Traveling and Back Home Again

We are home now from traveling...whew! We had a great time seeing many friends and family. We were on the road for most of July and went all over the place. One stop was in Quitman, Ga, where Rupert had the opportunity to marry Spence Romine and his new bride. We had a great time and so enjoyed see friends from the past.

Congrats Spence!!

While we were in south Ga, we had a chance to visit Valdosta again which was a walk down memory lane for us. VSU is growing and growing. No more Hopper Hall. They have torn it down to make room for a newer, bigger building.

For all you VSU alums, this picture was taken driving on Oak St. We had just past the Blazer Grill on our left and this is where Hopper Hall use to stand. If you turn right into campus here, the Blazer is on your right.

There were so many memories we made there. It was a bit emotional driving by Powell Hall (yes, it is still there), the building we used to hold our Campus Outreach meetings. My life and so many lives of student were changed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ here at VSU.

This was our first house Rupert and I lived in when we were married.....

We went on to see Rupert's parents in Clemson and then on to Barnwell where Rupert's sister, husband and nephew live. He spoke in several churches while we were gone updating people on the ministry here in the triangle.

We are back in Durham now. Boy it took me a LONG time to get settled back in, but we did it. We even began school August 6. Payton is beginning 3rd grade and with a huge grin, Jordan has begun Kindergarten. Here they are taking a break from school and playing "Chubby Bunny". Remember that game on a beach project or two.

On the Road

We left Durham last Saturday for an adventure to visit our beloved family, friends and supporters. Our first stop was Augusta, Ga where my parents live ("Gran and Pop"). Our kids just love being with them and were so gitty as we approached their house.

We were also able to spend time with Lisa's grandma who moved to Georgia last October from California. She is 93 and was in need of more assistance. I use to see her once every 2 years or so. I have been able to see her 4 times already since she has been here. What a blessing! She was so good to me as a child and she has such a special place in my heart. My parents have been so good to her.
Our next stop was Forsyth, Ga where my sister lives. Sadly, we are not able to see her family as my kids cames down with Hand, Foot, Mouth disease (a virus we picked up at VBS). Beth has a new baby and didn't feel it was wise to expose her....so we are looking forward to next time.

Sunday, July 6th, we will be visiting with Dayspring, the PCA church here in Forsyth who play a huge part in reaching NC college students for Christ. They believe in us as a couple and what we do as a ministry, which gives us enormous encouragement. We can't wait to see them.

Also in Forsyth is one of our favorite people - Movene Futch. She has been a friend and mentor to me since college and I so value her friendship. We have been staying with her these past few days.

Our next stop will be Valdosta, GA - wow. It has been so long since we have been there....so many great memories!!!!! We are going to the wedding of one of our former staff students and staff people, Spence Romine.

Friends

One of the things my children were really hoping for (especially Jordan) when we moved to Durham was to have friends close by. We have been so blessed to have some children living right on our street. Payton has a 7 year old friend named Carson he plays with almost daily. A few weeks ago we met a family who has 3 boys as well. One who is 7 and twins 5 year olds. Below is a picture of Jordan with his new friends.

This week our family was busy with Vacation Bible School. We learned about God through the life of David - as a young shepherd who had a heart like God's, on the run from King Saul striving to be obediant to God above all else, as a King, and even as a sinner who quickly repented of his sin when confronted with it. Throughout the week, our kids were found humming and singing the praise songs we had been sing each morning at VBS. Payton's favorite part was the crafts he made each day. Blake loved the puppet shows and seeing the animals (lamb and goat) they brought it to demonstrate the care it takes for a shepherd to provide for and protect his sheep. Jordan's favorite part was all of his friends he got to meet. The first day he said he had 3 new friends and each day he came home and told me he had even more friends. I think by Friday we were up to 7.

Summer has begun

We had such a great time playing soccer. All three boys had great times, yet learned a lot. It is somewhat nice to have our Saturdays back. Sometimes we were at the soccer fields most of the day. I was especially thankful for the mild weather. Jordan is enjoying his end of the season treat below.

We are not quite sure where those mild days went (as I am sure you feel the same way). It is 97 degrees now at 6:15 pm. Our boys are getting a bit restless while being stuck in the house. We definitely miss the access to the pool we had in our last neighborhood. One day last week, Blake was searching for something to do. If I had only heard the silence in the house...... You can see what he decided to do to entertain himself:


I tried not to laugh....but. Look how proud he was of it. I just decided this was our usherance into the summer hair cut. It would be cooler anyway.
Ahhhh, I am sure they are cooler...and you can see their eyes a bit better...don't you think?


Rupert is enjoying a bit of a break as the students here have gone away for the summer. He gets to enjoy the kids a bit more than usual. He loves to hang out with his "dardin".....

Chariot Racing

One of the things I have absolutely loved this year about homeschooling is how much I am learning about World History. I have been so intrigued by how the events of history are all coming together. I am beginning to understand how the stories of the Bible fit into the history of our world. Over the last several weeks, Payton and I have been studying the Roman Empire. From the buildings like The Pantheon to the chariot races at Circus Maximus, the Roman world has come alive. One afternoon, I heard laughter coming from the other room when I realized Payton, Jordan and Blake were having their own chariot races. It is so exciting to see their learning lived out during play time.

Jordan's Game

Today was Jordan's turn at soccer. He enjoys playing, but really enjoys the new friends he has met. Below is a video of him. He is a bit hard to find....look for number 28.

Soccer Days

Saturdays are so fun for us. Each child plays on his own team. Blake had to miss his game this morning because of his injury yesterday. Payton's game was at 11:40 this morning. Great game....here is a short video.....

ABC's

Our day started out as it normally does with breakfast and chores. As Payton and I finished up our week of homeschooling, Blake came in to find a puzzle. While cleaning out our bookshelf earlier this morning, I found our alphabet train puzzle. I gave it to Blake, wondering if he could do it on his own. I made a point of not being in the same room with him, so he would not ask me which letter came next. To my delight, he was doing it on his own....and he slowly figured out the entire puzzle completely on his own!!! Learning our letters has been a bit difficult, so what an accomplishment.

But our day ended quite differently than most days. I was in the school room when I heard the door slam and then came the ear piercing screams. I ran to see what happened and found Blake on the floor. Holding his finger, I learned that he slammed his finger in the door. I didn't think it was going to be that bad and tried to settle him, but when I looked at it.....sighhh. It was bad. I was so thankful Rupert was home. I won't go into the detail, but we decided we needed to take him to Duke Urgent Care that was less than a mile from our house. They took him right in. Nothing was broken, thankfully.