Surprise!

Sunday, July 8 was my mom's birthday, so we decided we'd go to Brevard for the weekend to surprise her.  We drove up Saturday afternoon and Em was so excited to see Grandma and Papa--this has been the most fun yet because she really got into the surprise.  I found a recordable book called I Love You, Grandma that we recorded together, and Em couldn't wait to tell Grandma that she made her a present.

They wasted no time finding some books to read--this is one of my favorites!

They live right across the road from the river, so we went down that afternoon to let Em throw some rocks in,

 

and ended up seeing an otter swimming against the current.  We watched him for a while, hoping he'd get out of the water, but he never did.  Too bad I couldn't get a better picture!



 Emily was still excited about seeing him,

and as always, she loves being outside, no matter what we're doing.



The next morning, Papa showed her a squirrel nest up in a tree, and she was fascinated.  There are definitely some scenic benefits to living on the side of a mountain.

Later Sunday morning, we went to Sycamore Flats so we could play in the water.  The weather seems to stay about 10 degrees cooler there than in Charlotte, but it was still hot.  Even with 90 degree temperatures though, the water was chilly!

 She loved throwing all the river rocks in and seeing how big a splash she could make.

Even after she leaned in a little too far and her shirt was soaked, she didn't slow down.  We took her shirt off and she splashed water on herself, saying she was taking a bath.

We went into Hendersonville and ate lunch before leaving that afternoon--they had a reunion to go to, and we needed to get home since it was a school night.  We knew it would be a short trip, but it was a fun weekend.  Em cried when we got in the truck and said she needed Grandma and Papa--that's the only downside of how attached she is!  We'll need to do a better job of visiting a little more often.