Boone, North Carolina

John has a reputation around here of packing a whole lot of fun into every weekend. He outdid himself this weekend. Granted, he had one extra day to pack in the fun, but still he outdid himself. 

On Saturday morning, we left Atlanta and drove north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our original plan was to use one of the fleet vehicles that had a dvd player. I'm so glad that every one of those vehicles was checked out for the weekend because our kids would have missed some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Not once did I hear a complaint from the backseat. Instead Jack was asking if we could stop and take pictures of the things he found delightful. John and I learned that Jack has an affinity for "fallen down trees", something I never would have thought to photograph. And Luke just seized every opportunity to stretch his legs with his usual good cheer. 

The day passed quickly with the short photo breaks and a walk through Biltmore Village in Asheville. Just before the sun set, John and I saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. It was one of those did I just see what I thought I saw moments. 

On Sunday morning, Luke woke us all up early so we could get a full day out on Grandfather Mountain. It was a foggy day, so the pictures weren't spectacular. Jack got to see four bears (the kid counts everything these days), which made up for him missing the sighting the previous day. Then we set off on a rugged half mile hike to The Swinging Bridge, a bridge that is exactly 1 mile above sea level. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am terrified of heights. In fact, I woke John the night before and told him that I really didn't think I could cross the bridge and I didn't want the boys to do it either. But when the time came, I walked across that bridge! John wasn't too impressed with my style (slow and uneasy), but I know he was glad that I didn't miss out on the memory with the kids. 

Our idea of supervising...

Jack has added a coonskin hat to his Christmas list. No lie.

After hiking back down the mountain, we stopped to get ice cream cones and throw rocks in the prettiest spot imaginable. 

Then Monday morning came around, and it was time to end our mini vacation and head home. We are all exhausted. The boys were asleep by 7:15, and John and I are headed that way now. Making memories is tiring business.

Photos From Jack's Camera...

New Pajamas from Aunt Kathy and Megan

Gentry's Farm

John had to work in Nashville last weekend, so the kids and I tagged along so we could go to Ross and Brylie's birthday party and see Grandma, Grandpa, and Annie. On Sunday afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma took us to Gentry's Farm in Franklin so Jack and Luke could pick out pumpkins. Jack has decided that he loves every holiday and that we must decorate the house for each one, so he was tickled about picking out pumpkins. We've been reading The Littlest Pumpkin about kids picking out the perfect pumpkin. Jack decided that he was looking for a lumpy, bumpy one. Both boys were very excited about all the farm related activities. Particularly, the hay maze through one of the old barns was a hit. All of us were running to keep up with Luke as he sprinted through the maze. It was a beautiful afternoon. I enjoyed watching Jane and Marion delight in the time with the boys as much as I enjoyed hearing the boys' giggles and seeing their wide grins. 

(Jack's Mantle- The addition of the potato heads was completely his idea.)

Halloween Shirts

2012

2011

2009

I'm having to excuse myself for not having a 2010 picture. I was very pregnant with Luke and not thinking much about Halloween shirts. :-)

What's Been Going On

I recently had a conversation with Jack about the need for him to learn to write his name legibly before he had to write his letter to Santa this Christmas. You know, we don't want Santa to feel confused. He has asked to practice almost daily since. Boy, has he gotten good at it! I'm quite certain that Santa is going to know exactly who wrote him this year.  

I bought a book at Costco a month or two ago that has lots of preschool activities, including Jack's favorite activity, cutting. Every time he finishes a page, he asks me to hang it on the refrigerator so Daddy can see when he gets home. We are flying through that book, so I was pretty excited when Erin sent me the link to another one that is similar. We don't want to run out of things to cut, glue, or color! 

Library day is one of Jack's favorite days of the week. It's always difficult because Luke is a mess all through story hour, but Jack loves Miss Tracy's story hour so much that we go anyway. A few weeks ago, Miss Tracy started doing a rhyme about monkeys teasing an alligator. Ultimately the alligator eats the monkeys one by one. Luke, the child who appears to not pay any attention at story hour, has started walking around the housing saying, "Na na na, na na na, SNAP!" It's pretty adorable. I snapped these photos within five minutes of us walking through the door after our library visit this week. My boys love books. 

And, that's what's been going on around here.