Zoe is here!

Introducing

Zoe Soleil Rain

Born August 4, 2008

Weighing 7lbs 15oz and 20" long

Just wanted to pop in and add some new photos. The kids and I went to a local park with our friends this past Tuesday. They had a ball climbing a tree with low lying branches.

Natalie and her daddy



Ben reading, I love this photo!

Photos of the baby!

I had an appointment with my midwife today. I asked her to see if she could feel to see if she could tell which position the baby is in. I have been feeling kicks in strange places and thought that she might be breech (she isn't though, whew!). She smiled and said "Let's just go do an ultrasound". She ended up doing a 3D and got some wonderful shots of the baby. She has her arm and hand up by her face in the first one. She is pooching her little lips out in the second one. Everything looked to be ok!

I apologize for waiting so long between updates. Life has been very busy. Tonight (if we don't get rained out) is Ben's final baseball game. Tuesday is Natalie's. Then things should calm down a bit. I am in my 32nd week of pregnancy...only eight more weeks to go!

I am including some of the latest photos of the kids. The first few are of our ill fated camping trip. It never occured to me that it might not be the best idea in the world to go camping when one is 7 1/2 months pregnant! We ended up coming home a day early but I think the kids had a good time while we were there. Natalie made a friend (the doggie) and we saw lots of cool bugs, frogs, etc.

We also made a visit to the Chattanooga Market. It is a farmer's Market in the downtown area that features handmade crafts, herbs, food, etc. Ben rode some type of scrambling machine and loved it.

This is a photo of the kids in their "restaurant". Ben takes all of the tables, trays and chairs in the house and makes a "fancy restaurant" where we eat our meals for a few days before putting the house back to normal.

We found a battery operated Volkswagon Beetle at a thrift store for a steal (normally over $200. and we got it for $10.). She is so very proud of it.

Last but not least...we found a Slip 'n Slide at a discount outlet for $2.00! The kids LOVE it and they even got their daddy on it. They had a blast.

Sorry for the delay in an update. We went on vacation during the first part of this month. We were in Charleston, SC for a few days and then over to Myrtle Beach for a few days to see my bestest friend Jeffery and his partner Brett...and to also meet my friend Christa whom I have only been able to talk to online before then. Despite it being rainy and cold, we had a really good time and brought home some great memories. Here are a few photos from the trip.

The kids at Fort Sumter in Charleston.

The kids on the Hard Rock Cafe motorcycle in Myrtle Beach

Walking down to the beach in front of our hotel in Myrtle Beach


Playing on the beach in Myrtle Beach

Jeff and I

Belly shot on the beach

Jeff, Brett and I

Christa, Jeff and I

The Incline Railway...

We went on a homeschool co-op field trip yesterday to the Incline Railway in Chattanooga. I was terrified and didn't want to go but Ben promised to hold my hand. :) It turned out to be a wonderful trip. I actually enjoyed myself. After hearing the tram man explain the safety features, I was able to relax and enjoy my ride.

This is a photo taken from the bottom of the track. You can see how steep the grade is when you get close to the top of the mountain! Below it you see a photo taken from the top of the mountain as one of the cars is descending. Then a photo from the inside of the car as we were going down. Try to notice how you can see the valley at the bottom out of the top of the car. That is because we are almost at a vertical position. They designed the car so that you don't feel it as much. The car actually sits at an angle.

Here is a photo of Ben looking through the view meter at the top of the mountain. He kept pointing out all of the things he could see. He saw some "red big trucks" on the Interstate and was very excited about that! Then a photo of my tired kids (and my cranky daughter) on the ride down.

Some interesting facts about the Incline Railway from their official site:

"Following the Civil War, development on Lookout Mountain was minimal. The four-hour trip up Whiteside Pike, a toll road, discouraged many people, and the two-dollar toll discouraged the rest. However, many people were interested in visiting the peak, in part due to the romanticized "Battle Above the Clouds" that occurred on the mountain during The Civil War.

During the railroad boom of the 1880's, speculators decided to develop a hotel on the mountaintop serviced by a narrow gauge railroad that would run up the mountain. A second, broad-gauge line and an earlier incline were also competing for passengers.

On November 16, 1895 the railroad known today simply as "The Incline" opened, rising up the steepest part of Lookout Mountain. Built by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company this technical marvel boasted an incline of 72.7% at one point, making it the steepest passenger Incline in the world. Literally millions of residents and tourists have taken this ride up to the top of Lookout Mountain. By 1900 the success of this railway closed down all of its competitors.

Originally the cars were made of wood and powered by huge coal-burning steam engines. Electric power was used after 1911, and it now uses two 100 horsepower motors.

Easter...

The kids colored Easter Eggs (and ate some, as you can see from Natalie's mouth!). Then we hid eggs outside for them to hunt. They loved their Easter baskets this morning. Natalie got some "bam-baids", which thrilled her. Ben got some Mad Libs books. He loves making silly stories with the books and has no idea that he is learning at the same time!