Walden Pumpkin Farm

Thanks to Emily who watched Elizabeth again, I was able to go with Philip on his first School Field Trip! We headed via bus to Walden's Pumpkin Farm. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to hang out with my favorite Kindergartener and his new friends.

Philip and Ms. Roberson 

The Hermitage

This morning, I went with Jackson on his first field trip of the year. We traveled via bus to the Hermitage.  I have always loved historical homes and I was excited to share the story of the Hermitage with Jackson.

On the bus - here we go!

We enjoyed touring the home and hearing about Andrew Jackson, but since there were so many of us we didn't get to explore around the grounds as much as I would have liked. I guess that means a trip back to the Hermitage is in our future!

This was my crew for the morning
Jackson Braden Zion

Zion Braden and Jackson 

Bradon was happy to show off his map
The other two wanted to see the airplane flying overhead!

So much fun with my 2nd grader!

Frist Center

The boys were out of school today but Elizabeth's school was open. We dropped her off at 9:00 and set out to explore Nashville. I wanted to show the boys downtown & the Frist Center. 

Over the summer, Jackson had taken the City Bus on a field trip and really enjoyed it. Since Philip and I had not had that experience, we decided to leave our car at Elizabeth's school and hop on the bus heading downtown. 

We arrived at the Frist, bought my ticket (Kids are free!) and headed to the amazing, hands-on, kids area. We painted, made sculptures, and the boys even directed their own movie.We spent two hours exploring and creating in this amazing space! 

After watching their movies, we enjoyed lunch at the Frist cafe and headed back to pick up Elizabeth. It was such a fun outing! 

2015 FVAOH

What a nice, relaxing Family Vacation in K-town!

Jackson got to help with the cooking this year!

Happy 8th Birthday, Jackson!

I ask it every year, but every year I wonder - When did this happen? 

How did our baby get to be 8? Jackson is a beautiful, creative, smart leader. He loves his brother and sister and has become such a help at home. Since moving into his own room, he has amazed me by the way he likes order & cleanliness and the pride he takes in his possessions. He has become very responsible.

He still loves Legos. He has created a Lego City in the basement with all of the different sets he and Philip have collected.  His imagination has no limits. 

He loves to sing, dance and play music. He enjoys playing the Wii and collecting things. He has even started getting into magic!

I am so proud of this young boy and look forward to seeing what this year holds in store for him. 

Jackson Bender
Age 8
45 pounds
46 1/2 inches

Cousins' Reunion

I love the tradition Susan and Tim have started of a summer Cousins' Reunion! It is so much fun to gather around their beautiful pool with family. 

The little girls braved the high dive! 

Blueberry Pickin'

It has been several years since I have braved the heat with the kids to go blueberry picking, but this year seemed as good as any to bring the tradition back!

Mom and Emily were up for the adventure so we hiked up to Portland, TN for a morning of picking. 

Thankfully, it was cloudy so the heat wasn't unbearable. We enjoyed picking blueberries, blackberries, grapes and even peaches. Such fun!

These two ate more than they picked!! 

Mimi brought along Benjamin

Elizabeth, Benjamin, Philip, Leighton and Jackson
(Elizabeth spilled grapes on her and didn't want that showing in the picture)