Green tree tops and warm temps in Nashville feel like such a lifetime away! But it’s neat to reflect and remember our time there over the fall.

We really enjoyed spending that time with my nephews. All my kids enjoyed just being around them, helping with walks to the park or baths and just making them laugh and smile. Little toddlers are such a gift. They grow up and change so quickly, that it was neat to freeze time for a few months and just enjoy them.

But the kids did pack in so much activity that the few months flew by. In addition to the tennis and soccer for all, and high jump for Gabe, Jadyn also joined a home school rock climbing class at Climb Nashville which she LOVED! She took violin lessons from Miss Andra, and Isaac found an awesome guitar teacher that he could walk to at Corner Music. Jadyn even got to join in on a sewing class at Craft on 12 South and made a doll, a bag, and a small purse.

One of the big bummers, though, was that Isaac fractured his growth plate on his knee during one of his soccer games, and so was physically out of commission for 6 weeks. It limited our hiking trips and activity overall, but he made the most of it. We got him a ukulele, and he upped his game with ping pong, yoyo-ing, and figuring out his Rubix cubes. As his leg strengthened, he’d even play short-court with Don for tennis. We still managed to squeeze in a couple hikes, though – one to Cummins Falls State Park & Fall Creek Falls State Park, and even a day trip to Mammoth Cave National Park. Beautiful fall colors and nice hikes as a family. A favorite for both Don and I was running around Percy Warner Park. The kids also really enjoyed Edwin Warner Park area – great nature center and hikes.

I was grateful to see my whole family while we were there! My two other sisters came up for a special weekend. We ate at nice restaurants, ran a 5K together, and had a relaxing afternoon at the Spa. They even got to celebrate Gabe’s birthday with us at the roller rink. Fun times! My parents also came up for a weekend. I enjoyed hiking with them at Radnor Lake, hanging out, and was glad they got to watch one of Gabe’s soccer games.

We enjoyed some great restaurants with my sister and her husband and had fun meeting several of their friends and neighbors, like the Bryans, Mr. Steve, and Joslyn & Daniel. Dee Dee & Steve were very hospitable, throwing a welcome party for us, hosting each of our kids for a month, and having us over for many dinners and late night talks over wine. We were grateful to reconnect with college friends, the Cruz’s, and visit a few times with Joe Camp, the creator of Benji & author of The Soul of a Horse.

Here’s a slideshow we made capturing some of our favorite times. The first song is from Humming House, a band Dee & I got to see at Live on the Green. 🙂