Into the Woods...

With my amazing brother, Shawn , Riley, and I hiked part of the Fiery Gizzard trail. Brendan was eager to climb and jump and swim in the woods, and I am always up for strapping on Riley and hitting the trail. Shawn and Brendan got to be little dare-devils while Riley and I hung out and took pictures. It was great being able to spend some quality time with just Brendan, as I miss him so much when we are apart. He is a terrific brother, and I am so blessed and fortunate to have him in my life. You rock, Brendino!

Brendan getting ready to jump...no, not really...:)

Brendan and Shawn out on a limb...literally!

Brendan in the plunge pool waving hi!

The splash Brendan made when jumping off the falls, twelve feet up!

Happy Birthday, Riley!

Our little angel is three months old!! We celebrated up here in Sewanee while my family was visiting. Riley received some awesome gifts, including her very own basketball, a Pooh stuffed animal, a Mets t-shirt, and a UVA outfit. So sweet and thoughtful.

Here are some recent shots of the birthday girl...

More family fun in Sewanee...

Families are like peanut butter...rich and creamy or full of nuts - one spoonful is never, ever enough!

These last couple of days with the whole family visiting us on the Domain have been filled with laughs, hikes, walks, great food, and even better times. I am going to miss them all so much when they leave Shawn, Riley, and I here after this weekend. Our time together continually reminds me how amazingly blessed I am to have such a supportive, loving, and fun family. Thanks for all of the many memories - from laughing like crazy playing catch phrase to hiking to Bridal Veil Falls with the girls to enjoying a lunch buffet at Crust with the whole gang. I love you all so much. Thank you for spending your vacation with us this summer. I miss you already!

More Family Vacation...Hiking and hanging...

The family fun - spanning four generations - continues here in Sewanee, TN. It has been great hanging out, going for hikes, cooking, watching movies, and just spending time together. Here are some photos from the past two days...

Riley hanging out in her pillow...

Riley and Mommy...

The Memorial Cross the girls hiked to on Monday afternoon...

The hikers...

Uncle Brendan and the Babe...

Family Visit Day One...Into the City

Today was the first day of our family's visit to Sewanee. Since the weather was not all that favorable at first, we decided today would be a great day to spend a couple of hours at the mall and in Chattanooga. There, we saw an IMAX movie about dolphins and whales. Way cool.

Brendan, Claire, Allison, and me.

Uncle Brendan's first full day with Riley!

Our First Family Hike...The Perimeter Trail

This morning, we loaded Riley into her Bjorn and trekked off to Morgan Steepe and the Perimeter Trail. A solid hour and half later, we returned to our apartment, sweaty, refreshed, and a bit tired...:) Especially Riley!

A view from the Domain looking over at Morgan's Steep.

Shawn being silly...

Shawn and Riley at Morgan's Steep

A turtle we met along the way.

Riley Rolled!

On Monday night, Shawn was putting Riley to sleep in her pack and play. Instead of falling asleep, Riley rolled over from her stomach to back three times! I missed it the first time, but rest assured that I was there and cheering like crazy for rolls two and three.

In other recent developments, Riley has started to smile ALL THE TIME. Well, all the time I am not trying to trying to take her picture, that is. She has begun to coo and "talk" more also. The other day, we had a conversation that went something like this:

"Hey Riley-kins!"

"Ahh-oh"

"Oh really? Is that so?"

"Uh-ooooh"

"Seriously?

"ehhh-ah-ooooo"

It was one intellectually stimulating, deeply philosophical conversation!