February is our extended family birthday month. We enjoyed celebrating my niece, brother, husband, good friend, and finally Isabelle's birthday throughout the month!! This meant lots of gifts, dinners out, and planning to make everyone feel loved and special (because they are!). As you can see below, my sweet little girl -- is now a full-fledged young lady. She is a delightful 13 year old and has awaited with great anticipation the (supposed) joy of being a teenager :-) She received her first makeup, some new roller blades, nightgown, watch, and art supplies on her birthday morning alongside her #13 pancake.
Her Mama loves her more today than she ever thought possible! What a gift from God it is to have a daughter!!!
March saw a flurry of yard-work in preparation for full spring gardens and tasks ahead. In addition, Isaac and Isabelle participated in our state-wide standardized testing offered (but not required) for homeschoolers. I think they enjoyed this unique experience and felt that they did well. Immediately upon finishing testing, we hopped on an airplane headed to Virginia to visit Josiah during his spring break from Liberty Law. The word "break" is somewhat of a misnomer as he had plenty of schoolwork to do, but we were thankful for the time he was able to share with us and for his warm welcome as we spent time in his home-away-from-home. Five people in 900 sq. feet can get a little squishy, but we were able to enjoy games, movies, laughter, bickering (yes -- sibling dynamics are alive and well even after a 7 month separation!), and as much home cooking (with vegetables!!) as I could squeeze in :-)
We filled each day with something specific in order to make the best use of our time and to give Josiah opportunity to study without our distraction. Although we didn't arrive until late into the evening on Friday, we headed out early Saturday to make the 2 hour trek to visit Montpelier - the home of James Madison, patriot, writer of the Constitution, and fourth President of these United States.
Montpelier was spectacular!! The home and grounds have been beautifully maintained, the museum was educational, and the tour fantastic. Although the gardens were covered with a layer of snow, we could still get a feel for the expanse of the grounds and definitely gained a better knowledge of the life and personality of Mr. Madison.
Entering the gardens (I'd like to go back in the autumn when I can see and study the garden architecture and plantings.)
Walking the trail down to the family cemetery and burial site of James Madison.
Isabelle and Josiah enjoyed some swing dancing in the beautiful ballroom :-)
Sunday found us attending church with Josiah, enjoying lunch out with a few of his friends, and then visiting the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson which is named "Poplar Forest". This scenic home and surrounding countryside is just a hop, skip, and jump from Josiah's condominium!
Hannah and Ian (sweet friends from Liberty Law) joined us as well as another new friend from church. It was a delightful afternoon filled with conversation, history, and joy-filled memory making!
On Monday, Josiah stayed home to study while the rest of us headed 35 minutes outside of town to visit the historic Civil War-era monument of Appomattox Courthouse -- where the conditions of surrender were agreed upon and signed between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. It was fascinating to tour and visualize thousands of weary troops await the end of America's bloodiest war.
The surrounding countryside which likely was the scene of several encampments and/or battles was beautiful, even in the wintry landscape.
It was down this road that Lee rode silent and stately on his horse and where his troops surrounded their beloved leader.
A civil war gravesite just down the road -- 10 Confederate soldiers and 1 Union soldier buried side by side -- the majority of whom had died the final day of the war itself. Very sobering ....
Tuesday dawned rainy but it didn't stop us from heading again towards Charlottesville where we enjoyed an hour long tour of Monticello -- Thomas Jefferson's famous architectural wonder surrounded by amazing gardens. Although this was our second visit to Monticello, during this trip we were able to enjoy the inside of his 11,000 sq. foot mansion filled with both replica and original furnishings and books.
Although I don't admire Jefferson's morals, I have always appreciated his detail-oriented and focused effort toward diligence in all of his undertakings. Seeing the result of one of his biggest accomplishments (aside from writing the Declaration of Independence, successfully completing two terms of office as the third President of the United States, and founding the University of Virginia) was a highlight of the trip for Joe and I.
As corny as it sounds, we are big "Walton's" fans and watch the episodes on our computer when we have a spare evening (getting rarer!). On the way home, we took a detour in order to tour the small
"Walton's Museum" not knowing that Earl Hamner - the author of the writings on which the show was based, wrote from his own life experiences. Although the area and his actual life were much less like the beloved TV series, it was fascinating to learn more of the characters and see the actual home he grew up in :-)
On the way home, Google maps took us to a remote location -- kind of the dirt road version of "over the mountain" (don't ya just love technology?). Well, once Joe could "hear the banjos a'strummin", we opted to turn around. Unfortunately, Joe didn't see the huge wash out next to the narrow dirt road that completely high-centered our vehicle off the ground!! :-) We used leverage and weight (Joe's - to be exact) to get our wheel back on the ground, drove slowly out, and were on our way with no injuries and another "Kronz family story" tucked into our belts!
We enjoyed our final day in Virginia touring Liberty University and enjoying some down time. The kids and Joe did the sight-seeing while I stayed at Josiah's condo and had some time to bless Josiah by cleaning and cooking -- filling his new freezer which (hopefully!) won't burn all of his home-cooked food stored away for him to eat at his leisure while finishing out his semester. I really cherish this time actually and spend a lot of it praying for him and over his home. He's done a great job living on his own but a little TLC from Mom doesn't hurt :-)
Liberty University has its own artificial "snow-flex" -- a semi-mountain with snow-like turf. The kids enjoyed skiing/snowboarding twice over the week, thus allowing Joe to get some paperwork done in the "lodge" :-)
We left mid-morning after sharing a home-cooked breakfast. There were still tears but it gets easier to leave Josiah knowing that he's in God's care and where he feels God wants him to be!
We arrived home to the sights and sounds of baby goats!! Yep, our two goat mamas took advantage of our absence and gave our sweet neighbors many hours of work to bring forth three healthy goat kids. "Buster", "Bruiser", and "Billy George" are adorable additions to our wee little farm and are thriving, frisking, eating, and sleeping away their days as we all await the joys of spring to come.
