Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina!

The weekend of October 18-20, we took a family trip to Grandfather Mountain, which is part of the Appalachians in the western part of the state.

We enjoyed seeing local wildlife, hiking amazing and challenging mountain trails, and viewing beautiful foliage and scenery. The week before we went, the boys and I studied all the different wildlife we would see and made little books about them. Then when we were at each habitat, they got to read their books to dad. They had a lot of fun doing that.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Mile High Swinging Bridge. We took a short hike up to it. We were a little unsure how L would do, but he was wonderful and hiked up the trial like a seasoned hiker. He never once stopped or complained. Big C carried J on his back the whole way up and down. He is quite heavy so it was good exercise! A few times Big C had to duck to avoid J's head hitting rocks or tree branches:) He didn't seem to notice, because by the end of the trail, he was asleep on Chuck's shoulder!

When we got to the top, Big C and the big boys walked across the Swinging Bridge. L wasn't interested, and to be honest, neither was I, so the two of us stayed behind. They said the view was amazing. I trust them :)

The final day of our trip was spent at Moses Cone Park. What a beautiful place! We did a short hike there, explored the house and then had a picnic and played on the grounds. It was a great way to end the trip! The picture of the manor you see overlooked the mountains and a lake. Stunning!

We had a super time! It was great to get away and have some family time away from the hectic pace of everyday life. We also marveled at the creativity of our God and the beauty in this world that He created.

Big D's 4th Birthday!

October 18th was L's 4th birthday. The past four years have flown by. He has been such a blessing and joy. He brings so much laughter and love to our home. We thank God daily for allowing us to parent him.

His party was postponed due to rain, but as you can see, he handled it like a true superhero!

Field Trip to the Apple Orchard!

Last week we had a field trip to the apple orchard, our first since moving to NC. Unfortunately, there weren't any apples left by the time our trip came around :(. It didn't really matter because we had a great time anyway! First the owner of the orchard allowed the children to sample all kinds of apples, which they loved. Then he showed them the process of making cider, from the time you pick it off the tree until you drink it. You can see in the picture how he is making cider the old-fashioned way. It was delicious. After that we took a hayride and picked pumpkins. It was a great day!

Medieval Feast!

We just finished our unit on Medieval times with a feast! It was so much fun! C1 was the surveyor of ceremonies for the event, which included presentations (C2 shared what he learned on the feudal system and chivalry), juggling, dancing, and a knighting of Sir L. It was a wonderful time for all!