a weekend away

We are in Cashiers, N.C. this weekend at Michael's aunt and uncle's farm. A slice of heaven. Breathtaking views. The perfect getaway. We feel very blessed to be able to come here, and extremely thankful that they open up their home to family and friends. Mom and Dad came with us, and believe it or not, all six of us rode together in a minivan! (thanks to Nancy & Steve!) We stopped about five times, and I thought Dad was going to come out of his skin, but he held it together. I'm beginning to reconsider the "car potty" eventhough I'm not sure how well a three year old could aim.

The weather was perfect on Thursday when we arrived, so we immediately headed outside. Crawford only wanted to go to the gym, but we managed to get him interested in the pond, the swings, and picking apples! Henry was happy no matter what we were doing. And we continue to be amazed at the beauty of this place, the buildings, the grounds, the details in every little thing.

We had a scare at dinner Thursday night. We were having pasta with pesto sauce, and the boys started eating before the rest of us. The boys have eaten pesto several times, and their allergist has even said it was fine b/c they do not test positive for an allergy to pine nuts. Little did we know the pesto was made with walnuts. Within a couple of minutes of Crawford's first bite, he started making a terrible face and shuddering - the shuddering usually means he is going to throw up. So, we quickly took the pasta away from them, and took Crawford to the bathroom. He kept sticking his tongue out and was pretty pitiful. We were very worried about his tongue and throat swelling, but thankfully that never happened. He did throw up, and we did give him benadryl, but within about 15 minutes, he was feeling much better. And less than 30 minutes later, he was back at the table eating pasta with butter and parmesean cheese. Henry did not have a reaction at all. That was a major lesson in ingredient awareness. We can't be too careful.

I will be posting pictures later. Crawford loves the Gator, which he calls the tractor and they both love the small riding toys. I'm trying to take as many pictures as I can. And Mom and I have played two games of Scrabble with one win for each of us. I love being away this weekend. I have needed this for a long time, and I'm so thankful for it! I do wish that the rest of our family could have made this trip, it would be so fun for all the little cousins to be together. We miss Dakota, George, Hallie Corinne, and Porter and their parents, too!