This summer we also took our very 1st canoeing trip down the Harpeth River!!! I haven't canoed since the last time I went with the my parents and all our friends growing up--like 14-15 years ago!!! It was an absolute blast!!! The kids thought it was the greatest adventure ever- seriously. They thanked us over and over- it was precious. 

They enjoyed getting out and floating down stream too.

Here we are eating a Moon-pie on the bank of the river. This was something I enjoyed growing up every year on the river. Caleb said, "Let's make this our tradition too!!" He also tried his 1st rope swing. We were so proud of him! 

Here we are taking a long weekend trip to visit our dear friends, the Morrows, who just moved away this summer. It was a sweet time catching up and seeing where they live.

We went to LegoLand!!!!

This is Annelise on one of the rides at LegoLand- it's one of my favorite pictures of her right now. I think I'll capture this moment in my mind for a lifetime.

The boys put on shades in the department store and acted all cool!

And here is baby Madison- what a doll. 

On the way back we stopped at Lake Winny for a day of rides!! Annelise rode her 1st swings. She loved it!!

Caleb rode his 1st roller coaster and fell in love- just like his Mimi!!

A neat part of this park is that it's been around for a really long time. My dad grew up going year after year. That was really special. We rode a merry-go-round that he would have ridden was he was Caleb's age. 

Here we are at the zoo with Grayson and Leslie!

 

For those of you who do not know, Mom and Dad have begun remodeling their home- basically gutting out the downstairs and redoing it all! We are thrilled for them and can't wait to see the finished house! These pictures I took this summer of the last time we ate in the dining room as a family before the gutting began. I've shed a few tears since then- I just can't believe I won't walk back into these same familiar rooms I grew up in. What special memories- thank you Mom and Dad for all the great times growing up. You are a gift!!!

a shot in the kitchen

Caleb has just taken off with reading this Spring and Summer! He is reading everything now and devouring books left and right. It's so fun to see him love it!!! Here he is reading a book to Annelise- what a sweet big brother!  

And lastly, to end our sweet summer we went to the beach with my family. We had a great time with everyone playing in the water and sand and enjoying meals and games in the condo. 

smile!

I love this picture of my boy!

Ma came too! 

more smiles and hugs

Grayson is the best hugger I've ever seen! It's precious!

hanging out in the easy-chair

at the beach building castles

Wow, what a toss!!

Grayson getting some lov'in from his momma and daddy

playing with Grandaddy

This was another fun adventure! Austin took the kids out on a Seadoo. They had the time of their lives yelling, "Go faster, Daddy!!"

We enjoyed a date night with Hunter and Leslie at a yummy restaurant. 

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a memorable week at the beach!!

I'll share more about school and fall in my next post.
Much love, Nicole

Redo of Pictures and Good News!

We are really excited to have some good news this week to share with you after many months of praying and researching and waiting. We have been seeking through prayer (alongside of you) God’s will for our son as well as diligently seeking out other opinions and options for him. Our situation with Caleb’s tumor has not been a clear cut path, but we are excited to have reached a decision at this time! Back just about a month ago we had another MRI. The oncologist’s opinion was and is that we move forward with treatment at this time; however, as we have sought the Lord, we feel He is not giving us peace in this direction at this time. The doctor has said, due to the unique situation at hand, he is ok with us making the final decision one way or another. (we are very thankful for this and feel this is favor from the Lord). We have continued to seek other opinions and listen for the Father’s leading. And in the last 2 weeks we feel the Lord has confirmed the decision to wait and hold off treatment at this time due to Caleb’s wonderful results he’s had with the Endocrinologist and the Ophthalmologist!! Yay!! We have been celebrating this week after his good report with the Ophthalmologist!! They performed a test on his peripheral vision that they've never been able to do before due to his age. They decided to try it even though he was young, and it came back in the normal range!! We skipped out of Vanderbilt for the 1^st time in a long while!!! What a gift from the Lord!!

We will now be scheduling another MRI for the near future and continue to listen for direction from the Father. Chemo may be in the future for Caleb; we have no way of knowing; however, we are so thankful the Lord has shown himself to us, given us direction, and sustained our son yet again. Every day he isn't in treatment is a gift, and we are eternally grateful at this time. Thank you dearly for your prayers and sacrifices for our family. They mean far far more than words can express.

With a grateful heart,

Austin and Nicole

Here is the "redo" update with the pictures this time!

We have had an extremely busy Spring, but feel so blessed that the activities have been such sweet, memorable family events. We have celebrated Austin's brother Chase and his fiance Krystle in their wedding, my dad's 60th birthday, my brother Will T. and his fiance's showers for their wedding this month, and of course birthdays, Easter, and baby/graduation showers along with a weekend with our dear friends from Kentucky and from London! It's been a whirlwind, but really really special!
This picture is taken from the front of our house one day during our home-school time. We were finding the signs of Spring in our new yard! We took pictures and created paper books where the kids wrote about the things they observed. We are absolutely loving our yard this Spring! We have seen 6 turkeys, a ground hog, a turtle, deer, beautiful blue jays and red birds and many amazing insects to name a few! The kids are loving it!

Austin borrowed Will T. and Kayla's four wheeler to do some yard work this Spring- the yard has been a huge project. The kids along with our their dear friends Austin and Sarah Beth enjoyed several good rides around the yard. The sight and smell of the four wheeler took me back to the many rides I had growing up at the farm- what a sweet memories!

Here we are enjoying our dear friends from Kentucky. It was so fun to see Jack and Bennett and their new baby sister, Ella. We love you, Moore family!!

And it was such a gift to see my dear friend Meghan and her husband Chris for an afternoon and evening. They came in from London-we hadn't seen them since their wedding last June in London. I treasured every moment. The kids loved Mr. Chris and had a blast playing with the noise putty here in this picture below! ;)

We will have to mail you some, Chris!

In March I hosted a bridal luncheon for Krystle. I enjoyed getting out all of my fine china and organizing a very girly occasion for Krystle. We had some yummy food including ham and rolls, chicken salad, my mother's famous tea punch, and a baked Alaska cake, Pampered Chef style! Here we are taking a family picture with Krystle -Aunt Janie is next to me, Krystle, Kathy, and Debbie who is a life-long friend who we consider an Aunt!

Annelise had a good time helping Aunt Krystle open her gifts

I also enjoyed getting to know Krystle's family and friends whom I had never met.

Austin took Chase, their cousin Adam, and a friend to our farm for a weekend away before the wedding. They shared a memorable time together of hiking, shooting guns, eating yummy food, and sitting around the campfire. Austin said he had a really great time.

Adam- you are a goof-ball!

Here are Chase and Krystle at their rehearsal the night before the big day! The dinner was at Maggiano's in Nashville. It was a really special night. The food was unbelievable, the slide-show was tear- jerking, and the letters/gifts that Chase and Krystle gave their parents were outstanding. They honored their parents in such a lovely way for everyone present. What a beautiful night of remembrance.  

And the wedding day could not have been better! It was a gorgeous day! Perfect weather and the venue for the wedding was amazing. Caleb and Annelise had a great time- we were so proud of them! And they looked so grown up- so handsome and beautiful- we couldn't believe they were ours! ;)

Here they are with KG and Mr. Jim.

What a blessing these babies are to me and what a sweet day I will never forget.

Cousin Adam is holding his almost 1 year old, Jonah' who is Adam's clone. He is the most adorable baby - I just want to eat him!!

I loved the background of this old brick building in Nashville. Krystle looked absolutely beautiful on her special day.
Chase and Krystle- your wedding was so much fun- you did an outstanding job on all the details and my favorite part was your heart behind the big day, which was your true desire to unite yourself under the headship of our Jesus and to create a marriage that will be a beacon of light for all those your path cross. We love you.

and lastly- Uncle Chase bought Caleb a Lego set for the big day- Caleb had a blast building it with cousin Adam who is a big kid at heart! ;)

Here we are at my Dad's 60th. We started the celebrating at Ma's house for lunch. We gave him a special collage book of old and new pictures and letters from family and friends. Then we sat in the den and read him our letters. I loved telling my dad things I'd never told him before and listening to others share their deep love for Dad as well. Dad kept saying he wasn't suppose to be around to hear these things being said- (meaning they should be told at his funeral). But what good is that? We wanted Dad to know how we felt about him, and it was so good to set aside time to tell him.

Here Mom is sharing her letter. It was beautiful- reminiscent of her days of dating Dad to all the years in between-good and hard. It was a blessing to hear her love for her Knight in shining armor.

Afterwards, we took Dad bowling! Grayson had a blast!!!

One thing you can always count on Dad for is a good laugh. When you need a "pick-me-up," call my dad. He is the best at making others feel better, taking life a little less seriously, and finding the good and the funny in everything. I love you, Dad.

And lastly, we surprised my dad with a party at the house! About 50 dear friends and family came to celebrate. It was really endearing to see so many come out-even his cousin from Atlanta! What a gift!

And this cake was delicious!- caramel cake--yum, yum!

I wish we had gotten a group picture around Dad- the house was full with friends and family! I think my favorite part was sitting around with several at the end and hearing my Uncle and some others tell old stories of them together growing up- Caleb sat in there and laughed so hard. It was a memorable night.

Here is a picture of Stan and myself. He shared some stories as well. What a gift he and the Ezell family have been to my dad and to our family for so many years.

Dad, we love you and wish you many more- for our sake!

Much love, Nicole