The Falls

Today we got the girls all revved up and ready to hike a few waterfalls.  They have just been amazing little travelers and after today, they proved to be amazing little athletes!  

 A picnic at Whitewater Falls - pre-mosquito attack.  We ended up finishing lunch in the car.  "I don't like the bugs!"  Actually, I think it was me that kept saying that, not the girls.

Now refueled and full of energy, we headed off to the falls.

Madeline is absolutely fearless.

The girls climbed the entire 200+ stairs all the way to the top, all by themselves!  Not once stopping to be held, not one single complaint!  Such little troopers - excuse me, athletes!

And of course we couldn't end such a long hike without stretching.

And even after all of that, the girls still had the energy to take off running back down the path to the car!

And to top the day off, after a looong afternoon nap, we ended it with another great fire made by daddy and the girls, and a story read by daddy around the fireplace.  They are going to miss the fireplace when we get home!  And so are we...

As Madeline and I were walking down the path together from the last falls today, she looked up at me with the sweetest expression and in the sweetest voice said "Mommy, I don't want to go back to Chatta-noooo-ga."  I knew what she meant.  We need more days like this. As many more days like this that we can possibly fit into our busy lives.  

What day is it?

The sign of a really good vacation is when the only way you measure what day it is, is by the amount of coffee filters you have left.

The only problem is, there's only one left.

The Walk

After nap time this afternoon, we took a walk.  We are surrounded by forests of trees so we thought we'd just walk the road that circles the lake we are staying on in the lodge.  It was still wet from all day rain, but dry enough to give the walk a try.

The girls were so happy to do this!  And can I add how nice our neighbors are around here?  Two different cars stopped to talk to us - one that we had seen at the pool earlier that morning, and the second was our next door neighbor and his wife, worried because he hadn't seen us in two days!  Said he was a retired police officer and was going to knock on the door if he didn't see us by the next morning!  Seriously the nicest couple we could ask for - talked about their grandkids and how much they enjoy them and were surprised our girls weren't louder! ha!

Anyway, the girls were having a ball. They sang all sorts of songs as we walked the road.  "This make me healthy, daddy?" they'd ask. Ever since they have seen Papaw and Papa's heart surgeries and the changes they are making that are affecting our entire family, they are all about being heart healthy.  The little troopers made it around the entire lake!  They sang songs, they picked up sticks, they looked for things that Jesus made.  It was pretty precious to say the least.  

When we were getting ready for bed tonight, Savannah started talking to me about Jesus. They both do this quite often after being tucked into bed. Last night she said, "Jesus died on the cross? For my sins mommy? When I naughty mommy? Why mommy?" "So that we can all be in heaven with Him one day!" "He make me a crown mommy? A purple crown?" These conversations are priceless. Tonight, Savannah said "I saw Jesus today!" "You did?" I asked. "Where?" "I see him outside, up in the sky, up high!"  She got it! At 3 years old, my little girls know that when we're out in nature, that's where He can be found. The night before last as they were saying their nighttime prayers, Savannah waved up to the ceiling "Hi Jesus!"

He is so real to them! What a shining example our little girls are to me....to have faith like a child is what I want in my heart. All it takes sometimes is just a short walk in the woods.

Time Stands Still....Says Who?!

Don't they say that when you're on vacation time stands still?  Says who!  In the short few days we've been here, Chris and I have watched the girls grow up in front of our eyes.  Way. Too. Fast!  But oh, so sweet.

Starting with......a slow bunny withdrawal.  We are nowhere near eliminating the bunny, but while we've been here, we can drive without the bunnies. This is huge. We've convinced the girls that the bunnies need to stay at our place, and they listen! Of course now they like to travel with dolls - Barbies and Dora, but at least it's just for play and not for a comfort crutch!  Maybe we're slowly making progress with the bunnies.

Funny side story - Madeline is still jumping into the pool without fear - over and over.  Savannah is not so sure that this is such a good idea, so she has not taken to jumping into the pool.  Madeline just keeps trying to show her the way "Like DAT!" she'll emphatically say when she pops up out of the water.  It's pretty cute to watch....

Making a fire in the evenings has become a favorite time of day for the girls -- they love looking around outside for their wood!!

This growing up thing was even more noticeable tonight -- The girls each grabbed a game, sat down on the couch, and just played together.  Quietly played together. Chris and I kept giving each other shocked looks as I retreated to the kitchen and made dinner while the girls played and talked and played and talked to each other.

Supper time.  We sat down to eat at the table and both of the girls filled our ears with stories from school.  Stories about how one little boy had scratched the arm of another.  How another little boy likes water but doesn't like milk.  And who was their best friends -- both of whom have different best friends on their list!  I held onto every word, realizing these two were growing up.  Yep, right in front of our eyes.

When it was time for bedtime, instead of taking them down to their room to help them get ready for bed, I asked them to go get ready for bed.  Less than five minutes later I heard "Mommy!  Come look!  Look mommy!" and as I rounded the corner, here came two little girls grinning from ear to ear, sporting their Dora nightgowns and pull-ups - all by themselves!  

Ok, let me just stop right here.  Girls, when you are reading this one day when you are much older, yes, all of these things are a H-U-G-E accomplishment.  Bedtime can be absolutely exhausting as we fight over what jammies to wear, whether we put on our jammies at all in the first place!  Playing quietly - huge.  Sitting on the couch by yourselves and just talking to each other?  Huge.

When the girls were first born, I would occasionally bump into another twin mom with older twins and she would stop and just look at me and say "It gets better."  I always laughed whenever someone said that to me simply because yes, juggling two babies at the same time was not always easy to put it mildly.  But today, those words floated across my mind again as I looked into the living room and watched the girls play quietly with each other, hardly making a fuss.  I also looked at them and realized what best friends they are becoming.  A few different times over the day, one would say to the other at random moments "I like you, Sissy."

I love to see these two become even closer.  And I love experiencing that whole "it gets better" part of life with twins! 

The Squirrel

There are some brave squirrels around here! This morning we were greeted by 2 squirrels who had a big time with us!  Once I stood at the glass door watching them, I noticed one kept slowly coming towards the door - he wanted to be fed!  So, we grabbed some almonds and sat them out on the back deck. Standing behind the sliding glass door, the girls got to watch squirrels close up, chomping away at the nuts they provided to them! Soon there was a family of squirrels along with the most beautiful little birds sitting on the deck. The birds were there to catch the crumbs the squirrels left along. What a beautiful place of pure nature for these girls to enjoy!

Play Day

Today was simply stated, great. We were blessed with gorgeous weather again - the sun is definitely our friend this week (so far! Knock on wood). We were able to play outside, play inside (of course - the girls would just swim all day every day if they could!), and then get back to the lodge and make another fire. That is their favorite part of the day -- gathering the "wood" on their way inside in the evening. 

What I wasn't able to get on video was the girls swimming in the pool together when one said "hold my hand sissy" and they swam to the side of the pool holding hands between those big, oversized arm floaties. 

Our "mini-hike" to the playground. To see the girls eyes light up when they saw this bridge was priceless.  "Choo Choo train, mommy?" as they tried to figure out what it was! And seriously, could it have been a prettier day?

But then, as we rounded the corner and they spotted the playground....running. Full out running! They had found the Promised Land.

OK, so we weren't able to hike to any of the falls today like I wanted to because the girls needed to nap during the warmest part of the day, but as Chris reminded me, they're 3. We still need to make sure they get their naps in, and, not sure how fun carrying 26 pounds for a few miles on a rough terrain would be...because let's face it. They aren't going to walk the whole thing so yes, we'd be carrying them. Hmmm...SO, maybe tomorrow we'll make it to the easy hikes to a few falls we've been told about -- but if we don't, it's ok because the best - the very, very best part of my time away is getting to spend every day with the girls and Chris, no distractions, just time. If this were a tweet, I'd have to hashtag this with #blessed.  

Day 3

(Or is it Day 2).  What a day!  I'll just let the pics tell it all.

Bath time is a definite favorite for these two.

Way to make a momma feel like a "big momma", as she kept saying.  I thought she made a great "after" shot for Biggest Loser.

A little quiet time for mommy while daddy took the girls outside to feed the duckies.

My handsome, handsome hubby.  Kind of reminds me of our first drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  :-)  Today we finally took a drive around the area - it's still so cold to get out with these two and explore the falls and trails, but hoping for warmer days tomorrow and on!

But never too cold for ice cream.

And now the sugar rush kicked in.  "I love down-town Mommy!"

They really do love downtowns.  It truly warms this momma's heart!!

Vacation

There are moments in life when you can't wipe the smile off your face.  It's even better when the smile doesn't go away for an extended period of time.  These are the moments that you can't help but cherish - and they are the moments that will be forever engrained into your mind as an unforgotten memory.  Vacation with my sweet little family is one of those moments.  We have had a long 9 months or so.  Preparing to move, moving, getting settled into a new home, a new town, a new life.  Putting the girls in daycare for the first time, adjusting to daddy's rigorous school schedule...life has been busy!  When we get time together as a family, we're always on the go....We have this great boat that hasn't been taken out in almost 2 years because we spent the entire summer last summer on the go, preparing to move. And just before coming here, we started back up the house hunt - time to find our permanent home (as permanent as God will allow it to be until he says "go!" again!).  This will be another stressful time -- but now, now we just stop.  We recharge, we relax, we sit.  It really feels like the first time that we have been able to stop. and. just. breath.  Breath in...breath out.  Laugh, giggle, relax, talk, sit together as a family.  Oh how we have needed this, and oh how blessed we are to be able to spend it together in such a beautiful, serene place.  

Day 3 and we are blessed with yet another beautiful day.

God is good.  And He is faithful and will remain that way.  Always.  His will is our will - and this house hunt will be His will.  And this time together as a family to just relax together is certainly His will.  :-)