A Campfire and Heavy Hearts

It's that time of year again.  The time of good-byes.  College girl returned to Ohio Saturday, taking a piece of our hearts with her (again).  The going away to college is not a one-time affair.  It is a series of leavings...at the beginning of the school year, after Christmas break, after Spring break.  Over and over.  Four years' worth. 
Actually, the joyous reunions that precede the sad leave-takings look very similar from the outside:
Siblings jockey for position in the "hug" line. 
Mom and Dad wait until last, savoring the moment, throats tight, eyes stinging with unshed tears. 
This year, the oldest son (now a college boy himself) had to work early and miss saying good-bye.  He left her a sweet note, and she reciprocated.  Mom and Dad had to swallow a lump. 
Touching.
Bittersweet.
Necessary.
They must grow up.  They must spread their wings. It is good, but it is hard.
Our new college boy is spending his first year at the local community college. 
Next year the leave-taking will be his.

"There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens..."  Ecc3:1

So, we say good-bye, and we say a prayer, and we try to remember this moment always as a reminder to cherish the time we have together.  
Here is how we decided to spend our time together Saturday evening.  The huge ledge outcropping in our back yard has a natural depression in it that makes a perfect fire pit.  It looks a little caveman-ish, but it is actually pretty neat. 

Please note the GRASS!  It came in nicely.

Grumpasaurus--no, they are not extinct!

And here are some bonus photos, taken by Sammy:

Easter Morning Fun

After being woken up much too early by our dear little ones, hubby gathered us all together upstairs to read the Easter story from Scripture. We discussed the amazement of the disciples on the way to Emmaus when the "interesting traveler" explained to them the Scriptures regarding the Messiah, their recognizing him in the breaking of the bread, and their excitement which led them to walk the 7 miles back to Jerusalem after just traveling that 7 miles. Sammy assured us that he would have done the same thing!:-) Not to mention the wonder and awe (and even fear) the apostles experienced when the man they saw crucified suddenly appeared before them very much alive! What a story!
The kids were very diligent about not using the word "Alleluia" during Lent and would remind anyone (mostly me) who forgot that it was a banned word. So, I hid the "Alleluia" for them to find after we finished reading the Scriptures. Then we descended the stairs singing Alleluia! It was a joyful noise!

Our Easter Altar:
Our new Paschal Candle:We placed the "Alleluia" on our Easter altar and the egg hunt began! They love this and do not seem to tire of searching for eggs. They will re-hide them for each other during the day also. It made my heart happy to see my big 17 year old boy still want to be part of the egg hunt:) Very much a man-boy moment. Here's everyone looking for that last egg:

We finished the day with a cook-out (yup! a cook-out on April 4th in New Hampshire!!! The weather has been phenomenal!) at Scott's parents' house, where the kids had another Easter egg hunt (outside!) and the dads played wiffle ball with the kids (outside!). We also had cake and pie for a reluctant birthday boy, my husband, whose birthday is today. It was a lovely day.

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Happiness is...

Having your crazy, fun-loving college-going sister home for the holidays.

Especially if she is more than willing to dance with you and show you the latest moves.

Or make a Gingerbread house with you.

They've been staying pretty close to her these past two days. She doesn't seem to mind that arrangement too much;) These are sweet family times, indeed, when all of my children are under the same roof.

Sweet times at Lake Sunapee

I decided that today we would do something fun--no planning, no big ordeal, spontaneous and simple! Friends, Jan and Kayla (a.k.a. KayKay) joined us at Lake Sunapee and it was great. Beautiful weather, good friends, warm water (yes, Lake Sunapee was actually warm!) Spontaneous is fun!

Visit to Quechee Gorge

We decided to take a trip to Quechee, VT this afternoon. The younger kids hadn't seen Quechee Gorge yet. It is an impressive 165 ft. gorge. I could not take pictures from the bridge down into the gorge because...well...I was scared! My legs felt like jelly! So, I convinced my family to quickly get off the bridge and we walked the trail down into the gorge. At the bottom, there are rocks people can walk out on and wade or swim in the river. It's very pretty. Dad took the kids out on the rocks to play in the water. My footwear, while pretty and new, was not suitable for climbing on rocks, so, I stayed up on a bench and took pictures of them...thank goodness for 15X zoom!! Soccer boy stayed on the bench also, so he could save his energy for his soccer game later in the afternoon. Fashionista daughter was wearing even LESS sensible shoes than I, but she did manage to navigate her way over the rocks without breaking an ankle. There is actually a railroad bridge that was first built in the 1800's (late, I think) and a guided tour which would make a great homeschool field trip!!! Maybe in the fall, nice foliage, cooler weather.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Oh the glories of strawberry picking time!!! We took advantage of the sun this morning to make our annual trek to the farm (where I worked summers as a teen!!) to load up on the lucious red berries. I love how their sweet aroma fills the kitchen!




It must be the year of the mutant strawberry...there were tons of misshapen fruits...
Then the boys found this one (center and bottom) that they dubbed, "The Behemoth."
After a bit more picking (and throwing berries at each other *ahem*) we headed for home. Now to get them cleaned and cut up.....