Adventures!

 

We decided to go down some unknown roads the other day here in Sumter County. We headed out not knowing which way we would go...we had a blast. On one road we were throwing up some white dust as we kept going around bend after bend, Steve got a little nervous and started humming the tune of dueling banjos from the movie, Deliverance, knowing we might come upon a house full any moment. But we didnot. The girls were hanging out  the opened doors to the van and hanging onto the luggage rack, they wanted to get down after a while of breathing the dust and run ahead. Of course we said sure....

...Within seconds of getting out of the van, Olivia screamed like someone needed to call 911, and started running back to the van, actually she froze in her tracks and we told her to return to the van. We made her settle down and drove the 50 yards to the spot of the commotion. There it was... a five foot black racer with its head reared and not moving. I guess it was more scared than my kid. We sat there for a few minutes and it was not moving. Finally, after I threatened to get out and catch it, it slithered away very very slowly. What fun!

This area we found was beautiful and a challenge to even get a good view. It was a sort of sink hole or dug out lake from hundreds of years ago. There are many phosphate mining areas right in the close vacinity, but the drop off was huge and the growth was not new. We decided a good ol study on the area was needed.

Honor and Respect

Our last stop for a day of exploring around Sumter County. This tank is in Lake Panasoffkee and it is part of their war memorial. It is really awesome and so huge. We got to talk to the girls about the efforts of those who have served. Some drive these massive machines and some cook. Some do laundry. Some lead. Some take inventory. Some doctor. Some type. All pieces are necessary for the "machine" to do it's best! None are more necessary than the other. Romans 12:4 Can a man drive a tank if it was not filled with gas or his stomach filled with food? At times we get very opinionated about the leadership in our country, have we prayed for them? Matthew 21:22, 1 Peter 2:17

 

Spring Phlox

Spring Phlox is all over Sumter County! The girls always want to stop and take pictures, so today we did. Time seems to be passing us by and capturing the moments is something we all love to do! I love the "caught" photos as well as the posed ones. Special young ladies!

 

 

X-Farm

We went to pick some blueberries and found a fabulous, clean and well working farm right off of CR471 outside of Sumterville. It is called X-Farm. The owner was so kind and generous. Their prices are super reasonable. Most of the crop is hydro-ponic and the outside plants are well maintained. We will visit it again soon since it is only open for a few more weeks until the weather gets too hot.

 

Taylor Swift Concert

The girls went to see Taylor Swift's concert, RED! They bought their own tickets and oh what a treat this was! Going with Emma and Maddie of course made it so much more fun! They had their hair done, outfits picked out and signs made...and it was a phenonmenal concert! Their dream was to get picked for the T-party, but just being there was so cool! For a last minute purchase, the seats were really good and they got some good shots!

 

Birthday Girl, Sherri

Sherri is turning 50. We went down to surprise her and go out to eat with her dear friends the Regatas. I made a declicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. We were so full from the huge amount of Chinese food that was made, my mouth is watering just thinking of how good it was! This crazy story of how we "found" my sister and how we have merged our lives together is the stuff movies are made of... but it is ours.

 

 The girls did their nails...with press ons!

Oceania aka Australia

 Dot painting and learning about the Aborigines was a great station at Friday's co-op. Each student left with art and a piece of fabric to express the indigenous people of the land.

Animals, coral reefs and land mass was also taught to the group. Great bunch of teachers and students!

Spring Break 2013

 We endured the wind and rain and went to stay at a waterpark hotel in Orlando with our dear friends. It was special cause it was a girls getaway...and the four young ladies stayed in their own room! We had locked them in and gave them their rules and we had some good quality time.

Even on the way home the company was so sweet!

Happy 10th Birthday, Olivia!

 This  young one of mine continues to surprise me! My fashionista, hair-doing, nail polishing girl is decided she was missing out on a lot of fun, so she has been spreading her wings in her activities! Her few requests for presents included a bow and arrows and vans (skateboarder shoes)!! She was thrilled at her loot! Her sister got her a lovely blue dress too!

 Her third gift from us was this mirror and wall decal. It is 1 Peter 3:4-5 paraphrased to emphasize inner beauty being more valuable than outer beauty. Over then next few years this will be a message we want drilled into her heart and mind while she is faced with the on slot of media's attention to every other quality.

One of the coolest things about this birthday was that all of her closest friends had annual passes to Busch Gardens. So Steve took the day off and we loaded up both cars and headed to Tampa. It was a wonderful day of rides and rides and more roller coasters! They all had enough energy that we stayed to the bitter end...from 9:30-7:30...and ended it with walking to the parking lot because the trams were too full! By the time we got to the car, they were whipped out, but dinner at Ci-Ci's revived them. It was super special!

Happy Easter

The girls picked out their own dresses and decided to match but be opposites in their jewelry. They were beautiful! Grandpa was as cute as ever and we used Grandma's china for our dinner. It was a super great beautiful weather day! I loved every minute of it! First year for NO egg hunt, but they sure let me know that the expect the baskets to never stop, no matter how old they get!

March school

This past month we spent some time in  Africa studying some history with Egypt, missionaries like Jonathon Livingstone, tie dying with natural colors and learning other things too, but we had a treat on presentation day! A real South African man who was a friend of a friend came and spoke to the kids!He was so cool. He told them what it was like to live there, had a few items to show and video, but mostly everyone was entranced by his accent. Yes, it was silly!

 

 Olivia shared about the black Egyptian cobra. She made a power point presentation and a clay display. She was great at sharing the details about this poisonous creature.

 Stephanie studied how the pyramids were built. She made a display as well... very interesting dealing with this salt dough! She also used power point.

 In the next session, Mela Striker came and taught us all about Passover. It was amazing. She is so good at it! The kids acted out the scene of crossing the Red Sea, and then Mela shared about many of the customs. I still find it shameful that I do not know so many of the customs that are described in such little detail in the bible, mostly because I never had heard them. It is worth your time to study up on it!