our new project

One of my favorite Christmas gifts is a book Jonathan gave me.

Waterfall Hikes of Upstate South Carolina by Thomas E. King. We have ventured to several waterfalls around the area but this book is incredible. It has everything that I need to best decide on our next adventure. Each falls has:

• a picture of the falls
• length of hike to falls
• driving directions
• a brief description of the falls
• and difficulty of trail

There are several other details included like a rating for the fall and a desciption of the location that make this book so helpful. One of the best details is a regional grouping of the falls. The falls are grouped together by proximity so you can visit more than one if you have the time. All falls are located in Oconee, Pickens and Greenville Counties so it's fits us perfectly.

My new project, along with one of my buddies (and anyone who wants to join us), is to explore as many of these falls as possible. I'm so looking forward to our first trek...if I can decide on just one!

oh Santa

Tonight the girls are having a sleep over with their Saysa and Uncle Jim. They have been taking them to Darwin Wright Park to see Santa at Christmas time. I need inside info on what Santa is going to bring so there are no duplicates ;)

Ballet..ballet...ballet..

My little ballarinas had their performance last night and they were just brilliant!!

Emily and her buddy Emma.

The girls were so excited about their performance and Emily was feeling a little 80's with the way she wanted to wear her head band. She is so funny. She worked so hard but every time she looked at me she got a little distracted. She was too busy smiling...such a happy little girl.

They were so cute dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Lauren was intense as always. She was busy watching the older girls practice and trying to remember her steps. She was so concerned with messing up.

In the end she was happy with her performance. She did remember her mistakes of course but wasn't too hard on herself this time. She performed the Chinese dance from the Nutcracker.

Thomas thoroughly enjoys the dancing. He always wants to walk in the middle of them and help out. We made sure he had his buddies with him...Mr. Skidsteer and Mr. Tractor.

We ended the night with Gamma, Papa, Papa Mac and Granny Mac at Joe's Restaurant for ice cream, of course!

Ashtabula, Pendleton, South Carolina

One of my favorite things about homeschooling my kids is this:

The time we get to share together is priceless and I love how the kids love each other. Yes, they do argue and hit and... but the majority of the time is living, playing and learning together in complete harmony. No, rarely in complete harmony, but I must admit they do get along very well and I am proud of that.

(oh, and yes that is laundry on the back of the couch...I try to stay humble)

Anyway, we were able to learn together today thanks to my wonderful mom-in-law. She took us to Ashtabula, in Pendleton.

They have tours going on right now throughout December and it was a different experience. Each room is set in different time periods of the homes existence. For example, our first room was set around 1800 during the time of the house's initial construction.

Mrs. Gibbes is being visited by her sister from Charleston. They put on a 5+ minute skit. Each room has people relevant to the house performing a short skit in period clothing. It was a great experience and the girls loved it...I loved it!!

Each place along the tour was a new revelation of the time and the people. It really made it come alive.

 

It was a great day to spend together. And one of my and my mom-in-law's favorite things about visiting historical sites are THE BOOKS! You can always find a unique book or two that is more specific about the area than other book stores. We found two keepers that I highly recommend:

Did you know that the Swamp Fox could not swim!!! Just one of the interesting things I've already learned. Jonathan liked the maps in the book. They did a good job of illustrating the vast area that he fought. The man got around!

The other find was one that my girls really liked. They love studying other girls and women in history and this one is perfect:

In summary it was a wonderful day to spend together and learn about our history in South Carolina. I hope my little ones never loose that love for learning something new.