Project Life (Vacation Week!)

Man, was it hard to pick this week's Project Life pics! We went on vacation to the mountains of North Carolina with all of Kate's grandparents, and had a lot of fun. I posted a bunch of pics from the trip yesterday, and these mere seven do not do justice to the week!

Monday 6/28: We drove the six or so hours down to the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the three-bedroom cabin we found through homeaway.com. It was gorgeous, with a big great room and kitchen, three nice bedrooms, a gameroom, TV room/balcony, and porches off the front, back, and all three bedrooms to enjoy the view.

Tuesday 6/29: The first full day of the trip, we drove down to Rutherfordton, NC, where there was a great children's museum with a bunch of hands-on experiences. Kate especially loved the little grocery store, where she grabbed all the eggs she could, put them in her cart, took them to the checkout, then put them back and did it all over again! The tomatoes got a little play too, but those eggs were just the perfect size for her little hands, and she loved them.

Wednesday 6/30: We spent this afternoon touring the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. We'd all been there before, but it was fun to see it again. Having a stroller with me this time, I got to ride in the old-fashioned elevator, which was very cool--wrought iron decor and no door except a rope, guarded by the elevator operator! We did a fun photo shoot of Kate out on the lawn at the end of the day.

Thursday 7/1: We hiked at Lake James State Park (after driving literally all the way around the large lake, thanks to a faulty turn in our Google-maps directions), and then swam at the park's beach area. Kate was fearless as always and really enjoyed the water.

Friday 7/2: We hiked again this day at South Mountain State Park, where there was a cool 80-foot waterfall. Like the day before, Kate rode in our new child-carrier backpack. Popi and Mommy took their turns, since Daddy and Opa carried Kate at Lake James, watching our steps carefully on the steep path. Leaving Kate with grandparents at the base of the falls, Matt and I climbed the even steeper path to the top of the waterfall. We were worn out, and enjoyed grilling out back at the cabin that night to celebrate my birthday.

Saturday 7/3: Goodbye, cabin. You've been lovely. We really enjoyed your plush mattresses, relaxing adirondacks and rockers, and gorgeous views. Wish we could have stayed longer (and that we hadn't gotten stuck in standstill traffic on the drive home!)

Sunday 7/4: Independence Day and my 29th birthday! After church, we went to a pool party, where Kate exercised her independence by refusing to sit in her float and trying to drown herself instead! She wanted to be out and about, unencumbered by floatation devices (she tolerated the borrowed water-wings, but they didn't really do anything) and only really enjoyed herself when people were puttering her around the pool in their own arms.

Hope you all had a good holiday weekend! Check out more Project Life over at The Mom Creative!