CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING

It's that most wonderful time of the year again and we are thinking of all our family and friends. This will be our first year since living in NC that we are having our Christmas day gathering solitos-only the Groves family. I am looking forward to a whole day of playing with toys, reading books and eating good food. Of course we will have to go outside and get freezing cold too, so we can come back inside, drink hot chocolate and watch a good movie.

Two weeks ago we made our first whirlwind trip to Washington D.C.. On Friday We went to the Capitol building and the Library of Congress and then spent the evening at the Washington D.C. temple visitors center. The kids loved the red, purple and gold lights, the nativities from around the world, and beautiful trees-and it reminded me of home and visiting Temple Square. Tyler and I got to go to the temple on Saturday, thanks to our wonderful friends who came with us. It is beautiful and I loved being surrounded by all things that remind me of Christ, especially to kick off the Christmas season.

Porter turned eight on Dec 17 and so not only are we looking forward to Christmas and New Years but to his Baptism. He will be baptized on Jan 1 at 6:30-and you are all invited:)What a great way to start the new year!

We love you all and our hearts are with you as we all remember Christ and the gifts he gives to us!

Last trip to the Beach

Well actually, it was our only trip to the beach this summer, but finally after living here for 6 years we have some pictures of our family at the beach. We went with our friends Richard and Tina, and we all had a great time. The weather was perfect, and the water was nice. It certainly was a needed get away. To top it off we went out for ice cream after- Yum!

Oh the heat we feel!

Summer is just hot here in NC. July has seemed a little cooler than June, but it is still humid, and hot. We seem to be spending a lot of time in a swimming pool, in our tomato patch, or in the house. Summer evenings are nice, and I am ever grateful for all of our mature trees. They keep our yard about 15 degrees cooler than other places.
The new baby chickens arrived about 2 weeks ago, and the kids are loving them. they moved outside today and I am so glad! There is nothing like having your kitchen smell like a hen house. Last night we went blueberry picking, and went to the branch swim party. The boys did their first jump from the bridge, and unfortunately we didn't have a camera. The Baldwins park their boat at the bridge, give the all clear sign to jump and then the kids jump swim over to their boat. It was certainly a highlight of the party. The girls spent the time in the pool, instead of on the river.
I've included some pictures of all the things we've been up to- Swim team, Princess Hannah, The Promised Land Pageant, our cool tomatoes, and hand feeding the chickens.

Testing, Testing 123

Last week we completed our end of grade tests, and officially finished our first year of home school. What a great year! We learned so much , read tons of books, made wonderful new friends, and developed talents and hobbies that we didn't know were in us. I must admit it is nice to be winding down and nicer to have the required standardized testing done, and done well. Aside from school the boys had horse riding lessons which they have loved, especially the trail rides. Hannah and Em love the horses too and are waiting to be old enough for their turn! We also had fun with 4H, scouts, piano and our Home school co-op.

The girls are gearing up to attend the Methodist Pre-school next year and both are very excited. Emily had to go to pre-school at 3 in order to keep her vision and mobility specialist, and we didn't want Hannah to miss out on the excitement so we applied for scholarships for the girls and were blessed to receive one for each girl.
We are going to fill our summer with swim team, The Promised land Pageant, a dance camp for Hannah, and a Scout camp for Marshal, and lots of time to play and read-. I'm sure we'll also fit in a trip to the beach as well as yard work, picking tomatoes, and raising a new batch of baby chicks!

Hopefully next year we will be posting exciting news of our summer plans to visit our family and friends in Utah!

Princess Party

The girls and I had a Princess Party one night when all the boys were gone. Hannah and Emily love being princesses-as well as cow girls, chicken chasing girls, and garden girls.

Hannah had recently gone to a Princess Party held for the girls at church, where they learned they were daughters of God and proper etiquitte, as well as a host of other things like good posture, smiling, and walking like a lady. She absolutely loved it and wanted to re-do it at home. She has already requested another one when the boys do Father and Son campout and she is so excited!

Happy Birthday Marshal!

Tomorrow, April 16, is Marshal's 10th birthday. I have never cried about a birthday before, but I just can't believe how fast time passes. And so here I sit typing with, yes, a few tears in my eyes. What a blessing Marshal is to our family!
I love you buddy and am so glad I am your mom. Happy Birthday!!

The Chicken Eggs

This is a video of our chicken eggs. By Marshal Groves, hope you enjoy.