Tweetsie

We decided to stay an extra day after the wedding to go to Tweetsie Railroad.  To Will, it must have seemed like this place was heaven on earth!  He loved every minute of it, and really, we all had a great time. The place was just how I remembered it from my childhood.

All aboard!  Ready to watch the epic Cowboys and Indians show...

Saddle up, pardner!

 The rides were perfect for Will's age, and he ate it up.  Pretty sure there's a picture of his Daddy as a little boy on the same airplane ride.

 Will and GrandBrad put the pedal to the metal on the race track.

 The petting zoo is never really my favorite, but Will loved the billy goats.

 Cowboy Will is here to save the day!  Ready for a shoot out?

 He was one happy little boy.

One of my favorite highlights of the day was the clogging show.  At one point, they invited all of the kids up on stage.  Will was the littlest participant, but he did a great job of following along, all while maintaining his super-serious face.  He did his tap-dancing mama, proud!  

Joanna & Tyler's Wedding

This was seriously THE most beautiful wedding I have ever been too.  Gorgeous couple, gorgeous venue...just breathtaking!  I was also so busy being a bridesmaid and making sure my two children were looked after (Aaron was still deployed at this point) that I did a terrible job taking pictures.  Thankfully, I have these from my mom and their fabulous professional photographer from Blue Sky Studios.  Congratulations, Joanna + Tyler!

 And this.  This is one of my favorite photos ever.  I just can't express how much I love these three.

Joanna's Bridesmaids' Luncheon

My cousin Joanna got married this past August.  The wedding was in the North Carolina mountains, a beautiful retreat from the heat of summer.  My mom and her cousin, Cathy, hosted a gorgeous bridesmaids' luncheon at the Mast Farm Inn, an historic bed and breakfast in Valley Crucis.

 The glowing bride and her bridesmaids.

 The grandmothers.

 Mimi and Meredith in their monogrammed dresses.

 The beautifully packaged gifts for the bridesmaids.

Mom made these incredible-looking and delicious cakes.  The one in the center had charms for each of us to pull.

Joanna with her hostesses.

 And the bridal party...

 So happy privileged to be a party of this pretty lady's special day!

Dress like a cow...

After spending the day at the pool, I threw together some spotted shirts for us to knab a free dinner at Chick-fil-a's Dress Like a Cow Day!

Will loves the cow, Meredith not so much.

 We took our milkshake to go.  Meredith really, really wanted some, but brother wasn't sharing.  Can't really blame him, they're soooo good!

 Love their little cow spots.  Happy I've got these two in my herd.  *wink*

Priscilla's Baby Shower

In July, Kate, Mom and I went to a baby shower for Priscilla, Kate's best friend since elementary school.  She has such a fun family, and they have all become dear friends to us over the years, so it was a joy to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby number two and her first little boy.

 Her sister, Heather, hosted the cutest sock-monkey-themed shower.  I loved this little guy peeking out of the bananas, next to the banana pudding.  Hehe!

The Johnson family, other sweet, lifelong friends, were also partly in attendance. (Missed ya, Elena!) 

 Meredith was loving the attention from Esther and Eddi!

 It struck me how special it is to have these types of family friendships.  Our moms, dads, and siblings are as close as we are.  Lots of great memories made, good laughs always entertaining us, and fun to look forward to with these ladies!