burgess falls

 When we got to Cookeville on Friday, we headed to Burgess Falls first.  The girls weren't in the best moods because all they really wanted to do was check into the hotel.  We kept reminding them we couldn't even check in yet so we might as well just enjoy ourselves.  The hike was really fun, not super strenuous, and really beautiful.  Some of the bridges had recently been washed out so they were closes, which was really disappointing.  We were still able to see a lot, but we weren't able to get down to the base of the falls. We will definitely need to go back.

 The weather could not have been better this weekend for hiking!  It was a little cooler than it had been last weekend, but it was sunny and clear.

 There was a super fun playground by the parking lot and the girls played there for a really long time.  They could have stayed there all day.  Caimbree especially has been obsessed with playgrounds lately and she screams bloody murder when we pull her away.  After we left the super fun playground we headed to the hotel to get settled.  Then we went on the other hike close to the hotel, had dinner, and went to bed so we could hit Fall Creek Falls Saturday morning!  It was a great Friday!

hiking getaway

We have been trying to make a trip to Fall Creek Falls since we moved out here.  The timing has just never worked out.  This weekend we finally booked a room in Cookesville (about 2 hours from our house) and went.  Jeff took Friday off so we took off in the morning.  The girls were so very excited and could not wait to get there...especially because we were staying in a hotel.  They love everything about hotels and it is such a treat for them when we stay in one.  When we got there we headed to Burgess Falls, checked into the hotel, and then we went to City Creek Falls, which was a few blocks away from our hotel.  It was a nice little hike that ended with a pretty waterfall.  That's where these pictures are from (except for the ones with Caimbree in the hiking backpack..those were taken before we headed out to Burgess Falls).

 My sweet friend let me borrow her hiking backpack and we were so glad we had it for Caimbree.  She didn't love it the whole time, but it sure made life easier and it also made it possible to hike faster.

 Savanna walked through the hotel when we checked out pulling her cute suitcase and sporting her sunglasses.  I think she was the most excited about the hotel, but it's hard to tell because Savanna just oozes excitement when she's thrilled about something!  She slept so well and woke up with the hugest grin.  She could not wait to get to breakfast and have some apple juice!  We rarely drink anything besides water so apple juice at a hotel is about the best thing in the world to these juice deprived girls!  It was a great weekend.  I have tons of pictures so I will split them into a couple of posts.

hanging with my littles

Am I the only one who has a hard time watching their kids grow up?  It's a really big struggle for me.  I cry about it probably about it more than I should and stress about what the future picture of our family will look like without babies and toddlers.  The rational side of me realizes this is a natural and inevitable part of life.  The thing is, I have always loved babies and toddlers...a lot.  There are days I am super tired and other days that are filled with messes and tantrums and I am counting down the minutes until bedtime.  But most days, are so great and I absolutely appreciate and adore every minute I have hanging out with these funny little girls.  One day I am going to miss how they all fight over who gets to sit next to me and who will be on my lap.  It's going way, way, way too fast.

Lately they have all been into these dress up shoes they found in their closet.  Caimbree and Savanna are often fighting over them, but when Savanna does get them, she clicks proudly around and tells me she is taller.  She is so happy when they are on her feet.  The constant clicking makes my head pound sometimes, but I absolutely love hearing them click around the house.

Caimbree has been working on her smile haha.  This girl.  Such a little ham.  She is now masterful at throwing the biggest tantrum you could imagine over things we do not understand and sometimes we just have to laugh about it.  She is a complete joy, tantrums and all!

When Heidi is at school I love having the extra time to devote to my littlest, who we refer to as the littles.  However, I am dreading, dreading, dreading Heidi being gone all day every day.  It's going to be a really hard adjustment for all of us.

evenings at the lake

We've been at the lake a lot evenings now that it is dark so much later.  It's definitely one of our favorite places to take the girls.  The baby geese are starting to hatch and we have seen a bunch of turtles on the little island this year.  Heidi is getting speedy on her bike and Caimbree insists on being out of the stroller more than she is in!  I will never, ever get sick of seeing Savanna and Caimbree holding hands to cross the bridge.  I hope the image of them holding hands giggling together never ever leaves my memory.

Savanna is a speedy little thing.  She beat everyone up the hill and then sat there grinning waiting for her sisters.  I hope she will always have a little twinkle in her eye.  Love, love, love my Savanna girl.

Heidi was so sweet when we went last night because Caimbree was begging to ride her bike.  She hopped off and helped Caimbree on and then very tenderly held onto her and helped her stay on while she pushed slowly.  She is the best big sister in the world.  I'm so proud of her for being so sweet and including her sisters in her activities.  She is the master of creating fun things to keep everyone busy.  I love spending my days and nights with these ladies!

mother's day 2016

 We had a great Mother's Day!  I love Mother's Day, especially now with sweet little ones of my own.  I love having an entire day to reflect on all of the mothers I know and to think about all the reasons I feel so happy to be a mother myself and to think of all the people who have a motherly influence on my girls.  Women are amazing!

 This year was especially fun because Heidi brought home some super cute gifts from school.  Jeff and I both loved her answers.  I especially like that my job is to stay home and that while her favorite thing to do with me is bake, apparently the best thing I make are chicken patties!  You know, that once a month I pull out chicken patties and stick them in the oven must make a lasting impression haha!  So adorable.  Her school and teachers have been amazing.  We could not have asked for a better experience for her and I am so very grateful they went the extra mile to make such cute and memorable things for the mamas.

My favorite part of the day may have been seeing Jeff sporting this gem of a tie.  Heidi also brought home Father's Day presents and could absolutely not wait until June for him to see her gifts.  She was beyond thrilled to tell him that he could actually wear this tie.  How could he turn her excitement and sweet face down?!  It put the hugest smile on my face every time I saw him in the halls at church.  Best dad ever.

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women in this world who give so much love and make so much difference in the lives of so many!  I feel like the luckiest woman alive to have been blessed with these three little girls.  Being a mom is the hardest and most beautiful job and I feel so grateful for the love, forgiveness, and grace they offer me every day.  They have my whole heart and I hope and pray to be a better mother and person and more deserving of their love.  I am truly, truly blessed.

land between the lakes

This picture cracks me up....check out Caimbree's sunglasses.  

 On Saturday we attempted to take the girls four wheeling.  We went to Land Between the Lakes.  We knew they had strict rules, but we read through them before we went and called and asked questions.  Unfortunately we ran into a ranger who didn't think we were following the rules because although all of the girls were buckled safely, he didn't think the backseat in general was allowed because it was an after market seat.  It was seriously lame, but we had fun for the hour we did get to ride.  The girls were very upset that we couldn't keep going.

Jeff has been researching some other places for us to explore next time.  The funny thing was hearing the girls tell the story to each other about why we couldn't go.  Caimbree kept saying, "Man.  NO!" and when she would say "no" she would say it in this high pitched voice and shrug her shoulders.  She tries so hard to be a part of every conversation and we absolutely love it!

a pain in the back

This picture has nothing to do with my post, but I thought it was so cute.  The girls got a fun package from grandma H. that had these darling summer outfits inside.  They were so excited and want to wear them just about everyday!!

This week has been filled with trips to Nashville for appointments.  As I mentioned before, I have been having some trouble with my back.  I went to a chiropractor and he told me the curvature of my spine is most likely causing the pain.  After a few visits, my right leg and foot started going numb and my lower back was still in excruciating pain.  I decided to go see a back specialist for a second opinion.  Another x-ray was done as well as an MRI.  The doctor said he did not see any herniated or ruptured discs, so that is good.  He did tell me that my lower back was fractured and that it happened at some point in my adolescence.  He thought I had been a dancer or gymnast based on how bad the fracture is.  He said some people get the fracture for no real reason and that it doesn't come from one traumatic event, but from a repeated motion when the bone is changing to the harder adult bone.  He said because of this condition, the discs will degenerate at a much quicker pace and that he sees arthritis and that two of my discs are in worse shape than you would expect them to be at my age.  More than likely I will always have back pain and while they can do surgery to try and fuse the bone together, unless I am in so much pain that I can't function at all, it really isn't recommended...nor do I want to have it.  As of right now, after standing for 10-15 minutes, my lower back aches something fierce, but it isn't debilitating like it was a week and half ago.  It doesn't wake me up in the night and I haven't been having back spasms like I was.  I don't have full mobility of my legs and holding Caimbree on my hips hurts really badly.  He said the pain can be managed with medication and shots if it becomes more than I want to deal with.  For now, I am going to wait it out and see if it starts to feel better on its own.  The last two weeks have been really difficult and frustrating trying to take after the girls and keep up on the housework.  Being in constant pain has given me so much more empathy for those who struggle with chronic pain...it makes it a lot more difficult to be happy and upbeat.  I was feeling pretty depressed about the pain and the diagnosis, even though I was and am fully aware that my problems are pretty minuscule compared to so many others.  Last night during family scripture study we were reading in Alma 34.  The last verse says, "But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions"...it hit me pretty hard, because I really haven't been very patient or willing to accept that this may be my new "normal".  And while I hope this is not my new normal, I know that first of all, things could be about a bizillion times worse and I have so much to be grateful for, and secondly, these afflictions will not last forever.  I am trying to move forward with a new attitude and outlook on the big picture.