Odds and Ends from a Mama's Camera

Life has been very full here this fall.  A few memories from October...

Boys dressed up as Obi Wan and the Emperor for Halloween.  Watching them in battle was especially fun!

Gram and Gramp came to visit and celebrate birthdays.  We went out for pizza at our favorite local place on the night before the party.

 

Aunt Kate and Uncle Dub were able to come for the first time ever!  Mark really liked his art kit.

 

Post-birthday celebration bike ride, after the rain finally stopped!

A trip to Riverbanks Zoo with Aunt Kate on Veteran's Day was a lot of fun.  The animals were glad the rains had stopped, too!

Before all of this fun started, a few weeks ago, I took Mark to the park by himself.  He still loves to climb!

We stopped by the pumpkin patch to choose the family pumpkin on the way home from Meatfest in Cheraw.

Nathan was especially willing to pose for pictures that day.

These are from the October camping trip at Cascade Lake near Brevard, NC.  We were in a lake-side campsite, with its own dock.

This is where I found the boys every time I turned around.  We all loved it. 

Adventures in a Pop-Up...Only the Beginning

We traveled to Table Rock State Park last weekend in the pop-up camper.  It was our first adventure in a pop-up; until now, we've been tent campers.  Of all the times we have camped in our tent, we've had sunny weather every time but one.  

This weekend was a different story -  it was a bit of a "trial by thunderstorm!" 

No sooner had we arrived at the park than the thunder began to roll.  It rumbled as we set things up, and the rain let loose right as we got in.  We ate spaghetti and meatballs for supper and snuggled down to sleep with the sound of heavy rains pounding down.  

 

We woke up to dry skies, and were able to go paddling after our pancake breakfast.  Here's what it looked like all set up.

 

And here are some photos from the kayaking adventure.

 

We went back to the camper for lunch, and then another thunderstorm cropped up.  We played Quirkle and UNO until it passed over. 

 

Once things dried out a little bit, we took a walk around the lake and discovered an old stone boat dock that is no longer in use.  The boys thought it was pretty neat.

 

Sunday's hike was our favorite activity - we saw a lot of waterfalls and hiked right along a beautiful creek.  This was the start of the hike:

 

Boys exploring the rocks

 

And a lovely waterfall to take in...

There were a lot of water crossings along the way.

Here they are at the turn-around point.

We put our feet in at the end.  All in all, it was a good "maiden voyage," albeit a wet and unpredictable one!

Greg's Beach Pictures

Here are some of my favorites from Greg's photo stash.  His focus on the ocean kayaking and crabbing adventures we had with the boys this time.

Catching blue crabs at Huntington Beach State Park

Kayaking in the inlet behind the beach house

Walking on the beach, last night.

Crabbing on the sandbar with their own hooks, bait and nets

Beach Life

The week at the beach was restful, refreshing and fun.  The photos in this post are from my collection - plan on sharing some from Greg's stash in another post.

Day one found the boys digging on the shore and playing in big holes.

It concluded with a long walk on the beach with those who had gathered so far.  Family and a close friend rolled in like the tide, nice and easy.

I was blessed to watch the sun rise over the ocean each morning we were there.  I took special pleasure in these quiet beginnings.

Kite flying was especially fun for the boys.  The breeze was great and made it easy.

The boogie boards were put to use almost each day.

And the ocean, sand and a shovel are still really all we need to have good times at the beach.

Ice Day...Time to Post

 

The title of the post has nothing to do with the pictures I have to share.  Nathan hasn't yet uploaded the ones we took on our icy walk yesterday, but I will try to share them when I can.  However, because we are iced in, and there is no school, I am blessed with a little extra time for blogging.

I am not sure where this photo was taken...he is wearing his school uniform but I can't quite identify the location.  Hhmmm...but I like the picture because it's just "Nathan."  He often gazes up in thought, giving us that big smile.  Those bright, warm eyes cheer us all.  And the toothy grin shows our stage of life.

 Last Wednesday, I accompanied Mark's' Kindergarten class on a field trip to the children's theater.  We had such fun watching the performance! It was very well done, and the content gave me food for thought about how children handle change and express feelings.

This one was taken yesterday morning, about 7:30 am.  The kids woke up to a mix of snow and ice, with an emphasis on ice.  That didn't deter them from wanting to explore. They began asking to go out about 6:30 am. We fended them off with breakfast and "wait, wait" as long as we could, and then they set a new family record for getting on coats, hats, gloves and boots.  I thought they would fly out the door they were moving so fast!

And this is a photo from this morning.  A friend recently gave me the most delicious black tea.  It comes in sachets that make two cups at a time, so I have been brewing a pot in the morning.  Today, Greg and I shared a cup in our wedding china.  We used a tea pot also given to me as a wedding gift.  And the bread machine is humming along making a loaf of oatmeal bread, a new recipe.  Hoping it will be well-received by the family later today.

Photos for Sharing

Here are some photos from the past few months...enjoy!

After-Christmas celebration

Greg and Nathan on a day hike

Nathan playing for Illinois

 Action shot

Mark playing for Kansas State

Post-Game

Mark on 100th Day of School

ROY G. BIV

The boys got in the car yesterday after school, and the first thing Mark says is, "Mom, you should have taught me about Roy G. Biv!  All the other kids knew about him, but I didn't. I  know why...I bet it's because they all went to preschool.  I should have gone to preschool so I would know it, too!"

I paused, then asked, "Well, did you learn about him today?  Do you understand the colors of the rainbow now?" 

"Yes," he answered.

"Well then, Mark, I guess it's okay that you didn't go to preschool to learn that.  You learned it today."

Oh, my.  Dear Mark and Nathan, I hope one day you will remember just a little bit of what we did when you didn't go to preschool.   Remember making "magic mud" and homemade play-doh?  Remember going to the park more times than we can count?  Remember helping me at the grocery store?  Remember volunteering together?  Remember visiting the library and reading book after book after book after book...?  Remember playing on the floor with bristle blocks and your big firetruck?  Remember having your friends and their mothers come over and having special snacks and being prayed over at the same time?  Remember "swinging up high in the air together?" 

Obviously, I could go on and on.  I know I was blessed by those days at home together.  And you were, too.  I love you, boys.

One Fine Day

Quick notes from a wonderful Tuesday with kids home from school:

• baked bread and granola in the morning
• boys played together and on their own
• Mark built a rocket
• Nathan did some computer "work"
• visited the library for a nice, long time
• went in the red caboose afterward for some play time
• came home and read books
• sent boys out to play basketball and with the dog
• visited with a friend in the afternoon
• enjoyed a meal from my own freezer for dinner

 End result: a relaxed, happy wife and mama.