To Everything Turn Turn Turn

It never ceases to amaze me how much we can squeeze into two weeks!  Some of you may have already seen this perfectly adorable face, but I love this picture so much--I had to break my own rule and use it again!

In my new favorite season, we have been doing lots of outdoor activities!  Once or twice a week, we have gone hiking and exploring around town.  This is a small, yet deceptively frigid creek we had to check out.  Seriously, it was so cold that our feet were a little pink when we got out!

 John Thomas loves to climb on rocks and (if they aren't too high) jump off of them.  This picture cracks me up because I told him to smile like a dinosaur and this is what he gave me.  Now that you know, he totally sold it didn't he? :)

 My little munchkin also woke up really early one day this week.  This is the cuteness I spent the early morning with while I finished getting ready for work.  I had a very tough time resisting the urge to crawl back in bed and get some snuggles with my boy and my doggie!

We also had a chance to catch up with some of our stay-at-home friends.  These two always have a super duper time hanging out together!  Thanks Kins for always being such a gracious hostess!

 And we even managed to meet Lola and baby Brooks on one of their first outings together with Mama.  Not surprisingly, Sarah makes toting around two kiddos look like a cinch.  Even though John Thomas hadn't had a nap and was pretty ornery, he had a blast!

 As part of our Fall Break fun, John Thomas and I tried out a local Pumpkin Patch.  We had SO MUCH FUN!

He ran all over the pumpkin patch!

 Petted all sorts of animals, like cows, goats, llamas, pigs, horses...

 Got to go on a tractor ride!

 Got only slightly lost in the corn maze :).

 Got to sit on the big blue tractor!

 Because the Powell game was on a Thursday night, we were able to go check it out!  John Thomas loved it.  He yells when the crowd yells, claps with the band, and screams GO PANTHERS!  He also loves all the attention my students and former students give to him when he walks by.  He even had to stop and do a little dance in the aisle as the band playing a tune.

 Cleaning my car was on my to-do list over the break.  I quickly discovered that John Thomas was going to need his own bucket of suds, a rag, and a car that he couldn't scratch.  Next thing I know, he's giving his dump truck a showroom shine!

 Today, we stole away for a picnic and hike.  He enjoys watching the leaves fall from the trees.

 We probably hiked over two miles and he walked most of it.  When we finally got to our destination, we had both worked up quite an appetite!

We set up lunch right beside the local airport.  We watched several planes take off and land while sharing PB & Js, pickles, and pistachios.  If you look closely in the picture above, you'll see that John Thomas has his ankles crossed.  This boy sure knows how to relax!

 I'm fairly certain he scored the biggest leaf in the park!  He carried this trophy almost the whole way back to the car!

 I also found two acorns in his pocket when we got home.  I guess he was stowing some souvenirs away to remind him of our awesome day!

The true confirmation of how much fun John Thomas is having is when he says, "we come back" as we are leaving.  From hanging with buddies, going to the pumpkin patch, football game, or on a hike--he said it every time.    

There are many reasons that I love Fall.  The weather, the colors, the football...  But, it is especially apropos to me that Fall is death made beautiful.  May the old contrivances in my heart and life, look splendid as they continue to die and fall away so that in the Spring, my heart will be ready to bloom anew.

Octoberfest!

 We are so ready for Fall around here, and finally the weather is starting to act like it!  The best part about the last two weeks, other than the weather--is the fact that Gramma and Poppy have been here the whole time!  They are actually going to be moving back down here in a few weeks.  To say we're excited might be the understatement of the decade!

 Even though the Vols got beat last weekend, there was still a lot to celebrate.  The McAffry's welcomed Brooks into the world!  Such a precious, sweet and healthy boy with a full head of hair and chunky cheeks!  Congratulations Sarah, Andrew, Lola and Brooks!

 This weekend, we were invited to help Hannah and Caroline celebrate their birthdays!  Their birthday party was carnival themed with games, painting and even tattoos!

 As you can tell, all the kids lined up for their tattoos.  Um...John Thomas was excited about it until he realized it didn't come off like a sticker.  I had to take it off pretty much as soon as we got home to avoid a nuclear meltdown.  I can only hope that his aversion to tattoos will last him a lifetime.  Happy birthday girls and thanks for letting us participate in your festivities!

 Uncle Eddie also came in town this weekend for his twenty year high school reunion.  He is so good with John Thomas and it was nice to get some brother/sister time.

We "capped" (ha) off a great weekend today at the new Firehouse right down the street!  Which reminds me, we've got to start hunting for a Halloween costume!

Camp Kirkpatrick!

As I've gotten older, my favorite season has changed from Summer to Fall.  Summer has is obvious advantages, especially for a teacher.  But Fall has football, fantastic weather, and camp fires!

Even though we can't go as often as we did during the summer, John Thomas and I still find time throughout the week to frequent one of our favorite parks!  As evidenced by the picture, he loves it!

 Last weekend, we tailgated before the UT versus Florida game.  Even though UT forgot to come back on the field after halftime, we had a great day soaking up the weather, laughter and the school spirit!

The highlight of the last two weeks was, hands down, our camping trip to Cades Cove.  Everyone around here was so excited!  Chester had his ears flapping in the wind all the way up the mountain.  He used to be such a great camping dog.  But between me, John Thomas and our sleeping quarters--Chester got evicted (to the car) at three in the morning because he wouldn't stop wagging his tail into the tent.  But the night sky at three in the morning was brilliant.  The stars were the brightest I've ever seen and I think, at that instant, I had them all to myself.  I'm pretty sure I only got about four hours of rest, but watching the shear joy on John Thomas face was worth every sleepless second!

 Some of his highlights would have to be playing in the fire (under a watchful eye).

 Exploring the rocks, dirt, flora and fauna native to the Appalachians.  Okay that's a bit of a stretch, but he dragged sticks and rocks all over the campsite.  He's such a "rock star"!  Ha!

Taking perilous hikes around camp to help gather wood for the fire.  This kid is ready for the high wire!

 Speaking of circus, the best part of the whole outing was that we got to share it with Brody and Dare!  These three boys never sit still for more than a second.  I took seven pictures of them sitting in their camping chairs and not one of them had all three boys looking at the camera.  Not one.  This is how it was the whole time!

 As part of our camp duties, we had to walk the dogs.  Because there are so many bears, the dogs have to be on a leash at all times.  This picture cracks me up, because John Thomas smiled this big almost the whole time!  Thanks Smith family for letting us join you on the maiden camping voyage :).

And of course, what camping expedition would be complete without an archaeological excavation?

 I knew that John Thomas was going to love camping!  We even took a drive through the park at dusk and saw tons of deer, even baby deer.  We even saw a fox frolicking in the field.  It filled my heart with joy to see my boy so thrilled by all the beauty and fun that the simplest night in nature can provide.

I'll leave you with one last pic that makes me smile.  Yes, he's cute.  But I love that you can still see just a little bit of that baby fat on his arms and I'm sure its days are numbered.  This week, John Thomas asked me a question and when I didn't give him the answer he wanted, he said, "guess again, hahaha."

Dusting Off My Dancing Shoes

The past two weeks have been crazy busy but lots of fun!  Besides the daily stuff like errands, chores and work, we've gotten to hang out with Poppy, spend time with friends and go to our first movie.

I decided last week to take John Thomas to see Madagascar 3 at the dollar movie and he loved every second of it!  He yelled at the screen, danced in the aisle and ate half his weight in popcorn!  And when we left, he asked, "We come back?"  You bet we'll be doing that again, especially since his ticket was free :).

 We also had the neighbors up for a cookout.  I learned that, while John Thomas' teachers brag on how well he shares at school, he is not quite so generous with his own toys at his own house.  Thankfully Brody and Dare are so sweet and happy-go-lucky that any major toy snafus were avoided.

 Yesterday, I road triped to Cincinnati to celebrate Jen and Trey's nuptials.  Being around all my college girlfriends is always SO MUCH FUN!  Nicole (pictured above) and I were the first ones on the dance floor and the last ones to leave.  I know I'm getting older though, because my hips are a little sore today from all that boogieing.  Of all our college roomies, she was the poor gal that had to share a bathroom with me every single day of our undergrad life.  I'm pretty sure she deserves an award for that! I also need to wish her an early happy birthday and I hope you have an awesome day on Tuesday!

 Jen, the stunning bride, knows how to tie the knot in style!  I've known all the girls in this picture since 1997, and some even longer.  We have seen each other at our best and our worst.  We have laughed a lot, cried some, occasionally dealt with some drama, and I am thankful that I have such a beautiful group of women to share life's precious moments with.

Jen and Trey, it was a beautiful day and I simply couldn't be happier for you!  Thank you for sharing it with me and I love you both.  To the rest of the girls (Mary, Katie, Cara, Nicole, Meredith), it was an epic weekend and I love you gals!  Tomorrow is my first guitar lesson, so stay "tuned" for updates on the next blog.

Bucket List

Last weekend, long time friends and ex-neighbors, Stephanie, Tommy and Marren came in town for a visit!  It was such a fantastic weekend, except lil Marren ended up getting the sniffles before she left :(.  

 She is a very cute and very active eight month old.  In fact, I had to borrow this picture from her Mommy's Facebook page because every picture I took was just a little blurry because she didn't sit still for very long.

I think this was the longest road trip that the McCain family has ever made.  At least they were coming to a very child-friendly house, with all the toys and entertainment any infant or toddler could ever need!  We even got to witness her first real crawl.  Yay for baby milestones!

One of the main reasons they decided to come, was The Dirty Guv'nahs were having their CD release concert in Market Square...for FREE!  Somehow we met some folks that worked for the band's record label and ended up getting to meet them.  HELLO!  I wouldn't be surprised if they don't make it big in the next few years.  Stephanie, Tommy and Marren, we had a GREAT time and look forward to our next visit really soon!

This weekend was busy with all sorts of chores and outdoor fun.  My little yard hand discovered Jiminy cricket hitching a ride on the wheel barrel when we were raking up the piles of grass left over after I finally got to mow the Serengeti...I mean my yard.  I thought we were going to have to make a jar home for him (fully equipped with a twig and a leaf and holes in the lid), but I was able to convince John Thomas that Jiminy had to go home to eat dinner with his family.

I also made a purchase this week of a used Fender acoustic guitar.  Learning how to play the guitar has been on my bucket list for a few years now, so when the opportunity presented itself--I had to take advantage of it.  I will be looking for someone to give me lessons in the very near future, so if you know anyone, please let me know.

Forking Summer

Last week we had to kiss our summertime goodbye.  I am so grateful to have a job that I enjoy that allows me a couple months every year to reclaim my sanity and spends lots of quality time with my little bear.  However, it is far from easy to hang up my full-time mommy hat and put on my working mommy hat.  In fact, my mom had to come back in town just to make the transition a little more manageable for everyone.

                                       

John Thomas got his back to school haircut, so he at least looked the part on Tuesday when I dropped him off.

I had my official book signing at Cedar Springs last Saturday.  I was incredibly nervous!  I think my biggest fear was that no one would show up.

 Boy was I surprised! By three o'clock, all the cookies I brought as well as all the books the store had were all gone!  The book was actually purchased by complete strangers--which is awesome, because I'm pretty sure all of my friends and family have their own copies by now :).  Thanks again everyone for all your support! If you still don't have yours, you can use the Paypal link on the blog, go to Cedar Springs or Amazon.com.  If you go to Amazon, you should know that this book is in no way affiliated with the rapper, Lyfe--so please be careful not to accidentally purchase his CDs. :)

Speaking of books, I lucked out and stumbled onto some great summer reads (besides LYFE of course :)).  My first book was Tina Fey's autobiography, Bossypants.  The first half of the book was so funny, I laughed out loud every other page.  The second half of the book was slow--but I would still recommend it.  

The next two books were based on the true life of the Walls family over the course of the 20th century.  They were awesome and I would recommend them to anyone.  

 Per the recommendation of several friends, I finally picked up The Shack.  I was a little unnerved at first, but I found it to be a provocative story that had several moments of sage, earnest wisdom that you can hang your hat and your faith on.

I thought that I'd lighten up the content and read Girls in Trucks next.  Well, little did I know, I would be challenged, just in a different way.  Set in Charleston, mostly, it is a tale of the trials and tribulations of a southern girl/family.  A coming of age kind of story that resonated with me a little too closely at times.

 After finishing Girls in Trucks in a couple days, I was still thirsty to quench my summer reading thirst. Because I liked the cover, the feel of the book and what the back of the book said, I bought The Alchemist.  It was the most beautifully written book I read all summer.  It is one of the few books I've ever read that I know I will reread one day.

The last book I've picked up is Redeeming Love.  I was hooked after the prologue.  No joke.  I'll let you know how it goes whenever I get the chance to finish it.

Just in case you didn't understand the title, it was supposed to be a pun about summer being done, so we were sticking a fork in it.  A for effort, right?