Grandfather Mountain

We finally took a trip to Grandfather Mountain...a beautiful mountain afternoon getaway. We went with our friends the Hoolehans and the Kricks and had a blast! It was a great fall day with all of the beautiful colors on display. We enjoyed the beauty of creation as well as some amazing fudge from the mountain's famous fudge shop...

I LOVE my kids

I don't have much to say. Nothing momentous happened today, but I just wanted to take a minute to express what's bubbling over in me. Kurt and I were out tonight, so didn't get to spend time with the kids, but when we got home the sentiment is always that we LOVE to be home with our kids. We say over and over to each other every day things like, "can you believe we have such wonderful kids?" and (loving on Dax), "can you believe God gave us another son?", or "I just LOVE them so much!". I know that might sound funny and even unbelievable (for some), but it's true. I took a nap today with the sweet little girls on the couch- Cam was laying right next to me (snoring unbelievably loudly), Macy on the couch we moved over next to us so I could hold her hand. It was a precious time! Sweet Shea was so eager to help this afternoon so she made a burrito casserole (with no supervision) for the kids for dinner (it was a little heavy on the sour cream-her fav). I am so thankful for her growing eagerness to help and serve the family. And Dax is the happiest baby on the planet. We can't help but snoodle them all when we get home (while they're sleeping)- and that always includes getting the baby up when Kurt and I head to bed just to get in a few more snuggles. We certainly have our moments, but we love that our home is filled with sweetness and joy and the fruit of the Spirit most days! Tonight I am so thankful for my sweet family. I love them and am so proud of them. That also includes my rockin' husband who pours himself out for these kids and loves them all so much, and loves me well. I am so glad to be partnered with him in this life and in parenting!

North Carolina Zoo

We love the ZOO!!!
Me with the crew I brought to the zoo.
Macy and Mia...bosom buddies!
My sweet good friend Julie McG with her little girls Mia and Gracie.
Silly girls on the praying mantis...
McGraths and Gebhards kiddos (at least half of our twelve!!)
The NC Zoo bore little resemblance to the L.A. Zoo when it came to size of the exhibit. This was just one of the larger ones.
The stubborn way to fall asleep. "I will NOT lay down...I will NOT lay down...I will NOT lay down!"
("Ostrich eggs") Macy: "MOM!! I want to go climb into those EYEBALLS!!"
Sweet second grade pals Gracie and McKinley.
So on the way home from the zoo we were reviewing animal sounds (especially for Dax's benefit). "A lion says 'RRAAAAAHHHHHHHRRRRRR'" (complete with throat growling). Dax, on cue, growls just like a lion.
"A cow says 'MMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOO'" (I know that's not a zoo animal, but I was staying in Dax's range). Dax, again, moos like a cow.
"A bear says 'GGGRRRRRRR'" (or whatever). Dax mimics the sound.
"A leopard says 'mama'" (stick with me). Dax, confused but caught up, said "MAMA" for the first time!!!
YES!!! I did it! It was SO sweet to hear that little boy call me Mama!! Okay, so he wasn't really calling me mama, but I heard that sweet little voice say it! Music to my ears!
He's brilliant, but very stubborn. Once he realized that I tricked him, he refused all night long to tell me what a leopard says...

Baldhead Island

The sweetest sissies ever...they had so much fun together. Okay, so here I am posting pics from over a month ago...yikes. I'm a little behind in life. Baldhead is likely the most unique family vacation we have ever taken. You travel there on a ferry, and the island is the most quaint, beautiful place with ONE market, a couple of shops, a couple of "clubs" (pools), a golf course, and NO CARS. Everyone drives around in golf carts. It's a pretty small island- you can drive from one end to the other in about ten minutes. It was a really cool experience.
Sweet Bubba crashed hard. We rocked and rolled all day until he would poop out.
Is this not quaint and beautiful? It was wonderful!
This is how we roll. Pretty sweet.
The girly girls. It was a windy day!
The kiddos had a blast everyday playing on the beach. We had many people counting kids, as you can see.
Hip hip HOORAY!
Standing in front of the market. You bring most all of your groceries with you since everything costs twice as much here. However, for a little excitement, we would pick up ice cream from the market for the kiddos.
Morning exercises in our place. Not sure who Reilly is talking to.

Sweet Potato Pie (BFL style) for Lunch

Well, here's another recipe of randomness, and it's not for the faint of heart. I'm eating it at this very moment, and LOVING it. Call me weird. Brace yourself. It's a bit strange. These will all be approximate measurements.
1/2 cup baked apples (lots of cinnamon)
1/4 cup cottage cheese (a BFL favorite)
1/2 cup sweet mashed potatoes
3 Tablespoons of fat free cream cheese
1/2 scoop whey protein (vanilla)
2 Tablespoons of crushed graham crackers
Keep in mind, I do live in the south now. Sweet potatoes are a staple. And, I just had dental work done, so the consistency of baby food is important too. Enjoy!!

Lime-a-licious Pie

Okay, so I'm a total blog slacker and now I want to post a recipe of randomness. Kurt and I have been doing "Body for Life" (well, he has a lot more than I have...but we've lost a total of 33 pounds so far!) and I've been attempting to come up with a few recipes outside of the book that work for us. At this very moment, I am enjoying the best creation of late. Let's call it "Lime-a-licious Pie". Just for fun.
It's SUPER easy and tasty, and has almost NO calories. Really. Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
1 Cup cottage cheese
1 box sugar free lime jello
lite cool-whip
graham cracker crumbs
In the blender, toss a cup of cottage cheese. Mix a box of lime sugar-free jello with a cup of boiling water, and don't add the second cup. Pour part of that into the blender until the cottage cheese is smooth. Mix in the rest. Let it set up in the fridge. Then, scoop out around a half cup of the yumminess, and add a couple of tablespoons of cool-whip. Top it with a tablespoon or two of the graham cracker crumbs, and voila!!!
Lime-a-licious PIE!!! Not only is it not bad for you, it's loaded with protein!! So if I go back for a second bowl of it right now...it's NO BIG DEAL!