My Month in Pictures: July 2018

Well, almost two months have passed since I said I was planning to revive my "My Week in Pictures" column.  I did a couple of those for you toward the end of May and then the summer happened.  It's been busy for us with all sorts of family activities, and I haven't kept up as well as I had hoped.  

Then it hit me, maybe I should try for a "My Month in Pictures" to catch us up on what's been happening lately.  So here goes.  Here are some of the many snapshots from the month of July.  It's been so fun and so busy, just as summers should be.  

July started for us with a big old family reunion of sorts.  Harris Sister, Misty, and her family came down for a visit just before the 4th of July.   And we started things off with a visit to Downtown Nashville for a little live music on their first night in town.  Here we are on one of the many many rooftop bars in Nashville.  This roof belongs to Acme Feed and Seed and happens to overlook most of Broadway off to the side you see here.  

But if you walk to the other side of the rooftop, it overlooks the Cumberland River that runs through Downtown Nashville.   That's Misty and me (Harris Sister, Deanna).  

And here we all are again.  Me, my husband - John, Misty, and her hubby - Howard.  The big pedestrian bridge you see behind us here leads from Downtown Nashville across the river to  LP field, home of the Tennessee Titans.  

Fun facts- this bridge is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world AND it has also been featured in several country music videos!  You will recognize it from Big and Rich's hit- Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy), and also the Together You and I video from my favorite, Dolly Parton.  Apparently, the filming of the Big and Rich video did some damage to the bridge.  They used iron shod horses and mules in the video, and those stinkers damaged the surface of it.  There was a settlement on that years ago.  But then, these are the hazards that come along with filming here in Music City.  Take a peek at both videos below and look for that bridge. 

But back to our explorations around Downtown Nashville, we also stopped into the old Paradise Park Trailer Resort- more out of sentiment than anything else.  It was in it's final days of operation, and I wanted to say goodbye. Many of the old(er) bars down on Broadway are giving way to new establishments- loads of which are being opened by country music super stars.  But this little trailer park bar is one that I remember from my first days in Nashville, and I think I will honestly miss in the landscape of Downtown.  

Oh, it's not fancy by any means.  There's AstroTurf and lawn chairs covering the floor for heaven's sake, but it was always a goodie.  I'm glad we got to visit one last time.  In fact, by the time you see this, they will likely have served their final rounds to the good people of Nashville.  But they are going out with a bang.  Here's the scoop. 

We ended our night with a trip to Printer's Alley, and one of our favorite bars- the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar.  If you ever find yourself in Nashville, put this spot on your list.  It's just far enough off the main strip that there aren't a ton of tourists, but it's a hot little spot with great music and yummy drinks. 

The next day was the 4th of July!  It was super hot here, so we headed ourselves right on to the pool as fast as we could get there.  Lexi and I wore our red, white, and blue.  

Later that evening, we rounded up the troops and headed out to Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin for their annual fireworks show.  We got there a little early so John escorted the kids down to the kids zone while Misty, Charlotte, and I got busy relaxing and taking selfies.  

The fireworks were beautiful, and the setting was so pretty.  We spread out in the middle of a gorgeous rolling field under the stars for the light show and  it did not disappoint.  

The next morning, we headed into Downtown Franklin to look for antique shops and see what treasures we could find.  I bought this little jadeite pitcher with the Sunbeam bread girl on it and quickly added it to the Lazy Susan in the middle of our kitchen table. 

It's been a hot summer so far, and early July was about as humid as they come.  So that afternoon, we left the younger kiddos at home to nap.  The guys were there to keep an ear out while they put ribs on the smoker.  Misty, Charlotte, Emma and I decided to make our way back to the pool to cool off for a bit.  

Harris Sister, Donna, and her family joined the "reunion" that afternoon, and our house was literally teeming with kids, activity, laughter, and fun.  We managed bedrooms for all the adults, but the kiddos bunked wherever they could find a space.  The game room kind of became the make shift kids room for the extended weekend.  Aaaahhhh, being a kid and camping out on the floor in a sleeping bag- now that brings back memories.  :)

One afternoon, we gathered the majority of our group to try our hand at an escape game.   These have become very popular of late.  If you aren't already familiar, the idea is that you are trapped in a room along with your fellow players, and there are clues hidden all around that will help you figure out how to "escape" from the room.  It is a timed game.  In our case, we had one hour to find a way out.  And I still don't think any of us can quite believe it, but we actually did it!!  We even had nearly two minutes to spare.  Trust me, when you break out of your room, everyone knows it because you are so excited that you can't help but scream it out to anyone who will listen.  It was super fun, and it's also a really cool team building experience.  

How else did we spend our time together.  Oh, the usual.  Watching movies, playing games, eating, talking.  And more time at the pool, of course.   Here we are - the Harris Sisters- Deanna, Donna, and Misty.

We caught (some of) the kiddos jumping in the pool mid splash.   That's Aidyn, Lexi, Jaxon, and Emma. 

Cousins Emma and Lexi kept the party going. 

And going....

It was such a fun visit, and so nice for all the kids to have time to see and play with each other too. 

So how else have we spent our time this month???  Oh, you know- the usual- taking silly selfies. 

And between our busy selfie schedule, we actually spend several days/ nights each week at the pool.  Lexi usually likes to take a baby or two along for the ride.   Here she is with Sheriff Woody from Toy Story. 

This is Lexi's third summer of swim lessons.  She is very comfortable in the water, and she is swimming her very best this year.  

We've been making lots of new pool friends.  Lexi seems to enjoy the friends with the fun pool floats the best.  Silly girl. 

We almost always bring a picnic lunch along with us and eat while we are at the pool.  Swimming from mid morning to lunchtime works up an appetite.  Then back in the pool until hometime for a nice nap.  Works for us!

But it's not all swimming.  We leave lots of time for scootering too.  Lexi has mastered the scooter this year. 

See?  Just look at those long legs go. 

Oh, and ice cream.  It is summer, after all. 

Lexi also received a big girl bike for her birthday this year, so we have been working on riding that all over the place too.   Note the baby in her bike basket- it's Slinky (again, from Toy Story).  And Lexi is so used to having a bow in her hair, she didn't really like her helmet because she had to take off the bow.  We just stick that bow on top of the helmet and she is happy again. 

We have been slow to harvest much from our garden yet this summer.  We planted late this year, and we don't get as much sun as we used to in our back yard, thanks to our growing birch trees.  But Lexi helps me check on the garden each night.  And when there is something to harvest, she does the honors.   Here she is washing up a cucumber for me.  

Lexi's cousin, Ben, was in town for several days this month and these two had a few play dates together.  Here they are at Chuck E Cheese one night living their very best lives.   

There has also been some major roadwork in our neighborhood this month.  So for several days now, our street and many of the neighboring streets have been closed to traffic.  If you think you need your car for those days, you have to move it the night before to a street that is open, and then walk back and forth to your car.  Lexi and I made that walk a time or two (once with me carrying her about half the way) before we soon decided that we should just take the golf cart down the sidewalk to get to our car.  We were both much happier with that situation.  :)

About a week or so ago, our favorite Downtown Franklin eatery was hosting a fun kids' night, so we made our way there to check it all out.  Lexi got all duded up with her purse and Woody again, and we were off. 

After dinner, there were free cookies and cupcakes for the kids to decorate.  Lexi's cupcake was much more about the quantity of icing she could get on there than the design of the cupcake.  Girl after my own heart. 

And there was a super fun singer there playing kids' songs and a small dance floor just big enough for Lexi and about 20 other friends to cut a rug. 

Lexi got the mic at one point and led us all in a rousing rendition of the ABC song.  I see a promising superstar in the making.  That's my girl!

Just last weekend, we all went down to a local car show after breakfast to poke around for a bit, and some really nice fellow let Lexi hop behind the wheel of his vintage Triumph TR6.

John has a special connection to a TR6 from his past.  This is a really neat little 2-seater car that was only made for a few years in the late 1960s to mid 1970s.  His parents owned one of these when he was a little boy, but remember, this is a 2-seater.  They were a family of four, so he and his little brother used to ride in the storage compartment/ trunk area.  When I tried to clarify whether it was actually a rumble seat, John looked at me like I was crazy and confirmed, that no- it wasn't a seat- they were really riding in the trunk.  This is also the same car that John's little brother fell out of while they were going down the road one time.  Good times, good times.  This was long before seat belt laws, obviously.  

John also decided to take Lexi out fishing last weekend, so here she is in action.  She's working that fishing pole like a pro. 

And, she caught two fish that morning!!  She was far more excited about the fact that fish ate raw hot dogs (apparently what they used for bait) than catching the fish themselves.  Oh silly little girl!

We also decided to mosey on down to Leiper's Fork, TN for dinner last weekend.  It's a tiny little town out in the country.  So cute and so quaint.  I love it there in the fall.  All the little shops set up fire pits outside with big jars of marshmallows to roast.  There are a couple of really good restaurants there, and quite a few neat little art galleries too.  But whenever we go, we always bring the camera along.  It's just so picturesque.   So here are a few snaps from that little trip.  

People often ask me about how we get pictures of Lexi.  I usually take a couple of her toys with us and then dance them around in front of her, while John snaps photos.  You can see her looking at something here.  That was it!

In this pic, she actually had a couple small toys in her hands. 

Same here.  The point is to let them just do what they would naturally do.  Lexi likes to move A LOT!  So we just let her dance around and we try to keep up and take pictures at her pace.  The result is a lot of candid photos.  I personally like those better than just smiling into the camera. 

Although sometimes we get one or two of those too. 

And sometimes, you don't get a smile at all.  Sometimes those turn out to be some of my very favorite pictures. 

But I think this one was our favorite of the night.  Dancing, laughing, wind in her hair.  Check, check, check.  No particular occasion- just taking pics while we were out and about.  Sometimes that's just as fun. 

Here's our fearless photographer- my husband, John.  Sometimes, I hop behind the camera too.  

And here's the obligatory family photo of us all sitting and smiling toward the camera.  It's not bad, but I prefer the more candid photos.  

My mother- and father-in-law joined us for dinner that night.  Aren't they so cute?

Here are Lexi and her Pa Pa (John's dad, Larry) talking about important things. 

And then Lexi moved on to charming her Grammie (John's mom, Jan). 

This final week of July has been super busy.  Lexi had dance camp all week and it was about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.   It was princess- themed.  So the girls got a lot of pretty princess time.  What a fun way to learn some new dance skills!

Everyday, there was a craft for the girls to make.  Lexi came home with a customized dance bag, a princess crown, a photo frame, and a necklace. 

And everyday, a different princess read a story to them. There was Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Belle.  And on the last day, Princess Plie' herself read the story and all the girls helped her practice her dance moves. 

The girls got to dress up all week and try on all sorts of fun princess costumes.  

And then on the final day, they got to show the parents all the dance skills they had worked on all week long.   Precious little girls.  

Then just last weekend, we headed back to Downtown Franklin for the annual Bluegrass Along the Harpeth festival.  They set up a big stage in the town square and everyone brought their lawn chairs out to listen to music well into the night.  We go every year.  It's always such fun.  There's music on the main stage, of course, and then lots of food trucks, vendors, and pick up bands on every corner.  

People singing, dancing, just having fun.  

And here's my crew from a little earlier in the evening.  We always have fun no matter what we are doing. 

So that about wraps up this month.  I thought summers were supposed to be slow and relaxing!  I think we forgot that memo.  Maybe next month?  Not likely, but I will keep you posted.  :)