little girl love

My little darling is 6 months old. I can hardly believe it. She gets more beautiful and sweet every day... there aren't words to express how much I adore her. She is just perfect. Nyah Leigh @ 6 months:

15 lbs 14 oz (50%) 26.5 inches (88%)

Developmentally on target! Some things Dr. Wiseman commented on were how alert and engaged she is, how beautiful her skin is (we get that one a lot) and how sweet and calm she is (we hear that a lot too!) - no signs of stranger anxiety yet!

a soft spot for the South

We just returned from a wonderful visit to Chattanooga, Tennessee to see my sweet sister Melanie and all her boys.... Brad, Connor, TJ, Coleman, Bridger, and Cannon. What a BLAST!! We had such a great time with their family. Gabe was thrilled to be surrounded by all his cousins... and their toys. :) Nyah was the center of attention and never lacked for some kind of entertainment with so many people, big and small, trying to make her laugh! Eric played football almost every day with the big boys and had lots of relaxing time. And I had probably the best time of all just being there in my sister's home with her as company. Melanie and I have always been close (she had to share a room with me right until she left for college, poor girl!!) She has been married for 14 years and her house has always been a second home to me. They moved to TN at the same time we left Utah for Seattle. Boy, have I missed her! It felt SO GOOD to see her again and be surrounded by the beautiful chaos of her life! I mean that in the BEST possible way... let me explain. :) Mel's house is gorgeously decorated and so organized - and yet perfectly suited for the lives of 5 sons! That's probably due to the fact that Mel takes her role as a mother and homemaker VERY seriously. She has created a home that truly is an oasis and fortress from the world. I love seeing all the inspiring pictures and messages all through the house - there is such a warm and inviting feeling there. With 5 boys you can imagine that things aren't quiet around there though! Even though we got to see a few battles (hee hee), overall I have always been impressed with how much my nephews love one another and their cousins. Mel and Brad are such good examples to me on parenting and how to create a loving and fun home. Can you tell how much I love and respect my big sis?! :) My heart is just so full from being able to spend a week straight with her and her family. Thanks for all the amazing memories guys - can't wait for next time!!

Coolidge Park

One tuckered out Cannon on the way home!

THE BOYS, THE BOYS (and one little girl!)As you can see we had tons of fun together! Gabe sure wishes we lived a little closer to all those fun boys - so do I!

Bones BBQ and swimming

Eric and I have decided that the best bbq we have ever had is at Bones in Chattanooga TN! (Eric loves bbq so we have tried many places!) It is seriously amazing! Connor even talked us into trying the deep-fried pickles... which weren't nearly as awful as I had imagined! :) Another night we headed to Dalton, GA where Brad works and we had amazingly good Mexican... who knew their little corner of the world would have such delicious restaurants!! I have to say though that Melanie definitely made the best food of all at home! We were definitely spoiled during our visit.After our adventure to Lookout Mountain, we were so hot and sticky a jump in the pool sounded like the perfect way to cool off. I love this pool - it's salt water, for one thing, and it overlooks a beautiful pond with geese and ducks and is surrounded by flowering bushes and trees... ahhh, perfect! (see Mel taking a running leap for the pool? She is so fun!)
Happy Cannon - what a darling little guy! Unfortunately Gabe slept through this little activity - probably for the best but I felt bad he missed out!

the River Walk

There is a wonderful wooden bridge that is strictly pedestrian that spans the great Tennessee River. What amazing views! Our fun little jaunt got cut short when it started to rain but I'm so glad we got to do it!

Braves game!

Brad got us amazing tickets to see the Atlanta Braves! 15th row behind the catcher... Eric was thrilled!! And my all time favorite picture... It had me rolling with laughter when I took it!!!! Gabe comes up with some crazy expressions when I ask him to smile for a picture!!!

train ride to Lookout Mtn!

We rode the steepest passenger train in the world, the Incline Railway, up to Lookout Mountain - a Civil War site. It was amazing!! The views were spectacular. From the lookout you can actually see into 7 states! The train ride was a little hair-raising for me... a 72% incline is kind of spooky. Everyone had a blast though! Cannon and Gabe were giving each other a hug - it was so cute! I sort of caught it on camera! :) Then we took a walk to Point Park - another Civil War site with breathtaking views.

Trail of Tears monument

It was fascinating to learn more about the history here in Tennessee and see so many historical monuments. This one definitely had a somber feeling around it.Trying to catch a little frog for Gabe (ok, for me too). I was never quite fast enough though... with every step I took, they would leap from all around me straight into the water!A trip to the South wouldn't be complete without a little porch time in a rocking chair! This pond is fed by an extremely deep underwater spring, the exact depth of which has never been recorded! It has a special algae that grows in it that makes it a gorgeous blue-green. This was believed to be a supernatural place. That is quite the "stick" that Gabe picked up!