During the visit in October, Grandma Paris and Joy (and I) really did have a lot of fun together! This picture was from Grandma’s last night in town.

There are many more fun pictures from this visit, and I will post them at some later time! : ).

In October, Grandma Paris, Joy and I went on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a beautiful scenic road that winds through the mountains. I love driving this road, and on this particular day, we had a very nice day. At the high elevations, it was too chilly to do any hiking, but we got in some good sightseeing!

First, we got out and looked around at Craggy Gardens, which is 5500 feet. It was beautiful but cold!

(I will do my best to post more soon! I have to finish posting pictures of that day’s trip, as well as many other adventures!! I’ll do my best!)

One day in October, during her visit, Grandma Joy and I went to visit a really pretty trail in North Asheville. It was a lovely day, and we had a nice time.

Joy loves going to the park! During the warm months, we tried to go as close to every day as possible. Joy loves climbing around on everything, and just being adventerous in general. When Grandma came to visit in October, it was really fun to have her join us in the fun!

These pictures are from Grandma’s visit in October.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, Joy loves music class! Here is a couple pictures Grandma Paris took of the fun.
Here, Joy is clearly upside down! Why? Because we were swinging the babies upside down (those that tolerate it) during one specific part of a song. Music class involves a lot of different moves. Some songs, we always lift the babies up at certain parts, or go low. We learn about how music works by moving in ways that will help us get it. For example, stocatto, we learn about by short, fast movements, but lagato we learn about with slow, smooth movements. Kid brains learn especially well with movement, which is why its so important to use movement a lot. Even just simple spinning helps their brain development. Music and movement both not only develop musical and movement abilities, but also help kids use their brain to full potential. Kids who do a lot of movement and music have higher IQ’s and even better math skills! Also, obviously, its a lot of fun, which is even more important!

We play with scarves a lot in music class (and at home). It’s so cute watching a little group of toddlers stumble around with translucent, pretty scarves draped over their heads!

Joy is a great helper. When it’s time to sweep, Joy and I take turns sweeping. When I wipe down a table, she helps with this too. When I pick up toys to put them away, Joy helps by picking them up and taking them out! She is a very hard worker, and likes feeling like she is contributing to the effort. As her Grandma says, “Joy is a good helper. She just helps in reverse!” I like to have Joy help me, even if it slows down the process (or sometimes puts it entirely into reverse). I want her to feel good about being helpful.

Here is Joy, helping me sweep! Soon, I am planning on getting a wooden-handled broom, cutting the handle in half and smoothing it, so she can have a Joy-sized broom to work with.