A Noble Birthright: Defenders of the Title of Liberty

Friday we celebrated our first day of school with a BANG!  Earlier in the week, the kids got an invitation to meet at the Liberty Tree.  When we got there, Captain Moroni was there to inspire us with his story.  Captain Moroni is a Book of Mormon hero who led his people to fight against tyranny, creating a Title of Liberty which read, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children."  The Title of Liberty was a reminder to the people that these are God given rights they must fight to preserve.

Our Captain Moroni inspired us to continue that fight for liberty in our day.  He went on to explain to us that we will be learning about the creation of our country this year!  He took us on a Freedom Trail and told us a bit about a few of the founding men and women of our country whom we will be learning about this year.

 At each stop along the Freedom Trail, the kids got a little "gift" from that Founding Father (or in this case mother (Abigail Adams).  Haversacks...

They also received tricorn hats from George Washington, quills from Thomas Jefferson, "Almanacs" (aka journals) from Benjamin Franklin, and our school shirts for the year from James Madison.  Such a fun way to introduce an amazing theme for the Year!

 After meeting Captain Moroni, we were transformed back to Colonial America at Riley's Farm to partake in their Revolutionary War day.  It is AMAZING and everyone who lives anywhere near Oak Glen needs to take their family!

 While listening to instructions from one of the Generals there... 2 boys were caught smuggling goods!  We were able to see just how unjustly they were treated under the British Rule.

 Court was held, where we saw even more injustice...  (and not to mention lots of humor!)

!)

 By the time court was over, we were ready to FIGHT for our freedom!

But first we had a lesson in Colonial manners and homemaking skills...

 You can see one Cute Colonial girl was all worn out by this point..

Learning to weave...

 Handsome Colonial Chaps...

 Learning to bake bread...

 And grind wheat...

They also learned how to write with a quill and churn butter.

Time for rations!

 We had a drum and fife player during lunch...

We had seen the injustice of Taxation without Representation and now, we were ready to FIGHT for our freedom.  Militia Training...

 While our "enemies" were training, we played a few colonial games...

Time for Battle!

 We were needed to defend our liberties...

A little diplomacy before the battle begins...

 Our fearless leader and flag bearer bring back the news that the diplomacy did not work...

Hiding behind our barricade..

 The mighty Redcoats are coming!  Although somehow a lot of the little ones ended up as Redcoats, so they did not look quite as mighty, but very cute...

 They are down!  The Revolutionaries have won!

The end was my favorite part of the whole day!  After the battle, the General in charge spoke to our group about how Freedom really is not free.  Liberty is not a new concept in our World and it is something we need to continue to fight for in each generation or it will be lost.  We do not want to give our children, or grandchildren, a nation that is diminishing in liberty because we were not willing to stand up for our God given rights.  It was very inspiring and made me so glad that I have the opportunity to share these ideas in depth with my kids throughout this school year.

This was an EXCELLENT and MEANINGFUL first day of school and I am so excited to be taking my children on an adventure of such significance this school year!

First Hair Cut

Well, I guess it wasn't really her first (but we won't get into that here) and it was more of a tiny trim than a cut.  Charity finally has some hair that actually sticks off her head, and it was really uneven.  So, I took her to get a little trim to even out what little she has.  She was a little angel the whole time!

I will take a moment to do an update on our darling 2 year old.  She had her 2 year old check up last month and all is well.  Still tiny, below the fifth percentile, but a good eater and lots of energy so no one is concerned.  She melts my heart all the time.  She is sweet and sassy, a perfect girl.  But, she loves nothing more than going outside to dig in the dirt.  It doesn't matter if it is 100+ degrees out, she lives for the outdoors.  Charity has NO FEAR.  Heights can't stop her, water can't stop her, her stroller can't stop her (she climbed out of it while it was moving)-she is unstoppable, or so she thinks.  She keeps us on our toes and SAFETY has become a top priority around here.  Not only is she fearless, she has a very strong opinion and is not afraid to share it.  She talks nonstop and I've decided she must be a genius due to all the words she knows and understands.  Charity is turning into a Daddy's girl which is a first at our house, so Ladd is on Cloud 9.  We love our sweet little monkey so much!

Fun in the Sun!

Oh, my poor blog!  I have been so busy with house projects and preparing for next school year, I almost forgot about you!  But, I can't let some of these precious memories pass me by, so here is what we've been up to:

We went to Carlsbad for a few days!  We had no plans other than go to the Beach and swim in the pool!  We had a great time!

I loved that Ladd's parents' timeshare is just across the street from the beach.  You can borrow a wagon and beach supplies and head on over!

 Poor Tanner, tough day Beachin' it!

 Swimming at the Pool! 

 Charity loved the water playground, but took time from playing to hug her big brother!

It was a nice little getaway!