Nicole has become great at baking crescent rolls from scratch. On Sundays we often get that as an added bonus to the meal!
John turned 2! He's 29lbs (1lb less than Katy!) 64th % and is 35 in tall (75th %). He is vocal and has a nice, loud voice. He will be heard! He's also great at listening and communicating. I love that he will try his best to obey, he has such a good heart and is super loving. He can make any of the kids happy, no matter what mood they are in.
He loved the bat from Grandma and proceeded to hit everything/everyone he possibly could, all other presents forgotten!
Our busy summer hasn't made much time for snow cones, but we did get a chance on hot summer afternoon. Diana was the sign waver, trying to get cars to stop with her Aloha!
Jim keeping John from the street. You can see John is laser-focused on all the fun everyone else is having by the street.
We took a three day trip to Beech Mountain. After the family reunion in the mountains last year, we made sure to escape the heat and enjoy no mosquitoes again this year! We ate at a family serve restaurant with all the dishes on a round table that rotates in the center.
We saw so many deer on this trip it was insane. They are protected in this area and aren't afraid of people getting pretty close.
Gorgeous sunset from the house. We stayed with a friend that gave us all sorts of tips of places to go and his advice was perfect!
We started off at Wiseman's View. You drive almost the whole way, but get an epic view of Linville Gorge and the whole area-including Table Rock Mountain, which we later hiked.
We drove down from the first view parked at the base of that mountain to hike Linville Falls. There are several short hikes to different views, so we walked all over exploring.
Then we went to the big hike on Table Rock. The way was not well marked and the trail was steep and crazy at times with steep drop-offs many times. We just kept on going! We passed some that turned around because it was too hard or long and they gave up. We even called Jim's friend to make sure. And we just kept on going!
Finally at the top. At the edge of that rock is a sheer drop off the mountain. We had NO idea it was such a crazy hike for kids. But it was breathtakingly beautiful to be up there!
Some kind of mother instinct made it impossible to relax on top. We didn't spend super long, but it was unforgettable.
The way down was tricky too because of the many drop-offs. We used teamwork to remember where to go at the many forks, and sometimes it was Mike or me or Jim remembering. Great family time.
All the hiking that day wore even the super-energized ones out!
We ended the day kayaking and sup boarding at a small lake with a sandy beach.
Nicole and Jake found this float in the lake-tangled up in vines and stuff in the lake. They proudly brought their prize back to shore, Nicole standing up on her board with it around her feet!
The next day we visited Elk River Falls. It was a beautiful spot to play.
Jim took the kids hiking down the river.
I stayed with the littles and splashed around in the water.
Mike helping Diana up the rocks by holding her hand.
He was feeling pretty strong.
For lunch we ate at a restaurant that had corn hole. This was much more exciting than lunch itself!
A local college has a wildlife rehabilitation center and they have sessions where you can learn about and meet some of their animals.
That afternoon we went to our favorite spot from last summer, Valle Crucis, and Jim took older kiddos with boogie boards to float the river while I stayed back making rock pools and enjoying the beautiful weather and cool water with littles.
We love the ice cream stand there!
We took Jim's friend to dinner since it was his birthday and the kids were showing a hand clapping game to him.
Nicole ordered octopus soup! She was brave and said she really liked it!
Diana was pretty proud of her long fries.
Deer in the front driveway.
Overall it was an awesome weekend getaway. We hiked and went all over the mountains together.
Finally found some real Chicago deep dish pizza! They are in another city but still delivered to us. When the pizza came, though, they said they can't deliver again. So glad we at least got it once!
John loving his birthday present.
The kids earned prizes for doing school work and piano regularly over summertime.
Nicole made eggs and biscuits for breakfast! She's really learning to bake!
We had a mommy daughter date to a restaurant and she was thrilled to have squid, clams, mussels and all sorts of seafood.
Lots of weeding needed out front so we spent a few hours listening to music and weeding. Saturday morning fun!
Nicole took a Safe Sitter course that taught CPR as well. The orthodontist she'll be using pays for the course and it was great for her to learn so much.
Nicole is hoping to make the middle school volleyball team. She took a few clinics to learn technique since she's never played or seen a game!
John patiently eating his stroller while waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment