Yard Toys

I just have one question for all of you out there in blogging land. Where did August go? I've just about let this month pass by with only one post. I don't know when we got to the end of August, but school is back in session, the weather isn't really changing, but I feel we're just on the brink of semi-cooler temperatures, and we're about to enter my favorite time of year.

Caroline was recently the recipient of some hand-me-down yard toys. She loves to play outside (much to my chagrin, I'm more of an indoor girl) and she loves her new-to-her toys.



(We already had the swing set.)







I hope all of you and your families are well and not to sad to be saying goodbye to summer!

Philippians 1:3

Visitor

We had a visitor this past weekend. One of Aaron's college roommates, groomsmen, and good friend, "Uncle Cram" came to see us. He recently moved about two hours from us, and this was the first of we hope, many visits. He had met Caroline the day she was born, he drove late into the night to get here in time for her birth, and he got to see her again when she was about four months old. We hadn't been able to get together since she was little, so we were excited for him to see her again. (We were happy to see him too...:) )

She really took a liking to him and had a blast!



He and Aaron have always had a good time joking around and they have more inside jokes than two people should have. I'm not exactly sure how this all came about, but it was decided that Cram was going to eat this monster burger at a local restaurant. It was the biggest hamburger I've ever seen in real life. It looked disgusting.



I'm not sure how, but he really did eat the entire thing all by himself. I have to admit, it made me a little sick to watch it, but he seemed to enjoy it!



What a weekend we had!

First Haircut

Friday night we hung out with our friends, the Hinson's. Deborah was a hair stylist before becoming a stay-at-home mom, so we'd been planning all along for her to cut Caroline's hair for the first time. I've been saying she needed a cut for about 6 months, but I always talked myself out of it. It had started to bother her and she was always pushing it out of her face, and since her daddy had affectionately nicknamed her "shaggy" I finally gave in.



This is the before shot. She had a bit of a mullet. Her hair is curly in the back, but it was actually pretty long. When it was wet, it was much longer than it looked like. So, it had become a bit mullet like.





She did not like having her hair cut, although she didn't cry. She just kept turning her head to get away from the scissors and she was very wiggly. Deborah would comb her hair down to cut it and she would push it back. We finally got it done though!



It looks basically the same, just evened up and not so shaggy. Her curls are still in tact, in fact, I think her hair it a bit curlier now. All in all, not the horrible, emotional experience I was expecting. I know it helped that Deborah was the one cutting it---we laughed and had a good time.

I guess it's too much to ask that her hair remain cute and baby like forever? She's growing up so fast!

At Play

Is this better Oma? More blogging for you! I've been reprimanded by my MIL that I need to blog more. I was in complete denial because she pointed out I had only blogged once in June and I was like, "No, I blogged more than that!" But, alas, she was right. I'm glad our family can get on here and read about our life---it's easier than having to send out mass emails! :) Plus, Oma prints out the blogs and shares them with Aaron's grandmother, who seems to really enjoy reading about us, so that's sweet!

On the way to Loudon for my cousin's wedding, we stopped at a McDonald's and ate outside so Caroline could run around and play in the play yard. She had never been on a restaurant playground before. I've always felt a little wary of them, but she had been in the car for a long time and needed to stretch her legs.


It's hard to tell, but she's been splashing in a small puddle. I think you can see the puddle in the first picture. Yes, this small puddle resulted in a change of clothes for her...she SOAKED herself!


Is she going to go in?



Yep! She had a blast playing out there!

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend we had to weddings to attend, in two different cities, neither of which we live in. Caroline and I were in my cousin Lisa's wedding on Friday night. I was the matron of honor and Caroline was the flower girl. I was concerned about her actually making it down the isle, but she did a great job for the most part. I think she would have gone the whole way down holding the ring bearers hand (she loved that sweet little boy!), but she decided to dump out all the flowers from her basket really early on in the walk. She let go of his hand to clean up her mess, and while she was picking up all the flowers, he went on down without her! Anyway, I was able to hold her hand and we walked down together. We made it about halfway and then she realized everyone was looking at her and wanted me to hold her, so I did. It was sweet though. Once we got to the front, she just sat with her daddy.

Caroline wore a pillowcase dress that I made for her. I felt soooo crafty doing this! It look me 2 hours, but I was really happy with the finished project! I'm planning to make more! :)

She loved playing on this vent. She liked the air---there were several comments made about her being a little Marilyn Monroe. I wasn't loving the comparison, but she did seem to enjoy the air blowing her skirt.

On Saturday we went to another wedding, although this time, none of us were in the wedding, which we were happy about. Aaron's cousin, Stephen got married Saturday evening. Caroline did pretty good, considering all the traveling and all the having to sit still a lot.

Here are Caroline and her cousin, Annalise...aren't they adorable? (Just a fun reminder, they were born on the same day!)

All in all, a fun, but tiring weekend. I'm glad we're home now and don't have any more trips planned for a while. I really enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends, but it is so much harder with a little one! I always feel like I'm bringing the entire house with me!

Hope your families are keeping cool this summer and having a great one!

Ode to a Friend

We moved to our area four years ago. (Can y'all believe it's been that long??) I was lonely and sad a lot of the time. Luckily the women of the church took me under their wing and gave me more love and friendship than I ever could have imagined. I left a hometown of wonderful, loving friends, most of whom had been with me my entire life. I love those friends dearly, and they each hold a place in my heart no one else will ever fill. Today though, I would like to give a shout out to a friend who didn't have to be my friend, who didn't have to love me, but she did.

My good friend Vicki is celebrating her 40th birthday today. Vicki is a woman of amazing strength and faith. I look to her more than she knows as my example of a wife, mother, teacher, and friend.

When her husband looks at her, you can see his love radiating from his face. He knows he is blessed beyond measure to have her and it shows in every smile or wink he passes her way. Aaron and I have talked many times about how we hope others can see our love for one another in the way Tim and Vicki show their love for one another. We know we have a long way to go, but their example speaks to us each time we're with them and we hope it's rubbing off.

Vicki is raising two beautiful daughters. Bethany and Anna Rebecca are beautiful inside and out and I am so thankful Caroline has them to look up to. Vicki has been such an inspiration to me as we're raising our own daughter. Vicki has had struggles in her time as a mother...both her daughters were born with hearing loss. You would never know trials had come into the lives of this family, because all you see is joy. She is doing all she can to help her daughters, and in her eyes you see the love and strength she has for them reflected there. When I faced the trials of a birth defect with Caroline, Vicki was someone I called on a lot for just a ear to listen, and listen she did. I don't think I would have made it through without her love, support, and prayers.

Vicki has been a friend to me despite our age difference. She loves me and is there for me, and although the occasional joke is made, she never makes me feel insignificant or too young. She loves me for me. She has helped me see so many things in new lights, and has been there for me during personal struggles. She has read letters I was scared to send and encouraged me to send them. She has opened my world to new authors who have strengthened my faith.

I could go on and on. On this day, one of the "biggest" birthdays of her life, I implore you to take a moment and visit her blog so you can see for yourself what a wonderful woman she is. Oh, and while you're there, wish her a happy birthday!

I love you Vicki!

Up on a Mountaintop!

It's been a while! I feel like a broken record, but we've been really busy! We've just had so much going on lately. Hopefully things are slowing down a little.

We got back on Saturday from our vacation in North Carolina. It was absolutely gorgeous and we had a fantastic time! It was so nice to spend a week together without anything going on and no distractions. We just got to enjoy each other and get extra rest. It was very relaxing! Wouldn't you know that I forgot to charge our camera battery before we left! We were able to get some pics, but not as many as I would have liked. We did take some some video too, so it wasn't a total loss!

The cabin was gorgeous and very homey with a spectacular view! We saw lots of chipmunks and Aaron saw a porcupine! We had fun looking for wildlife as we drove up and down the mountain. We didn't see any bears though.

On Monday we drove around and looked at the scenery. We drove all the way up a mountain, I can't remember right now, but we were up REALLY high. We stopped at a place called Wayah Bald and hiked up to the top and saw for miles and miles. There was a lookout tower there, and from the top of the tower, you could see several states. It was really neat! There were some college kids there at the same time we were and they all called Aaron "Sir." I loved it! I think it made him feel a little old. This is from Wayah Bald, but not up on the lookout, just on the ground. They're both making funny faces, but with a dying battery, you take what you can get!


This was on the side of the road. We saw a beautiful little waterfall coming down the mountain so we stopped and took a picture.


On Wednesday we drove about an hour from the cabin and went to the Cherokee Indian Reservation. We went to a museum there and learned a lot about their culture and how the discovery of America effected them. It was very interesting and they had some really neat exhibits. This is a New Testament that was translated into Cherokee.


Here are Aaron and Caroline in front of some wax figures in one of the exhibits.


There was a lake close by that we took Caroline to. We decided not to rent a boat or anything this time, but she loved playing in the water. She kept picking up rocks and throwing them. I think she thought she was skipping them like her daddy. It was cute! I was afraid the water would be cold, but it really wasn't and she had a blast playing until it started to rain and we had to go in.


We took some food with us and hit a grocery store once we got there so we didn't eat out much. We ate out Sunday after church and then again when we went to Cherokee and that was it. We grilled out every night but one. Here is Aaron grilling our oh-so-healthy lunch of hot dogs. Isn't the view behind him AMAZING?


We were surrounded by the Lord's creation in a way we had never been before. It is truly awe-inspiring to be surrounded on all sides by the mountains, trees, rivers, streams, and wildlife He created. It was a wonderful trip! We are so thankful to our friends, John and Becky Haley, for letting us use their beautiful "Cabin in the Sky."