Camping

Wow, it's been a long time...mostly because we've been so busy!!!  I've got a lot to catch up on so here it goes...

Camping with Nee Naw and Pop Pop at Seminole State Park!

The gnats were still bad in March!!  We hiked a beautiful wooded path many times, the kids rode bikes all over, had nice campfires, went swimming, fishing and canoeing! 

 Molly got an early Birthday Present....a new big girl bike for her to use for the first time camping!  She was super excited!

She was riding like a pro!

Gopher turtle hole

 This boy could walk for miles in the woods!

 Bones!!!  Daddy showing us how the femur and tib/fib fit together!

 John making tons of points with his mother-in- law...took her canoeing on Lake Seminole~

100 days of habit forming

We got a grand idea from another blogging mom and homeschool family to take part in a 100 days of habit forming..I guess it's like character training.  Emily and I discussed what habits are...good ones...bad ones...why we want to break habits and form habits.  This list is a sort of positive improvement tool.  It's not something that Emily nor I will get punished over.  It isn't something to cause guilt over.  It is just a way to see yourself improving in certain area and then after 100 days you can be proud that something good was accomplished.  We prayed about it and both came up with three things that we wanted to be habits.  They have to be measurable things.  It can't be "Have better manners" because that isn't really measurable.  Three things were recommended by the other blogger because it is doable, measurable, and not overwhelming.  Emily's were cute...I didn't help her...she came up with these on her own...1.  Eat a fruit and vegetable a day  2.  Do a daily quiet time with God  3.  Brush teeth 2 times a day.  I'm not checking on her daily or even looking at her list but we periodically talk about it and encourage each other.  I thought of many...drink 6 glasses of water, read 15 minutes of a fun book everyday, quiet time even on the weekends (because I slack off these days), 30 minutes of rigorous activity a day, 1 load of laundry a day, speak kindly to my children and build them up each day, serve John 1 time each day other than daily tasks like doing his laundry or fixing his dinner, throw 5 things away each day whether it be a piece of paper or a toy or an old shirt, clean and scrub one different thing each day, etc.  I chose three of the above and will probably pick three more after 100 days.  It is just kind of a fun project with Emily....and she is a good accountability partner!

Rodeo Pictures

Spring Break Camping

Camping is one of our favorite pastimes...its one of the best memories I have as a child with my own family and John fit right into that when we got married.  He loves it and is so good at it!  We convinced some of our best friends of pop up camping after they borrowed our camper...now they are hooked too!  We went Spring Break Camping at Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park on Lake Blackshear for two nights and three days with the Brewers...it was tons of fun.  The campground was beautiful and the sites were huge.  It had this great big loop around the campsites that was awesome for the kids to ride bikes.  We could see them all the way around.  They liked the freedom to come and go!  The pollen was nuts but we had a great time.  We rented a pontoon boat for two hours and rode around Lake Blackshear.  All the kids got to drive!  Camping is a funny thing...most people hate it or love it but sometimes people that you wouldn't at all think might be interested catch the bug...some of our Sunday School class at church (who are all on FB and seen our pictures) are bugging us now to take them camping....they can't stop talking about it.  We have been reading some books and studying in class together scripture about the love of God and its funny how the theme of "getting back to the basics and not conforming to this world" has become very important to so many and somehow camping fits into all that!  John said, "You mean you want me to go camping with "................"  I won't name her but she is a prissy type that you wouldn't think would want to be in the woods....and I said YES!!!!  Let's show them how much fun it is!  So a camping trip with about 5 other families that have never camped in their life is in the works.....FUN FUN!!!!!