Easter

This is one of the few pictures we took for Easter that turned out okay. Wrangling three kids to sit still and look at the camera is near impossible anymore! Alexa was refusing to stand and it was raining outside so this was the best we could do. Oh well!

     We had an Easter egg hunt earlier in the week in preperation for the bad weather. We hid eggs around the yard and the kids found loose change and mini candies inside the eggs. There was a chocolate bunny waiting for each of them on Easter morning as well as a sandbox from their Me-Mom and Pop-Pop. Once we get sand for the sandbox we will be set for outdoor play this summer. For dinner we visited Howard's side of the family, which was nice.

She...

...is potty trained!

     It took a full seven days but we made it and she is doing so well. We're so proud of her!

Cherry Pie

We spent our weekend celebrating my baby brothers 25th birthday with my first sour cherry pie and ice cream. Yummy!

Smiles

Had an impromtu photo session with the kids the other day. I LOVE this picture! I'm so blessed to get to be mommy to these awesome kiddos! :)

Tennesee Visit, part 3

This is the super cool loft my parents have in their house. It overlooks their main living area.

      This is my mom's new kitchen. There are labels on all the cabinets so that as we unpacked we knew where to put everything. (And people wonder why I'm so organized!)

 This is a view from under their loft looking into the living room/great room.

      I didn't take a picture of my parents deck because it was cluttered with moving boxes but it is HUGE! They have a full wraparound deck and a part of it is also covered. The kids had a blast running back and forth on it the whole time we were there.

      Someone had just unpacked the box of kids books when I snapped these photos. I couldn't even get the kids to look up!

      My parents house. The office is the small room off the right and the rest is their house.

      We took a hike in the Cherokee National Forest. Absolutely beautiful! I would have loved to be able to spend a lot more time hiking. It's something I love to do and can't very much with the kiddos. The kids did great on the hike but tired very quickly.

      This was the view at the start of our hike looking up the Hiwasee River. Gorgeous!

      We had a 78 degree day when we hiked and the following day got up to 83 so we had some amazing weather while we were down there. Loved breaking out the shorts!

      Chase started out the hike very hesitant and by the end was an accomplished pro. :) He was thrilled to take home two pinecones and a hickory nut that he insisted was an onion. (Oh I love what little kids come up with!)

     Alexa didn't want to hike at all and as soon as we were back at the car she climbed right inside. We have such a girly-girl and she definitely doesn't get it from me!
                                                    

     It was such a bittersweet time with my parents. Tanner won't be anywhere near this size the next time we all get together so everyone was trying to soak up the time we had. I love how seriously Noni is watching Mom talking to Tanner.

      I love this picture of Chase and my dad. We were taking a walk around my parents property checking things out.

     This is a picture that will go in Tanner's scrapbook. It captures perfectly the emotion of the visit for me.

Tennessee Vacation Anyone?

     If you have any interest in visiting southern Tennesee why not consider Mountain Stream Cabins? (This is a shameless plug for my parents business by the way!)

You can get away from it all in comfortable, cozy cabins nestled in the woods. You can choose from 4 cabins that sit creekside or 2 private cabins that sit deeper in the woods atop the property.

     Each cabin comes equipped with its own hot tub and a picnic table where you can enjoy even more of the outdoors in a semi-private setting.

     Each cabin has a spacious wrap around deck just begging for you to cozy up with a book, cup of coffee or nature watching.

     The cabins have a semi-open concept. There is a small bathroom with tub/shower combination.

      The bedroom features a queen bed as well as a set of bunk beds that are both doubles.

      The cabins each have a wonderful rustic feel enhanced by the wood detail and loft style ceilings.

      The living areas are simple and comfortable. A few of the cabins also offer pull out sofas for added sleeping capacity.

      There is a fully functional kitchen in each cabin offering you the ability to save money and enjoy all the benefits of home cooking while still getting away from it all.

     So plan to book your next vacation to Tennessee. You can reach Mountain Stream Cabins through their website, http://www.mountainstreamlodging.com/ to get away from it all!

     The family photos will be coming tomorrow!

Tennessee

     We officially moved my parents to Tennessee over the weekend. We drove 12 hours through the night on Thursday and got there at 10am Friday morning. It was such a busy but good time. We moved and unpacked a lot of stuff, took some time for a short hike, visited and explored the property. We made the 12 hour trek back on Monday night and now we are settling into our new normal. I'm missing my parents something awful. Just knowing I can't run down to visit or even drive an hour for a quick get-together makes my heart ache. Enjoy some pictures from our visit and be sure to check out their website http://www.mountainstreamlodging.com/. The hiking in the Cherokee National Forest is beautiful! I'll post pictures as I sort through them.