A Fall Day Trip

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One week ago today Chad had an appointment with his hand surgeon at UW Madison for a check-up.

It went well!

We are continuing on with therapy for six more weeks and then we will see the surgeon again.

I took the kiddos along to Chad’s appointment so we could make some fall memories that day too!

We stopped on the way to Madison at two different Peck’s Farmer’s Markets.


Pecks have beautiful stores filled with all kinds of goodies, but they also have amazing parks behind their stores that are filled with animals!

Best of all – it was FREE to walk through!

It was the most beautiful day!!

I was very thankful that none of the animals were for sale, because Eliza and I wanted to bring them all home!!

They had SO many different breeds of animals between the two farmer’s markets!

I could not resist the photo opp that all of the pumpkins offered!

After we enjoyed the parks, we headed to Costco to fill our huge cooler and trunk of our van with groceries, and then it was time for a picnic lunch.

A road trip would not be complete without a stop at Starbucks for some coffee (and apple juice!), so we did that next!

We were so thankful for a great appointment for Chad too!!

He is still making progress in getting those fingers to move again!

Progress is encouraging!!

It was a FUN and FULL day!

Happy Fall, friends!!

Life After Family Camp

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The worst part of Family Camp is when it ends….

and when we come home to reality and WAY TOO MUCH stinky laundry!

This photo is before they brought me all the bedding out of the camper – good grief!

Our laundry room is super tiny and inside our main floor bathroom.

I am thankful it is on the main floor of our home though!

There is no room to fold laundry in that tiny space – so I always dump clean laundry on our bed.

It is a great folding table!

Until you find it still piled there when you are ready to go to bed!

The kiddos and Ruby help fold though, so all is good.

Ruby is one well loved puppy around these parts.

I let the kiddos sleep in the Monday after we arrived home from Family Camp.

Did they ever!!

That afternoon right after lunch we had a big therapy appointment for Chad.

His therapist made him this –

I know, I know!

Those fishing lines are pulling Chad’s fingers past their ability to bend.

He wears this new splint three times a day for 30 minutes each.

No, it is not fun, BUT we have the end goal in mind here!

Chad also does four other exercises each time he takes his new splint off.

He is making progress!

Even though it is slow progress, we are SO grateful!

This is our home away from home these days – but now we just go once a week!

We jumped back into school the following day – MY FAVORITE kind of days!!

The kiddos and I are learning about Abraham and Isaac, so we made an altar with fire for our craft.

I am still reading aloud to the younger kiddos every chance we get.

They make illustrations and do narrations of the story they listened to!

After all of those beautiful butterflies slept in our trees two weeks ago, we had to spend a morning learning all we could about them!

It was FASCINATING!!!

We also made a craft!

We like to paint and craft!

We cleaned out our Bible memory verse box at the beginning of school a couple weeks ago, and we are starting over fresh to refill it!

It is a great tool for learning Bible verses!

I did a quick search, and you can see how to make one HERE.

The seasons are changing here in our neck of the woods.

However, the week after Family Camp it rained SO much, and then it got hot again!

I still am shifting to our fall and winter foods because I am craving them!

Some summer food has been sticking around too – who do you think ate the whole half of this watermelon with a spoon??

Our garden is still producing and our little gardener is still tending to it all!

We had a wonderful busy weekend last weekend and a wonderful start to our week this past week!

First up was a Chinese language class that Blake and I attended with Tate and Eliza on the UWL Campus.

It was interesting, intriguing, and a joy to be around so many Chinese speaking people!

We will not be signing up for the class like we originally thought we would, but we are going to join the La Crosse Area Chinese Association so we can join them when they get together a couple times a year!

After the Chinese class was over we headed to a bridal shower for our sweet Hannah!!

She and her sister are BOTH getting married very soon!

We are counting the days with them!

This past Sunday our dear friends arrived to have a concert in our church on Sunday evening.

It was wonderful!

Then they drove their huge bus to Twin Oaks and somehow wiggled it in to fit on our driveway and parking area.

We were blessed with their company for a couple of days!

We also were blessed to have some extra students in our school two days this past week.

The sky has been beautiful as always and the fall colors are rushing in!

Grant had some days with a late start thanks to all the rain – and even a whole day where he was off because of the weather!

He came and stole all the children!

He seems to do that a lot!

I was just left with a cup of coffee and these two cuties.

It was WAY too quiet.

This is what you look like before Family Camp!

This is what you look like after Family Camp, ha, ha!

I think I am safe to say our children LOVED Family Camp – because this showed up in the school room on Friday!!

Life after camp has been FANTASTIC as always!

We are all looking forward more fall-like temperatures, school, and routine!

Hope you all are having a great start to fall too!!

Happy Monday, friends!

Family Camp 2019

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This was Village Creek Bible Camp’s thirteenth year to host Home School Family Camp!

This was the ninth year that our family has either attended or visited.

We had not originally planned to attend Family Camp this year, but that planned changed in July and we signed up!

SO grateful they had room for us!

Family Camp fills up quick!

This is the second year that they have offered two weeks of Family Camp, and we chose to go the first week.

My amazing hubby rented us a home on wheels and I LOVED playing house in that awesome camper!

We also had the most AMAZING weather the week that we were there.

Chilly mornings and evenings but warm, sunny days!

The routine for Family Camp is a Morning Chapel, followed by a break for family devotions, followed by a Mother/Daughter and Father/Son time – all before lunch.

After lunch is FREE time!

During free time there are many things you can participate in.

Then after dinner there is an Evening Chapel followed by a bedtime snack and lots of time to be with friends.

IT WAS THE BEST!

During Chapel times the kids played “swords” (racing to look up Bible verses!), we memorized scripture, we sang together, we listened to families who shared their musical gifts, and we listened to some of the BEST teaching.

We ate ALL of our meals together in the camper this year.

In years past we would carry our food over to the dining hall, but decided not to this year.

It was a VERY relaxing and stress reducing choice!

We even had company a couple of times for a meal!

Hospitality in a camper works just like at home!!

Every day right after lunch I had Tate and Eliza rest for one hour before we started our afternoon activities.

It was a great plan!

They did SO well after a quick nap!

In the afternoons we played at the lake, rode horses, played on the playground, took long walks, got to hold and pet new puppies, and the guys did some trap shooting!

Grant had to work all week, but joined us on Saturday and Sunday!

We were SO glad to have him there!!

After evening chapel it was dark and time for inside games and just being with all of our friends.

SO fun!!


One evening David and Kayla and their crew visited for Evening Chapel!

And SURPRISED us!!

I wish you could have seen it when we realized it was their car driving toward us as we headed from the camper to Evening Chapel!

Such a great surprise.

Our whole family was together and I thought I might burst!!

Yep.

We decided we can never miss Family Camp again.

It is really hard to put into words!

To convey how important it is to be around others who spur you on to finish this race strong!

Blake said it best I think when he said it is like a ship in a harbor that has to go around in a square to reset its compass before it pulls out of the harbor.

He feels like we went around in that square.

Our compass is reset and WE ARE ON COURSE!

There have been many, many, many conversations about all we heard, learned and did at camp since we have been home.

We have made changes in things too – raising that bar higher than before!

I am sitting here shaking my head because I just cannot find the words!!

PRAISE THE LORD.

Praise the Lord for the families who organize Family Camp and especially for those who spoke to the groups there.

Praise the Lord for our friends that were there too and for the fact that they feel like family.

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL!!!

Family Camp 2019 memories are tucked away deep in our hearts to STAY!

And we can’t wait, Lord willing, until next year!!!

July and August

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I have really enjoyed going through photos this week!

Life has been FULL – even when we are here at home – it is FULL!

I have been revamping our meals.

Trying desperately to simplify, but still make delicious and nutritious food without wasting a crumb!

I am so thankful the Lord continues to give me JOY in the kitchen!!

It’s an answer to my prayers!!

We are heading out of smoothie season now that fall is here, but how we love a HUGE green smoothie!

We ate many, many peaches during peach season – I think that is everyone’s favorite fruit around here.

We all had scratchy throats one evening so I juiced a bunch of oranges and had everyone drink up.

We also oiled up with thieves, and took some extra Vitamin D3.

The next morning all was good!

We only had corn on the cob once – but I am here to tell you the insta pot is the way to cook it.

Easy peasy!

We started some sourdough to make bread with.

Running to therapy made it too much to keep up with, but we will do it again when we are home more, hopefully later this winter!

I love to make quick bread too – and this orange olive bread is the kids’s favorite!!

Once Henry the rooster moved out of the chicken coop and to Kayla’s place, our girls started laying eggs!

Coincidence?

I’m not sure – but I am so glad they are!!

We also have been enjoying ALL the good eats from our garden.

It was a joy to have that garden this year!!

Speaking of being outside – Addie and I enjoy sunset walks up and down our road.

I took some photos as we walked by Twin Oaks one evening and love to have these different angles of our little nest as a memory kept here in our little scrapbook!

These twins and their Mama live on our land and we saw them one night while walking!

The boys have been given strict strict orders that these cuties nor their Mama are for our freezer, ahem.

Tate received a hammock for his birthday and this is the only photo I have of it!

They love to lay in that thing.

So cute.

We spent one beautiful evening having a little impromptu fire.

It served it’s purpose of burning all the garbage from when I cleaned the office and the filing cabinets – but also gave us a great evening together just enjoying each other!!

Yes, it’s me!

The sky lady!

SOOOOOO beautiful, is it not?

We still love books.

And library day.

And reading.

Definitely a favorite!

We are starting to play games more already!

It’s a fall and winter thing – so pretty much eight months of the year, ha, ha!

Date night.

We are changing it up!!

No more running back to town for me on Friday nights.

NO GROCERY SHOPPING!

We are not allowing that to be called a date ANYMORE, no, no!

We need dates to be frugal, but relaxing, and together – EVEN DURING THE DRIVE to the date!

One Friday we went to a park and had a picnic!

It was beautiful and wonderful.

Stay tuned to see how creative we get with date nights now!

Blake traveled at the beginning of August for four days and I about did not survive!

SO – I had Grant take me to Blake’s truck when we knew he was on his way back there with his car pool from the airport!

We dug the key out of the hiding place and I hopped in and waited for my hubby so I could surprise him.

It was the best.

I also saw that he kept all the notes I have written him!

They were all over the inside of his truck.

Too sweet.

Tate has been our faithful gardener.

I love how much he loves it!

I have photos of him in a garden in China!!!!

Be still my heart.

The boys and Addie slept on the deck under the stars back at the beginning of August.

It was FREEZING and they are absolutely CRAZY!!

But they had a ball.

The guys also built a shed to hold all of our stuff!

I thought we should just get rid of all the stuff instead – but my sweet hubby told me we actually need garbage cans and mowers.

Well, ok then!

It still isn’t finished, but it is getting closer!

Blake drove truck one weekend during hay season.

He wasn’t too far away so I took all the kiddos so they could have a ride!

Eliza did not get out of the van because of the noise and dust, but the boys were all in – especially Tate!!

We are still patiently helping Chad do the hard work to get his fingers to bend again.

They are not wanting to bend.

Sigh.

We have THE BEST certified hand therapist EVER!

And we see her twice a week!

We are thankful for SO many who have prayed for, supported, and cheered Chad on.

Chad has received many good things in the mail – a favorite for sure are verses on index cards – written by my friend who has the most beautiful handwriting!

Speaking of Chad – his pup had a visit to the vet for an ear infection.

Poor Sadie was miserable but some drops took care of it quick!

I did the big clothes switch-a-roo before we left for Family Camp.

That is still a big job!

Having the kids try everything on for fall and winter, selling what is too small, and finding the things they need.

Addie and I did a big shopping trip to town together and got it all done!

Fall is on its way, but we soak up every second we can outside!

Back in the middle of August we had our annual church picnic and baptism service.

The picnic was in a park and then we had our church family over to Twin Oaks for our annual baptism service!

It was AWESOME!

The lake where Chad was baptized last year washed away when the dams broke during the flooding at the end of August last year.

Our pool was cold, but it worked out ok!

Having Twin Oaks full of friends is our favorite, favorite!!

Our Hannah joined us one evening so we could meet her FINANCE!!!

She is getting married soon and we could not be more happy about that!!!!

Kayla took their engagement photos and they turned out beautiful!

I have taken Chad driving (and so has Grant) as he works to get the hours he needs to get his driver’s license.

We haven’t been on any main roads yet – only because of his injured hand.

It can’t grip that steering wheel yet!

Of course we always have passengers too.

They are so cute!

And FUNNY!

I was wanting to add some verses from God’s Word to our walls, so I printed some off for free and then bought $1 frames for them at the dollar store.

I love how they turned out!!

Here is just two of them –

My favorite son-in-law drives by Twin Oaks every time he goes to work and returns home from work!

We always get a wave as he goes by, but we are super blessed when he stops!!

Ruby still wins the prize as the softest fluffiest dog EVER.

I love her!!

School has been going strong here at Twin Oaks!!

How I love to plan their days.

This cutie is losing teeth left and right!

How is it that he is EIGHT?

One day I was working in the kitchen and heard Tate say, “Eliza, you do the dangerous part.”

I had to go see what was up, of course!!

I always have way too many adorable photos of our littles!

How much longer do you think we can call them the littles??

One Sunday a while back we stayed home from church so that we could truly have a day of rest.

We still sang together and listened to a sermon.

I think this is my favorite photo out of allllll these photos!!

We spend A LOT of time around this table together!!

It is time around this table that has let us capture our children’s hearts!

So with that favorite photo I will end this very long post!!

These photos represent SO many memories of our day-to-day life here!

They are our favorite photos to look back on!

Isn’t hard to believe summer is over?

September is half way over as well!

I love a change of seasons!!

Hope you all are enjoying the start of fall too!

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