Taking Timber by storm

Mackenzie begins her 1st full week of school by riding the bus with her big brother & sister. She's in good hands, no doubt. I'm wondering if she'll fall asleep on the ride home like the others did. I'll find out in a few hours.

Transition day of K: Mackenzie's ready to ride carpool to school today. Her backpack is loaded with school supplies... she's SO excited.

Mackenzie exits the car on her 1st day of K... I'll miss you Mackenzie. How will I ever get all my work done without her help?

There she goes... not even looking back. I think that means she's prepared. Way to go MOM!

Thankgoodness for big sisters, huh? Caroline will walk her to class so I'm not late to my VT appointments. Scott had chorus practice at 8:15am, so he's already been at school for an hour. Can't wait to hear him perform.

Yea! They remembered to turn around so I could get a picture of Mackenzie as she enters the school for her 1st day of kindergarten.

Can Timber Drive Elementary handle 3 Truelove children? Sure hope so! Check out Mackenzie on her debut to Kindergarten. Scott had to be at school early for chorus practice, so Caroline was a GREAT big sister to walk Mackenzie to class as I had VT appointments starting at 9:15am. It's great to have a few things scheduled to keep me busy this first little while so I can adjust to an empty house. Peace & quiet is something I haven't had much of the last decade. I've got a friend from church coming to make salsa & pickles tomorrow, then I'm taking my sister-in-law to a dr. appointment on Monday as she can't drive due to foot surgery, plus I've got a Primary meeting 1 morning next week as well as my Meals on Wheels deliveries another day, so... where's all that FREE time I'm supposed to have now that the kids are all school-age? Hmmmm. I had a feeling things wouldn't come to a stand still, so it's no big shock, but this is a new chapter of my life and it's definitely exciting.

Back-to-School

Scott debuts his new glasses & Caroline gets a work-out as she carries a fully-loaded backpack. She was excited about buying school supplies this year... wanted to go after only being on summer break for 2 days. Goodness! I told her to enjoy her summer break while it lasted, as it was way too short this summer. But, the older kids are off to school and looking so grown to me. This morning Mackenzie said, "Scott is so excited for me to go to school with him." I know her big brother will look out for her. Caroline's classmate wrote "you have a beautiful sister" & while visiting the school for end-of-year activities, a little boy from church saw Mackenzie and came and gave her a big hug. That makes me feel good about sending her off.

I'm a BIG girl now!

While cleaning Mackenzie's room, we finally took down her life-size self-portrait from joy school.

She layed down beside it to see how much she's grown & was quite proud that all the fruits & veggies she's been eating are doing their job. Growing up too quick!

New addition to the family

A pet hermit crab named Rosie joined us at the end of our beach vacation this year. Mackenzie was SO excited to pick her out and name her. Now this is the type of pet I handle right now, so it worked for everyone. Yea! Notice her gold painted shell! She's even got a tatoo... a flower on her back. Hermit crabs these days.

Summer Fun

I took at least a dozen pictures of Eric helping Mackenzie jump "bumps" as she kept calling it. She could spend all day jumping in the waves, but I don't think Eric's arms would last. I had fun just watching her have fun. Too cute!

So, after wiping out while boogie boarding last summer, we were unsure if Caroline would attempt riding waves this summer. But... she was eager to give it another try. She had a blast. She did wipe out eventually and called it quits for the day. But, to our surprise, she went at it the very next day. Last summer, after 1 wipeout, she was done for the summer. She's growing up.

I love watching the kids play together and get along for hours at a time. A mother's dream come true.

Scott & Caroline have SO much fun together. I do hope Mackenzie will eventually age into the club. Right now, she can't hang with the boogie boarding. Maybe next summer will be her year.

Notice that the smart one in the family is wearing the sunglasses. The squinters have their sunglasses in the beach bag... not helping out so much, but in a minute, they'll be turned around playing in the sand/water, so it won't matter. Go play!

Cooling Off!

The kids had fun at the pool. Scott tried to dive through the hole in the tube. He almost drowned himself, but eventually was able to dive through the hole and do a flip around the tube. We had a contest to see who could do the most forward rolls in the water. He did 4, so I did 4. Then, he did 6. I dropped out of the competition because my nose was still burning from all the chlorine water than went up my nose from the 1st challenge. I showed Caroline how to do a hand stand in the water and she eventually mastered that. It was pretty funny to watch as she would kick her legs a lot trying to get them up. Mackenzie found some water mats to float on at the pool. She would just lay on her back and float around. Her swim lesson instructor would be proud. I think that mat gave her confidence to lay her head down while trying to back float. She smiled SO big and pretty as she was quite proud of herself for laying flat on her back in the water.

Caroline climbs the stairs to the waterslide. This is her 1st year doing it by herself.

As you can tell, Caroline enjoyed the water slide. It's awesome b/c it doesn't throw you off the tube as you enter the pool. So, here's Caroline floating along after a trip down the slide. She loved it! She did it over and over and over. I can't blame her. It's a lot of fun. Scott nicknamed her the Green Goblin b/c if she was at the pool, she had her green goggles and a green tube. Of course, the 1 time she couldn't find a green tube is the day I got a picture of her at the pool, but... I doubt we'll forget about the Green Goblin. It was easy to keep an eye on her at the pool for sure, which is a good thing b/c keeping up with 3 kids at the pool is a daunting task. One afternoon, Eric ran some errands while I took the kids to the pool. Another afternoon, Eric took the kids to the pool while I took an afternoon nap. I LOVE vacation.

BIG FOOT: Mackenzie thought it was SO much fun to have her feet buried in the sand.

Searching for SeaShells: Caroline searched for seashells one morning while the boys did some surf fishing. Mackenzie was too tired to make it out that early, so I stayed inside with her. Caroline found a partial sand dollar, which was quite exciting for her. We're going to make Sand Dollar Cookies because she just LOVES sand dollars.

I had lots of fun with the kids at the pool while on vacation. I LOVE the water slide. It's so much fun. I can't wait until the kids are a little older and we can go to a water park. I've NEVER been to a water park, besides the Great Wolf Lodge, so I look forward to getting to try out some big water slides in the future. But, for now, the water slide at the pool was a blast! During break at the pool, the kids would throw their torpedos in the deep end and I would dive for them. I had to wear goggles b/c of my contacts, but it was loads of fun. For years I've been sitting back with the baby or toddler, but now, I actually get to join in the fun. I'm starting to feel like I'm too old for it all, but... my dad still plays with the kids, so I figure I have no excuse not to join in. Good times!

Great Balls of Fire!

Fort Macon, NC: The kids watch as the soldiers load the cannon with gunpowder and FIRE! I could feel it in my chest. This cannon launches a 6 pounder.

Each of these men has a different duty in the launching of the cannon ball. The worst job has to be that of sticking your thumb in this hole to make it airtight. The poor guy at least gets to wear a leather thumb protector to fend off the heat, but still. The launching of a cannon is quite dangerous. It was our 1st time seeing the cannon FIRE. We got to see a musket FIRE one summer and I thought that was LOUD.

Seeing the fort come to life with soldiers and women in period costume was really impressive.

It's hard to see, but this is inside one of the rooms of the fort... a bunk with soldiers writing home and a couple playing their violins and singing to pass the time.

Scott got to train as a soldier and was paid with some currency from that time period after his training. He enjoyed the training session though it was quite hot. Imagine what it was like to be in a wool uniform. Whew!

Fort Macon, NC came to life this year as we got to witness the firing of a cannon. The rooms in the fort were filled with soldiers in uniform and women dressed in mourning. It was a great depiction of how the fort actually functioned. The gates were opened inside the kitchen, where they were cooking a stew for the soldiers who had spent the night in the fort. We saw soldiers using ink wells to write letters home. There were people playing violins and singing songs of comfort for those in mourning as well as songs to brighten spirits. The hospital ward was open and that was down right scary. Really makes you appreciate the sacrifices our countrymen have made over the years. To see the tools and lack of sanitation, as well as the small medicine drawer, made me cringe. There was an amputated leg on the operating table. When we left the hospital ward, Mackenzie said, "That was Joseph Smith's leg wasn't it?". I thought that was pretty funny. I guess she remembers the movie we saw in the Washington DC Visitor's Center in April where Joseph Smith as a young boy had bone cut out of his leg to remove disease. Then, Sunday morning, when Brother Sinclair came into the chapel and sat down, Mackenzie said, "There's Brother Monson." She was so excited to see the prophet at church. I had to correct her. She makes us laugh. Just too sweet!

Let's Boogie!

Scott didn't mind salt water in his eyes this year. He's growing up! Caroline, on the other hand, would ask every day if I brought her goggles to the beach. I told her goggles are for the pool ONLY!

I had fun watching Eric have fun in the waves.

Scott & Eric are looking for some good waves to catch.

The boys humored me for a picture even though the sun was in their eyes. Aren't they sweeties?

Father-Son time: Eric and Scott sure have fun together. Having a son is a good excuse to act like a kid. Eric even got me out in the "shark infested waters" to ride the boogie board this summer. Now that the kids are older, we can actually relax at the beach together. Good times!

Family Fun

Putt-Putt: 5th, 4th and 2nd place. Despite coming in 5th place, I think Mackenzie had the most fun. She was eager to putt 1st every time and would move on without the rest of the family. She never gave up either... if it took 15 - 20 attempts to get the ball in the hole, she would keep trying, having fun the whole time. What a good sport! Scott on the other hand, if he didn't get the ball in after 5 putts, he just took his score of 5 and moved on. Hmmmm?

Caroline: Reading comic books was a source of much pleasure and contention at times. Indeed, the books were a hit, but if someone else was reading the comic book you had chosen, it was bad news. Family vacation gave us many opportunities to try to teach the kids how to get along with each other. Joy! Joy!

Did I mention that I beat Eric at a game of checkers on the beach? Well, it's TRUE! We have beach towels with a game board and big plastic checkers, so it's a fun thing to do while relaxing in the sun. My WIN doesn't officially count because I started out with an extra game piece. I didn't realize 1 checker was missing, else I'd have told Eric to pick up a shell so it'd be even. But, once the game got going good in my favor, he brought up the fact the he started with a disadvantage. So, we shall have to make time for another match. Here, Mackenzie challenged Eric to a game of checkers one morning. Fun times.

Our summer vacation was much needed and was more relaxing than most vacations. We tried to keep the pace under control so we'd have some down time as a family. We played Chinese Checkers, UNO and Rummikub. Mackenzie is probably the best 5-year old Rummikub player alive. She's learned the game and can keep up with the family. The kids would read Disney comic books while we napped. We played tennis as a family one morning. Eric gave Scott lessons while I played with the girls. Then, we switched. Eric taught the girls some basic skills while I played a game with Scott. Then, Scott and I challenged Eric to a game while the girls played together. It was a fun morning. We were able to spend some time in the courtyard: swings, slides, and bocce. I discovered my bocce skills are even better in the sand. Yea for me! We played tic-tac-toe on the beach using shells and sticks. It was too windy for frisbee, but the breeze was SO nice! We enjoyed some surf shop shopping as well as a family game of putt-putt. Both Eric & Scott beat me... maybe I should go golfing with them once in a while to brush up on my stroke. It was fun regardless of the outcome. Mackenzie enjoyed the train ride to the top of the mountain to start our putt-putt game. It's just nice to have down time together as a family. Good memories!

Atlantic Beach Trip

Scott loves riding the waves.

Caroline loves playing in the sand.

Mackenzie loves searching for seashells. She also loves to feed and especially chase seagulls!

The kids LOVE being at the beach... sun, waves and sand. What kid could ask for more? We dug in the sand, collected shells, did some surf fishing, fed seagulls and of course, did some boogie boarding. Fun times for all!

Beach Bums

Lucky Little Girls: Caroline & Mackenzie are blessed to have such a good father. Eric really enjoys his vacation from work so he can spend quality time with the family.

Kickin' it at Fort Macon: The kids LOVE climbing the walls & stairs at this historic site. It's a must see each and every summer.

Scott

Caroline

Mackenzie: Always full of fun... here she filled her sandals with sand for the pictures. I love it!

I love to take pictures of the kids on the beach when we visit Fort Macon. The beaches there are so beautiful in the evenings. It was windy the night we were there, so the kids thought they were caught in a sand storm. They really didn't like the sand whipping at their legs. Luckily, I got these pictures on the dunes before we got caught in the sand storm.

Summer Garden

Our 1st sunflower bloom & our 1st eggplant of the season.

We are getting cucumbers like wildfire lately. Luckily, the kids eat them up like crazy. Scott has even learned how to use the peeler to help peel them. Our squash is almost finished producing, but we're still getting some zucchini. The kids LOVE zucchini bread, but are burnt our on the zucchini itself. I love it though. Notice our 1st watermelon. I'm afraid the lack of rain in July may hinder our watermelon and cantaloupe production. All the rain in June may have rotted the potato crop, but we'll check on those later in the season. It's so much fun and makes for healthy eating.

This is the 1st year we've planted corn since we've put up a fence to protect our crop from the deer. Notice our green peppers in the background. We have a bumper crop this year. Last year we didn't get hardly any b/c all the plants got some disease. The girls got sweaty picking the garden today, but enjoyed helping. Our tomatoes are starting to ripen. Some are quite pretty and our cherry tomatoes are going CRAZY! I've been eating them like grapes b/c we picked that silver bucket full of them before we finished picking that day.

The rains in June were great for our garden. It's been a banner year. We're loving it! Check out the fruits of our labors. The kids enjoy it for the most part and say the funniest things when they pull weeds or pick produce. My favorite is... "We're collecting $ for the orphange. Do you have any donations?" They take payment in form of weeds when we're weeding and veggies when we're picking. It's hillarious! They definitely make it fun.

Happy Birthday AMERICA!

Mackenzie in her red-white-and-blue

The kids are loving the play area now that it's mulched

and they each have their own swing. Bye-bye baby swing.

I just hated to take it down, but seeing the kids swinging high, having fun together, it's obvious

it was time.

Mackenzie is SO proud that she has learned to pump her legs and swing all by herself.
Funny how Scott & Caroline quickly picked up pumping their legs once

their little sister could do it!

The reason for the yard hydrant: grape vines!

Yes, we're going to get green seedless and purple concord grapes this year.

After 3 years of the deer eating our new vines, we put up wire cages last year.

So, this year, the vines have grown to where we can hang them. To keep the deer

at bay, we spray Liquid Fence. So far, so good. The grapes harvest mid to late

August if I recall correctly. Pretty sure I'm right b/c the last time we had grapes

(at our old house), I was pregnant with Caroline. When I came home from the hospital

after she was born, the grapes were ripe and ready. She's about to have another b-day

so it means our grapes are well on their way to their 1st season of production. We just

LOVE gardening.

We had a GREAT July 4th weekend... time together is my favorite thing. The kids are home from school and Eric had a long weekend off from work, so life was at its best. We woke up early Friday (7/3) to do some car shopping, but after that, we had a fun time at the Farmer's market picking out NC grown peaches. The prices on the veggies made us appreciate having our own produce from our garden. We took the kids to eat lunch at the restaraunt there and they had fun playing on all the farm animals outside. We picked up pizza for dinner and took it to Lake Benson park to enjoy the carnival games & inflatables before the firework show. The kids rode a bull, climbed a rock wall, and Mackenzie even played a few games of BINGO. She LOVES playing some BINGO. The fireworks were great, the traffic was horrendous, and after the fireworks, we went to the Simpson's for homemade icecream, some crazy good roasted red pepper dip & pita chips (courtesty of Camillia) and the kids made homemade sparklers that were crazy cool and super fun (courtesy of Uncle Chuck & Aunt Camillia). Daddy was glad we didn't catch the grass on fire while having our fun and was glad we all left come midnight. Fun times!

It made for an early morning as Eric helped cook pancakes at South Garner Park for our church July 4th breakfast while I cut up watermelon for the festivities while the kids slept in to make up for lost time. The kids got to play with friends while Eric played softball and Cherre visited with friends from church. It was a great time for everyone. Afterwards, the kids did their slip N slide in the back yard while I relaxed in the hammock while Eric dug a trench to bury/install a yard hydrant in the heat of the day. He is a hard worker. He took down our baby swing (sad day) and put up a 3rd swing, so the kids were ecstatic. They had the best time, all 3 swinging high, singing and goofing off. I sat and watched from the hammock. Did I already mention that? Yes, it was a great weekend. We bathed the kids, put them to bed early and watched a movie... our version of date night. Good times. We are indeed grateful for the freedoms and opportunities that are provided to us in this great nation due to the sacrifices of so many past and present. God bless America!