Annie's AMAZING Mountain Sun Collage Projects!

Almost every day at Mountain Sun, Annie colored a "mandala." There was such a plethora of these beautiful, colorful circles by the end of the year that Annie and I decided to combine them together into a huge piece to hang in our home. Annie also put her very first poem on there to be remembered:

the birds chirp
and the chipmunks chatter
and the owls hoot
and the dolphins splash
and the kittens meow

 (I bet she wishes now she had added "and the bunnies hop"!) But I think this one was more about different animal "sounds." :-D Annie felt VERY strongly that she also wanted to make a smaller one to hang in her own room, so she did! In the bigger one, the center pictures are the birds tweeting from the whistling song in Matilda (or at least Annie's imagination of such). In the smaller one, Annie had fallen in love with the kitties from a card a teacher had given her, so she included those.

Loving Their Bunny!

Playing with Ollie

My Godson, Matthew Retzbach, & His Baptism ...

... how proud Brian and I are to be Godparents together!!!

Mamma's Favorite Pic of Annie & Grandpa

Father's Day 2012: Asheville Brewery with the Thompsons

Visiting Sarah at Mountain Farm

Leia has always adored her teacher from her own Montessori experience at Artgarden Montessori in Chapel Hill.  Amazingly, Sarah McDowell's family lives where her husband, Gabe, grew up:  Burnsville, NC!  Even thought we have to drive to get there, it was worth it!  At Mountain Farm, goats, lavender, and blueberries awaited us!  Little did we know that, once Sarah and Gabe finished all of their schooling, they would come BACK to Burnsville to live with their two future children (Oliver and Griffin).  Such a joy to have them near us!

Finding a Birdie at Another Furman Concert

Annie: Child of an Adventurous Mamma

I LOVE this picture of Annie experiencing the Blue Ridge Parkway from the sunroof as I drive (slowly) along. Joy is apparent. LIFE is a risk, and I want the girls to have true adventures. Always making sure they are safe, this is just one of the ways that Mamma likes to allow these sweet children to truly enjoy God's creation in a different way. Any differences not offensive to God should be CELEBRATED!!!

Blue Ridge Parkway 2012: Kites, Butterflies, & Sunroofs

Picnic with Godmommy Natalie & Goddaddy Greg

Summer Snakes at the Library?!?

First Furman Summer Concert 2012

... and the tradition of rolling down the hill afterwards.

North Georgia Vacation 2012: Babyland General & Adopting "Real" Cabbage Patch Kids!

Cabbage Patch Kids were a very important part of Mamma’s childhood, especially her very favorite doll: Wilson Gason (which was one of the very first commercially made Kids and now belongs to Annie). I wish I had brought him along! I visited Babyland General Hospital here in the 1980s when it was just a little historic home, … and Xavier Roberts was still signing the dolls by hand. Mamma got the kids ready by having them listen to lots of old Cabbage Patch Kids records, reading lots of children’s books, and watching a few shows. Today they got to see the very first Cabbage Patch Kid, … and even watch one be born! Leia and Annie both received a Cabbage Patch Kids “Koosa,” the animal version, … and a “real” Kid! It was a special day for the Thompson ladies!