Luke, Patty, Anna Kate, Caroline, and Eleanor

Luke, Patty, Anna Kate, Caroline, and Eleanor

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Sweet Summertime

Well, it's 30 degrees outside, and it feels funny to be going through summer pictures, but here we are. Anyway, in between big events throughout June and July (VBS, trip to NC, mission trip, etc.), we enjoyed plenty of laid-back summer days.


We went swimming with friends several times!



And took swimming lessons at the county rec department. Eleanor spent most of her time negotiating about whether or not she would get in the pool.


But she finally did well on the last day!




So everyone got ice cream!


Luke's parents came and celebrated his birthday with us.





And then we celebrated Father's Day the next week!


Our friends Courtney and Dillon offered to keep the girls so we could go on a date night!


Courtney sent this picture while they were keeping Eleanor!


The girls played in the backyard a LOT!




But when it was just too hot to bear, they played lots of Go Fish!


And colored :)


Side note: While Anna Kate was coloring this picture, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, did you know that when you make a mistake, it can actually be a chance to make something beautiful?"
Wise words from a six-year-old...

We always have fun participating in Chick-fil-a's annual Cow Appreciation day. This year Anna Kate went as a cowgirl with her herd of 4 cows!

 



We always have fun running into friends who are as crazy as we are!


The girls also spent a lot of time participating in our local library's summer reading challenge. Not difficult for girls who are always reading anyway, but fun to keep track and win prizes!









And of course, we also had fun with our local bookstore's "Where's Waldo" competition! 25 stores around our little downtown each hide a 6 inch cardboard Waldo somewhere in their store and the kids have to go around and find them all! It was hot, but we made it!



Such sweet memories with our 2-, 4-. and 6-year-olds!

Friday, December 2, 2016

A Visit with Uncle Andrew!

When your family lives far apart, each and every visit is extremely special! We were so excited to have a long weekend visit from Uncle Andrew! Anna Kate even made a telescope to watch for him when he was supposed to arrive.


We took him canoeing at a state park near our house. Andrew and I actually saw an alligator, but we didn't tell everyone else until we were back safely on land!







 The girls enjoyed looking for wildlife. We saw this beautiful heron(?) way up in the trees!

Andrew also entertained the girls by playing Qwirkle with them!



After a wonderful few days, it was time to say goodbye.








Thanks for coming, Andrew! Next time, bring Anneka too!

Kindergarten (and 3K): Complete!

2015-2016 was a wonderful year for Heritage Christian Academy - our family homeschool!

Just a flashback to the beginning of the year...


And how they grew by the end of the year!





Our homeschool association produces a beautiful yearbook and invites each family to create a page. Here is ours!


At the beginning of May, we held a recognition night. Here are the kindergarten graduates!


Each family is invited to set up a display table. The girls were so proud of all they had accomplished during their 3K and 5K school years!



Anna Kate's handwriting saw vast improvements!


Favorite artwork


Such a wonderful year of starting our formal education years. We made memories to last a lifetime!