Recent Happenings

I said in my last post that this post would have Easter events. We had a wonderful time with the warm weather. We arrived home from Williamsburg late afternoon Saturday and were able to have dinner with Chet, Amanda and family. We had a nice church service followed by a great lunch. Then, the guys put out eggs for the kids to search. They managed to find all but three which we located later with the lawn mower. Caleb and Luke each had an egg hunt at school. It had been raining the day before the hunt, so they moved things inside.

Luke after his egg hunt

Caleb off to a head startEgg hunt at our house, the grass was purposely long, great for egg huntingFinding Easter baskets

I also had a wonderful weekend away in Nashville with other ladies that use the same homeschool curriculum as me. We had a great time bonding and swapping useful tips and ideas for our busy lives. I've already ordered my stuff for next year. I'm looking forward to starting Caleb with his kindergarten books and Joshua with 3rd grade. Hopefully, I'll have two reading kids by the end of next school year!

Matt's grandmother is continuing with her chemo treatments, and she is having some unpleasant side effects. We are praying that this will not continue as it is very discouraging to her, because she still wants to be able to work and function on her own. Jean will return to Houston in July for another checkup and full body scan, and of course we are anticipating another "all clear". She plans to have knee surgery (or surgeries of both) this summer. These activities should keep us all busy, plus the usual VBS, swim camps, etc.

My baby bump is now a full fledge belly, and I am making my way, as gracefully as possible, into maternity clothes. This is my first summer pregnancy, so I'm a little anxious/nervous for swimsuit season!

Williamsburg Vacation

Joshua thoughtfully overlooking the James River

Joshua showing off his new gun and tricorner hat.

The ferry boats

My bodyguards

Caleb standing guard outside the governor's palace in Williamsburg

The boys in the stocks

Luke with the long gun

Luke looking for the little mouse that ran in front of us in the Indian villageCaleb performing his chores

Joshua and Caleb helping put out new straw in the hen house

We had a great time on our vacation to Williamsburg. The boys were thrilled with the prospect of touring somewhere carrying a gun! We started out by crossing the James River on a ferry boat. Although it was sprinkling when we got on the boat, by the time we crossed the river, it was a sunny day. We spent the afternoon at the recreated Jamestown fort, ships, and Indian village. It was quite muddy from the recent rains, and I can only imagine what it must have been like to live there year ago. We checked into our timeshare, and I was reminded why I love having the points system. I was able to reserve a two bedroom for 5 nights just a couple of miles from Williamsburg, and I still have points left over for a few nights on the beach in the fall. We spent the next two days touring historic Williamsburg. It was really neat hearing the stories of the colonial days and seeing the old houses and places in town. I think the boys even learned a few things on the trip. The following day we visited Yorktown National Park and Victory Center. They had a recreated army camp set up where they shot the cannon and muskets. Again, the boys thought that was "really cool" and "AWESOME". We took the driving tour around the battlefield and stood where Washington stood during the Revolutionary War. The boys earned Junior Ranger badges at Yorktown and Jamestown, of which they were very proud to show off. They had to answer several questions about the sites, and we sometimes had to catch them between running from one place to the other to explain what they were looking for. The last night the resort had a showing of BOLT, so we decided it would be a great way to end the week. We were even treated to popcorn and cokes. The movie was very cute. As an aside, I rented Marley and Me from netflix, but I heard it was little mature for the kids, so Matt and I stayed up late one night to watch it. Boo-hoo...I told myself that I would not cry, but I did anyway. Something about dogs, and the way they wiggle their way into our hearts. I was also especially excited to get to spend some time with Laura and her family. I can't believe it's been 7 years since we've seen each other! We met at a McDonald's with a play area, and while the kids ran wild, the adults were able to visit. Oh how things change when the kids come along! After we left, I remembered that I didn't even take in my camera! We drove all the way home on Saturday, so we could be home for Easter, and that's the next post.