It's been a while! Life has been happening!
Spring break trip- LegoLand homeschool day (2 nights at an airbnb in Florida) and we got to pack the van for a camping trip at Okefenokee Swamp (2 more nights camping)! This was made possible by folding the split seat down and using three seats across the middle of the van, like we did for our 2014 trip to Cumberland Island. Precious was awarded the single, coveted spot in the back, nestled in a cocoon of cots. Hah!
The historic gazebo at Cypress Gardens (inside LegoLand)
Like Cumberland Island, we also purchased another tent. We had outgrown the Eureka, and it was getting ragged. After tons of research (how safe are flame retardant finishes?), we bought an instant tent (with flame retardant), and the set-up time is awesome- 6 minutes max! No poles to thread! There was also a coupon code on the website, so we bought one with LED lights in the ceiling that run off of a battery pack. It almost feels like glamping with cots and lights! There are three rooms so the girls and boys have privacy. New Daddy and I stay in the middle.
Also like Cumberland Island, we were forced to get a new van when our old, 203k miles Sienna was totaled in January by a deer. The deer only broke its leg, and the van was so old that it wasn't worth repairing. We turned around and bought almost the same van (white, LE not-fancy-but-nice model), but a few years newer and only 46k miles. Another car payment... ugh. But it is nice to drive something newer. We like the LED screens and bluetooth integration with our phones. It was clunky on the 2012. So long, old van!
I decided to take on a side job to help out with the new (but unexpected) van payments and more private lessons to the kids. Bubby has started bassoon lessons with a fabulous teacher, and Cutie is in need of cello lessons. So now... in the mornings and evenings while everyone else is asleep, I'm teaching English to Chinese students online. The kids laugh about waking up to "Great job!" in a high, teacher voice. It is a fun gig, and most of the students are sweet and eager to learn. Several years ago, New Daddy had purchased a computer that has a great setup for doing this, so it didn't take a lot of capital to get started. Here's my intro video that the parents can watch before they book teachers for lessons. I made a great start with my bookings, I think because music literacy is highly valued in China, and music was a focal point of my video.
Okefenokee was a treasure trove of wildlife! It was a paradise for Bubby, who usually only reads about most of the animals that he saw. Here's a quick list: alligators of all ages and sizes, gray fox, scarlet ibis, swallowtail kite, barred owl, banded water snake (which he handled!), little brown bat, great egret, snowy egret, great blue heron, hawks, osprey, lots of anoles, cottonmouth, ring neck snake, red belly snake, red eared slider, river cooter, and an assortment of frogs were heard at night on the swamp. In addition, New Daddy caught a couple of mudfish, and a pickerel snapped his rod!
Rain was in the forecast, but we were thrilled when God answered our prayers. Not one drop fell on us in Florida or Okefenokee! Even when we arrived at Disney Springs, a rain storm had just finished, and people were putting away their rain gear. Okefenokee is a designated dark sky preserve; it is so dark that you can observe the light domes from Waycross and Jacksonville, FL. Our constellation cruise had a risk of being cancelled because of weather. We prayed that the clouds would open up for the cruise, and they parted about 2/3 of the way through the trip so we could observe stars on the open-boat, guided tour. There were storms along the periphery of the horizon, and we saw some beautiful cloud lightning, but it stayed away from us. In my book, this was a miracle.
I have to say that no trip that takes us through south Georgia is complete without a stop to GG's Southern Kitchen in Valdosta. Best fried chicken, rutabagas, and [insert your favorite southern vegetable here, because it will become your new favorite vegetable again at GG's]. It is great, not-to-be-missed food. We enjoyed this lunch on the way home from Okefenokee.
So, that's a little summary of the things we've been up to! It's a crazy life, but we're seeing lots of growth in our children's maturity (emotional and spiritual) and academics. Raising them is an awesome journey.
Easter pics!
Spring break trip- LegoLand homeschool day (2 nights at an airbnb in Florida) and we got to pack the van for a camping trip at Okefenokee Swamp (2 more nights camping)! This was made possible by folding the split seat down and using three seats across the middle of the van, like we did for our 2014 trip to Cumberland Island. Precious was awarded the single, coveted spot in the back, nestled in a cocoon of cots. Hah!
The historic gazebo at Cypress Gardens (inside LegoLand)
The way-cool banyan tree at Cypress Gardens
Ok, ok, here's a picture from the actual LegoLand (sigh)
Like Cumberland Island, we also purchased another tent. We had outgrown the Eureka, and it was getting ragged. After tons of research (how safe are flame retardant finishes?), we bought an instant tent (with flame retardant), and the set-up time is awesome- 6 minutes max! No poles to thread! There was also a coupon code on the website, so we bought one with LED lights in the ceiling that run off of a battery pack. It almost feels like glamping with cots and lights! There are three rooms so the girls and boys have privacy. New Daddy and I stay in the middle.
Also like Cumberland Island, we were forced to get a new van when our old, 203k miles Sienna was totaled in January by a deer. The deer only broke its leg, and the van was so old that it wasn't worth repairing. We turned around and bought almost the same van (white, LE not-fancy-but-nice model), but a few years newer and only 46k miles. Another car payment... ugh. But it is nice to drive something newer. We like the LED screens and bluetooth integration with our phones. It was clunky on the 2012. So long, old van!I decided to take on a side job to help out with the new (but unexpected) van payments and more private lessons to the kids. Bubby has started bassoon lessons with a fabulous teacher, and Cutie is in need of cello lessons. So now... in the mornings and evenings while everyone else is asleep, I'm teaching English to Chinese students online. The kids laugh about waking up to "Great job!" in a high, teacher voice. It is a fun gig, and most of the students are sweet and eager to learn. Several years ago, New Daddy had purchased a computer that has a great setup for doing this, so it didn't take a lot of capital to get started. Here's my intro video that the parents can watch before they book teachers for lessons. I made a great start with my bookings, I think because music literacy is highly valued in China, and music was a focal point of my video.
Precious had a blast driving the boat while Bubby GoPro-ed on the stern.
Rain was in the forecast, but we were thrilled when God answered our prayers. Not one drop fell on us in Florida or Okefenokee! Even when we arrived at Disney Springs, a rain storm had just finished, and people were putting away their rain gear. Okefenokee is a designated dark sky preserve; it is so dark that you can observe the light domes from Waycross and Jacksonville, FL. Our constellation cruise had a risk of being cancelled because of weather. We prayed that the clouds would open up for the cruise, and they parted about 2/3 of the way through the trip so we could observe stars on the open-boat, guided tour. There were storms along the periphery of the horizon, and we saw some beautiful cloud lightning, but it stayed away from us. In my book, this was a miracle.
I have to say that no trip that takes us through south Georgia is complete without a stop to GG's Southern Kitchen in Valdosta. Best fried chicken, rutabagas, and [insert your favorite southern vegetable here, because it will become your new favorite vegetable again at GG's]. It is great, not-to-be-missed food. We enjoyed this lunch on the way home from Okefenokee.
So, that's a little summary of the things we've been up to! It's a crazy life, but we're seeing lots of growth in our children's maturity (emotional and spiritual) and academics. Raising them is an awesome journey.
Easter pics!
Can you tell we like our phone tripod?
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