Our Cabin/Mingo Falls

Are you sick of NC pics yet? Haha! Well, here's a "few" more. Above is our cabin in case you ever wonder where we stay. We are at the bottom of the mountain and then as you go up is my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin's cabin and then Jeff and Candy's and then my Grandma's/Aunt Mary's...it's fun to have a "family mountain" :) We love this cabin, but I think next year we'll need a bigger one so Candy, Jeff and their new baby girl can join us again....
Here's our trek to Mingo Falls (waterfall) in Cherokee (Indian reservation). This is us walking up the hundreds of steps to the falls...not sure if you can see, but the girls were waaaay ahead of us and wondering if we'd ever catch up. Nina and I took it slow this year...
a look down at the steps accomplished...Nina is taking a much-needed breather!
we made it to the falls and take our annual waterfall pic on the bridge
every year Pops does a carving on the bridge...with the addition of kids, deaths in the family, marriages, etc...this was from 2006 when my grandpa died and Dylan joined the world...it still looks pretty good for being carved 2 years ago. This year Pops did a carving in honor of J&C's wedding :) Next year it'll be the addition of two new girls in the family....
Nina, Dylan and Shelby playing at the bottom of the waterfall...Shelby was making cars out of rocks and Dylan was throwing rocks (no surprise there!)
My handsome little man!
The waterfall...if you look really close you can see Jeff taking a pic of Hailey and daddy who went and hiked up into the waterfall (they are our family daredevils :))
The happy, expecting couple :) I think I look huge here...but I sure love my man :) And below is the other expecting couple :)

Family Day Out in NC

A few random pics from our "free day" in NC. I love these pics of Nina and "her sweeties" :) I think you look great, mom! And it's obvious how much your grandkids love you....
Nina and her boy having a smiley moment :)
Our family outing for the day...miniature golf...we made it through just before the rain came....doesn't Dylan look like a little golfer :) I think baseball or basketball are more in his league though :)
We skipped lunch and opted for ice cream instead...the girls made no objection and neither did I (and Baby Stegs :)) I love this pic of Shelby...she got down and serious with her cone!

Girl's Day Out!

More pics...this is from the annual NC Girl's Day Out with Aunt Terri, Cousin Celyn and our girls. I am not usually invited (and don't mind that!)...but as you can see they had fun! These are the matching outfits they got this year...aren't they great! The girls love them and still ask to wear them almost every day! Thanks, Aunt Terri!
Dylan wanted to be in the "girls" pic too :) He's an old softy at heart :) And below is Uncle Jeff helping Dylan get a better mountain view...or maybe they are checking out birds? I don't know. But, it goes to show my bro is gonna be a great daddy...cuz he's a great uncle! :)

White Water Rafting Time!

Ok, a few more NC pics to "pass the time" :) Here is our time in Dillsboro (a town near Maggie Valley)...where the guys took our girls white water rafting for the first time (on the Tuskeegee River?) They loved it! Here's Daddy and his girlies getting lifevested and ready to go!
Good ol' Pops and the Papa-to-be all ready to hit the roaring waters (that's a joke cuz this rafting trip was very "kid friendly" :))
Don't they look like such experienced rafters with their oars in hand :)
And a nice family pic...prego mama and too-little-to-raft Dylan had to sit this trip out....
Time to get in the raft...Shelby almost was left ashore :)
And the only pic I have of them rafting (the rafting place took professional pics on the trip down the river, but apparently they missed out family in the photo process...bummer!)...glad I at least have this pic of them leaving! Adios, guys and take care of my babies!
While the boys were off rafting the raging river, us girls (Candy, Nina and I) took Dylan shopping around the town....he really just liked the "choo choo" :) Here he is by the big train that was about to leave (Kev and I took this train ride when I was pg with Dylan 3 years ago!)
Here he is trying out his own "choo choo" skills :)
This is post rafting...as you can see they are a little damp from the ride...maybe that was cuz Pops stretched some of the rules a bit?! Just a guess :)
Our lunch at the Jarrett House (our annual date time food place...it's the best...a very old hotel with a yummy family style food menu)...this time we took Dylan...not ideal, but he was pretty good for a tired 2 year old :)
And a few more 4-wheeler pics....good ol' Uncle Jeff taking Hailey for a cruise and my handsome hubby showing off his bad-boy skills :)

More pics to come later today...I'm off to swimming/diving at IU pool....

Big Creek!

Here's our fam. at Big Creek in NC (a big Creek near the border of TN)...alway an annual highlight for our whole family...and we always sit on a big rock and take a lovely family pic before getting down and dirty (and wet) in the creek :)
The girls were the first to jump in the (very!) cold creek! You go, Hailey and cousin Celyn!
Dylan just wanted to throw rocks...
...and more rocks....and check out all the butterflies...this place is known for them and they just sit on the ground and you can pick them right up...they even landed on Dylan's head :) It's so neat...
The girls on a rock in the middle of the creek :)
Me and My Babe! Have I mentioned how much I love this man and how I miss him!
A view of the bridge over the big creek...and Hailey and my cousins below it!
a view down the creek...you can see Nina and Shelby down below, I think?
Shelby holding the mystery fish we caught (with our hands :))...we have no idea if this is a trout or something else?
My sweet Hailey :) And below is my tired kiddos eating lunch.....
I wish I had more creek pics and pics from the long walk that half the group (not me) made to that waterfall area...but those are on the laptop still. And I'd love to post more pics tonight, but I'm plum tuckered out...so I'll have to continue this saga tomorrow....turns out I have a couple more night's to "be alone". My hubby called with the sad, bad news that he is staying in Boston a little longer to finish work...ugh! I miss him so much...being a single parent is no fun at all, not to mention I feel like I have lost my right arm...I miss my Kev :(

NC Smiles :)

Another day in NC :) And here's my boy learning the basics of t-ball :) Is he not cute or what?!
Shelby walking up and down the mountain with her Dora backpack...I have no idea why she was doing this, but she definitely beats to a different drummer :)
Here's the kids in the new pool/slide from Nina and Pops! A big hit, and perfect for the big yard in front of our cabin!
Is this not hilarious!? If only our boy could pee with such impressive arch!
Mama helping her boy go down the slide...he only did it a few times and after being dumped off the tube by mean mama he never wanted to go down the slide again....oh well....
Nina and Pops going off-roading!
Dylan trying to be like Pops...he LOVES big boy/man shoes :)
Sorry, I can't resist...my boy is just so handsome! :)
Pops and his girls (who adore him!)...and next year there will be two more! :)
Pops roasting "mellows" (for smores) at our cabin campfire
Dylan eating his "smore" (I think it was only the graham cracker part, so does that even count?)
The gang roasting their mellows....
The crazy kids....ignore my crazy boy cousins (Eric and RJ)...they would not give me straight faces to save their lives! :)
And here is Big Brother Dylan showing off his "big belly like mama's" :) I think it was Uncle Jeff and Aunt Candy's idea to shove his soccer ball up his shirt like this...he thought it was hilarious as you can tell! :)