Christmas Part II

The remainder of our Christmas was spent with my family. There are 5 grandchildren and 6 adult children plus my parents...so it is always a full house. Lila and Sadie, both 16 months, were definitely the entertainment during the holiday but the older kids had a blast too!

Here's Lila posing, without prompting, to look just like her mother...


The older girls, Abby and Gracie, with their barbie dream car


Taking a step back from the chaos of Christmas


And my favorite photo, Sadie's new strategy for opening presents

Christmas Part I

The holidays are a hectic time that often overwhelm me. There is a lot of build up and it takes a lot of scheduling, however when all is said and done it is always a great time of celebration. I am thankful that I spent this holiday with the people I care most about and the people I know will be in my life forever. I am also grateful that I got to sit back with my camera and capture these moments that I know we will remember forever. Here is a glimpse.

Christmas at my In-laws was especially festive because my sister and brother-in-law came to town with there two children.

You may remember Bo...the 1st grandchild and sweetest boy I know



Presents for me???


With his fun Uncle Kevan...




And although he will hate this when he is older, I could not resist posting my favorite shot of the week!


Christmas was also so memorable because we were able to meet our newest nephew for the first time.
Welcome to the world of blogging Briar Michael....







Briar and his grampa...


Kevan and I got plenty of time with Briar too!





Overall, the holidays were a success and minus the lingering colds, I wish we could start the week over again! Unfortunately, Bo and Briar went back to Iowa so I will have to wait till our next gathering to capture more shots of my boys!

Tennessee Fall

On our anniversary we went hiking in Manchester and Tullahoma, TN. My real desire was to take off to cabin in the woods for the weekend, however due to the financial aspect heading out of town we instead decided a day trip was better. Smith Springs Natural area in Tullahoma was by far my favorite with steep, narrow trails and lots of places to stop and play in the Springs. You should check it out!

The Springs


Maya and I taking a quick water break, photo courtesy of Kevan


Hungry?




My two Favorites!


Old Stone Fort in Murfreesboro


Proof that it's Fall




We live in such a beautiful part of the country and today reminds me of how thankful I am that places like this are only a short drive away.

Birthday Fun

My niece turned one a few months ago and I was able to catch a few shots of her birthday party. You cannot beat a 1 year old's party not to mention their love for cake.







I love this child!

Underwater

Nashville flooded like no one ever thought that it could. Franklin, my hometown, flooded as well. The neighborhood where I grew up and where my parents still live flooded and my current home also sustained some water damage. However, in spite of the tragedy it brought the community closer and it hopefully allowed us all to re-evaluate our priorities. Below is my view of the flood taken mainly from my kayak, which allowed me to see the magnitude of the water in ways I never could have imagined from dry land.

First, my travel companion and love of my life heads out through Rebel Meadows


Water was still rising at this point, even though the rain had temporarily stopped.


Paddling through Rebel Meadows, across the street from our old high school, was a surreal feeling


Finally, when the rain stopped we ventured out on Monday to try and get to my parents, who were still without power in a neighborhood that was half under-water. On the way we stopped by the park...


Then we headed to the pool at Cottonwood, better known as lake Cottonwood on this day...




The water had already dropped several feet since the rain stopped only 12 hours before...yet there would still be days before the river returned completely to it's banks.


As the water subsided, the houses began to empty.


As this was the way my neighborhood looked for the next few weeks...


Now that it is over a month since the flood, I feel blessed that we were all so lucky not have lost more. I also feel blessed to live in a community that could pull together in the way that Nashville did and the way we will continue to do during this recovery phase.