South GA Sweet Summer Time

  

     Wow!  What a summer!  We've done so many fun things!  This year we added a back deck & pool.  If I recall correctly, we've spent every single day that we were home in it except for 1.  Oftentimes, we swim multiple times per day!  I'm sure the kids would all proclaim that it's the best $88 gift they've ever received.  I found it so cheap on clearance Christmas shopping.  The deck & fence we built ourselves didn't set us back too much either.  We were able to use some materials we already had leftover from various building projects & only buy a portion.  Nathan has a nice place to grill while we all swim & hang out each afternoon.  The dog also gained a new pen if necessary.  We fixed up a cute little clothes line for wet suits, hooks & baskets for towels, & containers for toys, flip flops, chemicals, & sunblock all from the Dollar Tree.  We already owned some beach chairs.  I bought a few plants & mixed them in some pots that were hanging out in our barn.  They've grown tremendously & turns out I've only had to water them once due to our unusually rainy summer.  An outdoor shower is in the works as well for the completion!   

       

As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed hosting an extra for about the 1st 3 weeks of summer!

They played hard & swam!  We even loaded up & all went on a road trip together!
She enjoyed our family cabin at the river, fishing & riding in the boat as well!

     Next we slipped in a mini vacay to the Carolinas with just our 2 oldest.  Nathan attended some Taxidermy classes & bought supplies & we tagged along for the shopping & dining!  As you can see, he even let Marianna paint in his truck on the way!  Ridiculous, I know!  That's just Nathan!  As long as their requests are not seriously dangerous or dealing with an area of needed discipline, he believes in allowing them be kids & have FUN!  I am so thankful.  These kids have no idea what an amazing dad they have!

Thanks to our local library, we checked out FREE tickets & took the kids to Cheehaw Park 

& The Flint River Aquarium for a fun day trip! 

June also blesses us with Father's Day which is always spent celebrating
 the many loving father figures in our lives!

Then, YOUTH CAMP~our favorite week of the year!

Record attendance was over 500 campers, not counting those that just pop in for night services!

The 2 most handsome little boys there:

     & sometimes when us moms wonder if all of the million things we do are unimportant, something GREAT happens!  For instance, are trips to the library for the summer reading program worth the time & effort?  I read to them anyways.  We have books everywhere, frequent book stores, read aloud as we travel, & google & discuss anything imaginable.  In fact, I seldom every have all of the laundry done.  Usually all baskets runneth over.  Even with a good case of OCD, my house is never perfect.  Adventure awaits & is much more exciting!!!  Then, I receive this call!  Clay's 1 entry into the drawing for reading lands him this:

Effort does matter long after the gold coins for reading logs are long lost.  It's been hilarious to watch all 3 little ones learn that there is still a such thing as a desktop & mouse!

VBS is always a must!  We attend at least 2 in our area.

The kids always LOVE it!

July has always blessed us not only with a special celebration of our country

but also with Nathan's birthday.

My parents also treated us all to a vacation in the mountains!

Our brave zip lining crew:

Anna Ruby Falls

The Indian Museum & drama "Unto These Hills" are both AMAZING,

& a great end to a fun time together!  If you plan a trip, check out the living village as well!

If you haven't already picked up on it from my blog, my parents are definitely irreplaceable,

& we can never say enough about them & their love & support for our family!  

If they had 1 dime left, I can guarantee they'd spend it on us!

     The Outdoor Blast in Atlanta, GA provided us the opportunity to not only to support Nathan's cousin who qualified with a huge buck for the GON truck buck shoot out but also a trip for the boys to have us all to themselves!  This was such a fun weekend!  We even sported our shirts to represent our business!

     We enjoyed the show & also the beautiful pool at the resort we scored through Priceline!  It was lots of fun & relaxation!  You better believe this mama is trying her hardest to teach these 2 how to spoil their future wives with dessert in bed one day!  I don't know if they will ever heed my advice or not, but they were so excited & loved it!

We all enjoyed both of these restaurants!

Cheesecake Factory is a family favorite!

& thanks to FREE tickets from McDonald's happy meals, Legoland was AWESOME!

     As August is now upon us, the summertime is far from over here in south GA.  We plan to celebrate several more birthdays, swim a ton more, & maybe even hit up another getaway before the new homeschool year starts full swing.  Our goal is to resume our normal school schedule closer to September.  That's one of the many perks of homeschool.  We fit school into our everyday lives of what works for us.  We can complete 2 or 3 lessons in 1 day, school on a roadtrip, or skip a day all together for some family fun.  Learning opportunities are all around us if we just take the time to dig in!  

     I wish everyone a happy August!  We are excited as we begin a new chapter of our lives.  We resigned from pastoring.  As much as we have loved it, it was our time to depart.  We have a desire for ministry that reaches out into diversity & helps others in need.  At 1st we were 2nd guessing ourselves as "Christians" attacked us for following our hearts, but we KNOW that was the very root of Jesus' ministry.  It's not about our exclusive little group.  It's all about OTHERS.  Going forward, we have no big plans set out in stone, & that's ok.  It seems logical to shut one door before opening another.  We are currently in limbo.  We are taking a much needed break, NOT FROM GOD but from such a rigorous schedule of responsibilities.  We are waiting on His leadership & resting in the faith that He will guide our footsteps.  I'm not even worried about it actually.  All we have to do is follow.  God's plans are best!  We do covet your prayers going forth!  Uncharted waters await!