Excursions | For my children

Looking Back at Autumn Fun

Our dear friend, Al. Al works at Hearthstone and has been a special person to me/us for years. My classroom children in years past made him cards through the years. My three children now really enjoy visiting and playing with him. Notice the Steelers hat, he has turned Jackson into a Pittsburg Steelers fan!
(This photo was also added to Family Moments, Part 2 Memories, published 7/5/12)

My handsome little man.

It was a beautiful afternoon for a fall wedding.

They enjoyed playing on the hay bales which were used for the seating during the ceremony.

Happy to celebrate Randy and Allison’s special day.

Isabela is ready for Sunday, Sunday Football! Go Denver Broncos!

So happy he still fits in this little black truck.

We finally visited Amy and Stephanie! We had so much fun sightseeing, eating, and playing at multiple playgrounds!

We visited Jackson’s General Store

We walked down Jackson Street

We even played at a Jackson County Playground!

We had a fun day playing!

We celebrated at Starbucks after our flu shots…there weren’t any tears shed!

Playing on the slides in the fall

We love sliding on a new one!

This is the last rose of the season from Nana’s “Sister Margaret” rose bush.

We enjoyed our favorite picnic spot even though it was much cooler.

We loved passing football under the fall trees.

Thanks smiley!

No swimming on this trip

Only rock climbing. (Notice the fingers)

Their number one FAVORITE thing to do…spend the afternoon with their daddy!

A quick lunch at the playground.

Hard to imagine it but the next day the weather was freezing!

Happy that we were able to enjoy the beautiful blue sky!

Thanks to my little birds for enjoying autumn with me!

For the good start of a new school year, papaw and nana treated everyone to a special treat! The boys chose Bruder’s!

Isabela has learned to make a circle and an I, she chose a baby to feed.

Abigail chose babies in bunk beds.

Our star third grade student Jayden that is an example to all, chose Saige, American Girl Doll.

A bit blurry of a photo, Nana and I celebrating my/our good news!

Happy Ninth Birthday Sweet Jayden! Nana with HER favorite girls!

In memory of Nana’s dear dog Gracie! Thanks for the memories with all three of my children for their entire life span. Most importantly thanks for being my mother’s loyal companion daily on her walks, trips to the garden, and a constant protector in everything she did!

“Dog Biscuits in Heaven” by Jackson
He drew a picture of God making treats for the dogs in heaven. The biscuits are shaped like hot dogs and kitties and Gracie loves eating them with the other dogs.

Morning writing by Jackson

“Going to Heaven”. By Abigail
I LOVED her picture. She had me to write Jackson, Abigail, and Isabela’s name by each window they were watching out of. Nana was walking to our house and they were watching God and Jesus meet Gracie and take her to heaven!
Their innocence and conversation were priceless.
Their true sadness was heartbreaking!

Our new painted paperweights. Thank you Aunt Teresa for our awesome rocks! Painting was fun even though all colors were mixed!

Even though the calendar says that we are still in the season of fall, the weather acted like winter on the 27th! Most importantly, my “Thanksgiving Baby” woke up to a “White Birthday”. She/they were thrilled to get out in the snow.

November 27, 2013
Categories: About Us, Excursions, Memories . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Enchanted Storybook Forest

We visited an amazing place called Storybook Forest

Storybook characters and their palaces, homes, and cottages had been constructed for play under a canopy of tall pines in the middle of a forest.
Isabela and Abigail were pretending to be Cinderella and her Prince

The swing on the side of the castle was a thrill for the girls.

Abigail is behind the bars of the house made of cookies and sugar where Hansel and Gretel were held.

The inside and outside of this home was crooked and covered with chalkboard for creativity.

Isabela is bringing us a treat that she made in the home of The Seven Dwarfs. Inside was a table and seven tree stump stools for Snow White and the Dwarfs. The children could make mud pies with the dwarfs’ bowls, spoons, and dirt.

This place was so fun…
It was a place that both adult and child would enjoy. All of the classic stories we have all enjoyed as children were brought to life. This place gave a whole new meaning for pretend play! We were able to step inside of the story and become the characters we have read about.

Inside of the Dr. Seuss Club there were literary messages from the stories for inspiration.

Isabela was having so much fun bouncing from area to area, she did not want to pause for a quick photo!

At least these two humor me and smile at their mommy.

Rapunzel!

A fitting photo for Abigail and her long hair!

Her Prince to rescue her…Jackson was excited about the play castle. He sweetly calls Abigail Rapunzel when her long hair gets in his way.

One of the fun play areas was a Spanish ship. The life size parts of the ship were a lot of fun. Playing pirates was a great opportunity!
By the way Papaw…They want one of these on their playground someday!

The ship required the most energy from their bodies. It required them to go up and down rope ladders and had cool slides and hiding rooms throughout the ship.

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Ronald Dahl

October 13, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Literature Favorites, Moments of Joy, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Our Gift to the Aquarium

Amy and Stephanie invited and treated us to the Aquarium on the last Saturday in September for a fun visit.

We had so much fun.

There was even a special dinosaur exhibit.

Jackson thought it was pretty cool that he could pick it up.

Daddy’s Girl!

Brave enough to enjoy the dinosaurs he loves.

It was a fun day playing and enjoying the penguins.

My own little penguins! Despite the huge crowd, we had a great visit with two of our favorite people and a great look at ocean life.

Abigail in the penguin tunnel with Amy.

Jackson and Isabela crawling with “Snefanie”

Goofy girls

Beautiful fish, handsome and toothless little man

One of my favorite photos. Great memories.
Thank you Amy and Stephanie for inviting us to the aquarium. Jackson, Abigail, and Isabela had so much fun! Thanks too for sharing some of your awesome photos.

October 1, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Asheville in Fall

After harvest we were lucky enough to take our lessons to the road while we helped mix some business with pleasure.

Love my family so much

Thank you for the energetic eyes and smile.

Miss Abigail

We love playing in this green flat field.

Isabela was enjoying this sunny day.

Great tree for climbing.

The last time I sat on this wagon I was pregnant with Isabela!

Isabela finally gets to meet Chester the Horse

She wasn’t too sure of his size!

This was Cotton the Goat. Cotton stayed on this bucket the whole time we were visiting.

First up close look at hens and roosters.

Wooly worm, dark black on both ends

Sitting on a really old John Deere

I would love to have one of these old desk

Tea time for the girls.

One more look at Chester

You can usually always find a truck or tractor in his hand.

Special time with Daddy is always a treat.

There were fall flowers everywhere. Abigail is standing with Mums waiting to be planted.

A successful day if you find a playground!

A better day if you find a slide!

A tunnel slide!

So special to me…

Squishy grapes between her toes

Glad to see this smile. Jackson was four months old the first time he tried this…he was furiously crying.

Crush those grapes!

A fun thing to do

This rooster was so gentle.

Every animal was friendly.

A good place to learn about farm animals.

Jackson holding a baby chick

Abigail’s turn

Together

I’m so happy that Abigail can find the hearts tucked away in nature. She excitedly found this heart leaf.

A beautiful day filled with many memories to cherish!

September 25, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

So Much Fun

Sweet Isabela, we love your smile.
We felt great joy watching you have fun in the cold creek.

Boy were you brave, yet careless this year! You found a big slippery rock to slide off into the water.

You girls liked to collect the smooth rocks.

Future rock climber…doubt it.

Even though it was a hot day, the rushing water was freezing.

Thanks for a fun afternoon.

Summer means harvesting our fresh corn. Aunt Fran even came to help.

Summer evening skies!

Harvesting our yummy rasberries.

Born in the middle, you are a wonderful little and big sister!

Peek a boo, taking a break from the sprinkler, they had the truck turned on it’s side for repairing.

Seeking shade of the great trees.

Hooray, we just celebrated our dear friends Ras and Janice’s 50th wedding anniversary!

This cracks us up! The cause of their facial reactions were due to a huge crack of thunder. Fear from Isabela, confusion from Abigail, and frustration from Jackson that I was asking them to pose even in a threat of a storm.

Our little man lost tooth number three and four so we are singing, “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”
Also, following his six year old well check at the pediatrician, there was concern from his vision screening. We followed up with a very long appointment with an optometrist. He did in fact require glasses to be used during school time. “Professor Jackson” as he calls himself now.

August 25, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Early August

Daddy’s sweet innocent girls
It is hard to tell but Isabela has a black eye. She ran into a table at The Mast General Store.

Happy to play at the lake.

I turned my back and she was climbing on the step stool, our little monkey.
As you can see behind her, the heavy vines and heavy winds broke a couple of our post in the vineyard. We were trying to get the plants off of the grass and up on their wires.

Thank you for smiling at your sister.

A couple of cool afternoons for a picnic

Sitting on our favorite rock in the mountains

Jackson always acting silly…

Our three little birds happy, who could ask for more?

Healthy, happy, and loved!

August 14, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos, Vineyard . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Dollywood/Chuck E Cheese with Nana, Papaw, and the Cousins

Elijah, Abigail, and Jackson pictured with Papaw. The location is on the Dollywood Train. Jackson said a couple of months ago that he wasn’t going to ride the train until he turned seven. Papaw asked him if he would consider sitting with him. He thought about it and decided to do it for Papaw.

Never before, he also agreed to ride the swings with him.
Nana and Elijah are behind them.

Abigail even agreed to ride with Nana and Jayden

The boys on the scrambler. My mother told me later that my daddy said that the exact memory riding with them and watching their joy was one of the happiest moments of his life!

Keeping cool, enjoying our favorite popcorn and slushy.
After this photo heavy rains and thunder came closing down the rides and causing us to run frantically to the tram…they loved getting soaked!

We went back the next week on a much hotter but dryer day.

Oink, oink, little piggy

Jaydie and Jackson are in the front. So funny seeing Papaw crammed in this ride with Elijah.

Elijah and I on the flying elephants.

Nana with her four year olds, Elijah and Abigail

Papaw gave ALL five grandchildren and ALL of the parents season passes! We have really enjoyed this gift and their time to enjoy it with us. Great memories!

Chuck E Cheese for an early lunch.

Elijah on the steam engine.

Isabela wouldn’t go near this big mouse!

One of our favorites!

We had such a fun morning playing games, counting tickets, and riding rides!

Isabela absolutely did not want to sit for this quick photo!

Can you see the mischievousness in their eyes? These boys had a blast!

Too many silly faces and pizza. Thanks for treating us Nana and Papaw.

August 6, 2013
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos, Uncategorized . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

March Fun

“I silly, FUN, or I funny” are three of her favorite sayings! She plays the part very well! Her happiness makes us smile!

Lincoln Logs are one of our favorites! Early engineering/construction skills.

We visited the Candy Kitchen in Pigeon Forge with our Homeschool Co-Op Group earlier in the month. We learned how taffy and candy treats were made. The children were given the opportunity to taste different products as well as dip marshmallows in white chocolate and coat with sprinkles.

Later in the morning we were able to take a behind the scenes tour of one of the largest McDonald’s in the US. The children were given the opportunity to take orders from the drive thru as well as the counter, push buttons, and make fruit smoothies (Abigail’s favorite). This is Jackson putting a bun in the warmer with help from our guide.

Isabela’s favorite part of the trip, other than being carried for the entire morning, was taste testing the chicken!

We had a really fun day learning how local businesses operate as well as socializing with other families of children ranging in ages from one to fifteen. Next month hopefully we get to visit a Fire Station! Jackson is super excited!

Abigail had a successful dental cleaning and check up! If you notice, she is not only holding Puppy, but two fairy wands. She brought one for Isabela, who did not see the dentist. I asked her if Donna said she could get an extra for her sister. She said, “no, I just wanted to bring her something special too!” Super sweet and harmless, but we’ll have to discuss when it’s not ok to take extra without permission.

Jackson was very excited about his check up. Three of his four molars are coming in and he has two wiggly teeth! Donna told him the tooth fairy would be visiting him by the summer possibly! Wow, I can’t believe that after all of the INTENSE crying and fussing when he was cutting those new baby teeth, we are now ready to pull them out! Stages of life…

Their dentist doesn’t allow the parents to go back with them. Isabela and I passed the time coloring and writing with her “pen-cl” in the waiting room. I should mention, both Jackson and Abigail were VERY brave, and yes, that does matter! I was very proud of all three.

600-501, Continuing to write backwards from one thousand to one.

Samples of a little more comprehension. He especially has liked doing these series because of the step by step guide for drawing a cool picture!

Abigail continues to work on her coloring skills. We are trying to recognize/read a few of the color words and following a key to complete pictures. We have talked about Eskimos, how they live, and where they are most likely living on the map in Social Studies. When she finished she was very pleased that her different colors had created a seal on a rock!

We made a quick treat to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day using Lucky Charms and marshmallows.

Painting, since we don’t do it that often, is a fun treat. We made our own rainbows for the leprechaun to leave a pot of gold under.

We also made our own little pots using baby food jars and decorating with glue and tissue paper. After reading “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day” by Natasha Wing, we placed our jars on the front porch hoping to be filled with tiny treasures. Although this book was humorous and had good pictures, Jackson and Abigail were both a little scared of the tiny little red headed man. We read it before bed, afterwards I had to convince them the leprechaun would not be entering our house while we slept…which is why our jars were put outside the front door! They were excited to find chocolate coins, stickers, and loose change the next morning.

Finally, my awesome flying princess fairy!

March 20, 2013
Categories: Abigail's Work, Excursions, Jackson's Work, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Warmer Days of November! 11/3/12

Once Halloween passed we have been busy living life and enjoying all that is offered!

More memories enjoying a warm autumn day at Dollywood.

Our first family favorite when we enter the park is to ride on the saddled horses!

Although Isabela has ridden this ride many times before, today was the first day she actually was strapped safely on the horse and rode alone. She LOVED the up and down motion and to be riding beside her brother and sister like a big girl.

They were able to get close and touch the real horses from one of the demonstrations. The mother horse was twenty one and her baby was five months old. Jackson enjoys these trivia facts.

The one thing they wanted from the moment we parked were the big icee’s and the huge tub of popcorn.

They were satisfied! A successful trip because of the little things.

Daddy and Abigail on the flying elephants.

Abigail and I were able to finally talk Jackson into joining us on the teacups. He did enjoy the ride.

Sweetness enjoying the day with her daddy.

I could never tire of seeing these two hold hands from behind mostly because I know as time passes this will be one thing that will pass as well. However, I do wish I would have captured the view in front. The double stroller is loaded down. Today was the one day we let them also enjoy playing MANY games. The stroller has one sleeping baby, a Tennessee basketball, a Gators football, a cow, a pink pig, a huge stuffed dog as large as Isabela, a snake, a blow up dolphin, and a red shark! We looked funny exiting the park with our load!

Thumbs up for a family fun day!

November 15, 2012
Categories: Excursions, Memories, Photos . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

Weather in a Week, 10/29/12

We have been enjoying the late October heat. Last week we soaked up some much needed Vitamin D playing outside and continuing to work in our flower gardens.

Shorts, caps, and red cheeks we had a fun lunch break with daddy at the Dandridge Field of Dreams.

The temps were so high we couldn’t even use the slide because it was too hot to touch.

A few days later, freezing wind and rain! Shock to us and to the flowers!

Quickly and sadly we harvested tons of our blooming marigolds, gerber daisies, snapdragons, clematis, and roses to fill vases for inside.

I’ve included these photos so we can look at their beauty in the middle of winter. This was the first year that Abigail especially took a huge interest in the planting and enjoyment of all of our flower gardens daily.

Even Jackson appreciates the cycle of blooming flowers!

October 29, 2012
Categories: Excursions, Memories . . Author: Julie M Hall . Comments: Leave a comment

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