More Camping & Clara’s Preschool

We are having so much fun camping!  We took a 2-day trip this past weekend.  It was a great time.  It is nice to slow down, talk, have devotional time around the fire and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. 

I tried to take some photos from the inside but it just looks junked and crowded and it really isn’t.  This is Mya in her bed and her kennel in her little corner.  You can see that she is just in the “hallway” that leads to a door on your right which is the bathroom and then on to the boys “room” at the end of the RV.  Our bedroom (Clara too) is at the opposite end of the RV.  The word bedroom literally means a queen-size bed….=) This is a pic of Clara showing you around.  She is standing with the fridge on her right side and the stove/sink on her left side.  Rustie is in his kennel right next to her.   

Here are the boys climbing the dam wall of the lake.  We were on a hunt for letterboxes.  Letterboxing is very similar to a scavenger hunt but you are looking for a particular object that people hide different places.  There were supposed to be 2 boxes hidden at this location, but there were not there anymore.  They will need to be replaced.  It was still fun looking for them and knowing we found the secret location they were once at.   We will definitely continue letterboxing on our camping trips and on other occasions too.  Isn’t it beautiful!?!

Well, my girl is going to be 3 (THREE) tomorrow!!  I cannot believe how fast time just flies by.  I have started searching for a preschool program that will focus on a Biblical foundation and go out from there.  I want to really teach Clara to have God’s word in her heart.  Since I was such a young, immature parent with the boys this was really lacking and still is.  As I mature in Christ, He opens my eyes and shows me my shortcomings so I can pick up the slack and be on par where He wants me.  I really desire for my children to have a personal relationship with Christ and to call on Him for everything. I want them to search out a strong, Christian spouse who has a heart for God.  In the meantime, it is our job as parents to equip them and not just want this for them but to provide the opportunity to learn these things and to watch us put it into action too.  If we do not do this for ourselves our children will not see the importance in it.  I am really pleased with this blog .  She has been an inspiration to me.  All the ideas below came directly from her blog since I don’t have a creative bone in my body.  

This is our small board with our shape, trait, color, state, animal, and our letter on it. 

Here are a couple of pics from Clara’s work today.  My baby girl is very sick right now but just keeps trucking along. 

This is our board with what we want  to learn for this unit of the Letter L, number 1, and sight word “see”.  It has our Bible verse and a tangible way to use this verse in her daily life.  It also has a song.  This unit’s verse is Matthew 5:16 “Let your light sine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  I love that she gives you a tangible way to teach your child how to put this verse into action.  obey Mommy/Daddy, be kind to others, learn about God, tell the truth, share, show love to others, be brave, and tell others about Jesus.  How great is that!!  Our song is This Little Light of Mine.There is a small book at the top left.  Here are some close ups of the pages.  There are all L words and one of them and it also use our sight word “see”.  Clara loves it!!  She has read it a few times today.   

I have also ordered a few other things that will be coming.  As I incorporate them I will try and blog about it.  It will also hopefully hold me accountable. 

Old Fashioned Family Day, Adoption, & Camping!!

Oh, why!  Oh, why! Can I not at least blog once a week!!  I am, once again, going to blog about multiple different things because I have not made time to blog!  Enjoy the book!  Over the years our “celebration” of Halloween has dwindled.  It seems very strange the customs that we embraced because “everyone” does them.  People dress their children up strangely and present them at strangers doors asking for candy or whatever they are giving out.  I find myself wanting to cover my children’s eyes to protect their hearts and minds from what visuals are around.  This year we celebrated Old Fashioned Family Day at our church.  Well, at least Christian, Clara and I.  At the last minute Clay and Cullen got invited to the #3 World Series game and of course could not pass that up!  Meemaw, Pawpaw, Matt & Candy went also.  Pawpaw called up on Thursday night and said they had 2 tickets left.  The two sport lovers in this family jumped at the chance and the rest of us….well were just fine missing out.  =)  They had a GREAT time!!

While they went to the baseball game Christian, Clara, and I headed out to our Old Fashioned Family Day our church puts on.   Christian made a homemade apple pie.  It was FABULOUS!! 

I made a pumpkin pie.  It was not fabulous but it was good.   I also made chili for the chili cook off.  It is ashame the vegan chili didn’t  place (figured) but that would have been pretty funny to tell ‘em it was vegan!! 

Notice there are no pics of Christian.  He took off and I did not see him much.  He had a great time with his friends.  I also have slacked on taking pics!  Clara and Christian went on a hayride.  There were sack races, seed spitting contests, face painting,  and also arm wrestling contests.  Here is a pic of Tracy and Stephanie wrestling it out for first place. ……Stephanie took first!!    

It was a good time.  Maybe next year we will all be able to hang out together!  I missed us all not being together as a family.

I could not leave these photos out!  Clara loves dressing herself and she gets into EVERYTHING!!  Here is a pic of her in a newborn onesie that Aunt Candy got her when we brought her home from Utah!  It says I was worth the wait!  She is also wearing the infant pants her birthmom, Tierra, gave her as a baby shower gift.  She was cracking us up!  I cannot believe my baby girl is about to be 3!!  She is growing up too fast!

 

On to another exciting note!!!  This month is national adoption month.  Our city celebrated it Friday with an adoption day.  Kara’s family finally had the honor of adopting Kylie into their family “officially”!!  WOO HOO!!!  It is so amazing to watch God work beautiful things out of such ugliness in this world!  Kylie has been with them almost since birth!  She finally has a family that will love, support, care, nurture, lead, and guide her in Christ!  I know Kylie is a pretty lucky girl but I know how this adoption thing works and Kara and her family are blessed by having such a wonderful little girl picked just by God to be their daughter!  The day started with making it official in the courtroom along with I think 13 other children that day. Here is a pic of the new family together in the courtroom!  Baby K became Kylie Rebecca!  Kara had her dressed so cute!  She had her name on the front of her shirt and her last name on her bloomers!  Baby P has been with them for a few months now (not sure exactly how long) but maybe one day she will be a permanent fixture too!  ;) Below is a shot of the whole gang…the social workers, attorneys, judge, grandparents, etc. 

Daddy & Daughter!! Locke could not have had a bigger grin on his face!

After the courtroom proceedings the city had a “party” at the adjacent church.  They had a craft table set up that Clara would not leave!

Here are some shots of her artwork, a monkey!  Christian could not make the trip with us because he had class that day.  We missed him!  

 

We have entered the camping zone!  I think we are hooked forever!!  We bought a bumper pull trailer!  It isn’t exactly roughing it as it has AC/heater, bathroom, microwave, stove, 2 queen beds and the booth to eat at turns into a bed too along with a seating area for 2 that turns into a mini bed.  Clay went and got it Saturday and I picked up the boys from football and we headed out to get prepared for our first QUICK camping trip.  We went to Caddo State Park!  We had a BLAST!  It was such a slow, peaceful time.  We are trying to get another trip up this weekend.  This is a pic of us in front of the RV.  I finally used the timer on my camera. 

 

We hung out by the fire, roasted Tofurkey dogs and had smores.    We went on a night walk and also played cards until almost midnight! 

We woke up and went on another walk to see the views in the day time.  Caddo feels like you are in another world!  It was beautiful and peaceful.  Can you tell by my excitement that we loved it?  We definitely were not ready to come home on Sunday.  Even though it does not look like it, Christian had a blast too.  I think that teenage attitude that “I hate pictures” has snuck in.  =(

This is a pic I took sitting in my chair around the fire…how can you not be happy surrounded by God’s glorious artwork!?! So, we are HOOKED!  We love talking about all the places we are going to travel to in our trusty, used, but new-to-us RV! 

It has been busy, busy around here but again…I will make the statement…I will try to post more often!!  =D