God Bless Poor Santa Claus

We went to the Biltmore last weekend so the girls could visit with Santa. They were excited (at first) and Lily had planned out exactly what she was going to ask Santa for Christmas (the Ariel movie). Unfortunately, the early excitement in these first few photos was short lived...





It all began with the actual approach to Santa....who it should be noted, was an excellent fellow and not scary/mean/intimidating in the least. Lily got a little nervous and took off running, then we heard the crying. She had fallen and scraped her knee. Compounded with her trepidation meeting Kris Kringle, she melted down completely. Of course, Caroline was not far behind her...and here are images from the fall out.





Of course, some hot chocolate always helps sooth those ruffled feathers :)

One Fine Day

A picnic at the Biltmore on a late summer day....its hard to find a more enjoyable way to spend your Sunday afternoon.

Week 46: The Biltmore

So, after 7 years of living in east Tennessee we have finally decided to by season passes to The Biltmore Estate in Asheville. It is a beautiful estate with plenty of room to picnic, walk and enjoy the tranquility of nature. It doesn't hurt that they have a pretty sweet vineyard as well with wine tastings year round. (if you're ever visiting and interested in a wine tasting, tell us so we can take advantage of these season passes!)

Caroline's week picture is in front of the actual Biltmore house. You may be wondering how we got her to smile on a hot and sunny afternoon.....

....and here would be the answer. Unprompted by us, Lily hopped up to the driver's seat and did her best KISS impression to get Caroline to smile. I suppose we're fortunate that she didn't peel off down the front lawn of the estate!

Catching up

Well Mrs. Mattie took another two week vacation, which of course meant that we called in the troops so to speak. Nana and Papa graciously came down to provide stellar grandchild care for a week. We loved having them as usual and as always are so appreciative!

They had many adventures throughout their week. Luckily, I was finally not working on a Saturday and was able to join them on a quick trip to Asheville. Dave was unfortunately out of town. Tupelo Honey Cafe, The Biltmore, the Grove Park Inn and the Mellow Mushroom were all on the agenda. The pics are from downtown Asheville, The Biltmore and the last is on the porch of the Grove Park. (Big thanks to Anna for the free passes to the Biltmore!!)