Father’s Day Crafts & Our Trip to Jesup 2015 July 17, 2015

Hello dear ones! This past Father’s Day we visited our hometown and everyone got to meet the new baby. Leeland and Michael also made homemade crafts for Chris. It was a special Father’s Day. Here’s what we did:

I printed out a Father’s Day poem from here:

Then I put the boys’ foot prints on it. I also printed out a Darth Vader poster.

I helped the boys make Father’s Day books.

I stapled Daddy surveys to the back of the books. Here’s the link:

So we visited our hometown and saw our families. We saw Chris’ dad…

and we visited where my Dad is buried.

We visited my Granny.

My family didn’t want to let Leeland go.

Granny

My Uncle

My Aunt

My other grandparents

I loved playing with this Chess set as a kid.

Chris’ mom playing with Leeland

Chris’ older brother and Michael trying out his 3D plastic making pen.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Albany, Ga May 2015 July 1, 2015

Hello dear ones! My family took a trip to Albany, Ga and had a blast at the Flint River Aquarium, Ray Charles Plaza, and Turtle Park. We also saw Art Park and had ice cream at Cool Scoops. Albany has all the bells and whistles of a big city but with small town charm. Let me show you!

Albany is a hidden gem. We originally went for the Flint River Aquarium but when we got there we discovered a whole lot more. One day I hope to go back to fully explore the area. Here’s what we found:

• The Flint River Aquarium~ We really enjoyed it here. It’s not as big as the Atlanta aquarium, but it’s not as crowded either. There was plenty to see and interact with.

• The Turtle Park~ A giant turtle, xylophones, and an awesome playground! What more could you ask for?

• The Art Park~ Art Park was sadly closed when we got there. We were able to look inside though. The park is a groovy place where graffiti is legal. Seriously, they encourage you to spray paint the walls! There’s some great works of art in the park. I can’t wait to go back to explore and to add my own painting.

• Ray Charles Plaza~ This memorial to the late Ray Charles is brilliant. It’s a fountain with his statue on top. You can hear Ray’s greatest tunes coming from the speaker. Piano keys surround him and there’s also raised keys on the sidewalk. It’s like walking on a giant piano! You can sit on an eighth note, and there’s a mural of the treble clef. Every musician should see this place!

• Cool Scoops~ Not far from all of this is a nifty little ice cream shop. The service is great and the people are super friendly.

Have you ever been to Albany? What’s your favorite attraction? God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

The Columbus River Walk and Heritage Park June 23, 2015

Hello dear ones! Columbus Ga has a beautiful River walk. There are historical sites in downtown right above the River Walk. Our family (including my mom and stepdad) explored the area including Heritage Park. Enjoy the pics!

Columbus, Ga was a center during the Civil War. There are cannons and other neat historic markers on the sidewalk above the River Walk.

Then you can take the stairs or a ramp down to the actual River Walk. It’s a great place to ride bikes, and there are a couple amphitheaters. We had a preacher invite us to church at the outdoor amphitheater. Sadly, we didn’t get to go.

 

Michael finally got better at his bike this year. So we let him ride along the River Walk.

Here’s me carrying Leeland.

 

After, we walked across the road to the Heritage Park. It’s near the Columbus Coca Cola Space and Science Center. There’s a replica of Columbus’ dam and several statues honoring Columbus’ different industry workers.

Coca Cola

Textiles

Iron works

River Boat

I think this is a doctor.

This looks like a farmer.

Family pics

A flower in Papa’s memory (my dad)

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Advent 2014 & Christmas Decor December 26, 2014

Hello dear ones! Here’s our Advent list and Jesse tree devotions for this year. Enjoy and may you be inspired!

We kept our Advent activities in the Advent Christmas tree. I got it at Michael’s craft store and my son Michael painted it. Each day Michael opened a drawer to read the activity.

Jesse Tree, devotions by Ann Voskamp, and Advent wreathe. We read the devotions each night and Michael would put an ornament on the Jesse tree.

We also did this names of Jesus chain. We read a verse and one of Jesus’ names. Then Michael would write someone to pray for on the back. Each night our chain got longer. Links for printables at the end.

First off, this year wasn’t nearly as busy as last year. Some of the activities on our Advent list we never got to but that’s okay. If peace means skipping an activity then it’s worth it. Advent should not bring stress. It is a time to remember Christ’ birth and to look forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Last year was a bit hectic but we did have fun. Here’s the link for last year:

Advent Week 1

There are 4 posts but the rest of them are at the end of the first post. So you can hop to each one. We had some nifty parties for the Grinch and the Nutcracker. We also did some fun random acts of kindness.
This year we repeated a few activities and added some new ones. I’m just doing one post this year. Here we go!

Advent 2014

1. Leeland’s ultrasound, Christmas shopping, and watch a movie.
Our precious miracle

2. Read “The Gift of the Christmas Cookies” & make cookies.

You can find a detailed post on the Christmas books we read this year here:

Six Inspirational Christmas Books with Activities

3. Decorate Chris’ office, give out cookies, & fill a shoebox online.

4. Nativity play at group.

I did a whole post on this here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/jesus-our-precious-gift-an-interactive-christmas-drama-2014/

5. Broadway Holiday (take canned goods) & make cornstarch ornaments.

Fake snow

6. Decorate a gingerbread house & sew primitive ornaments.

We never made the primitive ornaments but Chris and Michael did put together this gingerbread house kit.

Also, Chris and I had a date night. Details here:

Christmas Date Ingredients

7. Army band concert and donate to World Vision, VOM, & Valley Rescue.

We didn’t make it to the concert because Michael felt under the weather.

8. Read “The Legend of the Christmas Tree”, make tree crafts, & watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

9. Read “The Message of the Birds”, take a winter walk, & do bird crafts.

10. Watch Frosty, have a snowman ice cream sundae, & do snowman crafts.

mason jar snowglobe~ it was hard to get a good picture.

tea light snowman ornament

11. Group book club, drink mistletoe cider, and watch The Christmas Box.

We didn’t make it to our group because Michael still had the sniffles.

The Christmas Box is one of my favorite stories. My Dad read it to me one Christmas. It’s about a busy father who realizes he’s missing out on his daughter’s childhood. We got the movie this year on a dvd with other Christmas movies. I’ve read the book to my family once and will hopefully do that again some day.

12. Read “The Candy Maker’s Gift”, make candy cane crafts, & eat candy cane treats.

13. Christmas parade & movie marathon.
We didn’t make it to the parade. We intend to each year but usually don’t. Ah, it’s too cold anyways! Chris and I did make it to our Sunday School Christmas party. We played the white elephant game and that was fun. Here’s me and my buddy Carrie.

14. Christmas kid’s choir at church.
Well, after a busy weekend and a full morning at church we decided to stay home that night. I did go with the guys to the archery place after lunch. I had promised Chris that I’d go some day.

I shot once and…

found, archery is not my cup of tea. I broke the arrow. I came, I saw, and…next time I’ll stay home. At least there was a nice recliner.

15. Read “The Lil Match Girl”, make luminaries.

16. Fantasy in Lights.

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens is a spectacular drive thru light show with over 8 million lights! The last time I rode through was when I was pregnant with Michael and Chris was in Iraq. So it was neat this year to take the guys to this AND to be pregnant again!

We stopped in the Christmas village for some hot chocolate and treats.

17. Watch The Hobbit, have Christmas treats at bookstore, & visit the Pet store.

I didn’t get any pics for this. Michael got some Christmas money from grandparents and used it to buy himself a book. We took a quick trip to the pet store before going to the movies. Maybe I will write a review on the third Hobbit movie…

18. Scholars Christmas party and bookswap.

Hannah reading to the kids.

 

Chris holding Miriam, Hannah’s baby.

 

23 weeks

19. Watch Seasons of the Heart, Make paper Holly garland and mini paper angels.

Mom & Michael

20. Christmas recital & give gifts to Nana & Grandad.
Michael played “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

I played a few sing along tunes for fun.

Gifts with Nana and Grandad

21. Instrumental Christmas program.

Our church has a large orchestra.

22. Read “The Christmas Owl” and do owl crafts.

We read the book but didn’t do any crafts. So instead here are some pictures of my lil snowman! 🙂

23. Read “Mortimer the Christmas Mouse”.

I let Michael start nibbling on his gingerbread house since Mortimer the mouse lived in one.

24. Christmas Eve, Read/watch The Nativity Story, living room camp out, & family games.

We set up a big manger scene.

Chris preparing the chicken. We also had leftovers from Thanksgiving.

Family game time

We each opened one gift.

Okay this was staged lol. They were not actually asleep ;). We all ended up in bed because my lil dog has a gas problem….sigh.

25. Christmas Day! Holiday breakfast & funny movie marathon.
It’s almost time!

Michael has been playing his harmonica all day, that Aunt Jenn got him.

I think he likes our present :).

Stocking time! (Annabelle)

 

Tessa

 

Chester

Annabelle…not cooperating.

The guys putting together a transformer and then…

the big Lego set. It took awhile.

But it was worth it.

Christmas decor etc…

So I was going to make this part a whole ‘nuther post but decided to keep this simple and put it all into one. It’s kind of late to show all our Christmas prep but what the heck.

Lights on the house

Outside the door…

Painting the Advent tree

Stockings are hung…

Christmas village on the piano

Christmas tree and Nutcracker forest

Chester modeling in his box

New Christmas bedding. Yaaa!

Chester…doing finances?

Tree chain on the homeschool room door

Michael likes to decorate his bedroom too.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! Merry Christmas! ~Amber Dover

Links:

Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) 2014 October 28, 2014

Hello dear ones! This is our 7th year celebrating Sukkot. Usually we go camping but pregnancy and other circumstances changed our plans. We did however continue our pottery tradition, learn about some neat birds, and enjoy a small town Harvest Hoedown.

I’ve got a couple of links to update you on this holiday and our family traditions.

• Here’s info on what the holiday celebrates and Sukkot pictures going back to when Michael was itty bitty:
  https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/my-family-rocks-sunday-sukkot-the-feast-of-tabernacles/
• Last year’s Sukkot celebrations at Enota Campground and the Dahlonega Gold Mines. Also a short trip to Helen, Ga:  https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/my-family-rocks-sunday-sukkot-at-enota-dahlonega-gold-mines/
• Our trip to the pottery store last year and a look at how it all works:                   https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/crafty-monday-part-1-ancient-egypt/
• A look at last year’s pottery when it was finished and also a picture of all our Sukkot pottery together (minus this year): https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/crafty-monday-ancient-israel-and-her-neighbors/

Autumn is a very special time for our family. I go to town with the decorating because it’s my favorite season. Sukkot (a Biblical harvest celebration) is one of my favorite holidays. We usually go camping since Sukkot means feast of booths/tents basically. We also take a trip to the pottery store and paint harvest themed pottery. This year I did a bowl with owls on it. Since I’m pregnant I added an egg for “the year of the baby”. Michael painted a small owl. We spend hours at the shop and we have to wait a week to pick up the finished product. Here’s pictures of our pottery in the works.

I was thrilled to be able to celebrate Sukkot this year. Morning sickness ruined any chance I had at celebrating Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Talk Like a Pirate Day (I like holidays). I knew I wouldn’t be able to tent camp though. So I booked a cabin at Roosevelt State Park. Unfortunately, when we got there we couldn’t stay. A water line had burst and the management booked us a room at Callaway Inn instead. We were a bit disappointed. I had cooked a lot of food and most of it went to waste. We couldn’t play the guitar and the t.v. was a distraction we wouldn’t have had in the cabin. There was no camping about it. But we did however get into Callaway Gardens for free and we still got to see Roosevelt State Park.

Pic: The view from Roosevelt State Park on Pine Mountain.

We did make a leaf chain to decorate our “sukkah”, which was a hotel room. It didn’t have the same feel at all but Michael got to have fun collecting leaves atleast.

We had a big breakfast at the Inn restaurant. We hadn’t budgeted to eat out but it was nice to eat well. We visited Callaway Gardens which was right by the Inn. We’ve been to Callaway many times but we’ve never seen their Birds of Prey program until now. It was great to see an owl, a hawk, and a vulture in person. Okay, the vulture wasn’t that glamorous. I learned about the benefits of vultures but I did not enjoy the thing flying so close over my head. Here’s a pic of my favorite critter: the owl.

We took a walk in the vegetable garden. It’s a great place to take photos. Here are my favorites.

So it wasn’t camping and we did end up watching a lot of HGTV (we don’t have cable at home), but we did do our devotional and learn about the harvest. The day we left we caught a small town harvest hoedown in Warm Springs, Ga. We found our pumpkin for the year (another Sukkot tradition). You’ll see pictures of it in another post when the guys carved it. Warm Springs is such a charming town. The festival was small but quaint. We walked away with home cooked barbeque and some delicious funnel cake. Here are my favorite pictures.

Balloon animals!

Country music while we chomped down on boiled peanuts

Michael decorating a small pumpkin

We didn’t get to have our s’mores and hotdogs until we got home that night. We’ve got a fire pit in the backyard so it worked out.

The best laid plans don’t always work out but you can still have fun if you’re flexible. Our Sukkot celebrations are usually not by the book and this year they weren’t for sure. But it’s important to get to the heart of any holiday. The Israelites lived in tents in the desert. They faced all kinds of hardship and unexpected events. Our plans didn’t work out and we had to stay in a dwelling that wasn’t what we wanted. Our sukkah was a hotel room but it still wasn’t home. It’s a reminder as believers that the Earth is a temporary dwelling. Our true home is in Heaven. For now we are pilgrims and this world is our wilderness. It’s a crazy journey with surprises around each corner. But the Lord Jesus dwells with us and reminds us that home isn’t that far.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Enjoy these festive pics of our cat Chester (Winchester).

Independence Day Crafts & Fun 2014 July 23, 2014

Hello dear ones! I hope you are well. I want to show you the crafts we did this year for the 4th of July.

In 2012 we made fireworks in a jar, Independence candles using salt and food coloring, and we decorated a t-shirt. I also painted Michael’s face before we saw fireworks. There’s also a short lapbook. Link here:

Crafty Monday: Independence Day crafts (the 4th of July)

2013 we celebrated our first Family Olympics. Link here:

My Family Rocks! Sunday: 2013 Family Olympics

This year…

• I made a Summer wreathe out of red, white, and blue flip flops and a bow. I got it all at the Dollar Tree.
• The wreathe goes perfect with the patriotic flip flop welcome mat, I made a couple of years ago.
• Michael made a flag out of popsicle sticks.
• Michael did another Independence Day lapbook.
• Flip flops are a theme in my house, this Summer. I’ve also been making Summery paper chains. Usually I put flowers on the wall but I didn’t have any Summer flowers, so I improvised. The chains are whimsical. I’m a kid at heart.
• We took a trip to the Infantry Museum for good food and entertainment.
• We got pictures with Captain America and other super heroes.
• Then we went to see Captain America 2 at the dollar theater.
• We ended the night with fireworks and glowsticks. We sat on top of the Jeep again.

One day, I hope to get to the beach for fireworks. I grew up about 30 minutes from the beach. So as a kid, my Mom and I often went to St. Simon’s or Jekyll Island for fireworks. Usually we’d grab some boiled peanuts and find a playground to have fun on. We’d stay on the beach until the tide pushed us up on the rocks. I remember the taste of sea salt in my soda. The traffic was always horrible leaving the island, but I’m glad my Mom put up with it. My Mom was always open to adventure. I hope I’m like her.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Colonial Road Trip Part 4b: Washington, D.C. Monuments June 7, 2014

Hello dear ones!

Well, this is the last post in my colonial road trip series. The pictures really speak for themselves. We saw a lot of neat monuments. I have them labeled in the picture. My favorite monument was the Lincoln Memorial. It was very inspiring. We spent the whole second day walking to the museums and monuments. We had lunch in a museum that faced the Washington Monument. It was awesome to be able to look at it while eating lunch. Everything shuts down at about five. We missed an art museum because they stopped letting people in 30 minutes before they closed. We wandered through an outdoor art exhibit. It was like a park with weird sculptures etc. We happened upon a glass restaurant by an outdoor ice skating rink. It was fun to ice skate under the moonlight in the city. The snow was still everywhere. It was beautiful. We took the moment and just indulged. We had dessert in the glass restaurant and then went ice skating. Michael did good for his first time.

So our plans didn’t always work out. We had to be flexible. God taught me a lot about flexibility on that trip. I had to face my traffic fears as well (since the wreck).  The trip went really well even though it was different than our plans. I’m so glad I had those moments with my family. 🙂 Enjoy the pics below.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Colonial Road Trip Part 4a: 

Colonial Road Trip Part 4a: Washington, D.C. Museums

Colonial Road Trip Part 4a: Washington, D.C. Museums June 6, 2014

Dear ones, welcome to the first part of the last stop on our colonial road trip: Washington, D.C.  The picture collage says it all. You can see what we saw in the Smithsonian museums that we visited. We actually only visited one museum the first day in D.C. So you’re seeing two days worth of museums. Our first day in D.C. did not go as planned. We had no clue how long it would take to ride the metro. Then everything shut down shortly after we arrived. We couldn’t find a bathroom or anything so we just rode the metro back to the station. We had to wait a long time for the hotel shuttle to pick us up. We were freezing. Did I mention that there had just been a winter storm? Yes, that’s why there was snow everywhere!

So…D.C. was a culture shock for this country bumpkin. The houses are so close together. Everything is crowded. The hotel was nice but small. It was like a sardine can compared to the Southern hotels we had stayed in. The shuttle driver drove so close to other cars that I about had a panic attack. Remember, this trip was shortly after my bad wreck. Let’s just say that I had some major traffic anxiety on this trip. When we got to the metro station for the first time, Chris and I just stared at each other and then back at the Metro. We were obviously so clueless and obviously not from around there (Chris was wearing his old army jacket and looking very…ummm not like a city person), that a Metro lady practically took us by the hand and showed us how to use the metro. We forgot half of what she said when we got back. We didn’t realize that we needed to pay an extra dollar to leave. She chided us for forgetting and just let us through. I was afraid we’d never leave the metro!

It was strange because everyone was in their own world. In the south people usually talk..even if it’s useless chit chat. But most people on the metro were wearing headphones or reading papers. My son wanted to stand up with his Dad. Michael was the only one talking for awhile. It was strange. I was also worried that the Metro would stop suddenly (like it does) and pitch Michael to the floor. It’s like a game. You see who can jump through the metro door before it speeds away and chops you in half.  Anywho, we finally grasped the workings of the Metro, on the second day. Then it was time to leave! 😛 So it goes…

We saw some neat things in the museums. It was neat to see real mummies. If you remember, we studied Egypt at the beginning of the year. Michael was terrified of mummies but I think seeing a real mummy took away his fears. He realized they’re dead and can’t hurt him. What amazed me about the city, was the vastness of it and the diversity of people. We heard three different languages all in one place. I also realized that the culture and atmosphere of the Metro changed depending on where we stopped. There were business men and poor people all riding together. That was unusual. Where we’re from, mainly poorer people ride the bus. It was eye opening to see such a melting pot.

That night, we  were hungry and cold. Our food supply had dwindled and some of it had went bad. I was upset with how much we had to throw out. So our plan for a cheap vacation went out the window. We ended up eating out. I actually had a Thanksgiving meal (turkey and mashed potatoes) at an Italian restaurant. It was strange. It was a fancy restaurant except that they sold drinks from a freezer. Yeah, it was a strange blend. The next day we ate out too. After eating peanutbutter sandwiches for days, we just had to give in. It would’ve been too hard to carry all our food with us on the Metro and then as we walked all over D.C.  Yeah, you know what they say about the best laid plans…If there is a next time, I’ll be more prepared. And for those of you who have a brain like mine, frozen pizzas can’t be microwaved! Yeah, I was not thinking….wasted pizzas…what a bummer.

We also bought a window scraper for our car because of the snow. Actually we got that in Virginia. We’ve never needed one before. I think I saw snow twice, growing up. Only once was it thick enough to play in. Anywho, it was a fun trip and we just had to be flexible. We really enjoyed each other and the experience (except the traffic). Join me tomorrow for the last post in this series, as we explore the awesome monuments of D.C. Enjoy the pictures!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS:Most of this obviously isn’t colonial. But we did see things from that time. It turned out to be more of a historical road trip.

 

Colonial Road trip part 3:

Colonial Road Trip Part 3: Williamsburg, Virginia

Colonial Road Trip part 4b: 

Colonial Road Trip Part 4b: Washington, D.C. Monuments

Colonial Road Trip Part 3: Williamsburg, Virginia June 4, 2014

Hello dear ones! In March my family took a road trip from Savannah to Washington D.C. On the way we stopped in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is an awesome colonial town. Unfortunately a winter storm blew in and our two days in Virginia were not very colonial. It is a rare occasion that Colonial Williamsburg closes but this time it did. Thankfully our hotel was close to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum. We didn’t have far to drive in the snow. I think we saw some of the neatest historical pieces at Ripley’s. We did stop back in Virginia on our way home from D.C. but it was late at night. So we only caught a brief ghost tour at Colonial Williamsburg. The weather was so bad that the tour was all inside the tavern. This same night we drove to North Carolina in a hail storm! It was scary and big trucks were all over the sides of the road. Anyways, we will definitely have to go back to Williamsburg and make it one big trip.

However, I’ve got lots of pictures from Ripley’s and of us playing in the snow. The Holiday Inn at Williamsburg was very cozy. They even had a fireplace. We watched a lot of Duck Dynasty and kept safe from the storm. Ripley’s closed early for the storm but we made it all the way through the museum in time. Enjoy the pics! Tomorrow I share the last part of our trip: Washington D.C. We saw plenty there.

In the pictures below: Ripley’s in the snow, the world’s tallest man, a Civil War surgeon’s kit, a slave contract, an African snake totem, Ripley’s hollogram, the Statue of Liberty gum sculpture, Abe Lincoln’s picture in butterflies, butterfly art, and us playing in the snow. We saw a lot but that’s too many pictures to share.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Colonial Road Trip Part 2:

Colonial Road Trip Part 2: South of the Border, South Carolina

Colonial Road Trip Part 4: 

Colonial Road Trip Part 4a: Washington, D.C. Museums

Colonial Road Trip Part 2: South of the Border, South Carolina June 3, 2014

Hello dear ones! My family took a trip from Savannah to Washington D.C. On the way we stumbled across this gem, South of the Border. It’s a very touristy mini amusement park on the border of South and North Carolina. We were on our way to Williamsburg, Virginia when I realized we were not going to make it to VA in time to do anything. So we took a detour at South of the Border. It was nice to stretch our legs during our 7 hour trip.

South of the Border has a Mexican flare. It’s made up of several shops and there is a Reptile center, “Reptile Lagoon”. We took pictures with all the statues and enjoyed an ice cream cone (a real one, not the big fake one!). We enjoyed seeing reptiles from all over the world at the Reptile Lagoon.  In the pictures below, you can see Michael sitting on a “jackelope”, reading the atlas while we traveled, standing by a Native American manequinn at the South Carolina welcome center, and checking out the neat reptiles. We even have a King Cobra on here. Lastly, Chris and Michael resting after we finally made it to Virginia. What a long day! We would spend two days in Williamsburg, while a winter storm blew in….

More tomorrow! Enjoy the pics!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Colonial Road Trip Part 1: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/colonial-road-trip-part-1-savannah/

Colonial Road Trip Part 3: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/colonial-road-trip-part-3-williamsburg-virginia/