Freckles

We have a turtle that spent all day last Friday digging a hole and laying some eggs. I was babysitting that day, so it provided great entertainment for the kiddos.
She was very intent on laying her eggs, so having me and the kids watch did not stop her at all. She is box turtle. Freckles used her back feet to dig. I counted at least 5 eggs.
Her efforts took all day. She covered the eggs back up with dirt. Then Freckles took a break under my impatient plants(even though she is a very patient turtle). We found a worm, and the kids were delighted to see her eat. She moved in behind my clematis trellis for a couple days. We gave her a slug once and even got her to drink from a puddle when I watered my plant.
The day we named her is the day she crawled away. She has been spotted in my neighbor's yard. Chances are that we will see Freckles walking around our neck of the woods in the future.
My awesome husband put a mini fence and mesh around the eggs to protect them from the neighborhood raccoon and snakes. In a couple months, we hope to see baby turtles digging their way out of the dirt.
I love that my kids (and I) can learn so much about God's creation right in our very own front yard. How often do you see a turtle lay eggs? Sometimes we need to stop and be joyful about the little things in life that can actually be pretty cool.

End of a Chapter

I'm feeling kind of sad tonight because this week feels like the end of a chapter in a book. It is a chapter I really liked! For starters, our friends are moving up to Canada. We are excited for them, but we have been helping them out in children's ministry for years, and they will be missed. I taught their daughter in school years ago. The girls have also babysat my kids, so I'm out a babysitter too. At first we considered moving up there with them, but realized it is not part of God's plan for us right now. We love them, and we will miss them.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my boys, and then they will be on summer break. The last day of school has taken on a whole new meaning because after tomorrow, their private Christian school will be closing its doors for good. They did not survive the tough economy. My kids have thrived there. Next year they will be attending public school. My younger son graduates kindergarten tomorrow. I get to go see his little program and hear the sweet songs they have prepared. It will be bittersweet.

Anyway, notice I said End of a Chapter and not End of the Book. Finishing a chapter means you get to turn the page and start a new chapter. I'm really excited about what comes next. Life would be boring without change(even though I don't always like things to change). I'm very excited to work with our new children's ministry leader; she has a lot of neat ideas. I am proud of my kids and what a great start they had at their Christian school. I have heard positive things about the school they will attend next year.

Change can be good. It is a reminder that God is in control. Tonight I'm just mourning the loss of a few things. However, bring on the next chapter! God's plans are better than mine.

Mom

Andrew had a school assignment this week and needed to write about his mom(me). Here is what he wrote:

Mom
1. She cooks good food.
2. She helps me open the tunnel.
3. She sels jewlry that she makes.
4. She acts out at my church on the stage.
5. She catches big fishes In the ocean

I kept the spellings and everything just as he wrote them. I love it! Number 4 cracks me up about me acting out. I hope everyone had a great mother's day!

Man on the Moon

My son did a book report on Neil Armstrong. Part of the assignment was to wear a costume to school and talk about the book. My husband and I went to many stores but couldn't find a costume since it is not even close to Halloween time. So we got creative. I'm going to give my husband most of the credit for this one. We found supplies at Walmart. The helmet we borrowed from a friend.He felt so cool walking in to school. He got a 100. The best part is that he loves to read, and that his teacher makes it fun.

Mouse Trap

This is a video a friend posted on their Facebook, and I think it is funny. The middle part is a little sad but hang in there until the end :)

Snowpocalypse

We made it through round 1 of lots of heavy snow. I live near Washington, D.C., and this area is really paralyzed with the big storm we had. My family and I spent days digging out and playing. We kept power the whole time. Many people did not, which was terrible with no heat and cold temperatures. Anyway, here are some pictures of our snow and the fun we had.The car is under there somewhere.



This is a picture of the roof. My husband got up there when I wasn't watching and walked across to clear off the satellite dish. Must have tv for snowstorms!



Our house gets crazy long icicles. We broke off a couple smaller ones and the kids had fun with them inside. Star Wars anyone?


David had a great time playing in the snow!


I had the 3 kids sit on the snow for a picture. This snow is overwhelming to them.

I just had to take a picture after her brother David threw a snowball at her face. Shortly after this, Daddy wiped her face off and she forgave her brother immediately and started playing again. Love this picture! She actually has already laughed at it herself after the fact.


Andrew really loves the icicles. One of them actually touched the ground. We kept breaking them off though to help the roof with the weight load of snow and ice.
Well, this morning we took a big trip to the grocery store. Another winter storm is about to hit us with maybe another foot of snow. Power outages are even more likely because of strong winds. We have lots of food now and more snacks than I would normally buy in case we lose power and the ability to cook. We will bundle up if we have to in order to stay warm, and we will be fine. I feel like we are making memories this week. I can't wait to take more photos of snow piled up on top of snow. However, I'm also looking forward to summer or even spring at this point. Virginia, the new Alaska! Except, in Alaska, they know how to take care of the roads I'm sure.

Snow Storm!

I am all settled in and ready to be stranded at home! You see, we have a huge snowstorm that is going to paralyze the whole area. Grocery stores are running out of food, and the storm has earned the nickname snowpocalypse. I am enjoying all the hysteria around here; it is funny to me. I know it is a ton of snow, but as long as I'm safe and warm in my house with my kids and my family, then bring it on! The snow has started and the roads are covered.
Anyway, we could have anywhere from 20 to 33 inches. I'm eager to see if we really get that much. I'm hoping we do. No matter what, this is a winter to remember.
Meanwhile, I am going to sit back and watch, go out and shovel when I need to stretch, and enjoy lots of homemade food such as soup we will make and the homemade pizza we just finished off. Just praying that we keep power; that would completely change my happy mood if it went out for days. However, I'm really not expecting that to happen.
Let it snow!