The Summer Days of July

July was filled with travel for this family. We love to travel to visit friends and family and experience new things. The kids do well in the car as long as there are a lot of snacks and activities. Our new-to-us car didn't come with a DVD player, and we've managed fine so far, so audio books, music, coloring and school practice work are the favorite activities to pass the time. Ok, maybe school work isn't exactly a favorite, but it usually ends with a treat. An excursion during a pit stop is something we enjoy, too, if we can plan it right. Here are some pictures from our summertime shenanigans and tours. 


Sittin' on the doc of the bay (aka Intracoastal Waterway) at Uncle Skip and Aunt Barb's home in Southport, NC.

Baby Benaiah learning from an early age to travel. When Benaiah's birth mom was considering adoptive families, she really wanted to find one that traveled and valued education. We strive to make both a priority. 


My traveling partner, Poppy (aka my Dad), drove me and the 4 kids throughout the Carolinas to visit family. Here he is showing off his pool jumps to the kids.


We always enjoy seeing the dolphins and eating fresh seafood when we visit Southport. 


Our next stop was Hilton Head Island, SC to visit my Aunt Diane (my dad's other sibling) and her husband in their new home. 


Hilton Head is a lovely place, and when the baby refuses to sleep you get to enjoy mornings like this during a very early beach walk.


Our final stop was Charleston, SC where we visited my brother and his lovely (and expecting!) wife, Christina. We enjoyed their new home and because it rained most of our trip, we watched lots of old movies together like Singin' in the Rain and North by Northwest.


This was a rare moment. Benaiah is in a very clingy phase and for almost the entire trip would not let anyone else hold him but, guess who...momma. 


The kids enjoyed "Tribal Wars" during kids church during the month of July.


Mary-Michael and Addison - Sweet buddies enjoying a playdate without all the siblings!


Blueberry picking with Nonnie. We picked and ate about 10 pounds of blueberries! 


Geoff invited a few families over to celebrate my 36th birthday. I'm so thankful for many friends we get to do life with. 


Hello Forrest Gump! This crew of ladies took a trip down to Orlando, FL for a fabulous, faith-filled and challenging Christian women's conference. Here we are making a pit stop in GA. 


It was an incredible gift to have 4 days of girl time, and we packed it full with an evening in Disney Springs, a day at Sea World and a 2 day conference. 


Hello penguins! We rode the roller coasters and all the rides we could until our stomachs told a few of us that we were not 14 anymore. 


Peach picking in Crozet with Christian and the girls. It seems we had a fruitful month of picking between peaches and blueberries!


We enjoyed a bbq lunch with our total of 8 children between the 2 of us. Whew.


And our last trip in July took us to Tennessee. This is our 3rd annual summer trip with 2 other families (minus the dads who faithfully stay home to work and man the house). On the way we stopped to meet a friend at a park for a pitstop and trash clean-up. Other intentional pit stops included donating food to an organization providing free meals and summer food bags to kids in the community. And on our way home, our favorite pit stop was to a state-run nursing home where we guided the kids in handing out flowers to more than 50 residents. Simple things can bring great joy to both the giver and receiver. 


Boys will be boys. We packed 3 moms and 8 children in a 3 bedroom cabin at Norris Dam State Park in Rocky Top, TN. Leila decided to stay home and work with Daddy to earn money for her youth retreat, and to help him with set-up for At the Movies (an August event at our church). 


And girls will be girls. Here they put on a lovely rendition of Let it Go (the song that never seems to get old). 


Another night we enjoyed a glowstick worship night. Each family prepared a devotion and a dance to a song that went along with our theme for the trip, "A Light in the Wilderness."


Thank goodness I have crafty friends that can show my children some crafty things like tie dying t-shirts, making key rings, weaving with yarn and tree branches and making all sorts of things out of beads. 


These 3 mommas met several years ago at a park in King William. When Charissa's family moved to Mississippi, setting up an annual summer trip was our way of staying connected. We've made some wonderful memories and more than anything, we challenge and encourage one another in our walk with Jesus. 

 A very special group. 

Welcome August - a month with lots of resting, time at home and enjoying being back together as a family of 6.