Liza is Daddy's little girl and they looked so cute in this picture I had to post. 
Family friends Judi and Dick came from Maryland to vacation with our family and Emmie is posing with them during our mini photo shoot. 
Liza was a trooper during the picture taking and if we can get her to time her smiles with when we take the picture that will be great progress. 
Our time together wouldn't be complete without an entire group photo! So glad we were all there together. 
Daddy is always the best dressed for the occasion and I think that includes kayaking. I'm guessing he picked the blue life jacket to coordinate with his swimming trunks. 
I think this picture reflects truth in kayaking! Emmie paddling and Daddy enjoying the ride. Daddy has a sore back so I'm awfully proud of him for attempting the kayak adventure. 
Liza and her Nana (pronounced Nan-nah)having fun together on the deck. 
One of Liza's favorite activities was chasing around the pat-pats. She loved the dogs but I have to say they didn't feel the same about her. They would often run away and get in their kennel, trying to escape her, but she still tried to make friends. Hallie and Molly, Liza misses you a great deal but I'm guessing you are glad to have your parents and your house back. 
After arriving at the pool Liza would check out everything that was going on and then she'd pick the lazy river or the submarine play area. 
On the way to the submarine there was a big mushroom and water was flowing from it like a shower. The first day Liza didn't want to have anything to do with the mushroom but by the end of our time at Litchfield she was asking her Daddy to take her under it. In this picture Mommy and Liza are making their way to the submarine with Liza "touching" the mushroom water. 
The submarine, mushroom and other children's water features are all in a 1 foot pool. Liza was very apprehensive about standing up in the water. The first day or so we would carry her over to the submarine and she would walk through it to where the other parent was standing. Inside the submarine there were all these gadgets that turned water on and off and water cascading from the ceiling wasn't Liza's idea of fun. By the end of the week she was splashing in the 1 foot pool without holding our hands and running through the submarine almost beating us to the exit she picked. The lazy river circles the pool and you can see a child floating by in the lower corner of the picture. 
Liza enjoyed the beach too. She was a bathing beauty under the umbrella and the sunscreen did its job by protecting our sweet baby girl. 
Playing in the "mud" was a favorite activity and when the waves would come in Liza giggled and giggled as the water would surround her. 
The alligator was not aggressive and we were upset when the possibly college age boys staying next to us threw sand shovels and ham sandwiches at him. There was a brief alligator panic moment when Liza got out of our site for a few seconds! We were unloading stuff out of the bike closet and when we turned around she was gone. She ended up being essentially on the other side of our car but we couldn't see her and I panicked. 
During Liza's disappearance act we were trying to get things loaded up on our bikes. We were able to rent a Caboodle and Liza enjoyed riding around in it. One day she actually feel asleep in it and that was a first for us. The teddy bear float sticking out the back was the "tube" Liza used when we floated through the Lazy River. 
One morning we took Liza's stroller for a walk on the beach and she loved seeing the birds and watching the waves. We let her get out and feel the ocean on her feet. She was very hesitant at first but with time would stand there all by herself. 
Liza seemed to like the feel of the water so her brave Daddy carried her out further for her first experience in the ocean. She didn't want to stay out there too long or go too far but she had fun. By the next day when we took her out again she loved the waves and would say Whoa every time a big one would come and her Daddy would lift her above his head. 
Mother also brought a child size rocking chair that still has most of my name on the back slats in cute blocks. Liza enjoyed looking at the animals that are in the block design and calling them all bugs. We can't recall why Liza has her bunny in her mouth but she looks awfully cute to us. 
Liza had a great time at the Montreat playground and loved playing on all the equipment. She was a bit tentative about the tire swing at first but once she got the hang of it and realized she had to hang on tightly she giggled and giggled while it spun around. 
The Montreat playground is extra special because it has a creek running through it. There are deeper sections for older children and and mostly rocks with a little water for younger children to learn. Liza would walk up and down the creek bed (holding an adults hand of course) and loved feeling the water come through her shoes. 
Auntie Em and Liza enjoyed swinging together and Liza liked that she got to go much higher with Auntie Em. 
When Liza wakes up in the morning she stands up in her crib and points to any book she sees and wants to hold it while she is being dressed. So it was no surprise to me that when she saw the little girl below lying on a rock reading a book that it would interest her. What I didn't expect was Liza trying to take the book away!
For me, Montreat is so special because of the many friendships forged during wonderful carefree summers. It's so special to see my Montreat friends even if it's just for a few minutes each year. This year I was lucky because my sweet friend Julie drove up from Charlotte so we could get together and she brought her precious children. Another good friend, Ann Dupre, was closing on her house the day Julie came up so we loaded up the car and headed over to see her. The children had fun playing in her house and Phelps tested out the locking mechanisms for AD. Sweet baby Mac was so very cute and he is never far from his Mommy. This picture of Julie, Mac and Ann DuPre is in AD's new house and we were so pleased to be there to help her celebrate. 
I think this might be Phelps' guilty face but I'm not sure...this is right after Phelps and Liza were locked in one of the rooms together! No one can say with certainty which one locked the door but since Liza can't reach the handle too well I'm betting on my friend Phelps. 
No time in Montreat is complete without a party so my kind Mother put together a great sandwich dinner and I was able to invite many of my Montreat friends. Thanks to all who came - it was great to see you all and I'm so sorry I didn't take pictures of the whole group. Seems I only managed to get a few of Liza playing with the driveway chalk. Watch for more vacation posts coming soon!
