A Perfect Fall Day

Today I spent a perfect fall day with my precious son, Parker-Daniil. Our local outdoor outfitter, Alabama Outdoors hosted a kid's climbing class at Tishomingo State Park just over the line from us in Mississippi. The temperatures were perfect in the low 80's. We crossed over the swinging bridge from the parking area and hiked about 1/2 mile to a limestone bluff with just the right amount of hand and toe holds. At first Parker-Daniil struggled with the fear of falling, but he soon learned to trust the instructor that was acting as his belayer (I think that is the correct term?). Up the wall he scrambled just like a spider monkey. He even thanked me for all the laps I made him run this last week for not following instructions! ;-)



After the climbing class was over we changed into our water shoes and Parker-Daniil into his swimsuit and we headed to nearby Bear Creek. We had so much fun playing in the water and soaking up the warm sunshine. It was very refreshing for Parker-Daniil after the hard work of scaling that rock wall about a billion times.



"Finally! Nice cool water," he said. I didn't climb, so I wasn't so hot. Parker-Daniil insisted that he was burning up and needed to cool off. He doesn't look hot to me! He is a funny boy who loves to get a laugh and that is exactly what he was doing. I told him to wade out in that water and lay down if he was so hot.

He told me he was going to dive in! I suggested that the water was a bit shallow for that and he might bump his poor little head. So instead he sat down and gave me this silly grin:
We had such a wonderful time skipping rocks and splashing one another. I am so glad I took this day away, just me and my son!

Home at Last

Yesterday I was finally able to spend the entire day at home. How I treasure those days when this is possible. It can be restful and productive all at the same time. Jessica went to the bus stop to meet Ethan's bus, so I didn't even have to get out for that. What a blessing it has been to have her home again.

Homeschooling with a toddler has been a challenge. I had forgotten what it was like when Parker-Daniil was toddler and trying to get school work done. Now we will relearn this skill with Tyler. Jessica has been an enormous help with him. We try to get math done while he is taking his nap. Yesterday we were able to focus on some problem areas that had shown themselves in Parker-Daniil's math.

Emily is delving into Alabama History this year. Yesterday she was mapping the different geographical features of our fair state. It took some time and internet research to find the right website for the information that she needed. I love learning new things with my children.

After Jessica got back with Ethan from the bus stop I took all three boys up to the front yard to play. They all three had a great time rolling down the hill in the grass and chasing each other around. It is so fun to watch them play together. While the older two were climbing the mimosa tree, Tyler took the opportunity to do some exploring. He met the original Oakie the Oak Tree that lives in our yard. We have watched this tree grow from a tiny seedling.

That's enough for today, I'll write more another time...

Happy First Birthday Tyler!

Introducing: Tyler Wayne Jackson on his first birthday
Tyler is the son of Troy and Audrey Jackson. Audrey is my brother's daughter and we have the privilege of providing day care for Troy and Audrey's children. Tuesday, September 18th was Tyler's first birthday. We had lots of fun with him on his new swing and playing outside. Here is a picture of him on his new swing:

That is his mommy bent down in front of him and Uncle Jessie is behind the swing and yes, that is me in all blue over to the side. He enjoyed his swing for a while and then watched Parker-Daniil feed the animals. Tyler especially enjoyed watching the chickens and ducks eat. He stood outside the fence saying "bock, bock, bock" just like his mommy taught him.

After morning chores we had a wonderful breakfast of belgium waffles with strawberry topping. Tyler loved it! He mostly picked the strawberries out of the waffles, but he ate very well after all that time running around the yard. He kept picking up rocks and banging them together. Great fun for a one year old. After breakfast he opened his gifts and played outside. Then, it was definitely naptime.

Jessica stayed at home with Tyler during naptime and I took Emily to her biology lab. Today her class dissected earthworms. She learned some very interesting facts about the amazing creative abilities of God, but she still doesn't understand why she needs to take this lab. Apparently this mommy isn't creative enough when I give her reasons for taking this lab and learning this information.

Jessie worked with Parker-Daniil on his Geography while I was gone. I think it gave them some very good time together. He doesn't get time to do this very often so I love to take advantage of it when he does. Jessie has a different perspective than I do and sometimes it is just what Parker-Daniil needs to get past a learning block.

The biology lab ran a bit later than usual for Emily so I had to leave her there to meet Ethan's school bus. Ethan is Tyler's big brother. After I got Ethan we went back to town to meet Emily. Ethan was thrilled to make the trip with me because he got to see Laikyn and he got a kid's meal from Wendy's; what a treat!

Fall is beginning to make its presence felt here at Crooked Pines Farm. The Orb Weaver Spiders are nightly building their amazing webs. One night this week Emily walked right into a web that stretched from the camper to a tree across the driveway. Jessica heard her screeching all the way down at the house. Those webs are huge!

Egg production has been quite slow for the last six weeks. I attribute it to the extremely hot weather and drought that we have been experiencing. Our chickens have really been miserable. We are hoping that the cooler temperatures and the recent rains will bring with it a return to normal egg production; Henny Penny certainly seems happier.

Enough for now...

Woodismom

Meet Woodismom...
This is me at my in-laws 50th anniversary party. When I was looking for a picture to post I realized that there aren't that many to choose from. I don't like the way I photograph, so I frequently hide from the camera. I much prefer to be behind the camera photographing others. I guess that will have to change. I really like Shelley's photo on her blog http://livinglovingandlearning.typepad.com/

So yes, it is 6:15am and I am already up and dressed. Today is the food pickup for the Florence Food Buying Club and I must be in Florence by 7am to meet the truck. I really can't believe that I am up and active at this time of the morning either; believe me, it is not by choice. I actually woke up around 4:45am and could get back to sleep. I thought about that great blog titled 4:45 a.m. you should check it out. Oops! I just checked it out and it is 4:53 a.m. so anyway... here's the link: http://fourfiftythree.blogspot.com
Gotta run! Have a great day...

Bridal Shower and Fall Weather

Today is the first day of the rest of my blog! Welcome to the first posting for Crooked Pines Farm. Collectively we are The Woodis Bunch, but let me start by introducing myself. I am Mary, wife of my beloved husband Jessie. Together we have the privilege of parenting three beautiful children. Jessica is our eldest. She is 19 years old. Emily is our middle child and she will be 17 years old on Friday. Last of the bunch is Parker-Daniil. He is 11 years old. In future posts I will introduce each one of us more fully so that you can get to know our family.

We make our home on an 8-acre mini-farm in northwest Alabama. We care for chickens, goats, bunnies, dogs, cats, ducks and a wonderful old horse who goes by the name of Charlie Brown. Our farm is mostly in forest with between 2-3 acres open. We live in an eastern red cedar log cabin. We stacked the logs for this cabin in 2003 and I believe it will forever be under construction; at least the inside will! If you would be interested in the construction pictures please visit our web page at:
www.crookedpinespublishing.com

Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting a bridal shower for Jessica's best friend and a girl who is like a daughter to me Kimberly Michel. Our theme was a Victorian tea and we had a wonderful time. We had lots of help with the food and decorations and many hands made light work.
A dear friend, Diane Fristoe of Full Circle Midwifery
came to help with the decorations. Kimberly chose pink and green as her colors for the shower and it made for a beautiful palette. We used pink tulle with fresh flowers, pearls, candles and pink iridescent heart shaped sprinkles on the tables. Our homeschool group, Creekside Academy, gifted Kimberly with a bridal rose tea set.

The menu for the shower was well rounded by all accounts. We served chicken salad sandwiches, ribbon salad, no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies and maple leaf-shaped cookies, spinach dip and crackers, hot tea (Irish breakfast, Peppermint, and Orange Moroccan Spice), and a delicious punch with fresh daisies floating in it. The candles reflected sparkling light on the clear, cut-glass plates and it made for a beautiful environment. We also had classical music playing in the background to please our guests.

The day was made even more pleasant by the beautiful fall weather that has descended on north Alabama. Gone are the high humidity levels and sultry temperatures. The sky was a clear robin's egg blue and there was a nice breeze blowing. The temperatures hovered in the mid to upper 70's all day. It made for a perfect day.