"Mama, are we going to the Smoky Mountains or the Great Smoky Mountains?"
We spent our last getaway of the summer (and our 9th wedding anniversary!) in an amazing chalet, all cozied up... with 11 other people ;)
Every other year, all four of my parents give ALL of us a trip as our Christmas gift. So this year, 17 of us headed to East Tennessee.
Cale and Uncle Casey in the game room.
Little girls watching Signing Time in the theater.
Hot tub time.
AG and Chy sharing some breakfast.
We spent the first day and a half at Dollywood :)
^^ THAT would be a funnel cake with hot fudge. Mmhmm.
Just FYI... when it's hot outside... hydrate your ass.
I went upside down and sideways on all the "big" rides with no problems... puked after the carousel in the kid area. And for about two hours thereafter, all because I was dehydrated. Brilliant.
For Day 3, we hit the strip for shopping and fun touristy stuff, INCLUDING caramel apples :) Woot.
That afternoon, just the six Wests drove into Pigeon Forge to meet some RR friends :)
Remember, this picture of Anna Gray (12 mos) and Cooper (age 5) on our last night in Ukraine?
Check them out now!
Note that they are sitting in the exact same position as one another :)
They're in love. We'll tell them later.
We had some fun at The Track for a little while.
My little guy was in his happy place! He was racing! All by himself! (And pretty darn well.)
Oh! The frog! Ooohhh the frog.
Layla, Brynn, Sweet Frog, Danielle, and Cole. And Caden ;)
The Sweet Frog came to hand out coupons for their froyo (ugh, that word) store next door. Brynn LOVED the frog. As we were saying goodbye to our friends, the frog turned around to leave... and there was a ponytail hanging out between her head and her neck. Oops. Brynn clearly saw and started to say something, but we whisked her away to the parking lot. The parking lot where the frog was parked :/
Just as we walked up, she removed her head to get in the car.
"THAT FROG'S NOT REAL!!"
It's ALL we heard for the next hour. "Does that mean nobody is real or are just frogs not real?! What about Jasmine, is Jasmine real?! Does everybody wear costumes?!" Oh, the trauma. SO hard to snicker without her noticing.
Day 4 was relaxing and thrilling all at the same time. Most of the guys wanted to hang out in the chalet to catch the race. The rest of us headed out on a hike, three strollers in tow. We made it up to Laurel's Falls and even spotted a bear on the way! Pretty thrilling for us wildlife lovers.
It was stunning all the way up and down and the kiddos did great.
Pretty low-key afternoon/evening. It involved watermelon, Olympics, and 'Mama Mia' in the theater.
Day 5 (last day), we headed out into the West... of the East.
"Mining" for gems, fishing, picnics, petting zoo, and horseback riding! We all loved it for all kinds of reasons.
Oh... did I mention I was the only one to catch anything?
I would show you the picture for proof, but fish don't flatter me, apparently. Ick.
Still angry that big 'ole blue cat got away from me.
Layla and Cale rode by themselves and did an awesome job! I think Cale smiled the entire three miles.
While we were headed up the mountain, a tree fell and startled the horses. "Alaska" was so shaken, she turned around to head back down the mountain. Layla just turned her right back around like she'd been doing it her whole life.
We loaded up and headed home that night. Of course, Nathan didn't let us get out without stopping at Apple Barn first!
I don't know about everyone else, but this vaca exhausted us!
Back to the real world for now. Wonder where our next adventure will take us?
2 comments:
That last pic of AG needs to be on the RR poster for next year. She is so precious.
Thank you for sharing your family's adventures. I was moved to tears by the "before and after" pictures of Anna Gray and her friend Cooper. What a difference you have all made in their lives! I continue to be inspired by your strength and love!
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