June 2011 in a Nutshell

Since I'm so behind on blogging, I'm going to try and cover a month at a time. I'll hit the highlights, and then maybe I can keep up better once I catch up. June was pretty low key for us. The month started off with plenty of playdates with friends. Most of the playdates involved trying to stay cool.

Ava came over to play in the sprinkler with us. (Side note: Kenly finally let me put her hair in braids for the first time in June.)
These girls spend most of the time trying to drink the water instead of splashing around.

Can you see the pattern? Different sprinkler....same pose.
The girls also spent some time watering the trees and grass to make sure they would grow.
Meghan took some pictures too, and occasionally they would wander over to admire their beauty.
A bit later in June, we took a day trip to hang out with Jared and Katie Brush at Lake Bowen in South Carolina. We enjoyed good food, good friend, and some good times on the lake (swimming an boating). Kenly met a new friend names Liam, and they got along well.
Meghan and Ava invited us to the pool as well. I had Kenly model her ladybug dress that Papa picked out before we got changed.


We spent most of the morning splashing around in the kiddie pool.

When Ava and Kenly discovered the box of water toys, we had to keep them from filling the pool with treasure.
Believe it or not, these two are learning to share and play with each other. Meghan and I never thought this day would come.
We also went to the pool with Jennifer, Davis, and Drew.

After a hard morning of swimming, we dried off and had a picnic at the pool.

Once Daddy got out of school, we started taking a few day trips. We ventured over to the Davidson River to cool off and swim and play with rocks.
Adam and Kenly built this cool castle out of river rocks. I think it is lovely.
And we can never go play at the Davidson River without stopping for some Dolly's ice cream.
About a week after school let out, Adam took off to West Virginia to hang out with Uncle Jason for awhile. Kenly and I took off to Augusta, GA. It was blazing hot when we arrived. Kenly got out of the car and said, "Why is it so hot in Georgia?" Good question, baby girl. I don't have many pictures from this trip, but these are a few of my favorites.

Kenly spent some time playing with Papa in the garage. She helped search through his treasure to find all kinds of goodies. We have similar pictures of me in the garage with Daddy when I'm out Kenly's age. The only difference is I'm covered in dirt from head to toe.




I love this picture of Kenly removing some dirt from Papa's face.

I love the creativity of a two year old. Who else would think to blow pretend bubbles using a lug nut and a toilet screw as a prop. Oh the wonders that Papa's garage holds.
When pretend bubbles lost their appeal, Nana came to the rescue and came out with some real bubbles.

I love this picture of my Mama. Child-like wonder is an amazing trait at any age. I think I've still got most of mine. Nana still does too.

Catch those bubbles...
When we got back home, we took off adventuring with Daddy again. We took a day trip to Graveyard Fields to see the wild blueberries and the waterfall. Kenly and Adam enjoyed taking a dip in the cold mountain stream. Pregnant Mama kept her feet on a non-slippery surface.



Adam took Kenly out to the base of the lower falls. She thought it was so cool to touch the waterfall. She was not a big fan of the kids splashing all around her. The pictures make it look like we had the place to ourselves, but we were surrounded my a slew of kids on a camp outing.


June went by in the blink of an eye. We had fun easing our way into summer.

Looking Glass Falls

On Saturday we took Kenly on an outdoor adventure. We all needed some fresh air, so we headed to Looking Class Fall for a quick peek at a waterfall. Then we headed to Pisgah National Forest for a quick hike before finishing the outing with some BBQ at Hawg Wild. The food was so good that I'm still drooling.

For the first time in Kenly's life, she asked to wear a hat. Since winter is on its way, I want to encourage this behavior. She kept the hat on during our entire adventure. If it fell off, she was distraught.
These two love each other madly.

I played with some editing techniques on this shot, and I was really pleased with the outcome.

Our four legged friend came with us, and he was super excited to be in the great outdoors.
While we were hiking, Kenly announced that she had to potty. We quickly removed her shoes, socks, pants, and undies so she could cop-a-squat on the side of the trail. She's already mastered the jungle squat and she's only two. The "full moon" rising above the leaves was an adorable sight. I have a picture, but I don't want her to kill me one day, so it will remain private.

I'm trying to show her a ladybug in the picture. Who knows why I'm wearing that expression. Adam fetched her a pail of river water after hiking. She wanted to get in the water at the waterfall, so this was a nice compromise.

Labor Day (Finally)

Labor Day was a blast in the Brand household. It was the most "normal" weekend I can remember since Kenly was born. Before she came along, Adam and I kept a break-neck pace. She's forced us to slow down just a little, and we're grateful. This weekend was super, but exhausting. I've been playing with the photos on Lightroom 3, so I'm a bit behind posting everything. On Friday, Kenly and I went to the Apple Festival in Hendersonville almost as soon as it opened. We walked around and listened to a few performers. Kenly danced in the street and marveled at the balloons. I paid for some apple slices and caramel. While I ate, Kenly climbed around one of the many bears that line Main Street.

As I was taking this picture she was screaming, "Look at me, Mommy,"
This kids' ride is free, so I put Kenly in the yellow barrel and thought she'd have a blast. I was wrong.
See her looking back at me with panic in her eyes. Two second after I snapped this picture, Kenly started wailing, and the driver had to turn around so I could remove her. When we went back to the festival on Saturday Kenly announced, "I not gonna ride the scary tractor." Okay.
On Saturday she was able to get her arm painted. We picked a ladybug because Kenly loves ladybugs. She waited patiently in line and sat oh-so still while the lady painted. The artist said she could paint for hours if every child smiled as sweet as Kenly.
Pretty good bug, huh?
We watched several bands/dance companies perform near the courthouse. Kenly danced her heart out. She'd even try to imitate the dancers on stage. At one point, a sweet old man approached us and squatted down.
Old Man: How old is she?
Us: She turned two in August.
Old Man: If she doesn't become a professional dancer, I'd say she's missed her calling.

Kenly enjoyed a candy balloon (sucker) while watching the performers.
It wouldn't be Hendersonville's Apple Festival without a rock, some "face paint," and an apple cider sipper.

Kenly was too small for most of the kids' attractions, so we just let her explore. She saw this huge, inflatable slide that was shaped like a tree and thought it was Madame Blueberry's house. If you have kids who watch Veggie Tales, you know all about Madame Blueberry's house. Kenly and Adam knocked on the tree and asked her to come down, but they determined that she wasn't at home.

On Sunday evening, we decided to take Kenly to the Blueridge Parkway for a sunset dinner. I packed Kenly's dinner, and Adam and I picked up some Taco Bell.

Kenly got her first shot at walking Chance. She loved feeling the power of being in charge. I think Chance was groaning the entire time. Adam was close at all time just in case.
After dinner, we hiked to the lower falls at Graveyard Fields on the Parkway. Kenly did pretty well in her chariot.

She enjoyed picking out rocks to throw with Daddy.
Once we finished the quick hike, we drove to the nearest overlook to catch what was left of the sunset. Kenly danced on the "stage" to the music we were playing in the car. I think we might have a little performer on our hands.
Adam staged this shot by placing the camera on the car. I love it. A family photo is so rare. The only bummer is that Chance isn't in this one. He'd off exploring somewhere right behind us.
Kenly had a tough ride home. She was tired and it was dark. I didn't pack her binky, so she whined for her binky the whole ride home. After potty training is done, the binky is going to have an unfortunate accident with a pair of scissors.

On Monday morning, we decided to do a hike to Wintergreen Fall in Dupont State Forest. It was a nice hike even though it was a bit buggy. When we got to the falls, we let Kenly run around naked. They'll be no pictures of her nakedness though.
Even Benny Bunny enjoyed the hike. At one point I realized he was missing. I had to jog about 1/4 mile to find him. Apparently he thought it would be nice to base jump out of the pack for a closer look at nature.
Here is my favorite shot of Wintergreen Falls. The falls are off the trail. There's even a swimming hole at the base.

I love this shot of Kenly playing with the water in Adam's hands. It makes me smile and think of the old country song--Daddy's Hands.
At the end of the hike, Kenly got to frolic in a field of tall grass. She had a time playing. Her favorite part of the hike was throwing acorns for the crows to eat.

To top off a great day, Kenly got to pet a horse before we got in the car to go home.

Labor Day was fun. It was great to have Adam for a long weekend. It was even better to have some quality family time. I think Kenly's going to grow up with an adventurous spirit. She'll have to if she wants to keep up.