More cousin time during the week

We were SO happy to have the cousins around for a week and be able to join in with them (and extended Woody family) on a few morning or afternoon activities. 

One afternoon, after a trip to the library, they came over to our house for a bit. Naturally the boys started in on bikes and balls pretty quickly! 
 

Another morning we took a walk along the Greenway, with adults and kids all running and walking the two mile trail. And Timo on his bicycle of course! Some of the kids (including Timo) didn't wait for the photo on the bridge before they took off, so they are a bit hidden in this photo.

photo cred to Abi Woody Hardy

Afterwards it was time for lunch and tubing and swimming at East LaPorte park. Hawkins fam, remember this is where we had a day last summer? This section of the Tuckaseegee River is perfect for young kids to do some slow tubing, with lots of shallow wading and rock throwing.

Adella helped push Mattias back and forth across a shallow section

Hurray, finally in the water for Timo's first tubing excursion this summer! (photo by Abi)

The week was capped off by an anniversary dinner, celebrating Matt and Hannah's 10th wedding anniversary. Right here in this same town ten years ago! And look at us, we are all out to dinner and got to eat our meals and have conversation without interruption from children! We even stopped in at the chocolate shop afterwards for some treats. (Phil/Pop Woody was looking after M&H kids for the evening, and Gayle/Nana took care of ours.) During dinner there was a huge thunderstorm, and when we got home our power was out (until about 10 AM the next morning), so no game night possible; it was a scramble to find candles and flashlights. Poor Gayle, sitting in the dark waiting for us to return and we didn't even know what had happened.

I think this is a record - celebrating our siblings' anniversary AND our anniversary (six days later) together with our siblings!!

4th of July afternoon celebrations

In the afternoon we were invited to join with all the Woody clan for games and a cook-out dinner. Along with our cousins (Matt & Hannah and kids), and their Woody cousins, there were also some of Gayle's cousins, and several other old family friends. A good crowd! Gayle organized the games and prizes.

The games were underway when we arrived, but we got to watch "nail driving" and then participate in the water balloon toss. Here are all the kids lined up to go.

Timo and Adella were paired up, but didn't quite get the catching aspect of the game.

Adella just turned 4 last month, and is quite expert at blowing balloons now.

Phillip (9 years old next week) is AMAZING on the pogo stick. Earlier in the day he did 1,500 consecutive jumps!
 

Mattias staked out his usual spot, and didn't budge from here much!

For supper we all sat at the tables in the backyard while the kids ate quickly and then ran around some more. Classic summer evening (and the mosquitoes weren't too bad!). 

Gayle painted these boards for goofy photos(or throwing balls through)

4th of July parade at Lake Junaluska

On the morning of Independence Day, we packed a picnic lunch and got out of the house right after breakfast to enjoy the morning at Lake Junaluska. This reservoir is about 25 minutes away, in Waynesville, and surrounding the lake are vacation homes and a large Methodist retreat center and family camp. There is also a nice trail going around the lake. We walked around the lake - and Timo biked!! - and enjoyed the festive atmosphere and all the people out and about. There was a nice breeze blowing across the water, which helped keep us cool. (Oh to be on a boat! Maybe later this summer!) We were very proud of Timo, who didn't complain at all and was very spirited on the three mile loop.

Jim didn't take any photos on our walk... It wasn't until we stopped at the playground that he pulled out the camera; the location turned out to be a great spot to watch the small parade - a few fire trucks and small floats and community groups. 

this is what happens when we say, "Timo, let's get a photo with Mommy"

There's the police car leading the way!

Towards the end of the parade, we walked alongside and followed it, to get back to the parking lot and head home (in time for Mattias's nap). Naturally Timo rode right in the street and I think he thought he was a part of the parade. 
 

Fun morning! We will be back to walk around the lake again, and maybe rent a canoe next time!

A glance into morning playtime

"I'm making this big mechanic shop with cars being worked on" - to show Daddy when he gets home from work. (note the Legos underneath with the cars laid out on top. Can you tell we've had to take the car into the mechanic recently?)

"Choo-choo" ... Mattias has recently learned how to say "train" and "choo choo", mostly thanks to the train table at the library, and he'll shout "train, train!" if another child dares to come near the train that he is playing with. He put the pieces on this wooden train by himself - and laid down to get a good view as he steered it around his bedroom.

The Greenway - and a motherhood challenge

One of my favorite activities to do with our kids has always been to get out of the house and walk/jog/wander on a nearby trail. In Bloomington, we spent many hours walking the B-line trail (old rail line converted to trail) while I was pregnant with Gemma, and later with Gemma in the stroller and/or walking next to me. (She had quite the stamina even as a toddler.) In Colorado, we walked on several trails in the city limits, some paved and some gravel. At first Timo was in the stroller, and then he learned the balance bicycle while Mattias was in the stroller. Our favorite was Monument Valley Park. 

And now in Sylva, I have wished for good walking trails... which are hard to come by in these small mountain towns. Fortunately we live in 'town', so we have the sidewalks of Sylva, and there is a 2-mile Greenway in Cullowhee, close to Western's campus. And we do walk around the campus often, too. Last week the city finished a new bridge that crosses the Tuckaseegee River and hooks up with the northern entrance to the trail (which saves us a precious 5 minutes of extra driving to get to the southern entrance). While we wish it was longer, we certainly enjoy the 2 miles that it has! And it is the perfect distance for Timo on his bicycle.

Wow, that was quite the history. In any case, I love to be outside and on a trail with the boys, so we frequently go down to the Greenway. On this morning it was our first time to see the bridge, so I brought the camera. And afterwards we had our usual picnic lunch.

Loving the ramps!! Good place for Timo to learn speed and control going downhill.

When we got to the entrance, we were all really excited, the river was flowing fast after the previous day's rain, and Timo took off quickly on his bike. We sped down the ramps and onto the trail, and suddenly Timo had a classic 3 year old moment. He threw down his bike, angrily crying and refusing to go any further. I immediately got frustrated and angry with him (thinking, "come on, child, we just got here and we are not turning around and going home! This is our big outing for the day!"). I have been in that exact situation with him many times, and I felt like we had hit a wall; what was it going to take to get past this moment? Increment by increment, I had to remind myself, and anger is not the fuel that is going to help him. I changed my tone to one of gentleness, and it took all my self-control to patiently help him pick up his bike, and slowly begin to inch forward. We distracted ourselves by looking for bugs and turtles and bears and rain puddles and looking for the next quarter mile-marker. I let go of any desire that this walk was going to be my good exercise for the day, and of my self-consciousness about the other people on the trail wondering why my child was yelling and crying. (That was key.) And then, fifteen minutes passed, and his mood had changed - and we were off. We had a great time, and true to Timo, he cruised and chatted most of the way down the trail and back - a total of 2 miles. Afterwards, as we were loading back up into the car, he announced, "I'm so happy because we went on the trail and I was riding my bike."

Phew. It was an important lesson for this mother, so quick to impatience and anger and my agenda. We even stopped to look at some rhododendron flowers, the rain drops from last night still on the petals.