We Stormed the Coast

Sometimes you just need to unplug, unwind and revamp. 

A beach vacation usually helps.

Last week we stormed the beaches of Florida.

This last month has been all about me trying to make sure I am resting my feet, enjoying this pregnancy and getting life organized and prepped for a new baby.

We also took a week trip to the Gulf Coast. Sandcastles and sea shells were the top priority for 6 days.

Journee, ever the homeschool student, bought a couple of books to bring along that helped us identify the many sea critters and shells we collected. Of course the live critters were tossed back to sea once we had identified them.

We rented a townhouse that slept 14 people, so we brought along a couple of family friends to enjoy the week. We cooked most of our meals, took afternoon naps and played board and card games late at night.

The area we stayed was not crowded at all, so we were able to really swim and sprawl out on the sand.

Here are a few of the water critters we caught and identified. It was very exciting for the kids to experience the salt, the sand, and the marine life.

Of course we had to venture out in the evening to catch sand crabs and walk along the shore.

So now that we are back home, I am getting school work organized and some sewing projects finished. Lots has happened here over the last month, but I will get everything posted and updated.

We really needed a summer break and thanks to a fabulous teen, who can milk cows, we escaped for a fun 6 days.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. I leave with a few more pictures from the coast.

Happy Sunday Ya'll!

Mega Family Memorial Day

Well, we pulled it off!
Several months of planning, and my sister and I managed to execute a surprise birthday party for our mother on Monday.
She was surprised!

                                *Fletcher didn't like everyone singing "Happy Birthday!"

The last several weeks I have been painfully busy trying to not only get regular farm chores and garden chores done...but also cleaning up the yard and house for guests.
I admit that the combination of 7 kids and many, many farm critters can lead to a less than beautiful home and yard. It looked like the Clampits had moved in, judging by some certain nooks and crannies.

Mom had family in from as far away as Canada for the celebration!



My kids had a blast with cousins here and we even found time to chill on Sunday with a cookout and some swimming.

           * The boys were more than needing baths by the end of the day*

Journee took the younger kids on horse rides. Athena has been lavished on immensely these last several days with a thorough grooming and open turn out. She enjoys the grazing very much.

               * Rose got to go a little faster on the horse and loved it!*

Zeb was entertaining by showing off his bantam rooster baby named "Teeny-Tiny."

                                                         * Zeb and Teeny-Tiny*

Now, we are planning the movie night kick off this Friday. We have the outdoor movie screen up and are planning to open with The Hobbit. We look forward to summer movie nights so much.

Who said large families and farmers can't have a blast in the summer? We might not be headed to the beaches of Florida, but we are enjoying all that summer has to offer. We are enjoying the land and the awesome warm nights.

We sometimes even get to go out and visit one of the most beautiful cities around.

* The Walnut Street Bridge. The large boat in the background is The Delta Queen*

Chattanooga is just down the road and we like to eat out and walk the bridge across he Tennessee River.
Rumor has it that Willow wants to visit the Tennessee Aquarium for her birthday in June and that a family pass is being purchased. I bet we have a great family day next month in Chattanooga!

Now that summer is here, what plans do you have for family fun?