Trip To Gatlinburg-Part 2

Day 2 of our trip took us into town. For you locals, think Branson, but on steroids.







We started off at the Aquarium...



There was a huge exhibit with all different types of sharks, it was pretty impressive!




Check out this Sawfish..is that not crazy scary looking?!


Emerson was enthralled with all the jellyfish...






And when the kiddos got tired of standing they used the conveyor belt to their advantage...we made sure to wash their hands, just in case you were curious!



We got to touch and hold Horseshoe Crabs...according to the speaker, they're more like a flea then a crab...kinda of a big flea, don't ya think?! Yikes!



There was even a small dinosaur exhibit...and Ava Jane even got in on it!





Afterward, we ate lunch at a fun restaurant that had a snow skiing motif...made us all wish that we were actually headed out to Winter Park!



The boys were all wanting to stand by the bear...didn't quite work!


We've been there and done that...can't wait to go back!


We had fun inside the cabin...




And outside the cabin...





The boys were smitten with this little dog that lived down the road...


Our time in town was fun, but the beauty of the Smokies got better on Day 3, check back tomorrow for more of the spectacular fall foliage that we got to witness, it was A-Ma-Zing!

Trip To Gatlinburg-Part 1

As we were road trippin' through Nashville my boys pointed out the "Batman Tower", they thought for sure that he lived there!



We were pretty much the "SUV train" driving to the Smokies and passed the time with a little game of "Name that Movie" between the cars...that was fun!




The views were beautiful and truly made for fantastic scenery. Adam and I tried to talk the kids into looking for things outside the car that were pretty to them, but that only lasted a few minutes, then it was back to their movie-thon.


We have some good little travelers; especially when there's MnM's for rewards...(don't miss the residue all around his mouth!)



After our four and a half hour road trip, this was our initial sighting of the Smokies. "Purple mountain majesty..." kept playing around around in my head.


Once we made it through Gatlinburg traffic, and arrived at our cabin, which was nestled oh so secludedly in the woods, we all were ready to stretch our legs. Our cabin was perfect for our size group. It had plenty of room for everyone and lots of options for things to do, from foosball to pool, the "movie room" to just taking in the sights. I don't think the kids (or the adults for that matter) got board.

This was the view as we came up the road and arrived..










After unloading all our things Adam put Ava Jane in the hiking backpack and he, my parents and Mitchell did a nature scavenger hunt with all the kiddos while Lindsey and I went to get the groceries.






There were TONS of wild turkey's up near the cabin, all the boys (including the adult ones) were enthralled by them!


The kids had fun playing together and having "Cousin Camp" as my Mom called it. Between all of them, we had 8 kids, 8 and under...we were quite the posse, wherever we went, with all 18 of us stopping at a gas station or going into a restaurant, we pretty much were an "overwhelming" bunch. But aren't they so cute?!! Mom got them all matching pj's which made for a really fun photo op.


There will be more to see of our Trip To Gatlinburg-Part 2 tomorrow!

Halloween in Nashville

This Halloween we got to trick or treat with family, which was a real treat!

Last night we had quite the storm to contend with, so our Trick or Treating was cut a little short, though the kids still had a good sugar high! They had fun running from one house to another all around the cup-de-sac.


My cousin Lindsay and "Super-girl"


Uncle Rob and Superman


The glow sticks were a huge hit!



Gigi and a couple of her grandkids.


And here's our porch full super hero's! This was taken right before we took it to the house as huge gusts of wind forced us inside, which the Mama's were honestly quite glad for. We didn't make it to the church carnival, but that was OK! The kids had fun enjoying their glow sticks and sugar rush!


I can hardly believe that October is now behind us and we're fast approaching the holidays! I'm thankful for time with loved ones. We are on our way to Gatlinburg today to have a mini family reunion with my Dad's side of the family. We are so excited to see the changing leaves and beauty of the Smokey's. I can't wait to see what Tennessee looks like this time of year!