2000 miles to Picnic in the Park!!

 

We had the most amazing trip & were so grateful to find such a peaceful place to grow more in love with this little nut!  During our time at Smoky Mountains National Park we had our first real pic-nic with Joseph!  He was thrilled!

He wore a little monkey on his back so we could keep him close and let him explore a bit on his own at the same time.  Can he be any cuter???

We were so happy to just explore the natural beauty around us and it just seemed so natural to experience the mountains with our little guy as our first real family vacation.  After waiting so long to have him in our lives, it seems we are living on a mountaintop high these days.  Sometimes :/  He did teach us that travelling with a toddler is a JOB!!!  We were NUTS to bring him to 5 different sleep places.  Needless to say were were content to return to our somewhat ‘child-proofed’ home! 

I could have spent all week at the park, the beauty and fun were top-notch!  He was right were he wanted to be too!

Waving to the camera, hoping I would put it away!

Joseph loves trees, branches, and anything else that is dirty and outdoorsy!  He worked on this tree awhile.

We are so happy to hear the calming sounds of the waterfall.  My soul was filled with gratitude!

I adore these two!  I am not ready for Daddy to go back to work, Joseph is going to be so sad in the morning!

I just could not lose sight of the reminders right in front of me that God gives us hills, valleys, and even mountains to teach us that in every circumstance we must rely on him to give us the strength to take the next step.  We never know what is around the bend, but we do know who created us and that He made us strong for the journey ahead.  His beautiful handiwork really reminded me that God is so much bigger than my simple struggles and that if I don’t keep my eyes upon Him, I will forget that the valleys are not the end to our story.