My Blogging Deliquency

I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately.  What can I say... it's been a busy summer, full of lots of fun, crazy activities, lots of insanely massive construction and deconstruction projects, lots of animals to tend to, lots of babies and children to care for, and, of course, I am starting that homeschool class in the Fall.  You only live once, might as well make it count!

In a nutshell, here's a run-down of the kids' summer:

-We had baby goats and a whole lot of baby chicks this summer!  Unfortunately, we weren't able to sell the baby goats as quickly as we needed to, so they are here-- sucking up all that yummy goat's milk.  We aren't really set up to have a separate area for the babies, so we aren't milking the mommas right now.  As far as the chickens go, the incubator has been running all summer.  It seems the humidity was much easier to get right in the Spring, and my hatch rate has declined ever since.  Nevertheless, the school room has seen a constant flow of newborn chicks, waiting to grow feathers and get big enough to head outdoors.

-Asa and Addison went to away camp with Anna, which was an absolute blast for all involved!  I was able to hear stories of my silly little children, and to hear of how the were in separate groups, able to be completely independent of each other for a change.

-The boys went to vacation Bible School with Marisa at Harps, and the three "big" kids went to our church's VBS here in Inman.  They had a great time, and it seems we will be listening to the VBS music on repeat for months to come-- especially "Give Thanks", as Asa wants to hear it over and over again, practicing his vocals.

 -Jeff and I took the kids to the Laser Show at Stone Mountain.  They updated it, so it was a new show for us.  We left Olive at home (thankfully!), but Ivey really enjoyed it!  Ivey totally forgot that she was watching the side of a mountain.  She thought of it as more a movie shot on the side of some horses. There's one part where it looks like the mountain is breaking away, showing a volcano scene on the inside.  Ivey shouted, "That's not a good idea!!".  Fun times.



-There has been a lot of progress on the old house.  The carport has been replaced, siding put up, windows replaced, and the front porch is in progress.  It's going to look like a whole new house!  At the same time, Jeff has been spending a lot of time down at our property.  He has taken the shack completely apart!  More on that later....

-We took the kids for a trip to the cabin in Jasper.  It was a nice get-away, although Jeff seemed a bit overwhelmed by the un-get-away-ness of staying in a one room cabin with 4 children.  For me, it was a trip away from the typical dishes, laundry, cleaning, and basically a time where I could forget the feeling of struggling to tread domestic waters, and failing.  Jeff took Asa, Addison, and Ivey down to the creek.  It seems that Ivey, although scared of caterpillars, will walk right through a big creek of mud.... sinking in past her shoes.  She was stuck, floundered around, fell, and basically swam around in it... happy as, well, a pig in mud.  When he carried her all the way back up the mountain and into the cabin, he was red faced and exhausted, and she was butt naked and caked in mud.  Now, that is one successful trip!

-On the 4th of July, we took the kids to the parade in Peachtree City.  It was HOT, but fun.  That night, we went to watch the fireworks with the Jeffers', where the boys were snatched up and abducted by a couple 9 year old blondes, who decided they must play with them for the night.  It was entertaining to say the least.  Those boys didn't know what hit 'em, and it made me smile to think that in a few short years, the whole game will change.

-We spent a lot of time trying to survive the heat.  This involved a lot of sprinklers, inflatable waterslides, and the above ground pool.  It really is unbearable to play outside without some sort of water involved, which is a shame since Olive is most happy outdoors.  Actually, we have to use different doors throughout the house in order to sneak in when she is around.  If she sees the door open, she BOLTS for it!

-Randy and Linda took us, plus Mike, whitewater rafting this month!  I think I was the most excited, followed by Asa.  Jeff could be in there somewhere, but he's harder to read (unless Disney is involved).  Addison was his cautious little self.  Our risk manager.  He was most concerned with the temperature of the water, as well as whether or not Daddy would throw him in.  The further we drove, the more nervous he became.  However, as apprehensive as he may have been, he always had a level of excitement about the whole thing.  As we approached the rafting site he said, "When will we be there?"  In unison, Jeff and I told him that were were there.  "Yay!....... ish" was his response.  That statement summed up my boy.  Yay-ish.  Apprehension aside, everyone had a great time.... and no one threw anyone overboard!

-I have been working my tushy off on our homeschool class for our 3rd grade year.  It started as an idea, and rapidly grew to a program with 6 teachers for various subjects, 10 total students (so far), and the approval for us to use the church's Youth House for our program!  We will be meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-3:00, and cover all core classes plus Spanish, art, and music!  I have been working a lot on lesson plans, advertising, and generally getting my ducks in a row.  Asa asked me the other day why I was doing this.  My response him was, "Do you remember when you said that you liked homeschooling but you wanted a class to eat lunch with?  Well.... I had to make you one!"  Although the kids put along, not thinking much about it, I stop and remind myself that, one day, they will look back and think of their crazy mother and her crazy ideas... and the crazy education that she gave them.  I hope they look back on it with fond memories of friends, fun, and freedom from the "system".

So, as you can see, there is a good reason for my delinquency.  I have been swamped.  I'll try to do better, as I love soaking up every bit of this crazy life I lead and saving it for me to look back on in bittersweetly calmer days, when I will look back and savor every last detail.