Highlands: Mountain Creatures

not only were there some exquisite flowers in Highlands, there were some unbelievable creatures!

I don't normally begin posts with my favorite picture, but just in case you don't make it to the end of this one, i'd want you to see this...

the redbird, aka Mr. Cardinal according to addie, would swoop on and off and around the deck. this was the only shot i got of him, and i was using a 300mm lens (huge zoom!) because he was so far away by the time I could grab my camera and get outside!

but this little guy visited us every day!

he and his compadre (a much larger squirrel) would chirp and fuss and fight over the bird seed!

however, this beauty would wait patiently until all the little finches and both the squirrels had eaten their fix.

a man from the Balsam Mountain Trust Nature Center came to town and brought some beautiful Raptors to share with visitors from their Birds of Prey program. he did a fabulous presentation that Addie is still talking about an entire week later! you know, because all birds DON'T lay eggs. do you know which ones don't? keep reading to find the answer :)

he even offered to bring out the birds later and hold them up in a more natural background so we could take pictures! yes, my camera was practically salivating, but mommy duty came first and we had to leave before it was over for a picnic. so i did what i could to angle my camera/myself in what limited space that i had to create my own more natural background. :D

i couldn't resist posting some pictures of the sweet (looking) owls he brought. each of the birds he brought had some sort of physical limitation/disability due to injury. while they are not a rehabilitation center, they do house birds who have been rehabilitated elsewhere.

i got bumped to the back for this bird and felt bad pushing my way back through to my mom and addie.

but i peeped over someone's shoulder to grab these! i sure wouldn't want to run into those eyes in a dark alley...or on a dark mountain!

but when he brought this guy out, i didn't hesitate to take the chance and slip back in beside addie and my mom. because wow...what a beautiful symbol of our freedom and the men and women who have and continue to fight for us to keep it.

such an incredibly majestic, powerful creature

and yet still so beautiful!

and since i know you're just itching to know which birds don't lay eggs...?

why the male birds of course! ;)

Highlands: Mountain Time

we joke about mountain time...you know that do-what-you-want-to-when-you-want-to, no-schedule, if-it-happens-it-happens-if-it-doesn't-oh-well, laid-back, go-with-the-flow time.

mountain time

and that's how we rolled.

we arrived far later than intended (for various, unforeseen, child related reasons). but we arrived to a delicious dinner and this precious table that my aunt's friend had loaned her for our stay. They all had so much fun eating and playing with this table and chairs!

everyone went to bed super late, but we woke up ready to go the next day. my aunt, mom, the girls and i all walked to town to the local coffee shop, Bucks. we even got to meet grandma there! after getting our coffee (and muffin) fix, we headed to the library to get some books and a movie for the week.

the week was full of just being outside. here Anne Perry had borrowed my aunt's hat and was proudly wearing it! she's our little hat girl!

many times when i attempt to get audrey kate's picture, this is what she does, reaching for the camera and making a cute face!

 

we spent a morning just with gramma. we started at the waterfalls (post to come) and on the way back to her house, stopped to feed the fish (with leftover snacks). i couldn't resist getting a picture of the 4 of them. they are redoing a bridge that crosses the river (hence, the heavy machinery in the background). but i still loved the picture on the left especially! it was so peaceful!

 

we did a lot of playing at my aunts house, inside and on the deck, and in the creeks! one morning addie decided to make a train with the little chairs from the table. i think the picture on the left was from Addie not wanting her picture taken. but wow! what a look! you can see she really was enjoying herself though in the one on the right!

i have loved watching the little girls start to interact. sometimes this is just with laughter while other times it involves screaming and crying. but often times it's sweet and fun!

but after lots of playing, both little girls climbed up in Rie Rie's lap and laid their heads down! too sweet!

there's another set of pictures similar to this one below, but they will be found in my favorites post. this one got put here because 1.) it was still cute, 2.) the beads in color just couldn't be passed up, and 3.) that zoned out-ready for a nap-glazed over expression was too much to pass up!

 

and i loved these last ones from gramma's house!

 

because we all need to function on mountain time every once in a while. you know, that do-what-you-want-to-when-you-want-to, no-schedule, if-it-happens-it-happens-if-it-doesn't-oh-well, laid-back, go-with-the-flow time. 

and just go fishing! 

Highlands: the Flowers

the flowers in Highlands were beyond beautiful. something about that cool mountain air and rainy afternoons.

the rhododendron was in full bloom, something that apparently only happens every few years.  

but i didnt have to go far to find gorgeous flowers. these were in my aunts front yard!

and so were these!

the rhododendrum was simply amazing. to see that it went from looking something like a magnolia bloom to these exquisite flowers!

i mean really!

there were sunflowers in town and these beautiful geraniums (i think) at gramma/margaret's house.

all simply stunning and such a testimony of God's beautiful creation!

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 

Isaiah 40:26

Highlands: Creek Time

I don't even know where to begin with these posts. I think I have at least 7 planned.

So get ready for a lot of pictures!

Last week we packed the car and headed to Highlands, North Carolina to spend a few days with my aunt. Those few days quickly morphed into almost a week! She has a beautiful house there and was so gracious to invite us to come! I went up a few days before Paul with my mom and the girls.

If the trip up was any reflection on how the week would have gone, I think I would have turned around right then and gone home! Thankfully, as you will see, it turned out to be a most amazing time!

We spent cool mornings walking to town and warm afternoons playing in creeks. There were beautiful flowers, delicious mountain food, precious family, and celebrating the 4th.

But it was playing in the creek that seemed to be a highlight for Addie. So that's where we will begin!

My aunt had heard there was a creek running behind the Nature Center/Botanical Gardens, and Paul's mom had seen one near the Art Museum. What better for a 3 year old than to get to play in a creek!

So that's what we did...3 times I believe to be exact!

She wasn't exactly sure at first...

but it took no time at all for her to jump in...and jump and splash and play!

A few days later, we found the creek near the Art Museum with Paul's mom. By then, Daddy was with us!

Although much more of a rocky mountain creek (which caused quite a few very wet falls), it was also much more spacious. Here she was getting water in the top of an acorn and watering the plants. :)

But of course, it didn't take long for the jumping and the splashing to start here either!

Lots of it!

It was so cool and so beautiful!

And I'm pretty sure our big girl had a whole lot of fun!

Stay tuned for many, many more pictures!

I Love to Laugh!

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Loud and long and clear!

Movie quote! Any guesses?

We rented it for Addie while we were in the mountains. And while this quote wasn't one of her favorite parts, I couldn't help but mention it!

You may remember Anne Perry's Woody Woodpecker laugh, but we've also been trying to get Audrey Kate mimicking Paul's Evil Genius Laugh for several weeks now!

And here it is!

Mwahahahaha!

Out of Control!

warning: this post is ALL over the place!

We were back at my mom's for naps for 3 days.

Why, you might ask? Because our general contractor is back.

The front door was sinking because the frame was no longer supported. Turns out it wasn't just the front door.

The rafters above the chimney were no longer connected and were supporting themselves on our ceiling. And...

The girl's sloping bathroom had gotten a little too much for me. Turns out, the bathtub is basically floating in mid air...being held up only by the pipes. It's not even sitting on the foam they place underneath them. That would explain why it's pulling away from the walls/caulk and there seems to be a tad lot more water in one end than the other. And then there are the non-existent floor joists in the bathroom and termite eaten floor joist that's supposed to be holding up a load bearing wall between our living room and dining room. And how could I forget the french door frame/jamb in our bedroom with exposed nails and rotted wood.

Really? Because I thought we were just doing some minor {visible without ripping out walls or floors} repairs.

I'll be honest with you. I don't get this. We did everything we were supposed to do. Home inspection. Structural engineer report. I am at a complete loss for words: discovering things that were completely hidden. Shoddy repairs. Major compromises in the structure of the house. More rotted and termite eaten wood than I care to even consider. And here we are...

Out of control.

On a much happier note, Addie went to VBS with her sweet friend Cady last week before we went to the mountains. Had a blast. But wore out very quickly during the day with going to bed so late.

More tantrums. More attitude. More extremes. More sassiness.

Than usual.

We took daddy a {homemade} ice cream cake to work for his birthday. So we raced home to get everyone down for naps before it was too late.

I told Addie to 1.) grab a few books and 2.) go hop in the bed and wait for me.

Now what did I tell you to do first? Get some books. And then? Get in the bed and wait.

Followed {surprisingly} directions perfectly. Got back to the bed and it all started. Whining went to whimpering, whimpering went to crying, and crying went to flat out yelling. And this is what I hear:

{paraphrased}

MOMMY come.here! YOU are NOT answering me! MOMMY! COME here right NOW! (I can't come right now. I'm feeding AK. I'll be there in a minute.) Mommy. YOU ARE OUT OF CONTROL!

Yes. Clearly. I AM the one that's out of control.

And yet again our {brutally} honest children remind us of the Truth. Every bit of this is completely out of my control. I cannot control what's been done in the past. I cannot control choices others have made. I cannot control what affects our house.

I can control my reactions. I can control my choices. And I can control my attitude.

I love to watch my friend Allison with her little people. Her #1 goal is to train their hearts with God's Truth. We've been working hard with Addie, using these Truths, to teach her God's commands for our lives. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, working on obeying with a happy heart. Honor your Father and your Mother, with her words and actions. We are far from understanding and taking these verses to heart, but the seeds are being planted.

After being with Addie as she watched (and attempted to avoid) 4th of July fireworks, we started learning a verse about Fear and Trust.

And this verse has played over and over in my mind regarding our house. I am so thankful for our precious 3 year old that God constantly uses to teach me His Truths! And I am so thankful we never walk this journey alone!

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. 

Psalm 56:3 

*disclaimer. no. i do not let my child talk to me like that. the words. the attitude. the tone of voice. the volume. it does not mean that she doesn't try and have to try again and deal with consequences. but it was a perfect story to make my point here!

Happy Friday!