Mountain Weekend

It was a fun change of scenery to head West towards the mountains this weekend. Brian's friend, Timmy, got married in Cashiers, NC, at this charming mountain inn. We dropped Collins off in Hickory for a weekend with Mimi and Baba, and then headed up the mountain.

This place reminded me of a cross between "Dirty Dancing" and summer camp. It was awesome! We stayed in a cabin, spent the day hiking and canoeing, and then had a great time at the wedding. Another cool thing is the property has this enormous dahlia garden where they invite you to pick your own flowers. On the way home, we passed through Arden which is where I used to go to summer camp and Brian humored me with a quick tour through Lutheridge (which is still awesome by the way).

 

 

As predicted, Collins barely noticed our return because she was too busy having fun with Mom and Baba. They spent the weekend playing at the park, going to get ice cream, pushing around the babies in the stroller, watering the flowers on the deck, and practicing on the potty (Baba bought Collins a princess potty!).

 

 

Poppy and Nana surprised Collins with a new toy...how fun is this?

After a tasty dinner, we hopped back on the road for the long drive back. It was a lot of time in the car this weekend, but it was worth it because we all had a great time!

First Haircut

It was finally time!

Before...

 during...

and after...too cute!

Collins loved the waiting area filled with toys and a slide. She did not love having to sit still and having a stranger come at her with scissors. But she survived her first cut and has a cute new 'do to show for it!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Does it really have to rain here EVERY day? I am growing weary of the constant summer afternoon thunderstorms. Temperatures have dropped a bit this week- do you think there is any chance that cool (dry) fall days are around the corner?

But maybe I shouldn't be wishing away the wet weather seeing how Collins's cute pink rain boots now fit!

We Figured it Out

A cute grocery helper is all I needed to make the shopping run a more pleasant experience. She was like a woman on a mission pushing that cart!

The Greatest Gift

Yesterday was a very special day because Elizabeth Grace Brockway made her arrival in this world. This baby has been the answer to many prayers, and she made her long-awaited arrival on Sunday, August 19th, at 11:17 a.m. weighing 7 lbs 1 oz. Carrie had a long labor, but only had to push three times and out popped Miss Elizabeth. They are both doing great, and Elizabeth is already eating, snoozing, and wearing pink well.

I got to meet Elizabeth yesterday in Charlotte, and she is beautiful and snuggly. She is a true blessing, and we couldn't be more excited for their family!!!

18 Months!

Collins officially became a 1 1/2 year old on Monday. She celebrated her half birthday by sleeping in; we celebrated the milestone by treating her to her first-ever ice cream cone.

It started out really cute...

and quickly degenerated...

to a chocolate disaster and a quick exit out of Goodberry's. Do I need to say she loved it?

We had our 18-month check-up this morning and learned that:

1) Collins is tall (she's 33 1/2" and has increased to the 93rd percentile)

2) Collins is smart (she can already say about 30 words which is advanced for her age)

3) Collins is badly behaved at times (she threw a temper tantrum in the doctor's office and tested me all morning with defiant behavior)

As excited as I am by #1 and #2, I'm equally distraught by #3. I feel like we're entering a new stage that will test our parenting skills and patience. Wish us luck!

Back in the Saddle

Although still a little gun-shy on the slides (with good reason!), Collins has loved returning to our normal playground routine this week.

Last Hurrah of the Summer

Call us lucky ducks or call us spoiled rotten- any way you look at it we were extremely fortunate to have been taken on three incredible beach vacations in one short summer.

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Wrightsville Beach with Brian's family and realized we are officially landlocked for awhile. Not a happy thought, but we made plenty of fun beach memories to last us till next year.

There was one worry going into this trip- how loads of sand and sun would affect Collins's healing leg. That's why we got her this...

...a full body, 50+ UV protectant body suit that added a good 5 lbs of weight when wet. That's why Brian took some scissors to it halfway through the week, and a ruffle died. But thankfully the suit did its job and protected her leg, and Collins didn't let it slow her down at all...

 

When we weren't on the beach, we were hanging out at the beach house watching the Olympics, eating an excess of yummy foods, playing with Collins, and relaxing.

Our last morning at the beach was a rainy one so we headed towards Carolina Beach and the Fort Fisher aquarium. Collins was cool with the two huge thrashing alligators....

and being caught in the jaws of life with Grandpa...

but not with sitting still at the restaurant afterwards. So she and Gigi checked out the Kure Beach pier.

Many thanks to Donna and Marty for a special vacation. Thanks also to Aunt Connie for joining us and making the long trek from Colorado!

Boo Boo Update

"Boo boo" and "hot" have been the two most common words to come out of Collins' mouth this past week. Obviously, the slide accident has traumatized my baby (and me). But the good news is that we got cleared by the doctor today- no more office visits are necessary and the bandages can come off!

It is amazing how quickly the wounds have healed in a week's time. We're told it will be months before the skin looks normal again, but we are so grateful that we've made this much progress already.

Many thanks go to my dear friend Rach who gave us so much helpful advice through this process. The knowlege she shared (gained from working in the burn unit at Baptist Hospital) was invaluable and gave us peace of mind. Thanks also to everyone for the prayers and words of support this past week- it meant a lot.

Another update- Pullen Park is putting up signs around the slide where the accident happened so this hopefully won't happen again!

Here are some pictures from our week indoors- as you can see we still managed to have some fun!