Great Day for a Hike

After a week of rain we finally had a sunny day. Josh and I were itching to get outside and do some hiking. The National Park Service recently built a new Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway so we decided to check it out. We are so fortunate to have so many National Parks right in our backyard.

The boys having a picnic lunch before we hit the trail.

Here's the new Visitor Center. It was LEED certified, which means it's an extremely "green" building. It even had a living roof, complete with native vegetation. Very cool building.

After we had walked for a bit G asked, "what does LOST mean?" I quickly reassured him that we were not lost but hiking. He did not believe me and kept asking if we were lost.

Grady got tired about a mile in, so mom got a bit of a workout.

Wouldn't it be nice to take a nap anywhere you wanted to.

Junior naturalist at work. G, like most kids, just loves anything outdoors. He is constantly fascinated by plants and animals.

Happy Myles showing those teeth. He now has a whopping four.

Grady finds the biggest mushroom! If you didn't know, it's a "Gnome House" or so G says.

A Star is Born

This week was fairly uneventful for us. It has rained everyday and we have been stuck inside. Let me tell you, those are some long days for me! Grady has to get out and run or he's a wildman. He has also started the "why" phase. If I hear that word one more time....! I should count how many times a day he says it. When will it end??!!

He is really into singing these days. He sings all the time but when ever I try to get it on video, he stops. I captured a rare moment of him crooning. Can you guess the song? I will have to fill you in on this as you probably can't tell what it is. The song of the hour is..."Life is a Highway". He LOVES that song and will sing it roughly 10 times a day. He is working on getting all the words but so far it's, "Life is a highway. I want to ride it. All MY long". He is going to be a superstar! Please pardon the burp in the middle of his rendition.





Here is Grady the Rock Star.

Little Myles is not going to be able to get a word in with G around. Good thing he is so chill. He probably won't talk until he's 5.
A moment of brotherly love. G actually wanted to hug Myles instead of pummel him. He came up behind him and gave him a squeeze. You can tell in Myles's face that he is waiting for something bad to happen.

Myles could sit right in this spot all day and pull out toys.

Hickory Nut Gap Farms

Today, Josh took a half day (a perk of owning your own company!) and we took the boys to Hickory Nut Gap Farm. It's a local farm about 15 minutes from our house. Our goal was to buy some local apples as G and Josh love apples. Plus, Grady wanted to see some farm animals.

Josh and Grady pose for a pic

This picture took more time to coordinate than it was worth!! Grady did not understand the concept of getting behind the picture. Myles looks like he is in pain. Not the greatest idea!

G was not so sure about the horses. He kept asking, "do they like me?"

Grady looking for grasshoppers

Even Myles likes the Hickory Nut apples. He cried when Josh took it away from him. With only 3 teeth, he couldn't really do much but suck on it.

Grady loved the baby farm animals.

Mom and the boys. Too bad we can never get a pic where they are both looking at the camera!

G "showing his teeth"

Myles and Dad chillin while Grady and I ran around the farm. Look at Myles's crazy hair! I don't know what we are going to do about it. At least it wasn't sticking up all over like usual.

They grow up so fast

I can't believe how big the boys are getting. Today I was particularly surprised to see how much they have changed in recent months. Grady talks non stop and thinks he is much older than he really is. Yesterday, he told a mom on the playground that he was "six". Myles continues to be the happiest baby I have ever seen.

Here is Grady on his bike, oh wait, I meant his "Harley". It is not a bike or so I am told. It also has amazing "smoke pipes", you just can't see them. It was a birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. Riding his "Harley" is his favorite thing to do at the moment. When he got the bike in May, his little feet couldn't touch the ground. Now, look at him go! Well, in this video he wipes out but takes it like a champ. He crashes all the time but always gets back up. What a trooper! He also explains that he fell just like dad. He loves that Josh fell on his face while knee boarding.

I told G to smile but this is what I got. You should not interrupt a man riding his Harley

G just "taking a break and letting it cool off"

I can't believe Myles was standing up like this. He is quite a little monkey. He is a strong little guy and will be crawling too soon. I don't want him to crawl....not yet. I'm not ready to chase two crazy boys!

Not a great pic but I thought it was a funny face. The kid will not eat baby food but he loves these little puffs.

Summer Memories....

We had such a wonderful summer! It was the first summer in eight years that I have had weekends off. I took full advantage and hit all the festivals, parties and other events that I have missed in the past years. It was so nice not working every weekend...it's the part of being a park ranger that I really don't miss at all!

Also, with Josh running his own company, he has had more time to spend with us. It has been such a blessing to spend so much time as a family. Here are some pics from our summer.

Grady and Myles relaxing on a hammock


Grady loves his frog boots, wears them rain or shine. I think they go really well with Spiderman undies.

All the boys on the hammock or as G calls it the "stomach". He can't quite get the word "hammock" out, it's always a "stomach".

Josh took Grady off-roading in the Jeep with our friends Dana and Eli. Grady has been talking about it for a month now. "Remember when dad got stuck in the mud and Dana had to pull him out?"


Sumo wrestler or strutting on a catwalk? Not so sure. I potty trained G by letting him run around naked. It worked, no more diapers BUT I have created an exibitionist. He prefers to be naked at all times.

Here we are at the Pisgah Fish Hatchery. Grady loved feeding the trout. Myles just hung out. You can see how excited he looks to be there.

G feeding the Brook Trout.

Our friends Dana and Ami invited us to their lake house several times this summer. We had a blast out on the boat and swimming in Lake Hartwell. I think Grady had too much fun this day. He passed out on the beach!

Myles enjoyed the beach too. It was a chore just to keep him from eating the sand. He can't crawl but he sure can scoot and roll to get what he wants.

Myles loved the water. He splashed and floated around with a huge smile on his face.

Josh can still waterski! It has been 10 years or so but he did it. He was also sore for a week afterwards....

We spent a lot of time outside playing in the yard. Again, here is G in his undies and frog boots.

G will play in Josh's Jeep all day. He is really into tail pipes right now. We have to stop at every car or truck and inspect its "smoke pipe".

The Mountain State Fair

Yesterday we took the boys to the Mountain State Fair. It was our first venture to a state fair in NC. Little did we know, it had all of Grady's favorite things!! Farm animals, antique cars, tractors, police helicopters and rides. Plus, it was located right next to the airport (added bonus for Grady). We had to watch airplanes land for quite a while. We thought Grady's head was going to explode...he LOVED it!

Here are some G quotes for the day:

"Mom, do sheep pee in the toilet?"

"What are cows under things called? Oh yea, Gutters"

"Mom, I will take you back to the fair again, if you like"

Josh and Grady milking a cow. Grady loved the cow's "gutters"

G loved the old cars....just like Papaw

G loved the rides. He jumped right on all by himself!


Myles had enough State Fair!

Grady's first Candy Apple

Myles liked the fair too. Good thing he is such as easy baby. He just loves to ride in the backpack and watch the world go by.

Starting a Blog???

Okay, I can't believe I am actually starting a blog. One of my best friends, Laura, has one for her family and I think it is a great way to share pics and adventures with friends and family. (thanks for the idea, Laura!)

I will try to keep it updated with pictures of the boys. This way our nearest and dearest can see our daily comings and goings. Plus, this way I don't have to inundate you all with 100's of snapfish photos!! Just check our blog to see what we have been up to. Well, here goes.....