Coming to an End

Our lazy, boring summer is coming to an end. I like to start school at the beginning of August so that we have more time off during the year for things like baptisms, births, family coming, a long Christmas break, and getting out in May. So it's back to school for us. After doing nothing most of the summer, I finally started working on our curriculum and am really excited for the coming year. As Kylie said, each year is better than the last. We're going to do some really fun things this year.

Here are the pictures from our summer, going from most recent back to June.

Alexis going to Sonic for her birthday breakfast date with Daddy
July 12

We went to a sprayground with friends on her birthday too.

One sweet friend brought cookies to celebrate her birthday.

She got a towel, an outfit, and My Little Ponies

I wasn't feeling well that day so Kylie and Lexi made the birthday cake entirely by themselves. It had two layers, the top smaller than the bottom, and gummy worms all over it.

Checking out the new curriculum that came in the mail.

Playing in the box that the new curriculum came in.

Tom-Tom

Kaitlyn loved her brothers pushing her around the house and didn't like it when they

wanted a turn in the box.

On our anniversary the kids brought us breakfast in bed.

On the left, Raisin Bran with peanut butter for Nathan. On the right, Wheat Chex for me. In the middle, scrambled eggs and biscuits from scratch. In the cups was butter and honey for the biscuits. We also had glasses of juice. It was a great breakfast. The best part was that the kids ate in the dining room and by the time we came to put our dishes in the kitchen there was no trace that they had ever eaten.

These next pictures are from pageant week, where Nathan and the kids participated in The Promised Land. They practiced all day for a week and performed on Friday and Saturday nights.

Spencer jumping in the pool during free time.

A rainbow over the amphitheater

Enjoying ice cream cones before Friday' performance.

The 2011 Cast

Madalyn, Alexis, Kylie, Spencer in their colonial costumes. I never got a picture of them in their pioneer costumes this year.

Nathan and Spencer

After using my sister's 27 year-old flute for a year, we got Madalyn a new, intermediate flute.

She loves it and is doing great. I can't believe how fast she's progressing.

I spent all last summer listening to the kids beg to go to someone's pool. Since there are no city pools here, I decided I wasn't going to go through the begging again, especially since we don't have a car most days this year, so I bought a pool for our backyard. The kids have loved it. They're really good at taking care of it also.

Nathan's sister and her husband came to visit for two non-consecutive weeks in June. We had a fun musical performance one night with the kids playing violins and flute. Sara sang and Morgan played his accordian. It was really fun.

Watching some fun game the cool uncle has.

Sara playing a game with Kaitlyn and Thomas. They were so great to play games all day with my kids, whereas I laid on the couch and watched.

Boone Saves the Summer

I haven't blogged about this yet, but we were having a boring summer. I think it's because I was planning on selling our house, buying the 20 acre one, remodeling it, and having plenty of projects in the barn and workshop to keep my busy. Then when we decided to wait until they came down on the price more so that we would have more money to use for the remodeling, it seemed like there was nothing to do this summer.
We've had family come visit and we participated in the pageant, so really I shouldn't say it's the most boring summer ever. When Nathan forgot to ask for the week off we always get to go to Boone, I knew this was going to be a dull summer. So that's how I've been feeling until last Wednesday night when Nathan told me he wasn't scheduled patients like he thought he was and had a longer Fourth of July weekend than we expected. I jumped on it and quickly convinced him we needed a family vacation to Boone. Thursday I took him to work, took the kids to music, and while they packed I tried to find us a last minute cabin rental. They packed all the clothes and food and had it in the car while I was still trying to decide between two places. We finally left at 4 to pick up Nathan and head out. The week-end wasn't without problems, but it was certainly wonderful and just what I needed!!

Unfortunately I left the camera charger at home so I didn't get many pictures.

Our rental cabin was right on the river and we loved playing in it. Nathan dropped the 3 oldest off at the bridge and let them float down the river to our cabin all by themselves. They had a few scares (a rock that looked like an alligator) and we were scared waiting for them for an hour before they finally came!

Alexis, Kaitlyn and I watching for them to come. We had no idea it would take so long.

Thomas on the bridge down the road from the cabin.

Madalyn was a good marshmallow roaster!!

Yum!

A great firepit!

Seeing the animals on Grandfather Mountain

The swinging bridge on Grandfather Mountain.

Kaitlyn loved the bridge so much that she screamed when we took her off it. I forgot the baby backpack so that made it difficult. It's a dangerous place for a 14 month old to toddle around.

Kylie and Alexis were actually really scared on this bridge, but Kaitlyn loved it. We were just afraid she could fall through the bars or off the rock cliffs on either side.

Madalyn

Spencer

Kylie and Alexis

Madalyn wasn't afraid of anything.

Thomas on the hike back down

To show you how big the rocks were

Alexis was trying to get out of the car carrying Kaitlyn and fell on the rocks. It looked worse than the picture so Nathan cleaned it up and butterflied it. She got a pretty good bump and bruise.

Picnicing on July 4th before heading home.

Sparklers!

Kaitlyn strapped in so that she doesn't get into the sparklers.

Go Daddy go!