Nantahala Escape

On Saturday we packed up and headed to the Nantahala Gorge for a break from the routine. When the truck was finally packed, and Kenly and Chance were safely loaded, it looked like we were going for weeks instead of two nights. I still have not learned the fine art of packing light with a 9 month old. We made it to the Gorge despite Kenly throwing a new level of fit from the backseat.

We stayed in an efficiency cabin. It was cute and quaint, and about the size of the walk-in closet that all women dream about. The cabin had two bunk beds, a full bath, and kitchen. We're not talking the Hilton, but we had a place that would stay dry and warm. And one that wouldn't break the budget.

When Adam set on one of the bunk beds, his grimace told me that Kenly would be sleeping better than all of us. We both slept on top bunks because they are so much cooler. Adam found a huge piece of foam to cushion his mattress, but it was not a full twin size piece of foam. So, every time he turned over, he rolled off the foam and into the small crevice formed between the end of the foam and the wall. My mattress had springs that could draw blood, but when you're tired, a bed of nails would feel good. We loved our cabin despite the fact that Boyscouts would have complained about the beds.

One of the fondest memories I have of the weekend involves Adam's ingenuity. We left the house with coffee filters and coffee. When Adam was setting up the coffee pot on Saturday night, we realized we had no milk or sugar. Despite this set back, Adam created one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. He melted 1/4 of a Milky Way Dark in the coffee. Nougat, caramel, and dark chocolate in coffee....need I say more? I'm so married to a quick thinker.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the weekend.

Kenly and Chance were so tuckered out on the way home. It was sweet to see them snuggle in the backseat. Aw...They love each other.

Fly Fishing Fiasco

The Webster's Dictionary defines a fiasco as a complete failure. I can think of no better word to describe my first fly fishing expedition of the season. Oh well. A bad day fly fishing still beats a bad day at work....or so they say.

Adam, Kenly, Chance, and I loaded the truck to capacity to set off on a two night adventure in the Nantahala Gorge. The Nanty, as I like to call it, is a super delayed harvest trout stream. If you don't have skill at all, you should be able to catch a fish in a delayed harvest stream especially when there is a nice yellow fly hatch swarming your head. You see, the hatchery puts a bunch of "stupid" fish in the river which means they have no "river smarts"so to speak. Then for a few months, they forbid anyone to do anything other than catch the trout, speak lovingly to them, and toss them back to learn better next time.

I've been fly fishing for about four years now. I have the official get up...waders, vest, net, flies, and all the jazz that come with this spring time obsession of mine. I like to catch fish, so spring is the best time for me to have success. Throwing fake flies into the river tricks more trout when there is an abundance and a variety of flies zooming about. Last spring, I even went fly fishing when I was so pregnant that my waders no longer fit. Adam had to hold my vest to keep me from toppling in the river because I was a little off balance. So, it stands to say that I like trout and catching trout if I would fish when I was 7 and 8 months pregnant.

Not this weekend.

See me here? Don't I look official? Don't I look like I should be catching a trout here? Nope. Not me.
Here is a picture of a beautiful Brook Trout that Adam caught. Brookies are my favorite. I'm not envious of this trout. Nope. Not me.

I tried using Kenly as a good luck charm this morning, but the only thing I caught was disappointment. Poor me.

I didn't get to soak up any beauty while I was out on the river. Nope. Not me.

But, the real reason I called this trip a fiasco was not my failure to catch a trout. You see, Adam is merciful. He let me get one of his Rainbow Trout off the hook. So, I got to touch a fish, as did Kenly. I even hooked a fish, but I got so excited that I jerked him out of the water enabling him to shake the fly loose....bad fisherwoman.

The real reason I should not have been fishing this weekend occurred in two natural "disasters" that happened when I had a fly rod in hand. First, I got all set up. I hit the river, and the heavens opened up. The rain fell from the sky in torrents. I has sheets of water running off my face. I could barely see the river, and I was standing in it. But, I was faithful. I fished through the downpour, but I was not rewarded. Poor me.

The last thing that happened sent me running for the bank, and I didn't get in the river for the rest of the weekend. I was fishing the Nanty, minding my own business, when I heard a loud pop. I thought nothing of it because I assumed Adam was trying to scare me, yet again, by throwing a rock right next to me. Perhaps his incessant rock throwing is why I didn't catch a fish all weekend. But, the pop was followed by a loud crack, and I kid you not, a tree fell 20 feet in front of me upstream. I nearly wet myself, and I think I may have walked on water. The tree came to rest right where I was standing before I behaved like a "Jesus lizard" wearing waders.

Here is photographic evidence.

So I didn't catch a trout this weekend, but I did catch a hard time. Despite the torrential downpour and the near calamity, I'm alive and well, and wanting to go fishing.

9 Month Stats

Kenly went to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month check up. Here are her stats.

Head--18 1/4 inches (95%)

Height--27 1/2 inches (50+%)

Weight--17lbs 13ounces (25%)

So, we still have a beautiful, big-headed baby. She's grown almost two inches, and she's put on almost two pounds. If she had not been sick for almost two weeks, she probably would have put on more weight. The doctor said she looks great, so I'll just breathe now.

Teething and Dog Toys

Having a dog in the house provides hours of entertainment for Kenly. However, having dog toys (Sponge Bob) in the house provides opportunities for, well, see for yourself...

Reading Rainbow

Kenly loves books of all kinds. Here she is reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers. She wants to keep abreast of all my new tactics so she she can foil every plan I have for bending and molding her strong will.

Kenly even loves reading by herself. When we're reading together, she loves to turn the pages and lift the flaps. At this rate, she'll be reading novels by age five. Here she is reading one of her all time favorites, Playtime Peekaboo. She really digs the elephant with the big floppy ears.

Baby Got Back

Kenly's got her Mama's butt....junk in the trunk.

Movies Make Me Cry

Kenly likes to steal Chance's bone every time he gets it out of his toy box. He's such a good sport about it unless you count the pathetic, wounded look he shoots my way after she's got it in her hands.But, she's not cruel...she always gives it back.
Kenly and Chance share a similar love of the outdoors.

Adam and I watched Marley and Me last week and found ourselves in tears hugging Chance when it was over. Adam even let him start in the big bed with him that night. While Marley and Me was not an A-game movie, it tugged at our heart strings more than once. Some many parts of the movie paralleled our life right now. I love that Adam and I started our family with Chance five years ago. He was great practice for Kenly. He needs discipline. He needs attention, love, exercise, food, and boundaries. He opened our hearts to worry. While Kenly is far more complex (belly rubs don't always work for her), Chance is our first child. He's a HUGE a part of our family. While he's learning to adjust to his sister, he still doesn't like to share. On occasion he knocks her down just because it's fun--after all, negative attention is still attention. But, he's learning that she can be fun. Tuggie with a 9-month-old is always an easy win.

We also watched a movie called Bella on Saturday. If you haven't seen it, you should. It came out in 1996, and I have no idea why I haven't seen it before now. It is the best movie I've seen in about three years. You should be prepared to read a few subtitles because of some Spanish dialogue, but it's worth the work. If you're interested in the movie, you should check out the trailer here http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3401122073/ . I loved the movie so much that I plan to name our second child Bella if its a girl. Bella Brand has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Duck, Duck, Goose

Last Friday Kenly and I ventured out to Patton Park for a little sun, a little exercise, and a little entertainment. We also needed to rid the house of some moldy bread. On the way to the pond in the park, we stopped to help a mama bird feed some rather demanding chicks. Kenly thought the ducks/geese were too great for words. Her favorite part of the whole outing was when a little white, yippy dog chase the geese into the pond. She loved hearing their honks and watching them swim away frantically. She squealed with delight. Of course I couldn't really let Kenly feed the ducks because she'd shove the moldy bread in her mouth. So, the child in me had a blast throwing out food for the ducks/geese. The coolest part of the whole experience was watching the fish come snag a snack too. Who knew there were fish in a pond so small?

While we were there, Kenly discovered a new addition to Patton Park--a skate park complete with a bowl. Kenly loved watching the skaters jump ramps. She really enjoyed watching two little boys on roller blades. I have a funny feeling that I'll be holding my breath while watching her dare-devil stunts at that very park in about 3-4 years.

On Saturday we took Adam back to the park to feed the ducks. It started to sprinkle on the way to the pond, but we blew off the warning. As we were throwing out the last piece of bread, the heavens opened and the biggest raindrops I've ever seen started falling. We took off running to the car, but by the time we got Kenly in the car seat and the stroller put away, we were all three soaked to the bone. No good since Kenly's cold turned into an ear infection and she's now downing an antibiotic twice a day. Luckily I travel with a change of clothes for Kenly. Kenly thought the whole experience was great. Adam and I then went to Bay Breeze looking like drowned rats because we knew we'd never come back out if we went home to change and we'd rather eat in a restaurant soaking wet than go home and cook

I'd love to be able to scratch my back like this. Okay, maybe that would be a little weird.

I do ocassionally wipe her face...the milk mouth is just cute at times.

Learning too Fast

Kenly is learning to cruise around any stationary object. Pulling up is hardly a challenge for her now. The other day she was standing by the coffee table. She picked up the remote with both hands and stood there looking at me, waiting for me to tell her no. Then she realized what she had done and her expression changed from mischief to panic in two seconds. She wobbled and fell down. It was too funny. I could almost hear her think....What have I done? What do I do now? Is this okay? Can I do this? She'll hold on to the coffee table with one hand, pivot, and grab the couch without batting one of her long, luscious eye lashes. My baby has turned into a lean, mean moving machine. I have a funny feeling I'll be chasing her around nonstop before too long...wait, I do that already.

Camo Princess--Happy B-day Uncle Travis

The Carhartt overall were handed down to us from our friends Greg and Tracy. When I saw them, I just knew that Kenly needed a girly camo onesie to wear with them. Papa provided the onesie, and the outfit was just too perfect. I took her outside to our creek and to various other natural locations to do a photo shoot for Uncle Tavis's 28th birthday (May 1st). I couldn't post them on the blog until he saw his photo collage first, and since I'm always a day behind and a dollar short, he didn't get his collage until yesterday. So, here are a few shots of our camo princess. Doesn't she make camo look good?

This one is my absolute favorite.

Happy Birthday Uncle Travis!

A few more from Mama's Day

Yep, I'm a mom!

Mother's Day--I always thought it was fun to honor my mama on Mother's Day. I liked picking out the card, finding a few "weeds" from the yard, lavishing her with kisses, and trying to give her one day off. I didn't get Mother's Day until this year. Last year I was carrying Kenly, feeling her kick inside. Being a mother wasn't real yet. Every day I love being a mother more. I loved breast feeding, and now I love the closeness I feel when I feed Kenly a bottle. I love the way her dark eyes look deep into mine. I love that she trusts me so completely,and my heart aches knowing I might one day let her down. I love that she looks to me for comfort. I love the way she fits into the crook of my arm when we read books. I love to hear her laugh and I love to watch her discover something new every day. I love her smell. I love being her mama. It's the best job I've every had.

On Sunday Adam took me for a BBQ picnic. We pulled off at a roadside picnic area and had some fun. Kenly loved exploring all the rocks, stick, and grass in her reach. She literally dug in the dirt. She was as happy as a pig in slop. Here are a few pictures from my very first Mother's Day. I know what all the fuss is about now.

Nine Months

Kenly turned nine months old on Saturday. I can't believe how quickly time flies. I blinked and she's already almost a year old. We celebrated with a few bath pictures and elaborate praise for another milestone mastered. She'll probably kill me one day for putting all these bath pictures up, but hey, they're really stinking cute.

She'd stay in the tub until she was a shriveled prune if we'd let her. She loves to play with the many bath toys you see floating. I gave up trying to keep the bath toys out of her mouth. Now I just try to keep the tub clean.

On Saturday morning, I walked in to find Kenly standing in her crib for the first time. She looked so please with herself that I just had to bust out laughing. She has not mastered the sitting down yet, but she's a quick study. Leave it to my little drama queen to "master" standing on her nine month birthday.

Fun with Mops and Pops

Adam took Kenly to Boone, NC to visit with his parents at Willow Creek Resort. I had a weekend of quiet, all to myself. I didn't know what to do. I did some reading, some relaxing, and a little bit of retail therapy.

Here are a few pictures from Adam's side of the weekend. I didn't want to record my sloth.

Apparently Kenly was not always happy with this posh set up in the cabin. She needed to be free to explore.

A cold washcloth always feels good when your gums hurt.

Colds Suck

Kenly came down with her first official cold on Monday. I took her to the doctor because her cough sounded really croupy. It turns out she just has your run-of-the-mill cold. A fever, cold symptoms, and cough syrup do not make a pretty combination in our 8-month-old. First off, 1/4 teaspoon of Robitussin (recommended by the doctor) made Kenly act like the Energizer Bunny from about 10:00-1:00 on Monday night. I don't think I've ever seen her move so fast. Her nose is pouring snot, and she fights me tooth and nail any time a tissue comes near her face. All in all, she doesn't understand why she feels so crappy. I can't explain that she won't feel this way forever. All I can do is hold her while she cries in the middle of the night. Last night I was up from 10:00-1:00 again, and to top it all off, I think I'm getting her cold.

Even with snot pouring down her face, she is still the cutest thing I've seen in my entire life.

Even though I'm amazingly sleep deprived, I can help but want to hold her and make her feel all better.

Adam is coming home early today. Have I mentioned that I married an amazing man? I started crying at about 4:00AM this morning after getting up with Kenly again. He just took it upon himself to take a half day and cancel and appointment that we had for this afternoon. I didn't even have to ask.

We're living in a house of contagion, but we're fighting through it together. How could I ask for more?

David's RA?

Did David have Rheumatoid arthritis? Psalms 6:2 makes me think so. Listen to this: Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint: O Lord, heal me for my bones are in agony.

What do you think?