Sweet Mountain Air

Something about the mountains, the sweet air, and the wild flowers have made North Carolina one of my favorite places.  My love affair started when I wasseven and dropped off at Camp Kahdalea for camp.  It has continued and has evolved as my parents and mother in law have settled there for long summers.  A few years ago, Graham and I negotiated to purchase a local store and settle there permanently. Plans changed and we stayed in Florida.  However, every chance we get, we find ourselves in North Carolina.  I think our kids have found the same love North Carolina, which I am so grateful for.

I'm Not Your Mamma

Dylan had no fear...

 Grandma and Ellison were cautious...

 Until the ducks got a little too close for comfort.

Bread went flying, Grandma jumped...

 Ellison yelled at the ducks,

"I am not your food. I am not your Momma!"

I think Graham still gets the reward for most scared of the Banner Elk ducks.

Remember this guy, Graham?

(still haunts him at night)



Blueberry Picking

Have I mentioned how great Ellison is as a tour guide?  Our next stop was Banner Elk Vineyards to pick blueberries. 

Ellison loves Strawberry Shortcake (the character), so she pretended to be Blueberry and I pretended to be Strawberry. A few kids came up to Ellison and asked her to play. She responded, "no thanks, I am playing with my mom".  Afterwards, I told her she could join them and she said, "nope, it's me and mom time" and locked arms with me.  Sweet Girl.

Luckily, Ellison was happy to have Grandma and Dylan join us at the end. I say happily because the cutest photos resulted...

He had nothing. When I asked him what happened to the blueberries, he pointed to his tummy. That little boy is pretty accurate.

Day at Apple Hill

I was glad to hear Ellison planned our next outing to Apple Hill Farm.  It has become one of my favorite places to go with the kids.  The alpaca farm is nestled in the moutains with the friendliest crew and animals.  The alpacas are protected by an elaborate system of animal guards - llamas, donkeys, and goats (not a joke).  Add in a few horses, chickens, roosters, and several dogs and you have a perfect working farm.

Just as Ellison was about to snap a picture, the donkey swooped in.  Apparently, she has a habit of eating cameras. Good news - camera survived and this picture was the result.

Ellison sharing a freshly picked Blackberry.

Dylan wanted nothing to do with the donkeys and llamas, but had no problem sticking his hand out to feed the goats.

Ellison saw a teenager sit on the fence and had to follow along. Once up there, she decided climbing fences was not for her. Can you see the terror on her face? Let's just say she was a little afraid.

Largest Family Ever

We started the journey to West Virginia with a plan. Five minutes into the trip, we discovered the DVD player was broken. Plan FAIL.  Luckily there were plenty of cows, horses, and mountain tunnels to distract the kids and we all arrived happy and ready to enjoy family. 

Over the past few years, the West Virginia / Ackleys have gathered for a mini family reunion during August.  Since the reunion is only 3.5 hours from our home in Beech Mountain, NC, I have always wanted to attend, but something always came up.  (something = law school) Well law school is over, time to join in the family fun.

Surprisingly, the 100 person picnic is only a small percentage of our family.  While growing up, our family would host a reunion each year and 100s would gather.  We have not had one in a few years, so it was nice to celebrate family with the West Virginia crew. Ellison loved meeting her cousins! Dylan was oblivious, but loved the toys! At the end of the day, Ellison said to me, "We have the largest family EVER!"  She may be right.

  

Grandma and I were amazed when Dylan started doing wheelies on the lawn. Ok, maybe not wheelies, but we were amazed that he knew how to drive it.

For a 20 month old, this kid has no fear.  My mom has labeled him a "Haitham".

Ellison wanted to do everything the "teenagers" were doing. She asked them to dance with her and they were kind enough to oblige. She picked up a few moves.

Cousins :)

Jeans and Horses!

My first conversation with Nana Nancy after they arrived to NC went something like this, "its cold and Ellison does not have pants and sneakers. Can you bring some?"  My response, "yes, she refuses to wear both."  So what does it take to get Ellison to wear jeans?  Just ask Grandma Charlene - 1 pair of new jeans, sparkles, rhinestones, fabric paint, and a whole lot of positive energy. My second surprise of the trip - Ellison in jeans! She would not let me see her until we arrived at the horse farm. 

The jeans were a hit (and most likely to never be worn again).  As for the 1 hour horse ride, in the end Ellison enjoyed it.  She did not enjoy the horse's behind in front of us or the tooting that was coming out of it.  But lets be honest, who would?

Where was Dylan?  Enjoying the animals. As Ellison told our guide at the end, "we'll be back when Dylan is 2. I'd appreciate a shorter ride next time. Thank you." Never a dull moment with this girl!

Our Tour Guide

After a long day of travelling (should not have been long - so typical), Dylan and I arrived to North Carolina to pick up E and enjoy a week in the mountains.  After a week with Nana and Grandma, Ellison was sound asleep waiting for us in the car. That's what happens when you have so much fun!

Ellison had the week planned for us and would not clue us in until we arrived at our destination. Our first night involved homemade pizza, including a specialty pizza made by Ellison.  With Ellison as our Tour Guide, we had a week of adventures.

The speciality piza was somewhat edible with celery and tomato sauce.

However, the addition of pickles and applesauce...

with tons of cheese, was a pizza that only a mother could love.
In fact, I was the only one who tried it!