The fairy princess that lives next door received a

pink tricycle for Christmas.
You know how it is when a child is learning to peddle one of those things.
Sometimes it goes forward…sometimes it goes backward…and sometimes it just doesn’t go anywhere.

So it was with Josie last week. Finally she got off of the tricycle, looked at Nikki and said, “This thing don’t work! See if it has batteries!”

Early last Thursday morning, I received this text,

which was very similar to one that I had gotten two and a half months earlier.
Josh’s three had spent the night with us, so we loaded them in the car to drop them off at a prearranged location. This was all a part of the day’s mission, which, to quote Josie, was, “for the doctor to

get that baby out of Mommy’s tummy”.
Not long after we arrived at the hospital, the lullaby that announces a new birth, began to play. I looked at Joel and said, “That’s our baby”.
Mr. Payton

weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce.
But this little sister

tipped the scales at 9 pounds, 9.6 ounces. It was about time they got her out, don’t cha think?
By the time that they

got Nikki back in room 276, her sister had arrived with Denton, Hudson and Josie…wearing their ‘Big Bro’ and ‘Big Sis’ shirts.
As a matter of fact, they were the first to go in

and meet ‘little’ Ellie Jane.
The night before, when we were trying to get Josie to go to sleep, I said, “Just think, tomorrow you’ll be a big sister”. With tears in her eyes, (she wanted her mommy) she said, I not a big sister. I just a little girl”.

But, I think she changed her mind.

Piper was fascinated with the smells and sights of the Smoky Mountains.

Most of the time he was curious, but quiet…with one exception.

He did get a little vocal when he got wind of this guy.
Since he has grown up around the still waters of ponds and lakes,

the rushing water of mountain streams was unfamiliar but interesting…

especially when it churned up a foam.

He likes doing the stuff that we like…walking out onto rocks in the middle of streams, and

climbing up to little waterfalls.

We had a blast watching him. He’s grown – and grown up – so much. It’s hard to believe that this week marked a year

since we brought him home.

If you drive as far as you can down the Treemont road, which is about five miles,

then walk another half mile,

you come to some beautiful cascades. Standing on the trail watching the water roll over boulder after boulder is really a sight to see.

But if you make your way down the steep bank,

and walk out onto those rocks, it’s even more breathtaking.

It’s one of my favorite places. You really don’t realize just how big those rocks are

till you get down there and stand on them.
This time, as we were walking back to the car,

Joel took note of a still pool amidst

the rushing water, so we climbed down another steep bank

to get a closer look. The only problem was…

we had to climb back up.

Lyndsey was interested in seeing the Walker sisters’ cabin, so Thursday afternoon

we made the 1.7 mile hike from Metcalf Bottoms to their home place.

Joel and I have been there several times and have favorite places

to rest once we arrive.

John and Margaret Walker reared four boys and seven girls there. Six of the sisters,

four of which are pictured here, lived their entire lives in the three room house. There were two rooms downstairs,

and one upstairs…well, up the ladder,

that had one little window next to the chimney.
Then, Friday afternoon, we visited the cemetery not far from our cabin, where they were laid to rest

along with their parents. As always, there was a little flower by each grave.

When we go on vacations, we eat out a lot…

but not in restaurants. We like to spend most of our time outside, and

that includes meal times. Wednesday, Piper was with us,

and enjoyed his own peanut butter sandwich.
Then it came to me that it would be a shame to come all this way and not wade in at least one stream.

So I did…and Piper came along.

We didn’t go far (after all it is December) … just under the bridge to the other side and back.
When we were done, I handed Piper off to Lyndsey so I could navigate the rocks. Besides, Piper was done. And when a dog is done playing in water…

he shakes. Bwahahahaha!!!

Love that dog!

Sunday morning, by the time it was getting good daylight,

we had been on the road for about an hour. Joel, Lyndsey,

Piper and I were headed to a cabin in Wears Valley in the Smokey Mountains.
Because we weren’t scheduled to check in until after lunch on Monday,

we had reserved a room at the Read House hotel in Chattanooga for Sunday night.

This was Piper’s first time to stay in a hotel, and he loved every minute…the room, the elevator rides and the two block strolls to the park

where we were instructed to take him to relieve himself.
Actually, we all enjoyed our stay at the Read House. It was comfortable, relaxing, and quiet. And, Monday morning as we were making our way out of downtown Chattanooga, I decided to google the Read House. Not only did I discover that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America, I learned this: “If you are seeking out a haunted hotel that has a long history of exciting supernatural and paranormal events, the Read Hotel in Tennessee is the place to be! An avid ghost hunter will shoot for room 311, but it is very unlikely that the individual will make it through the night…”
We stayed in room 303. Who knew? We chose the place because it was pet friendly. But, I can tell you one thing…..I am now sure that ignorance IS bliss.

This was the message letting us all know where to meet. We were to show up at eleven o’clock if we wanted to visit Adam and Laura

for the last time as a family of two.
After about an hour an a half, Adam got the go ahead

to put on his birthday suit. Then we watched as they went down the hall

and around the corner for the C. section.
This is the fourth grandchild for Joel and me, but for

Karen and Rusty, it’s the first…

unless you count Noodles. Therefore, Karen and I agreed on a ‘baby holding order’.
It wasn’t too long before

they came back down the hall with our new grandson hidden under a blanket.
We waited for what seemed like forever before they let us in for the reveal. And then, according the pre-arranged ‘holding order’,

Laura handed the newest little family member off to Karen, who handed him off to

her mother, who handed him off

to MEEEEEEE!
Then, everybody else figured out their turn.
When we were first told about him

he looked like this. But yesterday, 9 pound 1 ounce Paton James Jaques

looked like this. You’ve come a long way baby!

Summer is slowly but surely surrendering to fall.

The buckeye pods are opening, so everyday I capture a few of them to make garlands for Christmas.

The leaves are beginning their journey from green to yellow and red. And, a few times, it has actually been cool enough to make a fire outside.
Last Friday was one of those times. The twins came over to stay the night, so we went out back, made a fire, and had a weenie roast. Then we sat around the fire and made up stories. You know, the kind where everybody contributes a sentence. That turned out to be quite interesting…not to mention funny.
Saturday morning we picked up bear claws for the boys’ breakfast, and they wanted to eat where we had had the weenie roast the night before. The coals were still hot,

so we were able to bring the fire back to life.

Before long, a piece of Denton’s bear claw broke off and landed in the dirt. Perhaps you can see it by the chair.
He said, “That’s alright. I’ll just leave it for the wild pigs to eat, and it will kill them.”
Hudson said, “Those pigs are God’s creatures. You mean to tell me that you want to kill one of God’s creatures?”
Then Denton answered, “Hudson, bear claws won’t kill pigs. Only chocolate will. That’s what Mommy says.”
I thought I would share that…just in case you’re having a pig problem.

In their ongoing quest to become ninjas, the boys are participating in a martial arts class.

The other evening they tested for a new belt…the “bacon belt”. I suppose its called that because it is white with a red stripe down the middle. But, if you didn’t know that, you might think a bacon belt was something one might obtain as a result of eating too much pork. I’ll tell you there’s something new to learn at every turn.

They went through their routine with the rest of the class,

and demonstrated that they could escape several different holds. Then came the moment they had been waiting for. They got to take off their white belts,

and have their new belts tied on. So…now I present to you

the “Bacon Belt Boys”.