summer sum up {part 1}

it came . . . and it went.

Well, it sorta went. I feel like we are still going full force.

But it has been a memorable one. Busy for sure.

We relocated in Asheville, North Carolina. Not a permanent relocation but for four months. It feels like we have been on one extremely long vacation. We are going to be here until the end of October. Eric is doing a rotation here at Mission Hospital and I'll tell ya what . . . they treat him like he is a King. He actually feels like a "real" professional and not just a slave. It is fun to see him so happy.

Asheville is such an awesome place. We have really grown to love this place and is going to be hard to head back to New Jersey. We are winding down there so that is something to look forward to.

A few highlights:

This is cute downtown Asheville. It is just small and a fun place to walk around with the kids. On weekends there is always stuff going on. Music, face painting, balloon makers, dancers, yummy eats . . .

Here is our town house. It has worked out great for us. We lucked out because we started in a 2 bedroom apartment and the management found out we had 5 kids and that wasn't allowed. Only 2 kids per bedroom. The kids would have been just fine in one room but the extra space has been nice. Plus, we are on a circle so they play soccer, ride scooters and bikes and are able to play outside without all the traffic. And, have met some fun friends.

These adorable rugrats {plus one more who was off running} have been keeping me busy this summer. Trying to entertain them daily has been a challenge. They better tell ya they have had one heck of a summer.

The fountains downtown are a favorite. Claire especially loves them. We pack a lunch and spend a few hours there. A great alternative to cool off on hot days.

Up on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile marker 417 there is a secret trail that is not marked or anything that takes you down to this incredible waterfall. One of Eric's attending docs told him about it. Apparently people know about it because there were a bunch of people there. The water was frigid cold but didn't stop the kids and Eric from jumping in. It was so much fun.

mmmmmm . . . North Carolina peaches. Yum-O. They say that Georgia is the "peach" state but actually NC produces more peaches than Georgia. They were wonderful. Peaches were what we ate for a good few weeks.

Every Saturday evening at the Biltmore Park they have live music going on. We get take out and sit outside and eat and let the kids run around the grass and stadium stairs and enjoy the beautiful evenings.

Asheville is a semi tropical region since it is in the mountains. On average it rains almost daily for like 10-15 minutes in the late afternoon and then clears right back up. Just enough to cool it down a little and leave beautiful results. The kids spotted this rainbow from our town house.

Asheville has their own Minor League Baseball team- the Tourists. We scored on some free tickets and took the kids one night. The first thing Jacob said before we even left was that he was going to catch a fly ball. I told him not likely buddy. I ate my words. Within the first 30 minutes a ball came flying toward him and he lucked out. You should have seen that kids face. Pure joy.

Eric gets the privilege of working with Dr. Fonseca- a well known Oral Surgeon. He has this awesome land with a private pond stocked with fish, paddle boats, john deer tractor, a stream with a waterfall, 2 huge dogs, a fun house . . . the kids can't get enough of his place. It truly is a perfect place for kids to roam and run. We love going there.

The Arboretum wasn't our favorite but most definitely a place to explore and learn. Perfect photo op place that I need to get back to before we leave.

The kids and I literally lived at this pool for most of the summer. It was a life saver. Most mornings we went up and swam for a few hours. The kids took swim lessons for 2 weeks and improved leaps and bounds. Jacob could fully be on the swim team. Luke can now actually go under water without wigging out. Ruby can float on her back, do superman, and could save herself if she had to. Anna, well, I have to remember she is only 3. She is progressing but still needs some work. We lucked out with a great teacher- Ms. Caroline.

Oh, one of the coolest places is Robert Creek Park in Montreat near Black Mountain. It is a park with a stream that flows through it. Perfect for Claire to wade in and still safe, yet the older kids can find the water up to their waist. The kids caught mino's, salamanders, frogs, made rock dams, we ate lunch and played on the playground. It's always a good time there.

summer {part 2} coming.

It feels good to be back.