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Showing posts from August, 2008

Labor Day 3 - Hiking and Photographs

Allen kayaked a section we couldn't get to today so we hiked instead. I didn't coordinate their outfits very well though for my photographing purposes! But black and white can always save me I guess. Got some fun ones though! Bribery isn't bad right? :)

Labor Day 2 - White Water Rafting and Repelling Down a Cliff at the Bridge

Allen surprised us with a rafting trip on Saturday! Joe let us borrow his raft and take the kids down the river. Of course it was the Glade Creek section which is really tame, but they had a blast. To them it was some wild white water action on the New River! Allen and Michelle were in the back, Julie and I in the front, and six kids piled in the middle. It was the easiest rafting trip I've ever taken and so nice to just relax and not dig in or fear death like usual! Poor Allen missed a day of kayaking for it, but he had fun seeing them so happy. Of course he got his own action later when Denny took him repelling by the bridge. Man was that scary! I had to lie down at the top and hold the camera out to take the pics and heights don't usually bother me. But that was straight down and wayyyy down. It was a very cool place for climbers and the kids had fun trying to climb up the rocks too. Besides the great cliffs, it has an awesome view of the gorge and bridge. I got

Labor Day 1 - Kayaking The Dries, Waterfalls, and Beauty Mountain

We had a great time camping over Labor Day in West Virginia at the New River. The first day, Allen kayaked The Dries, which apparently doesn't run very often, so it was quite a treat. I got a fun picture of him in his kayak skirt so I could use the wordart Tina Chambers made for me. The kids and I played at a waterfall nearby, which was more of a water trickle that day. But fun and lots of photo opportunities, so I was happy! That morning we visited Beauty Mountain (maybe our favorite place in WV) with Kathy and Michelle. This place was a tip from our favorite white water guide and boy is it a great one! Near impossible to find, but worth it if you do. It overlooks the river and gorge and is just breathtaking. So here are some pretty pictures, then of course our kids sticking their heads out the windows like dogs. :)

Our Olympic debut!

this is hilarious, but freakishly so! you'll want to try it after you see it! this is our debut at the olympics and we really bust some moves. :) it really was fun. not sure allen will enjoy it so much though! :) thanks to carolyn for the link! just click the play button! Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

first day of school, kid #3

my last one headed off to school today (wahhh). matt was very excited and yelled school day!!! as soon as he woke up. josh was being a very good big brother and giving him tips and said he'd be sure he got to the right place. he freaked when he saw the bus. i'm so glad i got a picture! they yelled, jumped up and down, hugged, and ran for the bus. it was so cute. i heard josh introducing matt to the bus driver (and the rest of the bus) and asking if he could sit by him. i'm sure he'll be much nicer to him there than he is at home. well i hope! so both of the boys are off to school today. *sniff* at least lizzy is home this year so we're not lonely! oh, i still need to post about her first day, which was yesterday. :) sorry the pics are small jen, but these are really not good or interesting probably for anyone except my mom. :)

first day of school, kid #2

today was lizzy's first official day of homeschooling. yesterday we had a meeting with matt's teacher so we visited josh at lunch. many of the girls begged me to let lizzy come back to school and keep josh home because he's annoying! :) she was really happy to see her friends again. but she had a good first day today and had more fun than she thought she would. yesterday she was grilling me with silly questions about a bird in the yard, so today she interviewed said bird and wrote its life story in her journal (complete with names, its family tree, former jobs, very creative). she also helped at the store by using the calculator to add or multiply prices. her second day was fun too. in the picture, she was working on her multiplication tables with sprinkles before she decorated the cupcakes (during which we worked on reading, adding fractions, measuring ingredients). ignore her hair, it was a mess from the pool. uh yeah, we spent the day at the pool, okay? i'm sure

first day of school, kid #1

wahh! my little boy went off to third grade today. he looks way too big and independent. :( matt meets with his kindergarten teacher today and officially starts friday. ugh. and lizzy is staying home this year, so she officially starts tomorrow, or maybe today. though last night she added up cookies, subtracted them as we ate, and multiplied to see how many we ate, so we could say she's already started! :) oh how i love AND hate the first day of school!!

number 2, times 3!

all three of the kids got #2 this year for soccer/football. i can see some great photo opportunities in the future! these were just quick pics before team pictures today. (i know i need to lose the whole soy field, middle of nowhere background, but that's just where we are!) today we have church, a meeting, three sets of team pictures, and a pool party, it'll be a long one!!

Allen's home, back from the Appalachian Trail!

after four days, allen opted not to take the long way home and came home with the rest of the guys today! we're so glad to have him back too. even though the kids and i did extra fun things, stayed up late, slept in, and baked cookies and brownies, it's just boring without him here! :) they had another wonderful time on the trails enjoying God's awesome creation. no bears this time, but they did visit with some of the wild horses. i'm sure we'll hear many more stories after he's rested up. hopefully soon allen and i can take another short trip, maybe with matt and shannan! here are some of his pics...

Josh is a real football player!

i still can't believe that EIGHT year olds play full tackle football, but josh is beyond excited about his first year of tackle football. he loved flag football and learned a lot, but he just loves this season! he got his dad's #17 and is so proud to wear the same number. he comes home every day (yeah, every day practices, stop the madness!!) teaching matt and lizzy the new plays and terminology. he looks way too big (says his mommy)! :)

And they're off - to the Appalachian Trail!

the guys (14 of them) left today for the appalachian trail! they packed, prayed, then promptly locked the keys in one of the vans! :) fortunately pastor shawn is one of the backpackers and had a spare! after that funny delay, they set off, smelling good for the last time for quite a while! they'll be backpacking a section of the AT and most will return after 4 days with great stories and experiences. my allen on the other hand (who always craves more adventure) is going to continue his trip for an undetermined length of time! he's armed with a guidebook and cellphone (among the many other things in his 45 lb pack), to be used only when he's able to hike into a town to check in with us and say hi or ask for a ride home! we'll miss him, but we know he'll have a wonderful time in the wilderness! and yes, i did send him with a waterproof camera and a 2 gb sd card. so hopefully we'll share the pictures sometime soon, or not so soon! :)

Matt is SIX!!

matt is six years old now. so where better to celebrate his big birthday than the nolans?! they set up the hillbilly water slide and we had a blast! we also squeezed in a quick trip to kings island on wednesday and had a full day of fun! josh and lizzy were tall enough for the big rides and they were so brave! the beast, vortex, drop zone, they did it all!!! for that part, matt stayed behind (with the wonderful and lovely shannan) and played with maci in the waterpark, so he had a ball too! shannan posted some great pics on her flickr page here of kings island and our trip down. here are my pics (tho they're not as good!) :)