOLD me too while I was using the "cheat" sheet!

The two princesses came with us to have a fun backyard party at Ms. Doris King's on the Friday before Halloween! We had a table full of tricks for those "Trick or treaters". It included eyeballs, a dead man's hand and guts...all to be touched without looking in the boxes! HA!

Princess of Russia and Princess of Paris. Gotta love their cleverness !

And last but not least, Dr. Wong was correct when he told us back in April that all the teeth were growing just fine. I am loving the gummy smiles and the cuteness of toothlessness around here. It will be gone before you know it, so we are enjoying it!

Roamer

My Grandfather's book, Roamer is now out and available for purchase. It was a labor of love and we are so proud of it. I love that I will have his story around now to share of his adventures and the heritage of God's provision for four plus generations.