This has been my company the last couple of days. 11 kids (missing Sawyer and Kaleb in the picture). Mom. Always good times.
Dinner time can be challenging. There are a lot of bottomless pits, actually five out of the eleven, are really, really hungry. But we have help. Thank you to all of you that like to help. We appreciate your thinking of us, we love your good food, and it's always eaten.
We've been hearing lots of abbreviations lately. Temp, crit, hemo, BP, and the numbers are either too high or too low. Temp. too high from fever, crit and hemo too low from operation, BP too low from pain meds (70/39 last night and that's not her lowest). Veins blowing IV's...it's been a rough two days. But, we are waiting for her to turn the corner. Today. She can finally hold that bear, and it's making her smile. Which is a great sign.
We think this is Longfellow. 
The boys wanted to let their Dad know, Mr. Brown Sign, that they were thinking of him.
He'd only been gone for five hours and we're already stopping at the sites.
The Inn also owns a grist mill.
We miss you Dad!
“This is the day which Peter foresaw when there should be a royal priesthood upon the earth available to all men who would accept the gospel. “My dear brethren, do you realize what you have when you have the priesthood of God?" Gordon B. Hinckley
Mr. Renaissance Man's request this summer to Mr. Brown Sign was to visit author's row (Emerson's headstone).
He had read so many of their books he felt this would be a worthy venture.
This is probably the one I was interested in the most, however I don't like how people pay homage with trinkets.
It's called the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Nathanial Hawthorne
Thoreau
(These headstones represent a lot of hefty writing - reading.)
While looking for author's row Mr. Brown Sign and Mr. Renaissance found a treasure.
In memory of three brothers born in Concord
It can be exhausting being married to Mr. Brown Sign. Sometimes our treks are long, and it might be a little HOT outside!
But I knew for sure this is one place he'd want to go back to during his visit.
He use to bring Tanner here, seemed like about once a month, when he was small.
Now he wanted to share it with the other boys, especially Sawyer,
who holds a soft spot in his Dad's heart.
The Old North Bridge is a sacred spot to Mr. Brown Sign.
There were a lot of boys and men involved in the Revolutionary War. I think Mr. Brown Sign ponders on that.
But mostly he's grateful for those men who provided our family with those precious freedoms we take for granted too often.
Becky's dump has a recycling center where you can drop off "Goodwill" or Salavation Army" or garage sale type stuff. This is to alleviate less trash, and promotes "one's trash is somebody else's treasure." This is the only thing Porter wanted to do with Mr. Brown Sign.
A classic 1950's kid style bike by Grants. Sawyer's treasure. And it works!
Sometimes we have to force Mr. Brown Sign to take a vacation. From looking for brown signs.
So we brought him to Becky's water hole. Except after all the rain it was more of a gushing waterfall.
It was too chilly to actually go swimming, but it was nature in full force.
I think he enjoyed the fact there were no signs around. Anywhere.
Only lots of boys he hasn't been able to be around a lot this summer.
Boys that are growing up too fast!
I know he liked it here. He took a lot of pictures.
But I got this one of him looking for crawdads. And he found them. Lots.
Sawyer is still afraid to put his feet in the water. Just like last summer. The crawdads make him want to protect his toes. It was good times having Dad in Becky's backyard.
Another treasure Mr. Brown Sign Across America found in Portsmouth, NH is Fort Constitution.
It backs right up to the Atlantic coastline.
And, there are three lighthouses (this is the closest)!
The weather was definitely not a beach day but creatures are still in tide pools, sun or not.
There are a few treasures that can be found on the edge of the fort that hasn't been repaired i.e. bricks, shells...
I think we spent more time on the rocks than in the fort.
Good family times (and for free!).
"In commemoration of the first victory of the American Revolution, the capture on this site of Fort William and Mary 14th December 1774...In memory of the patriots who captured the fort and removed the guns and stores.
Fort Constitution sits on property now owned by the U.S. Coast Guard, a very active station, with lots of boats and personnel. Cooper's Cubmaster is in the Coast Guard, and this picture is for him.
Two very far away lighthouses.
Revelations 12:17: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Although this is interpreted as the dragon being Satan, and the woman representing the Church during the latter-days could it also be a literal representation of the war waged by Satan on womanhood and motherhood? 
Satan's most effective tool today is polluting the image of Heavenly Father's vision of a woman and mother. What could make Satan more angrier than a woman whose children 'keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ'? 
