This is where we spent our week

in the this cabin

with beautiful views from both inside and out

the girls were able to get in and out of the hot tub ALL day long....and they took FULL advantage of this amenity

while the guys did this several times

on a couple evenings we ventured down a trail that took us through the woods

and dumped us out on to a country road

with beautiful sights to view along the way

listening to birds chirping and trying to spot them......our MOST spotted bird this trip was the pileated woodpecker

there was as much relaxing as "doing" for everyone

and each evening we experienced colorful sunsets which brought out several bats

see it was a good week!

EASTER

We just returned from a BEAUTIFUL week long vacation. AND I mean that in many ways.....we stayed in a beautiful cabin, we had BEAUTIFUL weather, we enjoyed beautiful time with family whom we LOVE, we were surrounded by God's beautiful nature!! It was really just one of those weeks.....you know the kind I'm talking about??....that will stay etched in your memory forever....yep it was one of those! So I'm gonna have to break our trip up a bit because shocker of shocks I've got TOO many pictures!!! Go figure Kera!

We woke up to a beautiful sunny Easter morning

perfect for egg hunting in the woods

with cousins

tree climbing

frog finding and kissing

family time

wading in the water

making MUDDY MESSES......in white shirts none the less!

and keeping up with our yearly tradition of pecking eggs *we call it something in german but I have NO idea how to spell it so english it is* 2 people get an egg then peck at each other's egg until one cracks....then that winner goes on to the next person and so on and so forth! FUN FOR ALL AGES!!!

we were reminded ALL day that we are truly blessed by GOD with wonderful family and beautiful places on earth to enjoy if we choose......and we CHOSE!!!

*i made the girls shirts with "their letter" sewn on the side and wouldn't you know i never got a shot of all 5 girls together!! so this is the closest shot i got!*

Autism Awareness Day

*She has a smile that lights up a room

*She has the most beautiful and longest eyelashes

*She LOVES Soup and Salad

*She HATES itchy clothes and tags

*She is the most protective mother like 10 year old (of her baby sister) I know

*She keeps EVERYTHING and knows if you've thrown ANYTHING away

*She is not a snuggler by nature but will let you hug and kiss her without complaints

*She LOVES baseball (and all sports really) and is the #1 girl in her age group for the 2nd year in a row

*She HATES to be away from her mom, dad, and sister overnight

*She keeps her emotions inside until she's bottled them up TOO long and then her tears overflow like a waterfall

*She plays guitar

*She loves to joke and tease

*SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL GIRL INSIDE AND OUT

and "SHE" is my niece whom I LOVE beyond words

SHE HAS AUTISM......and let me be clear that she is not defined by this word

SHE IS TAYLOR

She has the BEST mom who has spent countless hours driving this girl to therapy, working with her, and educating herself about autism. She has chosen to RISE ABOVE and work with Taylor to make her the BEST possible girl she can be!!!! She doesn't treat her different because of this diagnosis and she won't let you treat her different either.

So today we will wear blue and LOVE Taylor ALL the more because she Taylor and she is special to us and we want the world to become AWARE of AUTISM

We hope you are wearing blue too!

60 Candles

It was my mother-in-laws birthday last week and so Jon ordered up a dinner at our house....... special for the lady she is.

On the menu:

Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella

Spaghetti with Vodka Sauce

Roasted Veggies

Garlic Bread

a table set with flowers and candles=a fancy special occasion for our home

cousins gathered

I got to love ALL OVER this yummy baby

and I think the Birthday girl was happy to be surrounded *which can sometimes be hard with every body's different schedules* by her family laughing and laughing and laughing and catching some air to breathe!

Emory and Adam offered to bring the cake and picked out the "redneck" one.... *if you know Jon's brother you know he's AlWAYS up for joking and laughter* it was yummy though!!

we couldn't quite fit 60 on there

if you EVER celebrate a birthday in Kayden and Emery's presence you KNOW there is NO need to over exert yourself......blowing of candles is their specialty

It was a BEAUTIFUL and FUN evening.

We love you Linda, Mom, and Gran!!!!

Bird Watching

Last Wednesday we set out with Kayden's kindergarten class for a full day of bird watching and learning! We've seen MANY cloudy, rainy days lately. But the skies cleared and that BIG YELLOW round thing showed it's beautiful self off. We had a GREAT day walking down the river sighting new and old birds!

The kids each had a clipboard with a piece of paper to write down each bird they spotted

We saw a whole gorgeous flock of Cedar Wax Wings which Kayden had never seen before, along with Chimney Swifts, a Brown Thrasher, and Blue Herons. Not to mention the ones we see frequently in our backyard like: Cardinals, Blue Birds, Black Capped Chickadees, House Sparrows, Mocking Birds, Robins, Grackles, Mourning Doves.......and her list ended up with about 16 total!! Yep it was a good birding day!

(Cedar Wax Wing)

After our picnic lunch and letting the kids play in the park we headed out to the Chattanooga Nature Center

Where we learned about 3 different "birds of prey"

(Great Horned Owl)

(American Kestrel)

After some "classroom learning" we headed outside to venture around the property. The kids were able to get in the nest of a Bald Eagle....it's HUGE!!

Before leaving we were able to go into the tree house......I NEED THIS!!!

I may need to find a side job to earn enough $$ to have tree house built in our backyard!

Kayden's class has been learning about birds for the last month or so. In high school I got on a little "birding" kick but didn't keep going with it. So it's been fun to dust off the bird book and we've had fun keeping an eye out for new birds! Hoping that this spring and summer will bring us many new bird sightings!!

Spontaneity

There are many qualities about Jon that I LOVE......yes some that I am not so fond of but this post is about the better of the two! He can be very set in his routine and if you mess it up be prepared for some grouchy Jon!! Some days it drives me batty but I am finding that maybe I like my routine too and I am really just batty with myself. Oh the analyzing of life! ANYWHO back to JON........BUT if given some free time, good weather, a phone call from a friend the night before.....a camping trip is planned! JUST LIKE THAT......no pre-planning, no matter that I had to work all weekend.....there is something about nature that brings out the best in him AND the girls.

And together they had a fun and beautiful night outdoors.

Did I really miss this??

Lily (1st time camper), Emery, and Kayden playing

Seeing an otter in person......which, to my knowledge, neither of the girls has experienced outside of a zoo/aquarium

CAMPING=ALL SMILES

A certain 6 y/o FINALLY learned how to stay snug and warm the ENTIRE night

There is something about camping....no matter the age which brings out the best of hair do's and puffy eyes!!!

I HATE that I missed out but I am thankful for that itsy bit of spontaneity in Jon to *LAST MINUTE* share some memorable daddy/daughter time camping.