Vacation Pictures

We are back from our trip to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee! We stayed in a cabin and had a great time! I don't have time to post much right now, so I'm just sharing a few pictures. More to come!

 This was the cabin, tucked in the woods. Savannah and Isaac were so excited when they saw it!

 View from the side of the cabin.

 The twins dancing around. This was the first night.

They were beyond excited! :-)

 Running up and down the driveway was one of their favorite activities.

So funny!

Happy Friday!

One of Isaac and Savannah's favorite things: Their bicycles!

A Simple Women's Daybook

Alright, it's about time for me to do one of these "Daybook" posts again! If you want to join in, just click here.

Outside my window...
Well, I'm outside right now, and the sun is out. It has been cooler these last few days! Mid 80s to low 90s, and less humidity! Yes!

I am thinking...
About the twins starting kindergarten this year. We are planning to home-school, and I've been looking at schoolroom ideas and just ideas in general. Yikes.

I am thankful...
For so many things! Cooler weather being one of them!

In the kitchen...
Nothing much right now. The twins had cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I am wearing...
Rolled up jeans and a tee-shirt.

I am creating...
A plan for the twins new learning venture, kindergarten.

I am going...
Physically, no where at the moment.

I am wondering...
About many things. Hoping for God's wisdom concerning the whole homeschooling thing!

I am reading...
Still reading "Searching For God Know's What", by Donald Miller. Great book, but I haven't had a lot of time for reading lately.

I am hoping...
I guess I already answered this one! I am excited about homeschooling, I was homeschooled myself (y'all knew there was something weird about me ;)), but the Lord knows I will need His help!

I am looking forward to...
As always, vacation. Creating a little schoolroom for the kiddos. :)

I am hearing...
Savannah and Isaac, playing. The water running onto their slip n' slide.

Around the house...
We are outside right now. Plenty of housework awaits when we go inside!

I am pondering...
Can I skip this today? Thanks!

One of my favorite things...
My camera. I also love old cameras. I'm borrowing an old Ricoh from my Dad, maybe someday I will post some pics from it. Dad used to take really good family pictures with that camera!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Cleaning, Planning, Walking...

Here is a picture I am sharing:

 

This is a cute one from their birthday morning.  This was right after they opened some presents from us, you can see paper still on the table.  They had some "birthday donuts" and chocolate milk :) I think Savannah is having water in this pic, that is usually her beverage of choice.
On a side note, Isaac is always taking his shirt off. I guess (to him) it is more of a nuisance than a necessity.

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Lizzie's 1st Birthday

This beautiful girl just turned one year old! It almost doesn't seem possible! Isaac and Savannah love her so much, and we are all so blessed to have her in our lives. 

She is a sweet "baby cousin."  I took a video of her eating her first birthday cake, at her birthday party on Saturday: 

Happy Friday! *Updated*

I just wanted to add a few things that I don't want to forget!  

Today we went to McDonald's, and Isaac pretended to be The Big Bad Wolf. Savannah and all of the other kids really got into it.  It was pretty funny. They were calling him "The Big Bad Wolf", and completely playing along the whole time. They had so much fun it was hard for us to leave. :)  He also became interested in Ronald McDonald, and asked all of the kids if they had seen "Ronald", or talked to him. I don't know why he suddenly was interested in Ronald, I haven't ever talked about him. To me, he's a tacky plastic figure sitting on a bench.  So anyway, tonight when I was putting him to bed, he told me a fantastical story about a Bear, The Big Bad Wolf, Ronald, and Himself.  Later he added his Uncle Jesse and Batman.  There was a lot going on in that story!  

Savannah had several jokes to tell me when I was tucking her in. She started with "Why did the chicken walk on the road? Because he is a chicken!" (giggles) She told a few jokes similar to this, and I laid down beside her while she was talking. I was getting really sleepy, and Savannah got quiet for a moment. Then she said  "Mama, if you stay in bed much longer, another joke is going to happen!" 

Savannah has such a sweet, loving way about her. Isaac and Savannah are both so precious that I could cry thinking about them. So there. The Mama in me is so sentimental! Anyone else have that happen? Have kids and turn into a sentimental basketcase? It happened to me, but I consider it a blessing. Although tearing up during certain commercials on tv (or at random moments) can be embarrassing. ;)

Things to Remember

August. Hard to believe it's already here, right? It greeted us with another heat wave! 104 degrees yesterday, and the humidity was worse.

I am so grateful for these kids!  The little things that they say really crack me up. A couple nights ago, Savannah and I were going outside to check on the chickens, but Isaac was still taking time eating his supper. Savannah turned around as we were going out and said "Don't worry, Isaac, you won't be alone. The kitty is still here, and so is God!"

Isaac is such a sweetie, and yet he always wants to play the bad guy. What is going on with that? He seems to think that the "bad guy" is the tough one. Joe tries to convince him otherwise. Isaac insists that the bad guys win. Joe then reminds him of one of his favorite stories, David and Goliath. Who won in that story? David, because God gave him strength. Isaac seems to think that this is just an exception. He wants to be rough and tough, and apparently thinks he has to be a "bad guy" to play the part. Ah well, I think he'll come around. He's really a good guy at heart. :)

Savannah is in love with our new kitten, Smokey. The other day she was holding Smokey, and said "Mama, look! Smokey is looking at you! She likes you mama, isn't that sweet? Oh look at that funny face she's making! She is so funny. I didn't know we had such a sweet, funny cat."  She is such a little Mama!!

One day I overheard my brother Jesse tell Isaac that he was a big baby. (this is funny because Isaac is always beating him up ;)) Isaac answered with confidence, "No, I'm not a baby, I'm just Mama's baby!"

Another thing Isaac has been doing is calling our Sequoia a submarine. He can't understand why it would be called a sequoia, that just doesn't make good sense. So when we go somewhere, he has started asking, "Mama, are we going in the submarine?" I guess that does sound more exciting. ;)

Savannah and Isaac both really enjoy our nighttime ritual of reading books together. They have many favorites. "Frog and Toad", "Curious George", "Night Noises", "The Biggest Bear", and of course Bible stories, just to name a few. But they also enjoy just having a little "one on one" time with me. Savannah says "Alright Mama, just lay right here and lets talk for a little while. Now, there are lots of fun things that we can do tomorrow." And then she launches into a list of  plans and hopes that she has thought of for the next day. I think she is definitely a planner. :)  Isaac, on the other hand, is a dreamer. When I tuck him into his bed, he likes to tell me stories. He has several versions of "The Big Bad Wolf" stories. He has special voices for each character. He likes for me to play along too, and be one of his characters. It surprises me how well he can change his voice.  One time when he was probably 2 1/2 yrs old, he talked to me in a sort of creepy gravelly voice the whole time we were out shopping. He thought it was great fun. The other shoppers probably thought that there was something wrong with my child, but who cares?

Savannah and Isaac have been painting a cardboard playhouse that they got last Christmas. That thing has lasted a long time! Savannah is so creative and loves to paint. Isaac is also creative, but he likes to paint himself. I thought he might outgrow that, but he hasn't yet. So Savannah is busy drawing, coloring, or painting any surface that is allowed, while Isaac is busy trying to paint his whole body, hopefully unnoticed by me. ;) Ah children, the spice of life, you might say. Well, wait until you have to clean up one of these messes! Really, I kid. Children are the spice of life, and I love them!

I hope everyone has a marvelous weekend!