Gratitude Nov. 2

 I am so grateful for this sweet squishy baby.  She loves to scrunch up her nose and it's about the cutest thing I have ever seen.  She is 5 1/2 months old and such a joy to have around.  Having a baby in the house is such a treat and a blessing, she is constantly being smothered with kisses.
 She isn't the best napper, but sleeps pretty well at night.  I have finally moved her into Brooks' room into the "big crib" as the kids call it.  She usually goes to bed at about 9 or 10 and sleeps until about 4:30 or 5. 

 She is super smiley but still fights laughing.  It is getting easier and easier to make her laugh though, she especially loves peek a boo.  She is rolling around everywhere like she owns the place.  It's weird for me to see her grow up so fast! I think it's because Cate took her sweet time and was so content to just sit or to be held.  Abs wants to grab EVERYTHING and is super motivated to move.  She is constantly moving and grabbing. Hence the new nickname Grabby Abby.  I am grateful for baby Abbers.

Gratitude-- Nov. 1

Tonight for Young Womens we are working on a gratitude project.  I think it's so important to remember all the blessings in my life so I am going to try and make November my bloggy gratitude month.  This November comes with much anxiety for me because soon it will be one year since my mom passed away.  It's still so raw and painful for me to think about but hopefully I can fill my month with good memories and not dwell on the terrible last few days of her life.  They seem to haunt me and I'm still working on processing it all. 

ANYWAY---- back to being grateful!  Even though it's been a really tough year,  (for Lewis too, he has been so so busy with residency stuff of course) I have been so grateful to have Lewis by my side.  I realize how lucky I am to have him to support me and to listen when I just want to cry and talk about my mom so much.  He's the greatest guy and I am grateful that he's mine! 

Helpful Stranger

We just got home from a quick weekend trip to Charleston.  This time it was Charleston, South Carolina.  We had the best time but next time I want to stay longer.  Maybe next time I go we can stay forever! I really loved it that much.  It was gorgeous. Have you ever been?  What a  great city.  Lots of history, (something we loved about living in New England) but no the cold weather!! I've turned soft and now hate cold weather.  The thought of moving somewhere cold makes me so nervous.
Anyway, this lovely woman offered to take a picture of the kids with me and this is what she came up with.  Awesome.  I was trying so hard to hold the laughs in.  More pictures to come.

"mom, can i eat my foot?"

 (title by Cate the great)

Just a funny picture from the summer

The second half

 The second half of the week was spent in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We have been once before about 4 years ago.  It was a whole lifetime ago.  I can't believe how long and hard these 4 years have been.  But also beautiful and amazing.  Most wonderfully we have 2 more kids with us!

 Cade's Cove is just gorgeous.  They have left a few homes and other buildings to let you walk around and see what life was like 200 years ago.

 Pigeon Forge.  What can I say.  If you haven't been, go.  It's like, hmmm, I think Jackie said it right when she called it "Red Neck Vegas".  There are shows, Dollywood, dinner shows, places like this Wonderworks, at least 12 mini golf places, lots of go-karts, and my personal favorite is the outlet mall!

 Getting creative with their hay bales those crazy Tennesseans:

 Park sign.  Aren't the trees lovely?  I'm not sure I could live somewhere without trees now that I've lived with them so long.

 Anddddddd the highlight for the kids was the waterpark.  We stayed at the Wilderness at the Smokies which is a hotel with 3 waterparks.  2 are outside and closed this time of year, but you betcha we enjoyed the indoor one.  Cate didn't like the big water dump.  Funny side note, we call Brooks Mike Wazowski (from Monsters Inc) and it was perfect because he kept just missing the water dump.  He would hear the bell ring and run but was always a few seconds too late.  Lewis and I would just look at each other and laugh.  It's just so Brooks.  But he finally got there for one and loved it. 

 Abbers the bathing beauty.

 Wave pool: 

 Brooks hitting the waves (or whatever you call that thing):

 Our last day we saw 2 more bears high up in trees. (did I mention we saw a bear right as we entered the park the first day?!!? well, we did and it was up super high in a tree right over the road. cool!!)

 Then we headed up on a 3 mile (round trip) hike to a waterfall.  I love this picture because Cate is about to start her dropped shoulders and dropped head mope.  That's how she tells Lewis she is ready to be carried.  He was a good sport to carry her.  Actually, I think he liked carrying her because it meant we could move at his pace and not hers.

 Brooks caught a moth and named it Blue and Black.  I bet you can't guess why.

 It was cool because you could walk behind the falls.  But I didn't because the last thing I need is slippery rocks.  I am enough of a disaster without slippery rocks.  And I didn't want to endanger my baby who I was carrying at the time. 

 The kids at the trailhead. Why are these so out of order?  More importantly, why am I too lazy to figure out how to get them in the right order?  I'm actually just proud of myself for posting at all so let's leave it at that for now.

 The whole fam:

 We almost picked up every leaf on the trail.  But we left them with their friends.  Not without taking lots of pictures first of course.  Honestly, I don't blame my kids.  It's hard for me to walk past a beautiful leaf or rock and not pick it up.

 Sweet goopy eyed baby.  She has had a clogged tear duct since birth.  Add that to the constant drool and YUM!! To me it just adds to her tastiness.

 You have to click on this one to read the sign.  I love the south.  Not only do they use "ya'll" which makes sense if you think about it, but they also call me and my kids things like honey, sweetie, sugar, sugar pie, little mama, lil bit, darlin', etc.  I have to admit I love it.  Also, Cate has a southern accent.  It's the craziest thing because I don't.  But it's cute. And she was born here and has only lived here so what do I expect?

 And completely out of place, but cool anyway, a church from Cade's Cove.

Take me home, country roads

  Last week was Lewis' week off so we decided to make a family trip.  There is a craniofacial/ cleft lip and palate fellowship in Charleston, West Virginia that he is interesed in and needed to visit slash interview at so we headed on up.  We listened to John Denver over and over on the way up, don't you worry.
Monday and Tuesday Lewis was visiting the hospital so the kids and I had lots of fun on our own.  Like playing "Justin Beiber".  It's a fun game.

 We visited the state capital building and the war memorial.  Next time when the baby isn't sleeping peacefully in her car seat we want to visit the big museum.

 We found several parks including this one that is actually part of a big ampitheatre that is on the bank of the river (and happened to have a service road accidentally open so we helped ourselves).

 There was a big mound that was an Indian burial ground or something and is now a park.  Lewis is standing in front of the largest building I have ever seen.  Too bad the picture is completely inadequate.

 The kids on top of the mound in front of the South Charleston downtown:

 Another fun HUGE playground in Charleston, can you find the kid?

 At yet another park we collected leaves because when do we not.  We have learned that if we take a picture of the leaves we can then leave them at the park with their friends.  This is the park where Cate peed and then pooped her pants.  Not a joke.

 And Abs just went along with it so well.  She was a dream traveller and I was super worried because being in her car seat used to make her scream her guts out.  Scream until she coughed and puked.  But I guess she likes it now because she was t-riffic.

 Bonus! My kids had their FIRST SLURPEES!! Can you believe we've never lived anywhere with 7-11s?  Well, I guess there were a couple in Connecticut, but whateva.

 Fun games at the hotel. We are CLASSY!