2016 July - Sept

2016 Summertime

A friend of ours let us in on a little hidden "you pick" farm. This farm is great! and inexpensive. One afternoon after church we stopped by for a quick pick.

Just check out all this fresh produce!

With all the produce above, plus some okra and a case of peaches from the farmers market, I tried my hand at canning, and it was a success!! I had so much fun, and it was so satisfying hearing all those lids go pop pop pop! I made peach jam, canned okra, salsa, pepper jelly, and few other yummy things.

Granny Ann (my dad's mom) invited us over to pick peas out of her garden. We picked for about an hour in the hot mid-day sun. Mitch and I have zero experience in fresh peas, so we had no idea that it would take us 10 hours!!!! to shell 2 five gallon buckets of peas! After a long tedious day of putting up peas, we later found out that my Granny and my dad both own a pea sheller that will shell peas within 15 minutes (grrrrrr) lol. I guess we need the experience to later appreciate the pea sheller more in the future.

4th of July

My dad taking down a pesky tree in front of our garage 

My mom whisked Skylar away on a girls trip with her, my mom's close friend Vicki, and Vicki's young niece and granddaughter. Skylar had so much fun, and I am so glad they had this experience to get away and treat their selves to a fun time!

 For our 11th wedding anniversary Mitch and I were able to get away to St. Simons. I love our little adventures together, but my greatest adventure has been our marriage. I just love him to piece and our life together.

our climb to the top of the lighthouse

eek! see the snake on top of the coop!

A couple of years ago in SC, Skylar had a bicyle accident on our neighborhood street and broke two of her teeth. They were repaired right away, but fast forward 2 years Skylar was playing with her youngest brother Jojo and bit down on a lego (?????) and those 2 repaired teeth crumpled on the way to church Sunday morning. Poor thing couldn't even bring herself to get out of the car, and I couldn't blame her. So I took the 3 boys into service, while Mitch whisked her away to go pants shopping instead. We were able to get her into the dentist office first thing the next morning.

Skylar's 12th birthday!

Helen, Presley, Maddie, Skylar, Lily, Avery

 Skylar celebrated with a trip to the movies to see Nine Lives and a slumber party with her girl friends. On Sunday we celebrated with family at my parents' house.

Maddox on acolyte duty in church

Back to school! I can't believe Skylar is in the 7th grade! This year she joined the Challenge class in our homeschool group. Our challenge group consists of grades 7th - 12th grade, with classes separated by grade. The challenge students start school 2 weeks before the younger grades.

back to school nails!

Back to school and Mason enters 4k! His first formal year of school at home and in our homeschool group Classical Conversations.

And Maddox enters the 5th grade!

A hurricane hit the coast of FL and GA. We didn't get any damaging weather, just a lot of wind and rain. Below is a picture of Mason pouting because I won't let him play in the hurricane lol.

 School at home.

My beautiful banana pudding.

Maddox has really gotten into dove hunting this year.

 Once a month the 6 of us will head to Warner Robins to get haircuts for the boys and mani or pedies for the girls. We'll try to make a day of it and enjoy another outing as well.

 On this day after our trip to the barber and salon, we took the kids to the aviation museum.

 2015 started our annual girls trip to Jekyll Island in celebration of my mother's birthday. Our second trip was just as fun, if not more so than our first.

 This is such a fun time to get away and dress up, not worry about responsibilities, housework, or the mundane. Instead, this is a time of relaxation, looking good, enjoying cocktails, high tea, front porch sitting in the historic Jekyll Island Clubhouse, and more importantly spending quality time with my mom and sister. Much needed bonding time. 

 My beautiful mother!

In September the family traveled north (without Mitch, he had to work) to celebrate my nephew Grayson's 1st birthday in NC, and in that same weekend a family reunion from my great grandfather's side of the family in SC.

Classical Conversations Foundations 4k - 6th grade

Classical Conversations Essentials 4th - 6th

Classical Conversations Challenge 7th grade