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| Egg hunting with friends! |
So... we've been busy! I can't believe I haven't put up a post on this site since before February. Get ready for a long one!
Easter 2016
This Easter was extra special. We got to see some friends at Rose Hill Park in Berryville for egg hunts and a treasure hunt of sorts. At one of the stations, a drama troupe put on a symbolic passion play. I was sitting trying to understand what was happening on stage, but Jonathan was riveted to the action. We had been reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and discussing C.S. Lewis in the evenings leading up to Easter. Neither Jason nor I was quite sure the kids were ready for a book on that level. Melanie promptly fell asleep a few pages into the chapter each evening. However, Jonathan was hooked from the beginning. Something clicked with Jonathan when he realized that Aslan's character was meant to represent Jesus. We had lots of discussions about Aslan and Edmund prior to our engagement at the park. After the drama, a young man on stage asked if anyone in the audience wanted to pray with him to ask Jesus into their hearts. There were no friends around. Peer pressure was absent. Jonathan's hand shot up. We all prayed together on the hillside that sunny day, and we've done a lot of praying since. We are so thankful for the leaders and youth helpers in our church (especially our children's director) that have walked alongside our family and helped Jonathan come to this place.
Prior to Jonathan's prayer and profession of faith, I walked through the park reminiscing over a day almost a year prior. We had sat at a picnic table in the same park negotiating with a realtor on a white farm house in Boyce while the kiddos played on the playground. We were excited and stressed and hopeful. Sitting here today, I am so thankful things didn't quite work out the way we hoped on that
day.
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| Cotton Candy Treasure |
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| Easter Morning |
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| Sleepy Head |
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| Holy Week project |
Dirt with Dad; Shopping with Mom
Several weekends ago, Jason took Jonathan out to do some "manly" work on a friend's property while Melanie and I checked out a children's consignment sale in Sterling. We stopped off for some lunch and cheesecake before shopping. It was nice have a little date with my girl. Meanwhile, Daddy and Jonathan opted for Chick-Fil-A in Purcellville. Jonathan came home with some big tales and all covered in dirt, so I believe the day was a success for the boys as well!
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| Cheesecake Factory |
Spring is here! Garden time!
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| my favorite tree - hackberry? bird cherry? |
The kids picked out some flowers early this spring as we were entering Giant for some grocery shopping. Jonathan picked bleeding heart and Melanie picked peonies. The peonies are not blooming quite yet. This is our first spring at our new place. It's beautiful!
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| bleeding heart |
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| relocating daffodils |
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| the garden before planting |
The garden is largely an experiment this year. True to form, we've placed a somewhat large variety of plants, against all the gardening advice we've read and received. We've started everything from seed indoors and out with the exception of the strawberries. I ordered new seed this year. However, I planted a lot of old seed, too. We'll see. So far, most everything has emerged and transplanted well. I have some sad looking sweet peppers out there, but I'm still full of hope and armed with organic plant food! With all the rain and low temps., it looks like we'll be replacing a few cucumber and watermelon seeds. They need more sun and higher temps to germinate. I imagine the garden will be in experimentation phase for several years while we get the hang of it all. Hopefully that attitude will keep me excited about next year, even if this year is a flop. We can always count on our radishes! We are on a second planting of those. I can't wait till we can actually eat our radishes with lettuce from the garden.
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| first harvest |
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| dribble, dribble |
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| shoot! |
Spring soccer has been a bit of a bust this year. I just checked and we're cancelled for the fourth week in a row. Oh how I was counting on soccer today. Since spring starts mid-February in South Texas, I think it's safe to say, we're all getting a little antsy around here. We're setting rainfall records in NoVA this spring. At least we don't have to water the garden!
We Made it Through the 1st Year of Classical Conversations!
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| CC certificates |
We might have survived without CC this year, but I'm not so sure. We might have survived without Regina, Jessica, Dorothy, Jennifer, Carmel, Anna, Kathy, Michelle, Callie, Catherine, Ardelle, Martha and Tracey, but there's no way we'd have thrived in this first year as residents of Virginia and in this first year of home school. We are so thankful for new friends.
We didn't actually begin to experience a little burnout until these last few weeks. I attribute that to illness and incessant gray, wet weather. We're overdue for a break!
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| signing CC yearbooks |
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| class presentation |
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| sweet friends |
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| good buddies |
1st Year of AWANA Closes Out
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| Cubbies presentation |
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| Cubbies book award! |
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| Sparkies book award! |
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| Sparks presentation |
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Jonathan and Melanie participated in AWANA for the first time this year. I wish this program had been available when I was a little tyke. It was amazing to realize just how much a child's brain can absorb. I'm so thankful they have the ability to memorize God's Word in such a meaningful way. I pray that those words will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
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| Skating with Daddy |
The kids got to enjoy an end-of-year skate party with AWANA friends, and
Daddy finally got to experience the Purcellville skating rink.
Melanie's Dedication at Church--Only took us two years!
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| Melanie often likes to feign shyness. Just give it two minutes or less. {smile} |
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| By this point we were trying to get her to stop talking on stage. |
Mother's Day brought Melanie's dedication. I believe Jonathan was just a few months old when he was dedicated. We were hesitant to have Melanie dedicated at almost five. The large church we attended in San Antonio held baby dedications twice a year. During Melanie's foster period, we were not allowed to have her dedicated. After adoption day, Melanie was either in the hospital or Jason was traveling when opportunities arose again. So here we are. Melanie is almost five, but we're so glad we did it! Melanie received a small pink New Testament at the dedication. She carries it everywhere and wants to read from it before bed each night. We love this girl, and we're so glad the Lord got her safely to this earth and brought her to us!
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| new bike! |
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Spring brings children's consignment sales, even in Northern VA. We picked up this bike, in excellent condition. Jonathan had outgrown his little red bike. I'm not a big shopper. In fact, on most days, I pretty much despise shopping. But I do love a good consignment sale. I never know what I'm going to find. Often, I'll find clothing with the retail tags still on them, even on half-price day.
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| reading under Melanie's tree (ornamental cherry) |
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We call this Melanie's tree because it is the tree just outside her bedroom window. This girl loves pink. I can't think of anything more appropriate.
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| Princess Daddy |
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| Silly Goofball |
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| Silly Goofball-ette |
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| a view from our kitchen table |
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Can you believe that picture above? Sometimes I can't. Whoever landscaped this property had an eye for design and a lot of botanical knowledge. Almost every window frames some sort of paradisiacal scene no matter what the season. I am in love with our home. It needs a lot of work... but what a joy to watch it morph into exactly the home we want it to be!
A new blogging project has found me. It is definitely in its early infancy, and I'm still not sure where it's going to take me. You are welcome to read, and just as welcome to pass. I have a post simmering and almost ready, but I want to take another day or two to mull it over before I put it up. It will always be available through this blog over to the right along with the list of other blogs I read. The site is jdeemusings.
I've decided to contract through Classical Conversations as a tutor in the fall. I'm thankful for the opportunity, very excited about this new venture, and looking forward to growing deeper relationships with our CC friends. I've also had the joy of joining with a Charlotte Mason mom's study that will go through mid-June. I've been reading several fantastic books on this subject and hope to be almost exclusively aligned to my favorite educational philosophy at the beginning of year three, with a very healthy portion of CC on the side.
