Dollywood with Nana and Grandad

Hopefully, these last few posts have not totally overwhelmed you with pictures. Believe me, these really are only a few of the ones I took. But we had so much fun, I just had to share!Our first stop upon arriving, was actually a concert. Sorry, I don't remember who the band was - totally not my taste in music.
But Luke and Patrick loved it!

Following tradition, the boys first ride of the day was the Dizzy Disk! I love the way my new camera allows me to catch a little of their excitement with the ride in full motion. ________________________________

Next, everyone enjoyed a ride in the antique cars at Rockin' Raceway!

SeanDrew

Luke, Patrick, and Aidan

And of course the happy couple,

enjoying a nostalgic moment induced by the 50's-themed car ride!Nana and Luke hanging out together while everyone else enjoyed the rides.

Patrick and Aidan on the Scrambler.The boys enjoying a much-needed foot massage.

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This next ride, the BUMPER CARS, is one of our favorites. We ride it time and time again.

Patrick and Aidan

Sean

Drew

I love this shot of Drew "frozen" in time. After snapping this picture, I tried over and over again to duplicate it, but I couldn't figure it out. Can anyone explain to me how to capture a still image of one thing while everything else is in motion?

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Thank goodness we saved the water rides for last, because we were soooooooooo ready to leave in order to change out of our wet clothing.

This picture cracks me up - their matching, intense, warrior-like expressions!

They certainly tried to give as good as they received:)

The boys at the end of our wonderful day!!!

Grandad and Luke - so sweet!

Goodbye.

Samuel and Charis come for a visit

On August 19th, our 6-day-old nephew, Samuel Rutherford, came to live with us for 2 weeks. He was soooooooo tiny and absolutely ADORABLE!!!! I still find it very hard to believe that my sister, Jeannette, actually trusted us to care for him during this time when she was unable to do so.The day he arrived......

His mother had him dressed in a blue gown and hat set and wrapped in a cozy blanket.

She also sent this cute little sheep that she had slept with, so that her scent was always with Samuel - what an awesome idea. Every time I put him down to sleep, I would place the legs of his lambie around the top of his head. This helped him to stay warm and feel all snuggly at the same time.

Caring for a small baby was far different than I had ever imagined- inability to stay warm, no body fat, diapers that are too big, etc.Yes, he must have been sucking his thumb in utero:)What a sleeping angel!

Luke and Charis

(Katie and Charis came for a visit to help me out with everything.)

Luke LOVES babies. Look at his hand gently touching Charis's face.Baby taking baby for a ride.First bath!

Samuel adored his baths and would totally relax, closing his eyes.Fresh-smelling, clean baby is one of the best scents in the world.This was a rare moment -

you couldn't ask for a happier, more contented baby than Samuel. Luke was so pleased that Samuel was in his crib.
Samuel being reunited with his daddy (Rob). Samuel and I just moments before he left to go home to be with his family.
These last 2 pictues are very recent.

Hasn't Samuel pudged up?

But he is still a beautiful, sweet little boy!!

Harvest Moon

In all actuality, Martha and I were just playing with my new camera, and the moon was the perfect setting to explore its capabilities. I also learned why it is very useful to have a tripod - the biggest struggle was holding the camera steady.



I also read some interesting facts regarding the moon, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the red moon in Sept. is in fact called the Harvest moon.
There were many more interesting facts to be read here !

Creation Museum

Isn't it funny how life works? As it often seems to happen, the nearer you live to a point of interest, the less likely you are to have visited it. Even Martha, who lives approximately 8hrs. from the museum, went before we did. So when Mom, Dad and Martha spent the weekend with us in August, we decided it was high time to remedy the situation.

The following pictures are divided into two sections:

INDOOR

Patrick and Luke in "the Garden of Eden".

Ankylosaurus

Drew, Sean, and Aidan with a ____________.

(Can you fill in the blank?)

Tyrannosaurus rex

The boys couldn't wait for a turn to ride the friendly Triceratops!

OUTDOOR

Martha and Luke Sean posing for Aunt Martha.

(Everyone had so much fun on the swinging bridge:)

Luke ADORES animals.

He wanted to pet them all and just couldn't seem to get enough of them.

My "5boys"!!!

Flowers

In case you haven't noticed by now, I find it VERY difficult to walk past a flower without photographing it. I love trying to capture its beauty in a picture, even though an image can never do it justice. However, I always enjoy brousing back through my collection of flowers and am always struck by the splendor of God's creation.

To make this post more interesting for my readers, I am going to ask you 3 questions to consider while viewing these pics:

First question: 6 photos were taken in Ky, while 2 were taken in NC - Can you figure out which flowers are from which state?

Second question: How well do you know your flowers - can you identify each variety?

Third question: The last 2 images are very similar - which one is better and why?

I know, I know, not technically a flower, but it was taken while in the gardens. Besides, this pic is not one of the 8 that I referred to in my questions.

Up and running (I hope)

I have been thinking about this for months - why don't I post more? There are several reasons, but I think one of the biggest ones, is that I have never been very happy with the design of my blog. I always look at it and think, "Ughhhhhhhhhh!" It is not particulary attractive and definitely not unique.

Over the past few weeks, I have been slowly learning how to change the background and header to one that is more in line with my taste. I HOPE this will inspire me to blog more and to be able to change it up every now and then.

Soooooooooo, what does everyone think of the new design?

P.S. I promise pictures are soon to follow!