A Tweetsie Trip

I love that going to Hickory and Tweetsie is now one of our regular summer traditions. The girls know to expect this trip and that gets them very excited! We set off for Hickory the weekend after July 4th with high hopes for some relaxing family time and for some crazy spinning on the Tilt-a-Whirl.

We made it to Hickory in record time. My three sweet babies were so good on the car ride! Not a peep from any of them; I hardly could believe it. I don't give them enough credit!

First things first...pool time! We brought our suits so we could go to Mimi's pool, and we had so much fun...

especially when the lifeguards brought out the world's longest pool float. You ran down the length of it...

and then heaved yourself off at the end. Who came up with this awesome idea?!?

 

We had dinner Friday night with Baba, and look at the sunflowers in her and Mom's garden! We gave these seeds to Mom for her birthday last August so it was neat to see them blooming almost a year later.

Baba was so excited to get her hands on this little baby boy...

The next morning we set off for an adventure with Dad and Heather....first Greek food in downtown Morganton and then...

blueberry picking! We had never picked blueberries before and turns out it is very hot...

but very tasty.

 Collins picked the one ripe peach on the peach tree and took special care of her prize...

 

and then we headed back to the barn with our fruit. Thank goodness we got a lift to the top of the hill.

 But turns out when you're in the shade with a swing, you kind of don't want to leave...

especially when popsicles and farm animals are involved.

 

Alli got some good ones...especially love the last one of Collins running wild and free!

The whole afternoon felt very summery. We really enjoyed it. Then back to Dad and Heather's for some relaxation and a pizza dinner!

On Sunday morning, we challenged ourselves to be out the door by 8:30 a.m. We came close. We wanted to beat the crowds to Tweetsie. Turns out that was not a problem. There was hardly anyone there, and this year we had picture perfect weather! It was 75 degrees and sunny...we could not believe our good luck. There were no lines...so we rode the Tilt-a-Whirl first and then again and again! This is Collins's favorite ride, but turns out Addie was a fan too...I was surprised the crazy spinning didn't scare the 3-year-old but it didn't.

 

Mimi overcame her fear of heights on the East Coast's fastest Ferris Wheel...

and again, Addie was not scared!

 

Next we challenged our driving skills...turns out we are not very good drivers.

  

Luke  was so sweet all day as his sisters drug us all over that amusement park...he did get to ride the chair lift...

 

and the mouse train.

 Brian decided to brave the Scrambler because surely it doesn't cause motion sickness...

 

and he did just fine. :)

 

And then it was time for the grand finale...the train ride.

Addie would probably tell you that the grand finale was actually the ice cream we got in Blowing Rock on the way home...

Here's what Tweetsie looked like from the official photographer's perspective...

 

We love going to Tweetsie! It charms me every time with its pretty mountain backdrop, its simple but fun rides, its friendly people, and its gorgeous weather. This year was no exception...we had a fantastic time. Addie summed it up best, "Can we go on that Twirly Whirl again?!?"

Upon getting back to Hickory, there was only one thing left to do before heading home...seeing Carrie! Carrie Brockway is one of my oldest, dearest friends and I don't see or talk to her nearly as much as I want to anymore. She happened to be in Hickory after stopping in from the beach before heading back to her home in Tennessee. So we decided to catch up and let our kids play at Hickory's newest splash pad...

 

Spending time with Carrie and her kids meant so much to me. I miss her terribly, and seeing her made me realize that. If only we lived closer and our lives were not so busy! We had a great time at the splash pad and then went to one of their favorite dives for lunch. The whole morning was very special and the perfect way to finish off a memorable Hickory trip!

Luke at 7 Months

You will see a theme in all of Luke's seven-month baby photos....ACTIVE is that theme. This was the month of movement and eating for Luke...I guess those two go hand-in-hand!

Quite soon after mastering sitting, Luke decided that was boring and that he needed to be in motion. So he started positioning himself on all fours and rocking back and forth...

and then pushing himself into a baby down dog. Crawling is coming!

He doesn't sit still for very long even if it's in this yellow chair that makes cool sounds...

 Luke's even standing in his crib now...thanks to a little help from his sister!

 

He's already playing ball with Daddy...

  

and finding the doctor's exam table quite entertaining. I'm telling you he is total boy and BUSY!

We started solids pretty slowly, but lately, he is gaining steam. Luke likes to eat. He is not afraid of cramming the food in there. This avocado distracted him long enough so we could eat dinner out downtown after playing at Marbles.

There's not much food that he doesn't like...

Peach's are a favorite...

and it was finally time to drag out the high chair. It's like all of a sudden he's a little boy!

Luke continues to love splashing in his bath...

and is absolutely impossible to put a diaper on these days.

We drug out Addie's old car and he loves it...

  

but he also likes plastic bags just as much!  

Seven months has been a really fun one with Luke. I love that he can get down and play now. I love that I don't have to carry him around in a car seat. I love that he can experiment with food. I love that he smiles and responds to us all the time. I do not love that he is still sleeping terribly so sleep training is coming soon because I can't take it any longer. But even over those long nights, I am so grateful for every minute with this busy boy who is changing and growing by the minute!

Fourth of July

First thing upon waking up...they donned their new patriotic outfits. They wasted no time in getting into their red, white and blue! It's sweet how Collins helped get Addie dressed...

So they weren't too pleased when I told them to take off the cute new outfits and put hiking clothes on instead. :) We were heading to Umstead!

I think they were traumatized from our difficult hike in the mountains over Memorial Day so they were not too eager to take on another trail, but we assured them this was an easy one...and I also bribed them with Bojangles for after they finished it!

Next up? Canoe ride. Turns out they weren't so eager to be out on the lake when they got hungry and knew that fried chicken was next on the itinerary. :)

Luke and I did not get to board a boat, but took an extended hike instead.

I got an itch to attempt cherry hand pies for our dessert that night...

and then the girls had the idea to make star cookies so I caved and made two homemade desserts. You should have seen the disaster that was the kitchen!

We had a cookout planned with the Tripps and then Lora got sick so we were on our own that night. But I still had to pull out the sparklers I had bought for the party...completely freaked the girls out!

No real fireworks for us that night. I will look forward to the day the kids can stay up late enough for us to see fireworks. The holiday was not overly exciting this year, but it was a day off with some quality time spent together which is always a special thing.

Oh, and this cherry hand pie...YUM.

Cousin Time

"Are they back yet? Are they back yet???" As the cousins were making their way back to Raleigh from the beach, we kept getting asked this question. Finally, Wyatt and Chase arrived at Gigi's house so the playing could commence!

The boys found the playroom hideout immediately, and then started playing a pretty intense game of hide-and-seek...meanwhile the adults were cooking up an impressive Southern supper. Brian was smoking ribs and chicken, Donna was making butter beans and creamed corn...

while I stayed back at our house attempting to make a large fruit crisp for dessert. Baking with a baby? Not so much fun. These berries were so very close to being dumped all over the floor!

Our final meal with the Williams clan and Judy and Joan was delicious, and then the kids excused themselves to go hunt lightening bugs. Chase was fascinated by them because apparently they don't have them in Colorado. Collins and Addie were fascinated by them too because they don't get to stay up late enough to see them normally.

It was sad to say goodbye...for the girls especially. They thought these older boys were super cool and fun, and they were right! We started immediately making plans for another visit...maybe this time out in Denver? We are so glad they came to North Carolina for vacation; hopefully we can return the favor!

  

He Can Sit!

Luke is officially a sitter! As soon as we got back from Wrightsville Beach, he just suddenly started sitting up on his own. He was actually quite stable from the get go...as shown here at our Lacy picnic. It was really cool to see him be able to do this! He started sitting up was about a week before turning seven months old so right on track developmentally.

Him being able to sit on his own has been a game changer for us. I love being able to plop him down when I need to use my hands, and he is happier being upright too!

I mean how cute is he sitting up at our picnic??