North Carolina Climbing

Looking Glass is a big, granite dome just outside Brevard, NC (south of Ashville). Daddy and Luke had been there before and thought it would be a wonderful place to bring the families. They were right!!
We had a wonderful day climbing. I forgot my camera but thanks to Luke Laesar, we have some good ones to post. Lucas and Layton were the star climbers of the day. Kestrel and Axel were the star dirt diggers. What a beautiful day!

Mel & Layton hiking in.
The gang: Mommy, Axel, Layton, Kestrel, Mel, Clay, Mike & Luke (photographer)
Daddy headed up.

Lucas' turn to climb while Layton cheered him on.
Lucas was very excited and had no hesitations about going to the top.
If you look closely, you can follow the rope up, just below the top trees and you'll see Lucas. Yep, he was up there...WAY UP THERE!
Then, it was Layton's turn and he too made it to the top.
Lucas (4 yrs) & Layton (3 yrs)
Axel (~15 months) & Kestrel (~ 1 yr)Mel & Kestrel hiking out.
Waterfall near the parking lot. Axel LOVED this waterfall!
Our little hiker.Clay Sykes, opened up his guest house to us and what a treat! It's a beautiful home perfect for a weekend stay. Thank you! We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed seeing the area you've fallen in love with.

Butterfly outside the house. They loved these flowers and gobbled up the necter.
The house was perfect for Star Wars and ice cream!
Of course, I didn't take more photos of the house like I had intended. Hopefully we will be headed back and have another photo opportunity. :)

On the way home, lollipops helped out a little. Yes, he has one for each hand. :)
The DVD player helped too! Check out Lucas "Spring Color" carseat. It was $100 cheaper because of the semi-girly print and it brightens up the car so nicely. :) Sorry Lucas. Luckily, he doesn't seem to mind yet.
See the card we have stuck in the window next to Daddy? That's our car bingo/sun visor. We broke off the visor on the way down. Oops! The Jetta is getting a little older (1997) and she's a little quirky after 250,000 miles. We still love her and she's a trooper even with a broken visor.
An absolutely wonderful trip despite the long drive!

Weekend Warriors

Daddy went to Orlando, FL for a conference and came home with some special gifts for everyone. Mommy got Ghirardelli Chocolates...or did Daddy get Ghirardelli Chocolates??? Hmmm...good thing Mommy is so good at sharing. :)

Lucas got the coolest Yoda T-Shirt in the whole wide world! He wore it for three days straight!
Axel got a Mickey Mouse lollipop and he was loving it until the stick bent.
Can a lollipop make a baby cry?

Yes.
A bent lollipop stick is HORRIBLE if you're one years old. He was so sad and Daddy tried and tried to make it better.
Axel finally came around and for the weekend, we decided to head to North Carolina a change of scenery. It's a 7-8 hr drive so we decided to stop off at Cumberland Gap National Park to take a break and get some Nat'l Park Passport Stamps and exercise.
Frisbee time!
Puffs are always a big hit with the boys.
Into the visitor center for stamps and a quick tour. Then it was time to hike!Lucas showing off his HUGE muscles?!?!?!
We hiked to the top of Tri-State Peak where Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina all come together.
Lucas wanted nothing to do with the summit photo.
We also hiked to the overlook.
I think they were playing a little game of I Spy.
Here's the view.
Axel looks really concerned in this photo. I think he thought he was missing out when Daddy was showing Lucas the land below.
Daddy saved the day when he spotted some "birdies" which Axel loved!
My boys. :) The make my heart happy.
That night we spent an evening with our Knoxville friends, Jessica & Bentley. The trip would not have been complete without a light saber fight. Thanks for the hospitality!
The next day, it was off to tick North Carolina's High Point. Yes, Daddy is still on a quest to do as many high points as possible. You can drive to the top or do a two mile hike up on a real rough trail. We opted for the trail because we miss the mountains and were very excited to hike up some real elevation.
Nearing the top.
And there it is, Mt. Mitchell, at an elevation of 6,684 ft above sea level.
Our proof.
Again, Lucas wanted nothing to do with a summit photo.
Our proof.
Axel just wanted the camera.
Somehow I tricked Yoda into a decent photo. :) I used my Jedi mind tricks.
More to come...North Carolina climbing.