Asheville

This weekend we headed to Asheville, stayed in a little cabin on a creek, visited the WNC Nature Center, and pet some animals at the Antler Hill Village farm. Roasting marshmallows, making smores, and visiting by the campfire were among my favorite activities! Here are some pictures from our trip- in reverse order though because I loaded them last to first.

By the fire after the kiddos went to sleep...


Antler Hill Village on Biltmore Estate Pics...













WNC Nature Center Pics...



























Campsite/ Cabin Pics...












Addisyn enjoyed petting the sheep, goats, chickens, and horses! She reminded me this morning "Mommy hold chick in hand. Me pet chick, give kiss mmmwaw!" She also loved collecting acorns and tossing them into the creek that ran through our site. The cabin we stayed in was very nice (at Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground), but the campground staff was not overly friendly. My parents were in Asheville and came by to see us, but the nephew of the owner of the campground acted rude about visitors coming by. Very strange! We highly recommend the WNC Nature Center (an accredited zoo), as the animals are rescues. Here are some links to the websites:

Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground http://www.mamagerties.com/

WNC Nature Center http://www.wildwnc.org/

We will post again soon!
Love,
Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

Updates

Aaron and Cathy came up this week and we had some nice visits ;) We plan to go see them in FL next spring. This weekend was quite eventful- Aunt Carmen's birthday, Aaron & Cathy visiting, a nice get-together at Grandma N's, going blond, and golfing with Brian's brother, Ben- we all got 40's on the 9holes we played! Here are a few pics...

Family Portrait...



Addisyn loves to give kisses! She is also VERY kind- this morning she told me "Mommy is very pretty! Me very pretty!" She also uses her manners, she always says, "Thank you Mommy!" or "Thank you Daddy!" She also says "Love you Mommy!" and "Love you Daddy!" Oh she can melt our hearts!


I went blond- not sure if it is the look for me yet ;)...


If only she was in the swimming pool...


Lunch at Grandma's...





We will post again soon- after our mountain trip- we rented a cabin on a river near Asheville!
Love,
Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

Summer winding down...

As the summer has come to an end and school has started back, I have been slacking on my blog updates ;) I started watching a 20-month old little girl (Monday-Friday 7:30-4:00 from now until December). This is working out really well because Addisyn is learning to socialize and to share her toys. I take the girls to "Toddler Story Time" at the library, to the museum, to the park, and several other places/activities throughout the week- including dance class! Yesterday we went to Monkey Joes and the girls had a blast on the new Nemo bouncer. On another note, I am finally in my last year of graduate school and I am starting at the Abuse Prevention Council, counseling domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape victims. Brian is finishing up the classes he needs for his post-baccalaureate/ graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and he only has 4 classes left to complete his master's degree- he is getting his MGIS&T (Master of Geospatial Information Science and Technology). Anyways, here are some random pictures from over the past few weeks:

Addisyn in her fort...


She loves to finger paint...



She also loves to play with blocks...


Addisyn and Hailey playing blocks...


Do you ever wish you could wear your pants on your head? If you were 2 this would be fine...


If you were 2 you could also push the couch cushions off the couch and put your Winnie the Pooh folding chair there instead, all while brushing your teeth...


She also loves her wooden rocking horse...



At dance class...


She loves to play dress up with hats and over-sized cow slippers...


Oh and did I mention that crayons and play-doh can be used together to make one fantastic activity?...


But all this hard playing can make a 2 year old very sleepy...



Addisyn pushing Hailey around the house in the baby doll stroller...


Addisyn can build some huge block castles...


And she can make sooooo much noise that you add "ear plugs" to your grocery list :) ...


We will post again soon!
Love,
Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear (who was recently shaved down to the skin, and Addisyn refers to him as the "naked doggie" and she asks "Where did his fuzzy tail go???")