A few months ago the boys and I joined karate. It was a love of mine from childhood. I never got my black belt, and have always wanted to meet that goal. What better time to do this, then when you have 3 boys to enjoy it with!

Here they are having fun showing off some of the things they have learned so far.

Caitlyn is very instinctual, and it's been fun watching her. If there is a need, she seeks to help and fill that need. Especially when it's cleaning something, maybe because it's something she knows, and it's easy, who knows if it will branch out as she grows.

When we were at Aunt Pammy's house a few weekends ago, she saw the floor was dirty and needed to clean it. What a sweet little one. (now all i need to remember is these moments when she is pitching a fit when i ask her to clean up her toys, cause we all know that's not so sweet!!)

What's up mom?

How's my photography?

I am having fun with my camera, and I found I really love close-ups of things. Nature, faces etc. Don't have lot of time to take pictures or really learn how to do it right, but I am having fun playing anyway. So, how'd I do??

Our little stream

Loading up tools to work out in the back 40. Off they go! The tiny spot in the sky above the truck is a hot air balloon. it was really pretty to watch, but the camera couldn't pick it up well (hint, hint, I need a zoom lense!) Ethan and Aaron worked on this the whole afternoon. The ground gets very wet and mushy by the stream, so they made a little path with sticks to cross on.

They also put a makeshift railing to hold while going down the steep part of the path.

The guys are finally seeing how fun it is to play outside, and not asking about computer time every day! Yeah!!

Sunset on Hencoop

I know God does amazing water color all over the earth, and this sunset isn't the only cool one I've seen. But, each day I find new blessings living here. God's creation is so beautiful, i just have to share.

Our Garden

So, I had this grandiose idea for a garden this yr, and since it's my first, I may have bitten off more than I can chew (ha ha-pun not intended!)

On one side I have a 3 ft square for each boy to tend. Ethan chose peppers, Aaron chose watermelon, and Ryan chose celery. Then, behind them we have pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers and finally broccoli and tomato plants. Oh yeah, we have a pole bean tee pee somewhere towards the center of it all. It seems that in a majority of my garden are vine plants! So, it looks quite barren at the moment, but in a few weeks time, it will be overflowing! I actually decided to plant the lettuce up by the house (forgot to take pics of that-will next time) due to the wildlife that will enter my garden and eat the fruits of MY labor! That, and, I didn't have anymore room after accounting for the vines that will overtake the whole space.

Yesterday we finally got the bean plants in the ground. We had a little fun experimenting with them for Science class first. Photo tropism and Geo tropism are so cool, and our God is so cool for his creativity! We actually have one plant left, in an experiment still, hopefully he will be happy enough at the end to survive the transplant.

We are having one little (well, monumental in my world) problem though. Something is eating my broccoli!!!!! I have planted seven plants, and only one is left with any leaves!!! I have sprayed the leaves with an organic spray, containing oil of oregano, and hopefully this will help. I have since resigned to the fact, if I have any fruit at all from this garden I will be very happy.

We are having lots of fun with it anyway. The country is way cool

A work in progress

Steve and the children have decided to turn the back woods into a place where we can go to hang out and enjoy nature, a little more comfortably (?). They cleared a path to walk through, without being attacked by a variety of branches and thorns, and Steve is working on making steps down the steep hill to the stream. We also have a fire pit! When these things are finished they will start on a bridge to cross the little stream, the ground is so muddy that it's difficult to cross without sinking!

How fun! Have I told you how much I LOVE the country lately!!??

It didn't take long for the boys to love campfires! Especially when campfires usually mean s'mores!! We have had 3 fires already and I see many more in the future. What I love is the conversations that start around the fire. Ethan has asked some great questions for his age. Like, "Mom, how does the moon change shape? , but what i really loved was when he started singing "This little light of mine"!! So, the things we do and say really do sink in sometimes, thank you Lord.

Have I mentioned how much I love the country!?

bambi

Wednesday morning was unlike any other morning I have experienced. First, Steveoke me at 6:30 in the morning, which is way earlier than I would normally grace the day with my presence. But this morning, there was tiny little package waiting for me! As Steve was walking to the back 40 that morning, he was praying and gathering wood for a bon fire. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something and did a double take. A baby deer! A fawn, a newborn baby deer! Is it, hurt, orphaned, what? Why won't it move or call for it's mother? He decided it was in danger and brought it home and give it some milk. Then, he woke me to come see it and figure out what to do.

Well, after researching a bit, we found it is a very big misconception that a fawn left alone has been orphaned. The mother actually leaves the fawn in a safe place, within distance, while she goes to forage. A predator seeks movement, and if the fawn is very still, its in less danger, same reason the mother forages away from it, decreasing the chances of movement nearby.

The next big misconception is what to feed a baby deer, if by chance you have found one in need. Most people would think milk. Close to deer milk right? WRONG!!! It's one of the worst things to give a fawn. It can cause major damage inside and even cause death. If you must give something, try water first.

The last misconception we discovered was about the scent left from humans. Most people think if you touch an animal, the mother will reject it due to the scent. This is also very wrong (in most cases)!! The mother is very distraught for losing it's young. And it's also very happy to find it's young when it's returned/found!

Best thing to do if you see a fawn laying very still is to leave it be. The mother is probly watching him very closely nearby. If he seems in distress or extremely weak then is the time to intervene. Call the local wildlife conservation and they will know exactly what to do.

So, after all this, we decided the best thing to do is to return it back to the exact spot where he was found. I prayed all day that this little creature would not be negatively affected by the cow milk and the mother would find him and re-bond with him. When we retured at dusk to see if she had come back, he was gone! Yeah!! I love happy endings!

Another blessing.....Steve drove out early this morning and just a few houses down the road, he saw a mother deer crossing the road with a very tiny baby fawn, struggling to keep up. This was out little deer, united with his mommy! Thank you God, that was a sweet little blessing.

I love the country!

We decided to take a hike beyond our property to see what was there. Acres and acres of farm. It's beautiful, just green everywhere, for now anyway. At one point we reach a little hill, and another farm, but we could see the lake in the distance. It felt so surreal.

We were only in Sg for 4 1/2 yrs, there were buildings everywhere, little grass to run on, no "country" to speak of. Now that I officially live in the "country" I am just continually in awe of God's beautiful creation. The colors, sights, sounds, smells, I can't get enough!

This is a new mode of transportation. Not sure who's idea this was, but you can totally tell she has Ryan wrapped around her little finger!! That look in her eyes totally gives her away. Cheeky little thing.

Eat your peas please

Mom Wilson and I got creative for lunch one day. We saw these recipes in the Family Fun magazine and had fun attempting to duplicate them.

The one that looks like fish sticks and peas with ketchup is actually wafer cookies covered in peanut butter and rolled in cornflakes, with taffy rolled into tiny circles for the peas and jam for the ketchup.

Of course they wanted to eat the frog apple first, but we said the needed to eat thier "healthy food" first. (okay, i won't debate about fish sticks and peas being totally worse than apples and peanut butter right now!!) They were bummed but took a bite anyway. It was fun to watch the look on thier faces as they bit into a "fish stick" and getting something totally different, a really yummy treat! (now the really cool part was they couldn't actually finish the fish sticks and peas due to the sweet-ness, but they loved the apple and p.b , asking for seconds!)

Homeschool trip to the Hudson River

Sorry in advance for the kink you will get trying to see the picture. Can't figure out how to flip it for some reason. And for the sake of "being easy" I am going to leave it as is. Ok, deep breath!

Anyway, this is Henry Hudson (aka Ryan) and Queen Elizabeth (aka Frankie) doing a bussiness deal for before Henry had set sail. They had lots of fun with this reinactment!

The group after the Duck Tour

U.S.S. Slater

There was a film crew shooting a new movie with Jenifer Lopez! Nope, we didn't see anyone famous, but it was cool anyway.

Two peas in a pod, or should I say tow ducks in a boat?

The Halfmoon

The Anderson's Are Coming!!!

The Anderson ( Michael and Lisa, Kevin, Matthew, Christopher and Nicole) family has a special place in our hearts. I met Lisa on a homeschooling board shortly before moving to SG. Turned out they were moving there also! Coincidence, I think not. We talked quite a bit via email and finally met up in Sg within the same week we both arrived. There family has 3 boys and a girl, just as ours does, only they are a bit older.

The children really enjoyed playing together in Sg and we were sad to say goodbye to them a yr later.

We have kept in touch a bit over the yrs, so when they were driving through on the way to Boston, we said "Come on over"!! There stay wasn't nearly long enough, but we are so blessed to have seen them again. God is truly amazing the way He orchestrates friendships just when we need them. God bless your family!