Wedding Bells

A very special friend got married this weekend at a beautiful park.

My eldest was a Junior Bridesmaid.

I am beyond excited for my friend as she begins this new season of her life!

Here is a small glimpes from our weekend.

We started the weekend with a rehearsal and dinner at P.F.Changs

The wedding day!

Friends

Today we enjoyed having some friends over.

"We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.

Even longer,' Pooh answered."

-A.A. Miline, Winnie-the-Pooh

Siblings and a Birthday

Siblings

Siblings are the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring, quite often the hard way

Pamela Dugdale

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them

Desmond Tutu

My greatest memories are those shared with my siblings, for they are not simply thoughts of our shared past, but rather stories about our own beginnings

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One thing that we see in our kids that has been so positive and uplifting, is the bond that has formed over time. It's a beautiful thing to see! They truly are all best friends. Spending every day together schooling, playing, and creating has led to a beautiful closeness. Not to say that they don't fight or act like normal siblings, but they have more beautiful times then not.

Our lil' princess turned 4!

A Joy I Missed

The new year has started, and a joy fills my heart that I have not had in a long time. The joy of homeschooling! This is our 7th year in homeschooling. I can say that it has been a wonderful 7 years. I absolutely LOVE homeschooling. I love the time spent with my kids, I love teaching them, I love seeing them accomplish an educational goal through hard work(not always without whinning), I love watching the relationships grow between siblings whom live and grow together 24/7(this is not easy), and I love how I am learning so much along with them. Through these past 7 years I have had some times of ease, where I was on top of things and still had some free time left over. This was in the beginning :o). As we had more children.....time got tighter and the work load grew(as to be expected). Along with the normal growth, we had a big move, morning sickness, a baby with health issues, and then a renovation that turned our home literally upside down. These things really slowed me down and made schooling exceptionally hard. It was one of the hardest(emotionally and physically) years I have had. We made it through, but it was not always pretty. Well, we are now in a completed home with a much healthier toddler. This week was the first week where I have gotten so excited and joyful about the planning and teaching. Not to say it has been smooth, but even with the bumps in the road I have felt an excitement that I have not felt in a long time. There are less distractions and more time to spend with my kiddos. I actually have time to work on curriculum and plan lessons. I am loving it! We have simplified life and spend a lot of time at home. Our nights our filled with reading and playing games with the kids. It has been a long time since that was even an option. I am welcoming back this lifestyle that I so missed!

My eldest girl's Ginger Bread Mansion from Christmas

After Christmas, we went to a small town in Ga to visit my In-Laws.

Had a lovely time seeing more of the area and meeting their friends.

Their backyard is a pecan orchard

Breakfast time

My Mother-n-Law has a store in the downtown. Kids loved playing and working in it.

another tractor :o)

Would have been a great picture had the boy on the left had been more of a participant. :o)

Front of In-Laws Home

Cute lil' 6 year-old dancing in the yard