First Time To The Dog Park

This little puppy has been the life of the house. She has had her ups and downs, but she really is one of the family. She's about 95% house trained, but still the mind of a 3 yr old. I can say that because her and Ammon have a lot in common with maturity. BTW, I don't know if it's Charlie or Charly...so whatever works. Anyway, I caught wind that Peachtree City had a dog park. Watching bits and pieces of Dog Whisperer, I know she needed to socializing with other dogs to help with her behavior. She's not a bad dog, just needs to know boundaries through playing with other dogs.

She is such a sweetie. She's our 'Charlie Girl'

Bruce was a fun dog. There were about 10 dogs, but I think she warmed up to Charlie best. She was definitely scared and had a reality check, but a few more times and she will fit right in. Also, love the rear end shot? I just love all of her cal-lics. They are funny.

Ammon came with us. He was showing her the ropes...good thing he didn't really take a drink!

Sunshine School

I've had the fun opportunity to do 'Sunshine School' with just about everyone of my kids...a few of us moms get together and rotate our turns in teaching our little monkeys. Last year and this year Ammon has had some great kids to play with...funny thing...no girls were available for our group this year; that means all boys!

This week is my turn to teach. Theme: Insects; the Letter V and the number 6

Funny boy

Bug Eyes

In case you were wondering, insects have 6 legs and 3 body sections...

I found these bug catcher kits at Michaels for $0.80! Perfect, since there are 6 boys!

I have had so much fun with all of my kids, and they have learned so much!

Confessions...VT

Yes, I am a slacker. It's end of the month...back in the day (a few kids ago) I was 100%. Now it's that time and here I am wondering how I can be better. So I did a little searching and found this idea to satisfy my slacking. I'm repenting and hope to make up for next month by doing it early...

Quick Get-Away...To The Beach!

Every year we try to make it to the beach. For the most part we have made that happen. This year with the belt a little tighter then ever, we let the kids decide which 'events' were more important to them...and the beach out weighted everything else. I don't blame them, the beach is magical in many ways.

We drove about 5 hours south through Alabama and down toward the panhandle of Florida to Panama City for an overnight stay.

We enjoyed the sand, the 'wild life'...

...the arts and crafts, strolls down the beach...

...and of course the glorious sun and all that nature has to offer.

Here is one thing any parent would enjoy...watching your kids, especially the youngest explorer, experience the sensations of the ocean. He was hilarious!

Funny boy!

Raegan was my wonder-er! She loved looking, learning and observing...and yes, she forgot her swim suit! So day 1, she swam in her clothes until we could hit a souvenir store.

Rian was my ocean-ologist...she found all sorts of creatures and loved just spending all her time in the water. But of course she found time to build her masterpiece...with a moat.

This girl just dodged about ever picture, because she was always head first in the water...my little fishy...

Between shell hunting, and castle building, Jarom was hardly heard from. I seriously enjoyed shell hunting with these guys! They are so cute!

As you can see, our kids were eating up every minute of time they had at the beach!

As the sun was getting deeper in the sky, I really wanted to head over to the pier and watch the sky change colors. Sadly, only two wanted to go with me, but we had a great time.

These two were my cuties at the pier...

From here we watched the sun fall down into the depth of the ocean. Ammon decided the pier was huge!

A lady walking by took our picture for us.

Can't go to the beach without watching the sun set...

Down...down...down...til the sun looks like it is just melting into the horizon.

Raegan was blown away how the edge of the earth and the roundness of the sun just merged and literally melted into each other. My camera didn't do the event justice, but it was fascinating! Glad she could enjoy such a moment, and I was glad I could witness it with her!

The End...of the day!

I absolutley love going down to the beach when it is dark and all the kids are asleep...just sitting there and listening to the waves and peaceful sounds made from our Creator! ...but I was exhausted and crashed. Next time...Next time for sure!

Morning Light At The Beach

Next day started out kind of dreary and rainy. I was disappointed, because I have to have sun when I'm out in the water or I'm a pansy in even the slightest-of-chilly water. But most of all, my favorite time at the beach to take pictures is morning light! So when the sun popped out for about 5 minutes, I was able to capture these gems.

The water was that clear! So beautiful!

Although I'm not a Hooters restaurant fan, I loved their umbrellas and the compliment of color.

didn't buy into any activities, but loved their display of life vests

I'm a sucker for sea grass. So I was a little disappointed that our location was a bit sparse...

By late morning, the clouds had burned off and we were able to enjoy the sunny day for a few hours before having to pack up and head home to reality.

Fire Pit

For Labor Day Weekend, we were going to head down to Panama City, FL for an over-nighter beach trip, but that didn't work out with the tropical storm... that later consumed the entire southeast. The kids were so disappointed! So to lighten the mood, we decided to have a night around the fire pit, and let the kids sleep in the tent in our living room (still to humid outside).

Ammon, loved roasting...or should I say melting his marshmallows. He liked to blow out the flames. Smores were fun for a little while, but just sitting around the glowing fire was where the real magic was!Jarom and I loved whittling the sticks for the marshmallows.

The inspiration came from the weekend before. A friend came over and helped us take down a few trees that were potential threats. Well, the kids arranged the pieces in a circle and I figured, why not make a place in the yard to enjoy the outdoors a little bit more. So I dug out a fire pit and placed a few rocks... the kids also built little huts with the tree bits. It was a fun night. Our beach trip is set for this coming weekend...

Charly

Through circumstance...we 'inherited' a puppy. For over a year, my husband had dangled the idea of getting a dog over my head. I've always wanted a dog but with 5 kids, I had my plate full. Then a few weeks ago, a friend on FB had mentioned her sister needing to find a home for this little puppy. Trent showed the picture to me...and I loved her. But wow, that's a whole new level of responsibility! So Trent, also guilty of wanting a dog, responded that if no one else would take her we may be interested. Well this lady called us right away and basically we were swooned. All toys, equipment, shots and accessories were included and of no charge.

Yes, we are proud owners of this little girl, she is only 3 months old and acts like it! So much to learn from this little one. She has been an experience, but the kids just love her! Her puppy eyes and slight turn of her head just melt your heart. I will admit, there was a point one week in, that I thought about giving her up, but I gave it more time and research and I think we will be just fine. I hope to have a running partner in the near future.