I think Aaron is going to make this hike an annual tradition. Bryan came up from Spring Hope on Friday night and they left early Saturday morning for the 20 mile hike. I texted Aaron around 11 am and asked if his pack was heavy..."yes" was his simple answer. But I know they had a great time...the crazy part was that this is the first cold weekend we've had so far. It was 80 degrees this past week and then last night it was sub-freezing temperatures. They didn't sleep well (they're both taking naps right now). Aaron said the leaves were pretty but next weekend will probably be the peak weekend.

This is my favorite product as a new mother. These nursing tanks make the day so simple. They are comfortable, and even when I go out I just put some type of cardigan or jacket over it. I wear them EVERYDAY and I have 5 of them in all of the colors. If you are a nursing mom, or you will be soon, you need to get one now!

This afternoon we played outside in the shade of a tree while Aaron planted some shrubs behind our deck. Uncle Joey and Aunt Sierra came to visit and they brought Chase, Sierra's sister's youngest boy. He will be two in January. He was so cute to make sure Vivian had toys to play with...he's great at sharing! Actually, Sierra's sister Lindsay and I played volleyball together in high school, so I knew her before I met Sierra. Small world!

It's been great to have a free Saturday here at the house. Aaron has been working outside all day...he remulched the landscaping and trimmed a lot of plants. Now he's on the roof taking off the satellite dish that was there when we bought the house. Since we don't have TV, we don't need it, and he has always thought of it as an eye sore. Productive day! I've been inside thanking the Lord for Vivian's great naps :)

Last night Aaron and I went downtown to a nice restaurant. I count it as a date... ...a group date. We went with some Interstate Battery guys who were in from Dallas, and Tim and Paula. Tim and Aaron wotk together. It was great conversation.

Don't let the blank expression fool you...she was very excited to go over to Papa and Gramme's.

We have added some big new (well, actually they're both used) things to our home. Aaron bought this Yukon for us on Monday. It's in great condition and he got an unbelievable deal on it. It's also GREAT ON GAS!!! hehe It's pretty big, but I have to admit that it was nice to be able to take everyone in it this morning when we went shopping (see post below).
We also have a new dining room table! Mom and I went to the lake a couple of weeks ago to load this up and bring it home. She is taking her table from their house to the lake, and offered us the one that was already there. It's PERFECT. It matches the hutch that we already had from the lake, and all I had to do was get the cushions reupholstered. So we got this table for about $70. Yay! Thanks mom and dad.

Today Vivian and I went to Christiansburg with these lovely ladies, Jody, Ansley, and Kristin. There is a Gap Outlet in the mall there...got some 3-6 month clothes for her. It was my first time hanging out with Kristin...very fun! Her son Tyson is almost 4, and she's pregnant with twins. She started coming to church just this year.

Vivian talks all the time! Wish I knew what her story was about...

Billy, Michael, Vivian, Becca, and Christina

Vivian was telling Uncle Michael a long story...she talked for a while with him.

This weekend we went on a little getaway with 9 other couples from church and it was wonderful! We missed our baby girl but it was nice to spend time with adults...we have some entertaining friends! We left early Friday morning and got there in time for lunch and made our way to Dollywood. It was a little drizzly but not too cool, and there weren't many people there so we didn't have to wait in any lines. We rode every big ride and walked the entire park. It's a nice place...very family-friendly and so seeing so many babies made me think even more about Vivian!

It was the Barbeque and Bluegrass festival while we were there.

Mt. Everest, of course :)

Check out Dennis to see what the guy's sportsmanship during the game was like

Then the guys went to watch the Virginia Tech game and the women played Boxers or Briefs. Hilarious game.
And then Sunday we came home to this precious smiley face! Gramme and Papa took great care of her and she had a blast playing at their house. But we were thankful to get home to cuddle with her.