Sweethearts on the Hill

  Charlie has been asking for a dog for years. I am definitely a dog person ~ my heart sinks a little every time I think about my sweet Braxton. I. Loved. That. Baby Girl.  The loyalty and love that a dog gives to its people is indescribable. I do believe that every little boy needs to experience all the joy (and responsibility) that comes with having a dog. That said, wowza... it's a lot.. the hair, the wear and tear on your house, the cost... one more thing pulling at you...  Richie and I have waited a long time (almost 6 years since Braxton) before even having a real conversation about considering it. Something changed this year and we began warming up to the idea. At some point, we told the boys that after our summer trips, we will get serious about getting a puppy. Then this happens... a series of text messages from my cousin, Nicole...  one of my golden retriever kindred spirits...  sigh... So we did. We went over to see him (danger ...

  Holy Shux!  We were looking for ourselves an adventure... and an adventure we found... Right in our backyard!!   During weekend with mommy, we decided to go to Ijams Nature Center and try out their new (2 or 3 years new) Navitat Canopy Adventure.   It was incredible!   There were 6 different courses, with various ranges of difficulty - we started somewhat easy (but even that could be debated) and moved ourselves up to the difficult course.  Each course has 5-6 different "elements" within it - making for a pretty impressive workout!   My canopy buddies were troopers - This may have even ranked in the top 10 for the coolest things we've done.   Super cool nest on this course   Look how high up we are!  There is a whole separate course beneath us... and even THAT one is high off the ground.   Ziplining was one of the elements on three different courses. But this one was our favorite.  Love the...

I'm crazy about these kids - and can't help but love having mommy weekends with them. Richie had a much deserved guys weekend away - so I was in full on kid mode. We decided to have a painting adventure and try out Painting with a Twist in downtown Knoxville.   We picked up some black bean hummus from Barleys and a few refreshments to keep our tummies full.   I caught Luke with a mouthful :)   Eagerly awaiting our painting adventure I picked something I thought would be fun for the kids and easy enough for us all to have a successful day   Look how beautiful!! So proud of these kiddos for working hard, paying attention, and creating their own little masterpieces! 💗 The Hatcher family will return!

So, here...   the whole reason for our trip to Michigan...  "our best friends in the whole world are there!" For the second half of our trip, we went to Saugatuck and stayed with my first lady, Brandy. Coincidentally, OUR first lady, Brandi Carlile, was playing in Lansing that night... So we got us a car, got a little silly, and went to see our girl!    How lucky am I that Brandi Carlile shows up in Michigan at the same time as me?   Happiness. Our boys were sweet.  Enjoyed their time together, doing what boys should do in the summertime. Hung out by a campfire. Played with Yo Yo, the kitty. And went completely crazy jumping off the sand dunes!     Oh my gosh, these faces.  They kill me!   So much passion! We went for a ride on the sand dunes. And we went boating... How crazy spoiled are we? Luke came to rest with me on the final m...