Enjoying Nashville

Dane had to go back to work this Friday, so we made the most of the past week.  We spent some good time together at home and out and about.  Dane has been wanting to go to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to see their treehouse exhibit.  He wants to build one in the backyard, so hopefully he got some inspiration!

Our favorite: Walden Treehouse

 

My second favorite: Rainbow Fish

The fish scales were made out of old CDs!

 

In the fountain at Public Square Park

Random Picture from our visit to NC.  Elise's Great Great Aunt Christine: 94 years old!

6 Months

Elise is already 1/2 a year old!  Enjoy the pictures.

Note the sequence of events...

Anything within reach ends up in the mouth!

Let's see, new things this month are: standing with support, sitting on her own until she loses her balance, saying "da-da", getting mad when things are taken away from her, rolling over from her belly to her back daily, eating food (she's loving it so far, all two days of it) and I'm sure a lot more things that I'm not thinking of at the moment.  Elise's disposition is as sweet as ever.  We're very proud of her and completely in love with her.  As her personality shows more it makes us think about parenting more.  Thinking about how to love her, teach her and discipline her well as she grows seems overwhelming at times.  The immensity of it draws me to relying on God to give us wisdom and love to do it day by day.  He loves her more than we do and knows better than we do what is best for her.

On the boardwalk

Miriam, Adam, Dane, Elise and I visited my parents in North Carolina last week. Our days were full of cheese-making, food-cooking, goat-milking, bean-picking, river-swimming, board-walking, game-playing, movie-watching, etc.  I commented that if sleeping in is what you want to do for vacation, then the house of my parents is not the place to come!  There, we get up early and go to bed late, except for Dad, who goes to bed early too.

Elise's first time in salty water...her fingers tasted good!

Dad went home early

 We got to visit with James and Stephanie and three of their kids on Saturday.  A covert operation in the form of Miriam receiving a Siamese kitten from James's family was exposed, but within an hour Adam was won over by the kitten's blue eyes.  James's youngest, Emily Grace, is hoping for a baby sister, especially after spending time with Elise!

Time with James and Stephanie's family.  Notice the kitten!

We visited with Grandpa and Grandma Haas on Sunday

 We left on Thursday July 5th (Mom and Dad's anniversary) after spending the 4th with them.  We enjoyed some fireworks from a bluff along the river.  Besides the mosquitoes, it was great.  The highlight may have been Dad's homemade orange sherbet.  Yummy!

Happy 4th!

 We are happy to be home after a good visit.  We came home to a land with no rain for 3 weeks!  We're so thankful for the rain the past two nights.