running camp pics

One of the first things they did at running camp was a 'team building' exercise of pulling up seaweed out of the lake :) It was a competition. The girls worked together so well.

Starting to load up the canoe.........
I think the canoe was about to sink !?!?!?!?

This is the winning pile - the girls did it and won the competition!

running camp

Well if throwing up after you run makes you a Spartan, I guess Anna Beth is one now!
She ran 2 miles this morning and the hills around the running camp are killer ones!
She came in feeling as if she were going to die and then proceeded to toss her cookies(or banana in this case). I left around 11 and she was feeling much better. She called about an hour later and said they were about to do a water workout. My semi couch potato daughter is getting quite a fitness workout this week. She is having a really good time(minus the obvious) and I am thankful for Coach Duley and all the hard work she puts into this team. Go Spartans!
I forgot my camera so I am hoping Mrs. Julie will send me some pics.

summer plans

Anna still has a few more lessons in Algebra I to finish, so she is working on that daily.
She is also finishing up her Physical Science modules. I hope to have all this finished in a few weeks.
I am trying to work with Ben and Claire on their multiplication facts. Does anyone know a good website with games that work on this? I am trying to continue in our Bible Study Guide a few times a week. We are enjoying doing that together as a family.
Also, I am trying to implement a new thing with Ben and Claire where I give them a piece of paper that has lines at the bottom and is blank at the top and they go outside and sketch something from nature and then at the bottom they write a few sentences about what they sketched. They are enjoying this so far.
I am also trying to work with Anna , Ben and Claire on learning to read music. Does anyone have a website that teaches this in a fun way??
We are trying to organize around the house some??!?! This is definitely not my strength.

We are enjoying the time we are having getting to visit/walk/run/swim with friends so far this summer. I am thankful for all our wonderful friends!

goings on

We are having a fun and busy summer so far. When we returned from our trip, we had the Mays over for supper. They took care of the animals for us while we were gone. We had a good time visiting with them.

Last week was a busy one! We worked around the house on Memorial Day and then Tuesday was our anniversary and we had a special dinner with all the kids around the fancy eatin' table (remember the pool table on the Clampetts?) We then watched our wedding together. It was funny how we had changed in 19 years. The Ginns came over on Thursday and on Thursday night we had the CHENM (our homeschool group) board meeting at our house. 2 of the Chunns spent the night with us that night and on Friday we went to dinner at the Gunnells. We had a great time at their house as well!

Monday , we went to the water pad with the Chamblees and Tuesday morning we went walking/running with the Chunns and Corbins. Ben and Claire are going to VBS with friends and
we have science lab this afternoon.

We are looking forward to next week when Aunt Cathy and Bailey come down and Anna and I go to running camp with the Spartans cross country team.

last of the vacation pics

This was a great place to get sundaes and floats. It was in downtown Chattanooga and it was called The City Cafe!

This was a fun fountain in downtown Chattanooga. Great place to cool off.

We walked over to the fountain on a pedestrian bridge. When you are on the bridge you had great views of the river.

pics from Asheville

We went to the children's museum in Asheville on Tuesday. They had several interesting interactive exhibits!

This is Claire after the cold stone creamery visit! YUM YUM!

Doesn't Claire look thrilled?

This was a cool exhibit. This model was animated and she moved and talked and whatever part she was talking about lit up?!??!

Giant bubble maker

This was the dizzy tunnel where when you walked through it felt like you were going upside down even though you were walking in a straight line and your feet never left the ground.

Jay had such a good time building with these. You would put them together and air blew threw them and you would drop a ball in and it would go through all the pipes you had put together and shoot out the end.

I had to make John and Claire leave this first room. They dressed up and spent at least 30 minutes with this fake food. Wish I hadn't sold the Dora Kitchen at that last garage sale :)













This is some more pics at the Western Carolina Nature Center.

Jay takes a turn on the otter slide.

This was the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville, NC. Claire is on the otter slide.

We got to see a barred owl up close!

This beautiful peacock was just meandering through the park and did not seem scared just to come up to people.

Finally, we saw a bear in the mountains. He was, of course, behind a fence and not in the wild.

Here is the bold peacock just coming up so near that we could shoot this close up.

and still .... more pics :)

This is the visitor's center on the Ocoee river where we waded on Monday.

This was the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from our hotel room at the Grove Park Inn.

This little horse ride was in Cherokee, NC and John had a blast riding it. It reminded me of the horse outside of Sadie's 5 and 10 in Booneville that I used to ride as a child!