The Holy Lands

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Last Days of Summer

We were spoiled during late August with a number of days in the low 80's - unheard of for southern Arkansas! We took advantage with plenty of time outside. The twins particularly love chalk drawing on the front porch (and often on the house), which is a great place for me to sit and rest a spell while I "chaperone" our little artists. One afternoon, Carlisle discovered that if you mix chalk sticks with water it makes a great little paste. They had a blast showing off their "smurf hands" and chasing us around to paint us blue, too. It was one of those times I just had to breath, let go of my inner need to be a "Kate" and let my kids have fun and get messy! The same was true when Carlisle found a sheet of stickers - she covered herself with the sticker tatoos and was so very proud of herself.

At our first church supper of the new school year, our fantastic children's director planned a "Water Party" for the kids. Bubbles are always a hit and the kids had a blast. When we moved here nearly four years ago there were only two kids in the church - now we have nearly 10 attending regularly, which is a huge blessing.

Carli and Jackson also discovered they like to work out with their daddy. Kendal tried to take a few minutes to practice some yoga, but his little shadows wanted to pose, too. They stuck their "downward dog" pretty fast, though! Poor Jackson was exhausted by the end of the workout! The kids then enjoyed being bench-pressed for several sets! Another time I am glad I'm the one behind the camera!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Back to School

From Fall 2009

Monday was the first official day of school! We've enrolled the kids at the same school they attended last year and they were so excited to see their friends! Thanks to Dora, they are now excited about wearing their own backpacks into and out of school!!

The kids have a new teacher this year, Ms. Lisa, who they both really like. And with a class full of buddies, what's not to love about school?!

From Fall 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Immortalized on the front porch...

From Summer 2009

Nana (and the kids!) had a great time this past week! Carlisle and Jackson both love drawing with chalk on the front porch so Nana had the great idea to trace each one and let them color in their clothes, etc. Fun - wish it could stay there forever!

School officially starts on Monday! The kids are in a new class but will still be with their buddies, so we're only a little nervous :)

First Haircut

Gulp. After a wonderful summer of looking like the perfect Cali surfer-dude, we decided it was time... Time to cut Jackson's rat-tail! Kendal and I both absolutely love his curls, but with his longest hair trailing halfway down his back, we felt a back-to-school haircut was in order.

Thank goodness Nana was in town to hold Jackson and distract him with a little "Max & Ruby" and "choc milk" while Kendal braved the cutting. Both Jackson AND Kendal did a great job! Kendal cut the back and bangs with no fussing from our little guy. We think he looks very handsome - still has the curls but now we're a little more distinguished :)

From Collages

Picking Muscadines

One of our very favorite things about our house are the wild muscadine that grow in the backyard. Kendal discovered the vines while mowing and has started collecting them to make a fall brew. We asked the twins to join us during the first "pick" and they had a great time! Both insisted on wearing boots and carrying their own buckets and loved looking for the red, fallen muscadines on the ground. We think this is a new end-of-summer tradition!

From Collages

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Watermelon Festival!

Such a great day! We got the kids loaded up this morning and headed south to Hope for the annual Watermelon Festival - what can be better than an entire festival celebrating Carlisle and my favorite fruit?! Despite the heat (a recurring theme these days), we had a great time exploring through the arts & crafts vendors and eating fair food. The kids had their first funnel cake and corndogs today and loved them both! Jackson also loved the fresh-squeezed lemonade and eventually stole the whole cup from me.

From Summer 2009

We got to see our friends, the Brights, who are literally world famous for their watermelons. Seriously - they are in the Guinness Book of World Records and are watermelon celebrities :) They had their award winning melon on display, so we had to get a family pic:

From Summer 2009

Strangely enough, none of the food vendors were selling watermelon... What the heck?! We started to head back to the car, seriously depressed, then saw a huge set-up featuring ice-cold watermelon! Yay!! The kids and I set up a little picnic under a tree while Kendal went to get us a slice. The "slice" was literally half a melon for just $1 - fantastic!! The perfect ending to the perfect summer festival!

From Summer 2009

Playtime Hams

Here are just a few pics taken during one of our HOT August afternoons - I blame it on the pregnancy, but it's just too hot to take them outside to play. So, we take advantage of our fully-stocked playroom (and a little Noggin). Can't wait for the cooler fall weather, but until then, here are some goofy shots...