Mountain Getaway

There are a million things I love about the fall season. Hands down, one of my favorites is our tradition of packing up and heading to the mountains for a simple night or two getaway.

✔ Cool, fresh air
✔ Different, beautiful scenery
✔ Quality, uninterrupted family time

We choose a different trail, waterfall, cavern, or peak each year. This year: Grandfather Mountain.

Grady and I visited a few many years ago, when Grady Lee rode contentedly on a back and I was a nauseous mess with Micah growing inside. (No kids on backs and no kids growing inside this visit - phew!)

We walked and explored and relaxed and had the best time! The weather was perfect, no one was injured, and we never ran out of snacks. Because trust me, with four kids these can be deal-breakers otherwise.

So magnificent! So beautiful! So peaceful! And so "hold my hand or else don't take another step because I don't want you to die" on repeat.

Three of my four handsome boys. Such studs.

Peek-a-boo! Plenty of places to hide. Nooks and crannies everywhere had my kids thinking they were the first person to explore these places and Annalyse was convinced she was going to find and Indian arrowhead. (Bless.)

The views were spectacular and worth every step. Besides, holding a rope while climbing a boulder has a way of making you feel very adventurous and daring.

Grady Lee wanted to lay down and relax. Micah wanted to throw stones and see if he could hear them hit the ground below. Annalyse wanted to find pictures in the clouds. Jaxton wanted to see how many somersaults he could do before he got to the edge. And Grady and I mandated a five minute "No one talk or cough or laugh. Just sit here and take in the beauty and the quiet," which, ironically, was everyone's favorite part because we observed things we wouldn't have noticed while talking and moving.

I sure do love my crew. I love North Carolina. I love the fall season. And I love the gracious God who gifted all of this to me.

Simple Play. Big Fun.

In our family, we play a lot. We enjoy being active and being outside. And my kids? They really like getting dirty while playing. So having a home that backs up to woods and a creek is a dream come true for us. It's not our woods, but we play in it and enjoy as though it were our own.

When the older boys aren't running around with their pellet guns, we all go back and explore together. Sometimes we walk or climb trees. Sometimes we build forts and have pretend battles. Sometimes they play and do their thing while I simply sit on a rock and enjoy fresh air without being bothered. It's a win-win.

I know the neighbors appreciate (?!) when my kids are running wild in the woods, because every dog on our culdesac sounds off over the noise coming from the trees. And they're not shy about yelling from far off and telling dogs to stop barking, or from emerging from their hidden places to pet and calm a dog down. In some ways, they treat the neighborhood dogs as their own and I kind of like that they enjoy some perks of having a pet without us needing to have one.

We've improved our skills at identifying animal tracks, animal droppings, and various animal homes. Mind you we don't actually see the animals because of the un-stealth-like way we traipse among the leaves, but still. Our eyes are open and we are hopeful.

Grady is the first to find fallen logs that he can lift or drag to make a stabilizing base for a lean-to. Micah is keen on climbing trees and vines and seeing how high he can go before I panic and demand he come down. Annalyse talks to her make-believe friends and has full conversations about being a pioneer family or Indian family. Jaxton is just loud and daring and curious and does his best to carry big sticks and pretend they're guns along with his big brothers.

No toys. No screens. No supplies. Just active bodies and curious minds. This is enough for several hours of play several days a week. And for this I'm so thankful.

Freedom

We're about three weeks into our school year, and so far so good! After two hours of seat work this morning, we shut the books and headed outside for a backyard walk. The temperature has recently dropped and had all of us eager to be out in the fresh air! (For this Southern-blooded crew, 67 degrees meant pants and long sleeves.)

Homeschooling to us means freedom. Each year we grow in our love for the journey we're on, and each year we continue to discover and enjoy freedom in so many unique and unexpected ways.

Number one? Freedom to move and explore outside at will. God's playground is, I think, one of the best places to learn while playing.

Freedom to forge deep relationships because we aren't rushed or constrained to a schedule.

Freedom to discover and pursue interests and opportunities, as well as freedom to navigate problems and manage consequences.

Freedom to be a kid! I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times I remind my kids they only get one shot at being a kid, but have the rest of their lives to develop as an adult.

Our list of homeschooling freedoms continues. I never want to take them for granted or assume homeschooling is a privilege I'll always have. But for today? Today I am thankful and enjoying the freedom.