July 2016

July was another great month!  It started with us going to the Greenback Parade which was GREAT!  It was so easy, not crowded, and although it was hot they were throwing out waters in addition to TONs of candy.  There were old cars, tractors, horses, floats, and more! The kids absolutely loved it!

Here we are waiting on the parade to begin...

checking out the tractors.

To continue our 4th of July Celebration, our friends the Shanks invited us over to swim, grill, and shoot fireworks.  We all had a great time.  Here are some of the kids doing sparklers.

John and Grandad took the kids to watch the Alcoa Freedom Fest Fireworks.  They didn't start until almost 10pm, so Clayton and I stayed home...but the kids LOVED the fireworks!

On the 4th of July weekend Sunday, we made sure the kids had their red, white, and blue on for church.  After church we had lunch at Nana and Grandad's house, and I snapped a couple pictures of the "middles" playing outside...

These two are two peas in a pod.

Earlier this summer we had Dawson's friend, Carson, over for our first ever sleepover, and it went great! So in July it was Dawson's turn to sleepover at Carson's.  This was his first time sleeping away from us (not at a grandparent's house), and he did awesome!  Dawson had such a great time!

Dawson's sweet friend Bailey came to spend a day with us in July, and she and Dawson had SO much fun!  These two are a lot alike, and I love how sweet they play.  It was a HOT day so we took advantage of playing in the water outside that afternoon!

A few days later, we got to go swim and grill with Bailey and her family! They kids all had such a blast and the grownups had a good time too.

The kids have continued to be super sweet with Clayton, and he loves to look at them and smile!  Melts your heart!

Nora Kate calls Clayton Mr. Baby, and has for a couple of months now.  The name made us laugh, and now we all call him Mr. Baby! Haha!

So here's our Mr. Baby reaching to be picked up from the floor.

Clayton LOVES his Bumbo seat!

Clayton had never been to Cades Cove and we agreed we were overdue for a visit...so we loaded up one Sunday to visit the mountains.

lots of deer

the kids know they get to unbuckle while we drive the loop, which is part of the excitement.  Here's NK with her head out the window on my lap.

We were not driving here, but I was letting Clayton stretch on my lap while the kids ran around in Cades Cove. 

Carter takes everything up a knotch...here he was playing in the water like the other kids, but about 5 seconds after I snapped this picture he was soaked with water!  He has such a good attitude though, he didn't care one bit! He laughed and laughed.

Nora Kate and Daddy in Cades Cove.

At the beginning of the summer the kids and I made a list of lots of things they wanted to do this summer, and one item on the list was to cook a meal entirely on their own.  I kept putting this one off though because I knew it was going to take some though.  Finally, I decided to let them make pigs in a blanket, carrots, and fruit.  They were SO thrilled that I felt a little guilty for putting this off so long.  Seriously, this was as big of a deal to the boys as some of the outings I took them on this summer.  They did a GREAT job, and I have promised to let them do it again soon...

Dawson was cutting the hotdogs in half.

Carter wrapping them.

The kids took turns and did everything (except I took them out of the oven).  They even cut the peaches for our fruit salad.  After their hard work cooking, they set and then cleared the table, and then they washed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher!  They were so proud!

July meant lots more water play time!

and building tents and nests...

and smiles from this sweet baby!

One little thing we did a lot this summer which was a special thing for the kids was eating breakfast outside! This particular morning, I had run back inside to grab the camera because we saw a hummingbird, but by the time I got back it had flown away.  The kids thought it was so great to eat outside for breakfast so much this summer!

We made another trip to the Carl Cowan Splash Pad this month.  Always a hit!

Bathing beauty at the splash pad...with her uncrustable! Haha!

Carter and Olivia at the Splash Pad!

Dawson at the Splash Pad! They all had a great time!

Clayton is always so happy!!

A new putt putt place opened (actually re-opened an old place) in Townsend, so we went up for BBQ at Smokin' Joe's and Putt Putt one Friday night.  This was the most difficult putt putt course ever! Carter was the only one to get a hole in one-not even John!  I knew NK wouldn't last for 18 holes, and sure enough look at her face on hole 9...

Haha! I didn't even realize I captured this, I was just trying to get a shot of the boys playing.  I think the next hole was when she and I decided to take a walk to the swinging bridge...

She called it the "wiggly waggly bridge" with good reason, but surprisingly, she loved it! She usually doesn't like walking on things you can see through, but even looking down at the river below us on the bridge didn't bother her! 

And I think she looks so grown up in the picture!

We were having a pajama day, and Nora Kate insisted on doing her own hair. This is the result...

Nora Kate asked if I would put Clayton in my bed and let her snuggle him.  She loves Mr. Baby so much!  Nora Kate still calls him "our baby," and is SO good with him!

Clayton loves his exersaucer more and more!

Summertime also meant the kids got to watch some tv in the evenings before bedtime (instead of always reading books).  They were so excited about this!

Here they are in their "nest" (as they called it) watching a movie...I believe it was Max and Ruby!

We were long overdue for a trip to the Muse!  One day in July we met our friends Carson and Harper there to play! It was so fun, and they had a TON of new stuff!  The kids have been begging to go back!

After the Muse we had a picnic outside and played on the new playground...

Love these sweet friends.

I started running in mid-May. I run 3 miles 3 times a week, and Dawson has been asking to run with me a lot.  So, I've tried to run earlier here and there and just do a mile some days so that he can run with me.  He's a good runner, and I'm hoping to get into a routine time to be able to run a mile with him on my running "off" days so he can get even better. Here we are after a run in July! It was HOT!

I had an appointment in Knoxville one day which meant a good excuse to take the kids to Fort Kid to play...

This summer during Carter, Nora Kate, and Clayton's afternoon naps, Dawson had to work on a writer's workshop notebook we kept for summer and ST MATH on the iPad.  His kindergarten teacher had opened up the rest of the lessons so the kids could practice over summer if they wanted.  Dawson was SO proud when he finished all the lessons in July!

Another requests on the kids summer list was to ride the Trolley in Downtown Knoxville.  The last week of summer Lolly came with the kids and I to do this!  We rode the trolley through downtown and through campus.  It was a big hit with the kids!

We stopped and got off to visit the Knoxville Museum of Art who's building was named the Clayton Building.

Giant Light Bright in the Knoxville Museum of Art.

And the kids can never pass up a chance to go in the Sun Sphere.

We also got candy from the chocolate factory (of course)!  Then we waited on a trolley to take us back to our van.  The kids are still talking about the trolley ride!

The last weekend of July, John had to work but I took the kids to the festival in Friendsville.  I wasn't feeling great with a nasty cold, but the kids really wanted to go and I am SO glad we did!!  It was great! Not too crowded and lots to do!

The favorite was riding in these...

Other highlights were the tractors...

There were 5 inflatables...

Riding these more...

And more tractors.

It was a lot of fun, and we will go back next time!

Who can resist a baby in a button down!?

I put Clayton in his swaddle in his crib for his morning nap, like usual.  When I went back in to get him, he had kicked out of his swaddle and rotated 180 degrees.  Silly baby!

Although Clayton does his naps in his crib, he still sleeps in our room (as of typing this in July), and John thinks he's outgrowing his bassinet. ;)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the past 9 months had been really rough for my Mamaw.  It began in October.  She had lots of time in the hospital, in transitional care, and at her house with either my Mom or aunts staying with her around the clock.  Mamaw had lots of ups and downs during these months.  In June it seemed that she was doing better and everyone was healthy enough for me to take the kids to visit her (as I mentioned in the June post).  We visited her on June 15.  At the beginning of July she started declining again and was admitted the hospital.  When she was released from the hospital it was in the care of hospice.  On July 10th Clayton and I went to visit her.  At this point she was at home, but on hospice.  She was too weak to talk to us, but I Clayton and I sat and talked to her for a while.  A few days later, on Friday, July 15th (exactly one month after our good visit with her and her getting to meet Clayton), Mamaw went to heaven.  I have tried to be thankful during this time, rather than sad...I am so very thankful to have had a wonderful Mamaw and Great Mamaw for the children to meet and know since she was their only living great grand parent.  I'm thankful that we had a little girl that we could name after Mamaw.  Mamaw and I had a special relationship which I am very thankful for! 

Below is a picture of Mamaw holding each of the 4 for the first time.

Lastly, I'm thankful to have these pictures to look back on happy memories!