Happy Anniversary to us

This year is a big milestone for us - twenty years.  Ten moves, nine pets, eight churches, seven states, six cars, five ranks, four kids, three house, two countries and one marriage.  Congratulations to us!

 

Summer!

Riding bikes together

What a summer!  Heidi (Tim's sister) and Jazzy (her daughter) came for three weeks!  They always visit Nana & Papa Mewes for the summer, but this year, Nana & Papa were in Virginia, so we got to enjoy them as well.
The kids enjoyed just playing and hanging out with each other, and the girls got to celebrate their birthdays together (they're just three weeks apart).  We took everyone to see the Minion movie as part of the celebration and had a small birthday party.

The three younger kids and their cousin were able to participate in our church's VBS.  They enjoyed learning about Jesus and His sacrifice for us.  Caroline went early one day to work at a homeless shelter, doing laundry, cleaning, and serving breakfast.

Girls on a train!

Another highlight was a trip to DC for Independence Day.  Usually we stay close to home, because who wants to drive back from DC so late?  This year, the Virginia Railway Express offered train rides to and from for only $10!!  SOLD!!  We had a great time!  We learned a few things for next year...one, food is not close.  I'm so glad I brought SOMETHING to eat.  It was meant to be a snack, but it ended up being the only thing we had until after the fireworks.

The boys went to West Virginia for a week for camp.  Jonathan's was more of a fun camp, playing games, swimming, etc.  Peter's - well, that was more like a boot camp.  We got there and he instantly had to drop and start doing push-ups.  He said it was awful for the first few days, but after that it was more fun.  Still lots of drilling, marching, discipline, but some fun things too.  He no longer complains about how hard WE are on him.  Ha!

While the boys were gone, we kept having fun with Heidi and Jazzy, going to Monticello, having meals, shopping, and just enjoying each other's company.  We were very sad to see them leave, but we are looking forward to this being a yearly event!!

Happy birthday, Caroline!

Caroline and Jazzy celebrated their birthdays together with a small birthday party.  Here's Caroline's annual birthday picture - can't believe she's twelve!

May flowers, etc.

We are so very proud of our niece, Heather.  She graduated from medical school!  Most of us were able to go up to Michigan to enjoy the festivities.  It was a quick trip, but we're so glad we made it.

This year, we raised swallowtail butterflies that I found in the garden.  I went out there one morning and saw something on the dill - I was about ready to smush it when I realized it was a swallowtail caterpillar.  They eat a LOT of dill, and I was hoping to keep some of it for homemade pickles.  Ah well.  The butterflies ARE beautiful.

April was fun!

April brought Easter - we had a beautiful day for it!  Lunch was had at the Livingstons in Culpeper, then we walked to the Mewes (a half-block away) for the Easter egg hunt.  Not sure what we're going to do next year, as I'm pretty sure we've set the age limit at 12 for hunting for eggs.  Won't be much fun with just Victoria doing it!

We were also able to go to Massachusetts for about a week - the real reason we were there was for my cousin's wedding, but we managed to squeeze some Boston sightseeing in, too!  The Boston Massacre site, Freedom Trail, and of course, Gillette Stadium - home of the Pats!!

Jonathan turned 14 - and oh, boy....is he acting it!  He's had his hair in a "Mohawk" for months, his voice is changing, and he's getting a little mouthy.  However, he is still our lovable boy and we wouldn't trade him for anything.  As usual, he chose steak for his birthday dinner.

So far this year

We've had a bit of snow this year.  The kids are LOVING it!!  In case you're wondering, our homeschool snow day policy is this:  if the county calls school, we MIGHT - but only if it's GOOD snow.  Meaning, if the kids are going to go outside and play in it, we can call it.  However, they usually get a little schooling in because they usually wait until the neighborhood kids are out before they go out.  Mittens (our cat) hates the snow, so he usually just sits by the window and watches the birds come in to the feeders we have stuck to the windows.  Abi (our dog) loves the snow, especially when it's falling!

Victoria, 8, made her very first batch of cookies ALL BY HERSELF.  It's very hard for her to do things all by herself, since there are always kids around who have already done it and want to help (whether she wants the help or not!).  This time, I told her all the ingredients (couldn't find a copy of the recipe) and she put them all together, scooped them all out, and baked them.  She was, of course, very proud of herself.

Peter taught Abi a new trick - balancing a ball on her nose until she's told, "okay."  This trick is very difficult for Abi, because she is completely obsessed with balls.  Seriously.  I'm sitting here typing and I can see three balls just around my feet.

Minions!

We love the Minions - don't you?!?!  This is our attempt to paint Victoria's fingernails in Minion fashion.