Author: Joyce

Vacation-Boonesborough Fort

I knew that I wanted to take the kids to Fort Boonesborough.  Mark really enjoys history and we thought being able to interact with interpreters and learn more about early American history would be great!Allan printed out directions to the fort for us, and Mark practiced being the navigator. He did an excellent job all week! The drive down was easy and we got there just as the fort opened. We watched a short introductory video that was mostly about Daniel Boone and then went exploring.

We were disappointed that there were only three or four interpreters, but they were kind and offered lots of information. One complimented the children for their good questions and how they listened quietly to the answers. She said she enjoys when homeschoolers come to visit.

Mark was very curious and asked many questions. His “winning question” though was about a stick he found in the weaver’s cabin.  We learned that it was an atlatl dart. People used it for hunting. We all learned how it worked and how to throw it. The arrow was too long for all of us, but Mark was able to throw it the furthest. We were told that boys Mark’s age would leave home for a week or two at a time and hunt with these darts to help feed the family while Dad was off on larger hunts.

We enjoyed walking around and then tasting maple candy and dried buffalo jerky from the store. We drove to the original site of the Fort and were surprised on how little it looked.

We decided to look for a Civil War field that was nearby. Even using the maps and the brown information signs on the road, we were not able to find it. After much searching, we gave up and headed home.

Somehow we got lost going around the circle near the hotel. We never did find our turn off. I finally stopped at a gas station and asked for directions. The gentlemen who showed me was very helpful. He took me the “short cut” so I “wouldn’t get lost”. The circle was full of “spokes” through the city, and the spoke we were on was the one we needed to go straight to where Allan was having class! We drove that road every day we were in Lexington.

We enjoyed walking to an Indian restaurant for dinner. We tried some new foods that everyone liked and had a little leftover for lunch another day.

Vacation–Creation Museum

We went to the Creation Museum and it was as interesting as the first time. We enjoyed seeing the new exhibits, petting the animals and learning even more about God’s wonderful plan.

Mark and Allan got to attend a lecture that they both really enjoyed. The younger kids much preferred the petting zoo,”daring” momma to feed the camel and riding the dinosaur!

The gardens were beautiful and we spent a good amount of time just exploring them. The kids all liked the swinging bridge, and running across is a lot more fun than walking!

There is a lot more to write about, but the kids want to also. So, watch for their vacation blogs coming soon!

First Day of Vacation

Allan needed to take a class for work. We got to go down to Kentucky with him.  Our first stop was to visit my brother near Indianapolis. We got to go to church with Joe and then we enjoyed walking to Dairy Queen and talking.

The kids enjoyed looking at his books and playing board games. They learned how to climb a fence! They loved all the treats Uncle Joe shared too, chips and lots of Popsicles in assorted flavors. They liked learning how to make hot chocolate on his machine. Then when we left, they enjoyed the special treats that he sent along with us–cheese popcorn, buttery microwave popcorn and soup.

Thanks Joe, for a great start to our vacation!

Seven Years Old

It is hard to believe that my little girl is seven years old today!  Audrey is such a joy to me.

She loves life! Audrey loves flowers, horses and helping me. She loves Curious George and being “momma” to her many “babies”. She enjoys running fast, being silly and teasing her siblings. She is not afraid of snakes, worms or frogs. She loves to dress up in fancy clothes and also in unique combinations that I would never think to put together but looks great on her.

Today, even though she has two pony tales, she only wanted one blue ribbon.  When asked why, she replied, “Because I am Audrey”.

I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for my beautiful “little” girl.

Family Visit

I needed to go to the eye doctor because my glasses were horribly misadjusted.  They hurt to put them on. I called to see if my parents were home today and found my brother and Grandma were there too.  So we skipped school and went to visit family.

My Grandma is very special. She taught me to sew and how to rip out my sewing mistakes. She taught me how to french braid hair. She still helps me with sewing questions. I always enjoy the time I can talk with her.

Every spring she comes to live with Mom and Dad for the summer. My brother Joe brought her up after enjoying her at his house for awhile. I enjoyed being able to talk to him today and watch him read “Green Eggs and Ham” to Adrian.

What a great way to spend a warm morning, visiting with family!


Bored

I was attempting to get some good pictures of the girls in the dresses that I made for them.  However, even with the flash they were in too much shade.  I will have to try again.  But, this picture captured what Adrian thought of it.