The Kayoe's Maiden Voyage

Josh's kayak-that-looks-like-a-canoe (hence, my nickname for it of kayoe) came last week and Josh could not get it out on the water fast enough!  I am lucky he even waited for me to wake up Saturday.  I really expected him to be out the door with the kids before 8.  But I was thankful he did wait up so I could tag along to document his maiden voyage in his new toy.

While Josh inflated the kayoe, I set up home base on a blanket in the shade under a tree not too far from where he would launch.

My view to the left...

My view to the right.

  

My view to the front.  Ha!

The kiddos eagerly donned their life jackets.

The kayoe was ready in no time.

For anyone who's curious, this bad boy will hold up to 750 pounds.  I believe it is technically a fishing kayak.  There is a TON of room in it!

Daddy with his ducklings headed for the water ...

Off they went!

 

They really enjoyed themselves and took their time.

Anna took a break and Josh headed back off with Noah.

Just a barge passing through.

Going out for another spin after a water break.  Anna was back in by then.

Washing off duck poop before they left. : / 

I basked in the quiet and the breeze and the view and a good read while they explored.

Hi there!

Then I got distracted with taking pics again.  Clearly.

Then the crew was back and we called it a day.

Til next weekend, that is. :}  If Josh didn't have such a hectic week at work, he'd be going back sooner for sure.  Living for the weekend now!

Noah's First Day Back

Truthfully, Noah's been accumulating a number of days worth of academic credit all month long, but today was when we officially got back in the classroom to start this hybrid school year tailored perfectly to him.  

After dropping Anna off at school, we stopped off for a special "first day" breakfast of his choosing - Best Donuts.

Back at home we eased our way through some spelling (Explode the Code book 7), reading (more read-aloud from Shiloh), Bible (Long Story Short), math (Corners math game), darts, journal (first time in a fun twist, Wreck this Journal), language (contractions and Mad Libs), online drill work with addition facts some more, and silent reading (a new series that makes him laugh out loud, Captain Awesome).  And the conversations Noah and I had time for in between all this were so refreshing.  We've been together all summer but somehow sitting down one-on-one with a purpose and without interruption proved to be such a reconnecting thing for the two of us.  There was a sparkle in his eye and some oomph in his mood. It's gonna be good to get back to some structure for our days, clearly.

Anna doesn't have school tomorrow, so we will probably take those days off with her and really commit to our schedule and other subjects come Monday.  But I am really looking forward to this year. It feels good to not be unsure of myself as a homeschooler like I was last year.  If we loved it so much last year with all its uncertainties and newness and growing pains, this year will be just plain awesome! 

Cheers to Grade 2.5!

Anna's First "Real" Day of K

Monday, Anna went to school for only a half hour to do some kindergarten testing and a quick new teacher photo, 

but today she went for a longer stay -  a whole half day of school including lunch! What a thrill it was for Anna to look forward to.  How thrilling, you might ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Thrilling enough that this child for whom I usually have to hound and harass and harp at to get each and every thing done in the mornings had everything done HERSELF before she even dismounted the stairs at 6:45!  I mean, she was even dressed and hair brushed before she left her room and then she proceeded to brush her teeth before coming down for breakfast.  And then she proceeded to eat it all in one sitting and went right back upstairs to brush her teeth again ... because we all know Flintstones vitamins leave you with the parting gift of bad breath. :} 

Our morning went so smoothly, there was even 10 minutes for her and Noah to play before we pulled out and picked up Claire on the way to school.  Anna was comfortable enough with the school idea to let me drop her off in the car line and go in with Claire.  Josh, on the other hand, felt like I should walk her in and see her directly to her classroom.  I went ahead and did that and Noah and I scooted our way out the door without looking back.  Piece of cake.  No "first day" drama from this momma!  When it's right, it's right!  And for my almost-six-year old baby love, this year it's totally right. ♥

She entered that room with her first assignment completed - her All About Me character.

And she entered that room busting at the seams to also give her teacher the card she made for her with extra bits of "pizzazz" (her word, not mine!). 

It reads, "Hi, Mrs White. I bet we are going to have a great time together in school.  Love Anna Brown, 167 W(imbledon) C(ourt) G(allatin) T(ennessee)." 

And have a great time at school, she did!  Her teacher posted pics on the class webpage so I snagged a couple of those.

She talked my ear off when I picked her up with all the heart and grins and animation her little heart could hold.  "I had the greatest day ever!" I heard about her new friend (whom she forgot the name of), the book they read (The Kissing Hand, of course), the note that fell out of it at the end (from the main character, Chester, a raccoon), and the clues they followed from that note and others around the school (office, nurse, library, cafeteria, classroom, etc.) to find Chester.  I heard about a jar of marbles they use for compliments they receive from other teachers, I heard about how Mrs. White says they are the best class she has ever had before, I heard how they colored, and I certainly heard about the pocket chart where they earn gold cards and cash them in for prizes. Oh, the delight!  I grinned, too, to recall how I couldn't get out any details from Noah's kindergarten year and how Anna could not stop offering more and more info without my even trying.  "And guess what?" "And GUESS. WHAT. ELSE!"  "And Mrs. White said..."  "And you know what else?" "And den we..."

Too. Much. Fun, y'all!

Not to mention, Too Much Cuteness.  A shot I got when I followed the girls into school. :}

Mommarazzi Moment for sure. ♥

Delighted at the Drive-In

So, I have wanted to go to a drive-in movie ever since our days in Athens, AL when there was one just down the road that we never seemed to get around to.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was one just across the state line in Kentucky that gets frequented by a bunch of friends of ours.  The trouble was, the showings always started well after the kids' bedtimes all these years we have been here in TN.  

But then this weekend, all the stars aligned.  There was a movie showing we were wanting to see, the weather was AWESOME, we were all free and uncommitted the following morning, and the kids are plenty old enough to stay up late once in awhile without drama.  So we made a game-time decision a few hours before dinner and invited some friends to come along.

 

And it was a DELIGHTFUL outing.  I was so excited, the kids were so impressed with the concept, and it was altogether an enjoyable evening.  I wonder how old the kids will be before we stay for the double feature?  As it was, we only had one movie in mind - Planes: Fire and Rescue.

Our view.  We were lucky enough to not have anyone park right in front of us.

How gorgeous was the sky that night?

 

And how gorgeous was the sunset?

 

I will tell you how gorgeous - remarkably gorgeous.

Then it was showtime!

How pretty were the landscapes in the movie, too?!

 

I got caught up in the moment and kept snapping pics to capture said moment...

 

and a few moments after that, too. 

 

No really!

Marking that one off the Bucket List now.  Drive-In Movie? Check!

We've Come to This

It's only for some testing, but today is officially Anna's ...

Giving my mind's eye a chance to scroll back through the last (almost) 6 years and sigh at the fact that we are finally here - where the littlest Brown is swept up into her school years. 

WOW.

And Yippee!  She is so excited and I am right there with her.  So much fun waiting for her...

12 Things for 12 Years

Tomorrow Joshua and I mark 12 years together.  Gets me thinking about that life we had that long ago and how much has changed in the last 12 years - a lot! After all our moves, upgrades, our many clutter purges, and my infamous habits of selling off what we don't use, there is not much left in our home that has been with us since the beginning. But I did manage to find a few things.  And so, a list in honor of 12.

Twelve things we have had for the entirety of our 12 years ...

The Nautica shower curtain that is in the kids' bathroom given to us by my partner teacher at the time, Krissie Carter (now Robinson, of course), at our wedding shower.  LOVE it still.  In fact, when Josh accidentally got bleach on it (while cleaning the bathroom, bless him), I replaced it with the exact same shower curtain the first chance I got.  I realize that doesn't make it the exact one from 12 years ago, but I write the blog and I say it counts. :}

This pretty little Oneida dish given to me by Leanne Penman, one of my student's parents that year.  I always serve my black bean layer dip in it and fresh fruit.  I don't really have many presentable dishes, so this one is my go-to for those purposes as often as I can. 

All our china ... which has yet to ever be used, I am afraid. :S  Most of it is still in the boxes they were given to us in.  MUCH of it was given to us by Josh's grandmother, June.  They are all up in the attic and we are in the middle of summer, so I didn't make Josh go get them down for a picture. :(

This clock, given to us by another teacher on our grade level, Debbie Gottlieb.  We still grin to this day at the mention of her name.  She was a character. And a sweet one, at that. 

This can opener given to us by another teacher friend, Brandee Pach.  I had to clean it all up for this picture, truth be told. It gets a lot of use and it shows on a day-to-day basis.

Our flatware - which I am sorry to say I cannot recall who gifted us that. I keep telling Josh it's time to upgrade, but we just never get around to it. Maybe this year!

This pizza stone given to us by a friend of Josh's from Gainesville, Lynn Hulsey.  I remember thinking at the time that it was the most random thing to give as a gift, especially since we didn't register for one, but ... man alive, has this thing gotten some use.  Great gift, I say! Ha!

These pretty decorative plates from Crate and Barrel that my sweet MIL got for us to decorate our first place (Josh's former bachelor pad) there on Lake Lanier.  I had them on the wall right above the sink and they matched the house and room perfectly.  Love them still.

Our wedding album.  I just wish we hadn't skipped hiring a videographer.  That's my only wedding planning regret.

All our Pyrex dishes and Corningware.  God bless whoever hooked us up with all those.  Thank the Lord also that I know what to do with it all after all these years. :}  There's actually a lot more than made it into this picture, but I know you get the idea.

Our Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, generously gifted to us by Josh's partner teacher, Peggy Coutler.  I am sorry we are not still in touch with her any more. She was an important friendship for a time in both our lives.

My engagement ring, obviously. :}  Still ADORE it.  When Noah is out buying an engagement ring one day, I am gonna insist that he splurge on a great one.  It's worth it in the long run. ♥  If she's gonna wear it forever, might as well make her grin every day she sees it.  I sure do!

And there ya go.  Twelve things we've had ever since we got married ... besides each other. :}
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Late addition to post - I remembered another thing we've had our whole marriage long!  These two awesomely big and well-made beach towels given to us by my Aunt Judy and Uncle Mike.  Small tidbit, this is the same aunt that gave me two fresh, thick, gorgeous towels for my high school graduation gift to take to college.  I still have those to this day as well. :}

So, this 13th installment added to my list of 12 will just be a bonus for a great 13th year that we are beginning. :D