More Nashville trip

So, I'm continuing the update on our TN trip last week. On Monday, we had a fun and lazy day around Mary Ann's house. The kids played around the house in the morning and the afternoon we headed out to Mary's parents' house. Her parents (Mimi and Pop as they are known to Will and his cousins) were kind enough to let us use their adorable backyard and barn as a backdrop for some professional photos of the kids. What's more, Pop took Ford, Will, Cati, and Gus on a little tractor ride and Mimi made a perfect dinner, which we ate in the barn! The kids had an amazing time!! It was incredibly nice of them, but that's just how they are (Mary Ann and her entire family)...warm and kind and giving people. Mary Ann was the consummate host last week, going way out of her way to make sure that our visit was perfect on every level. I can't thank you enough, sweet Mare. And, while I'm at it, I'll tell you that every single time I come to town, she and Nat and Jones basically spend every free moment they have with me. They really make me feel like I'm the most important thing to them for those days that I'm in town. I feel very, very lucky to have friends like that. They are the kinds of friends that I pray my children will have throughout their lives.

Okay, enough of the squishy stuff and on to the fun pictures. The pictures below are from my own camera (and one from Nat's), but the professional ones we had made at Mimi and Pop's were done by our friend , Zach. Zach is a realtor who also does professional photography on the side. He is very talented and just a really, really good guy, so if you are ever in need of a photographer in the Nashville-area, check out his website:

www.zachgoodyearphotography.com.

It would be impossible for me to pick my favorites and share them with you this morning. Maybe I'll do that next week sometime. But, if you'd like to see all of the pictures from the shoot, you can go to Zach's website, then click on "Order Prints Online," and then choose the October 29th event. He also photographed us in Sewanee on November 3rd. Those pictures are amazing, as well. Our kids are unbelievably cute, but also extremely squirmy and hyper, so capturing lots of good pictures of them isn't as easy as it seems. Zach is awesome!

Mary Ann's backyard, playing with their dog, Brady. That second one is of Gus giving Brady a kiss. So sweet! Brady caught a mouse only moments later, so I put a stop to the Brady-kissing for the rest of the trip.



Mary Ann and I turned our heads for a split-second and then turned back around to see Gus on the picnic table, drinking from a cup that had been outside since the day before. (Jenny, you were sharing a bad-mama moment recently...See?! I have them all the time!!)



Our barn dinner...Mimi even made tiny little hamburgers for the kids!