Charlotte

Six months!!! Its been six months since I've updated this blog. I guess having three little ones has kept me busy. ;) I'll try to catch up and fill in the gaps with Christmas pictures and things soon. Today though I just want to get some pictures up from our morning downtown. I am LOVING Charlotte!!! There is so much to do and see and we've not even scratched the surface. Trader Joe's health food store is just down the road and it appears to be the "Aldi" of the health food world. I think we might be able to eat organic most of the time now.....at least it will be a regular stop on my errands route. We've also explored IKEA....several times. LOL, its been fun setting up a new house. Our apartment is so near everything. Rebecca is currently nagging me to take them to the swimming pool and although the sight of it from here is tempting, I'm afraid its just a bit cool for the boys. All in good time. We're just about done unpacking and settling in, I'm going to save hanging pictures for Monday. Aaron starts his new job and I want him to come home to something new done to the house and a decent dinner. So this morning we scouted out the regional farmers market. I cannot wait for next Satruday. I'll be going down with a cooler and shopping list. I saw grass fed beef and pork, msg free sausage, nitrate/nitrite free deli meats, free range eggs, cheeses, fresh caught seafood, and of course produce. Two big barns full of food stuffs, a barn full of crafts, and another just for plants! Then we drove to the nearest transit station and hopped aboard the Lynx. Levi and Isaiah were beyond thrilled to be on a "train". Levi sat in the front row nearest the driver, a great seat for watching us fly down the tracks. I can't wait for the north leg of the system to finish in 2017. That will bring the rail right up to this area of town. Downtown we saw bicycle vending, healthy food/ natural food eateries, and the most amazing children's library I've ever seen. The library also houses a couple theaters where they do various kids productions. I saw that back in December they did Miracle on 34th street. Right now the show is "The Reluctant Dragon", its runs through May 4, so I hope to get the kids down there to see it in the next couple weeks. There was a lot more to discover in the 7th street area, but we got tired and hungry. I wore Isaiah and toting his 23.5 pound little self all over was a workout. We headed back one stop to eat at Moe's, one of our favorites. When we got off and headed towards the sign we found ourselves in an outdoor mall, four stories of shopping, and dining, along with a HUGE CVS. I guess they tailor to the urban lifestyle because they carried much more than your usual CVS pharmacy. Lots of cool apartments line the south end of the light rail and I kept thinking of friends and family who would love living in the heart of it all. (Sarah & Maryann, wink, wink)
Going to let the pictures do the talking now, but I'll be sure to post more as we explore further.

 Visiting Grandpa Briel before leaving Evansville.

 We got a big truck! It was full too!

 Levi rode in the big yellow truck with dad the whole way.

 Becca took a turn too.

 Downtown....so much stuff to see and do!

 Loved this Market....like a healthy food court plus farmers market, indoors.

 Bike rentals.

 Cool art.

 Best . Library. Ever.

 Sitll the library.

 Big "book" to turn pages and perform plays.....costumes were off to the side.

 Healthy vending machine....yes!

 Still the library.

 Outside mall thingy.

One last shot of the library. I can't wait to bring the kids back here.

Pond Life

This week we took a day off from "school" to spend a day studying nature. We hiked, collected leaves, caught tiny minnows, waded in the pond, did leaf rubbings, and had a picnic lunch. I think we're going to go again next week and the week after. Its so much fun to watch the changing of the trees during this season. This week was probably the last one warm enough for wading, so next week we can concentrate more on the trees along the trail.

 Wonder what lives in that hole....

 turtle, crayfish, snake???

 Checking out the minnows.

 Levi shed his jeans to go wading.

 Trying to catch his own minnows.

 He lost his shirt and diaper along the way too. Call me a horrible mother, but I enjoyed watching his innocent delight in running naked in the sun by the pond. I think its sad how seldom kids get these opportunities in this day and age!

 A couple pics to show off baby's chub rolls....he's getting so big!

Apples, Airplanes, & Autumn

A quick update here on my busy little crew. School this year is going well so far, it's been getting real, very real! When you think you have all the answers try teaching a six year old to read....no the word "you" doesn't follow any of the rules! A shout out to my mom and mother-in-law, this was no small or easy thing you did, thanks! A couple weeks back we had one of those perfect fall weekends, when the sky is just the right blue and the air is just crisp enough. My grandparents were here and we spent a fun Saturday in Owensboro going to the orchard, playing at the park on the river, and watching the air show. I've got a new hobby recently too! Soap making, as well as learning about herbal medicine and essential oils. Lots of fun and so much to learn!

Reid's Orchard

 We asked for a big smile....we got one!

 My little pumpkin.

 Airplanes!

 Seven months and almost five teeth! He's really trying to crawl, but so far only reverse is working.

Our finished tree for all seasons.

 Pumpkin and orange spice soap with oatmeal.

 She butter and Crisco soaps

Workin' man.