Taking a piece of my heart....

Saying goodbye is so very hard...Gabrielle has been coming to stay with us for a few weeks for 4 years now...and no visit is ever long enough...especially this year.

It seems like our time has flown by...the 3 girls and various girlfriends have been visiting and laughing...while Meghan worked she's helped with the kids, and discovered that she will be very good at homeschooling her own children someday....she's prepared meals for us, made clean up full of fun and laughter...many serious discussions as well as laughing till the tears come....oh, my goodness....how we will all miss her!

But it's not goodbye....it's we'll see her again soon....Much love to my "daughter of my heart"!

The annual, obligatory tire swing pictures....

At the airport....

Mingo Creek...

We love Mingo Creek!  Today was our first day this summer to head out to the creek...and we're so glad Gabrielle had a chance to be with us for this!  Reminds me so much of the dvd's "The Sugar Creek Gang" adventures....and we're very much looking forward to many more adventures, as we had to head home when strong thunder storms moved in....perfect place for so many nature studies!

My adventurers....(minus Meghan, who was working....)

VERY typical Sara....

Coolest spider web in the sunlight....

Gabrielle and Sara took tons of pictures...

Anna's treasure...

Just loved the way the water rippled over the old wooden bridge as I rested on a fallen log...

Oh, this is one of my favorite places!

Best friends!

Ronnie's pose of "Hawkeye" from the Avenger's movie...

Anna's 'Hunger Games' pose.... (and no...she hasn't read the books or seen the movie...just heard her older sisters talk about it)

Precious moments....

We ALMOST caught this little guy...need to buy a couple of nets for our next visit...

Our fearless crawfish hunter...

Anna's water park....

I LOVE the creativity my children have...their imaginations are amazing...I could just listen to them and watch them forever....and I'm so grateful to be their mom...to homeschool and have the chance to be together....

Anna went outside by herself (it was 90 degrees...the rest of us were very reluctant to leave the airconditioning)...and after a few minutes...I went out on the deck and saw..."Anna's wild water park"!  Precious...precious memories....

I think Ronnie needed cooled off after the lawn dart game...

He couldn't resist!

Memories...Gettysburg....

Gettysburg and Chambersburg...a dream come true for my Meghan...she was  born an "old soul"...and has such a passion and love for history...especially Civil War...and Gettysburg.  This weekend...we made this dream a reality....above...that's my girl and I on top of the Pennsylvania monument on the Gettysburg battlefields.

Pennsylvania monument

Gabrielle, Sara and Meghan under Abraham Lincoln...

the girls on top of the monument (can't believe we did all those steps! It was HIGH!)

Meghan was so awed to be there in person...she ran (in 90 degree heat)  all over taking picture after picture...capturing it all in her heart and memory...

Meghan standing at the site of Pickett's charge...

General Meade

Sharpshooter monument..."In God we trust...and we kept our powder dry" is inscribed onto this stone

Looking down at re-enactors in 'Devel's Den'...

Looking from Little Round Top down....

Meghan and I on the top of Little Round Top...

Barn....site of Civil War field hospital...notice the slits for guns in the sides...

The girls with a re-enactor from the Bucktail division...this young man is a direct descendant and even was there with his elderly grandfather who is a Methodist minister and a chaplain with the re-enactors...

Miss Gabrielle...a very good sport! LOL  There was a living military history re-enactment going on and this is the WW2 Army tent with MP's and medics...they taught us (and used her as a model) all the gear that was carried and used by medics in the Pacific theater in WW2.

Sara...loves horses...this was at the diorama at one of the many history museums in Gettysburg..

Gabrielle has been visiting us every summer for the past 4 years from Idaho...and this year, a dream of hers came true...she was able to meet and spend all day in person with 2 dear friends from the other side of the country, Sara and Neesie who drove from the Philidelphia area to spend the day with Gabrielle and all of us...sweet girls!

Horse drawn carriage thru downtown Gettysburg...

Stopped in Chambersburg first...(I know I put these in the wrong order)...Meghan's Civil War novel "Amongst the Roses" is set in Chambersburg and Gettysburg....

Chambersburg fountain in the square...

This soldier always faces south to give warning of any future invaders from the south...

Hehehe...Sara and Gabrielle....

Chambersburg..

Meghan's roses in Chambersburg....she was truly "Amongst  the Roses".....

~ This trip has been amazing....I am humbled and amazed at the Lord's grace and provision over us....from my mother-in-law watching my little ones while we were gone...and my 7 year old being sick....from the Lord protecting us when our brakes overheated coming down many mountains (I hope never to be the driver again up and down mountains filled with "S-curves"...) as well as driving over 4 hours each way with no airconditioning in 90 degree heat....but most of all....He gave me the strength and endurence to drive for so long....to walk around and actually climb so much with my Ra and Fibro....I have no been out of a flare up in so very, very long...and yet...I feel as if I won...if only for a few days (I am recuperating now)...I was able to share this and make these precious memories!  I'm so very grateful to the Lord!  I know now...that if I prepare...and plan to be "out of commission" for a few days afterwards...that the memory making doesn't have to end....we just need to adapt to His plan...and He is faithful to bless our efforts.  So grateful for this time with all the girls...memories made...dreams come true.....