Going Back 300 years...

standing on the gravel path which is the actual outline
of George Washington's birthplace. In the background is
 the reproduction kitchen and House (built on what
is believed to be the old distillery foundation). 

A Crazy Party...NOT Thrown by Us!! :)

 

October Smiles

inside the maze...

Fridy Photo Round Up: Wilderness, Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania Battlefields

Wilderness battlefield 2010.

Homeschooling Reminders...Not Just for The Homeschooler!

I was reading our pastor's blog recently (he isn't our current pastor, but one who has seriously encouraged and ministered to Will and I through times of great trial and is a shepherd we would both willingly follow!) and he linked an article, which Will and I both read together.

Why did we like it?

-It make us both pause.

-It made us both take inventory  of our motives in parenting.

-It made us value more dearly the precious gifts our children are to us.

-It made us remember the gospel!

-It helped us learn to remember our children aren't projects or tools for acheivement. They aren't ways we prove our fabulous skills, they aren't experiments....they are fallen people just like us who need a chance to just be themselves and live their livesfor Him, not our life. And we should give them the independence/trust/chance-even-if-they-don't-deserve-it to do so without us trying to force them into a mold that is imagined and not real.

So if you think any of these reasons for our enjoying this article are things you might identify with or if you are just curious go and check it out now.

Click HERE.

Reading Together, Well, Sort of...

Thought You'd Like to Know.....

I thought you'd like to know.......

...That Kace LOVES to color. He will not just color a page, but the whole book and not just the whole book, but every part of every page.

...We have a little momma in our home. Petra plays with babies more than any other toy, she will feed, diaper, discepline and rock her babies. When I told her we were going to have a baby and asked her if she would like it her response was "We go get baby now?!" It took much to talk her out of going to the hospital right away.

.....Silas has had a hard time in homeschooling since christmas break. He has a very stubborn personality and he simply doesn't want to learn he says he would rather be playing with his brothers or working on art. Obviously the last two months have been interesting.

.....Many days I HATE homeschooling. I want to stop, I don't want to continue. I want to stop having to argue about math and work through my son's "I forget" moments. Some days he "forgets" how to tell time, other days he "forgets" how to do fractions. Some days I am barely hanging onto my own sanity, much less my temper.

....Most days I LOVE homeschooling. We get to spend a lot more time together than most families, school doesn't take us all day (when silas realizes he is only hurting himself) and we are able to play some games or just chill out together.

......Gresham loves legos, he will build anything with his legos. He does a really good job too! The other boys will beg him to make them planes. He is very independant, the only child that doesn't complain about sleeping late in the morning or being less structured about our day.

Valentines Day 2011.

....Will and I spent out Valentines at home and He fell asleep in the chair with two little crazy munkins. It was a pretty low key event, but everyone seemed to enjoy the fun! ;)

.....This pregnancy had about 2 weeks last month that were good, but this last two weeks have been horrible. I am hoping for some kind of sickness respite, eventually. But wondering why my hormones go so crazy when I am expecting, Doctor says that my blood is testing way younger than I am though. Which can be either good or bad....not sure which opinion I come down on at this time! :D 

Um...Yeah...We are CRAZY!

Update

Drinking: Milk and Water and sometimes I get some big ice filled sonic drinks when the hubs is spoiling me! :D

Recovering: Petra contracted Step somehow and now we have two people with ear infection (Gresham and Will), two with Eye Infections (Gresham and Petra) and one with toncillitis (Kace). So far we have been cooped up for a week on wednesday! We ARE SOO ready  to be over this!

Reading: I recently finished Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which I enjoyed immensly! And am now onto The Red Badge Of Courage which has so far been pretty good, but then again I am only half-way through. And the best part is they were both FREE on kindle! I just Love my kindle!

Linking: One site I use all the time is Wikipedia and it is so totally cool! I also have been haunting some baby naming sites which have helped me to narrow our search by quite a bit. I also have been using a lot of sites for extra worksheets to use with my eldest, we have hit a rough patch in homeschooling and so I am trying a lot of new ideas to make things easier for us without an argument.

Watching: Since we have had a sick day today we watched Jumanji, Batman, and My Little Pony.

Listening To: Lots of coughing.

Crazy-Five-O: For those of you interested in our progress, no we do not know what we are having yet. Here are some recent pics of our progress. Will thinks it is a boy, my mom and I are hoping it is a girl!

Another History Lesson

 I bet you are jumping for joy....

On Chancellorsville Battle Field near the sight of the accidental shooting of General Jackson.

the western end of the battle field, where the sign is of course, but also almost on either end of this sign were northern and southern troops entrenched.

the Road Jackson was riding on when shot, about 1900.

The road Today, not changed too much has it?

Artillery encasements on the hill east of the line of Jackson.

Map of the Wilderness battle field. May 1864 Lee met Grant and altogether there was an astounding loss of life. Aproxamately 28000 dead. The sadest part was that over 1000 union soldiers were simply left where they fell and were not even burried, at the fredricksburg national cemetary, for an entire year! That's enough to make your stomach turn!

My little fellows. And though they are willing fellows, the fact that there is never a good excuse for war has our eldest convinced he wouldn't have fought in this battle or in this war.

And so I actually have been to Chancellorsville. I have alsways wanted to visit and see these places, but it is sad to think of standing where you can actually see the entrenchments, often both sides across from one another. Knowing that they were fighting and dying here, very violently.

We visited several battle fields yesterday after running errands for Daddy. We got to see Chancellorsville, the battle of the Wilderness (Where Longstreet lost the use of his arm) Field, and Spotsylvania Battle field home of the infamous Bloody angle. What is most disturbing about this is that the Wilderness battle was quickly followed, only days later, with Spotsylvania Court House. If you are into this stuff, check out some of the history behind who our nation was and now why we are who we are. This War was very instrumental in making america of today. It's not shrouded in glory like we would prefer to think, but a sad history like any civil war.

Wacky Wednesday

1) We are still trying to hammer out the details in homeschooling two fellas in two different grades. We have been struggling to keep up with kace's work in preschool because, honestly, we are having to battle through a lot of baggage that was acquired while Silas attended Kindergarten. I never imagined how much pride was so deeply ingrained in each of us. I am realizing that my son, my dear child has sin struggles that the Lord is graciously showing me and which are bringing out a lot of ungodly fruit in my own heart. I have often this week remembered that I am a sad example of peace, patience, kindness, and self control. So it looks like while I am striving to teach my son humility in the midst of math, I am also learning how much I need a savior still. So Home-school has really taught me much. Yeah, stop laughing at me!

2) I have been reading George MacDonald's amazing book called Phantastes and I have never felt so obtuse. I feel as though I were reading something just achingly beautiful and still not seeing the extent of the picture. What exactly is this man trying to explain? Is it a story? Or an Allegory?I can completely imagine how C.S. Lewis calls him the master, he is head and shoulders above me in understanding and experience! I am simply amazed at this mans mind! I wish I knew so much more about language and vocabulary and imagery!

3) Visited a new small group for the first time here on Monday. was good to be learning more about the bible with fellow followers. Also am realizing that our recent experiences have made me much more vulnerable than I have ever felt in my entire life. My own life story has suddenly become a means of humility for me and I want to kick against these trappings and once again think myself something! Ha ha, looks like my sons pride doesn't seem so different from my own!

4) Went to the National Civil War Park Center here in Richmond. I cannot put into words how much the things I learn disturb and also intrigue me. I cannot imagine the decisions that led to so much loss. But then again I have heard stories of such heart rending joy that I am moved almost to tears from the beauty of it. Truly a paradox to me.

5) My second little boy is on the cusp of turning five! I can hardly believe that another of my babies is coming upon another milestone in his life. He is getting so tall and so ready for everything this life has to offer him. That trait can be good or bad for him, but so far he is the most able to admit need to God. I am thankful for that today. He asked today after seeing a billboard, "Why did God die?" We had a long conversation and I have to say that the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is simply a fabulous analogy for us to use. I can hardly believe that in two weeks it will have been five years since he first opened his eyes to meet us face to face! Believe them when they tell you it flies by!

Adventures in History

Those of you who know me well, understand how much I enjoy history! Well I was able (because we are homeschooling this year) to take an afternoon and drive along Richmond's old civil war track. We visited Cold Harbor Battle field, saw where general grant was stationed, the old Union and Confederate fortifications, as well as Chickahominy Bluffs and the Battle site of the Beaver creek. We also visited another battle field, but didn't snap any photos. Cold Harbour was by far the most fascinating, but they were all so well preserved. I can still imagine the soldiers walking through the brush and woods. Fording the swaps with their muskets and Laying prone on the ground. Somehow these old battle fields seem to carry the weight of the massacres that disrupted their serenity.

Chichahominy Bluff Battlefield

Actual trenches built by the confederate army, 1862.

More original trench mounds.

Site of the battle of beaver dam creek along the old cold harbor road track.

My handsome men, three of them at least. :D

Who cares about history, mom, when there are turtles in the beaver dam creek?!

This is just free viewing for all you who are wondering where my girl went! She sure is a beauty, if I do say so myself!