Smoky Mountain Vacation, Part V - Putting and wading

Our last full day in the Smokies was a great way to wrap it all up. Josh, Leigh, Nathan and I took Brody along to go tubing in the river again, and it was so relaxing just to drift downstream. It was perfect for Brody, too - we got a tube with a bottom in it for him, so he just hung onto it like a little boat, rapids and all. It's crazy to think that if we wait to go back until year after next, even Marley will be big enough to do that!
We came back and ate supper with the family, and then some of us went and played putt-putt for the annual bragging rights. Josh claimed them this time, and I was the piggie tail, as usual. If we were bowling, I'd be doing great with my highest score, though!

The putt-putt place had way too many cheesy sets not to take some silly photos.
John and Nathan found their long-lost cousin!
I found a new boyfriend! Isn't he hot?

Gail and Amanda walk like an Egyptian.Are you my mummy?Run, Amanda!Who drank all the rum?Pirate's gold! Aarrgh!Oh, and we putted a few, too.

Too soon, it was Saturday. What a week! We moseyed on home, stopping for one last ice cream cone from Kilwin's on the Gatlinburg strip, one last picnic lunch by the river in Townsend, and one last chance to dip in our toes.

Marley loved it! She's our little water baby.

It was such a fun week, and a busy one. It seems like it flew by even faster than when we go to the beach! It was so nice to get away, and it's nice to be back home, too. Thanks to the Davises for such a great vacation!

Smoky Mountain Vacation, Part IV - Dollywood

On Thursday we went to Dollywood. Thanks so much to Gail for hooking us up with free passes! You rock, Gail! We really had a good time, we got to listen to some great bluegrass music, and we got to enjoy the fun of seeing the kids have so much fun, too.

Brody's ready to ride his horse.
Marley started off alright on the carousel, but by the end of the ride, she had had enough of this horse!Brody on the ducky ride. Ben rides a duck, too. The boys loved the bumblebee ride!

The Smoky Mountain String Band... they were really good!
Brody would have loved it, but he was just soooo tired.While he slept...

Ben played on the kiddie playground.

Silly hat time!Can you believe this sculpture is made entirely of sand?

Brody woke up, ready to roll with Ben at the Rockin' Roadway!
Brody's concentrating hard on the road.

Ben loved driving.

What a fun day!

Smoky Mountain Vacation, Part III - Chimney Tops

Wednesday was my favorite, favorite day of this vacation. The family all drove into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for a fun day of hiking, picnicking and playing in the water. The COLD water! Holy cow! 50 degrees or so is awfully cold when it hits you! We walked down the Chimney Tops trail a little way to a little waterfall, and Nathan, Josh and I all dared each other to jump into the pool at the bottom. Man alive! You talk about an adrenaline rush! I was tingling all over by the time I got out of there! But I had to do it, just to say I did it. Then Nathan found the perfect picnic spot right by a creek and we all had a picnic lunch, grilling up our sandwiches on a grill someone had left burning there. Yum! On the way back, we went through Townsend so Josh, Leigh, Nathan and I could tube down the river. We only had time to go once, but I could have spent a whole day doing just that! It was so relaxing, and the water was warmer there, too. We ended up going back there with Brody on Friday to tube some more, and I definitely recommend it if you're heading up that way. Don't go on a hot, sunny Saturday, though - we passed by there on the way out Saturday, and it was CROWDED! You'd be playing bumper tubes going down the river.

Me, Nathan, the boys and the Davises at the entrance to the park. Marley had fallen asleep in the car.
Doodaddy, Grannie and the boys.Hiking to the falls: Grannie, Nathan, Brody, Marley and Ben.Ben peers over the bridge.Me and Brody and the view from the bridge.Creekside: Marley in a tree root......Ben on the rocks.Josh jumps in!Too cold for Nathan.

Swimming in the cold!

Josh going under the falls.

Nathan and Josh under the falls.Goofing off with a downed tree at the picnic area: Nathan and Doodaddy.Me and Brody.

Nathan and Ben.

Aaaaahhhh! Don't fall!!!

Playing in the creek: Me and Ben.

Brody and Doodaddy.

What a fun day!

Smoky Mountain Vacation, Part II - Family fun

Have I ever mentioned that the Davis guys are competitive? Actually, that word seems a little mild... let's see... cutthroat might be a little closer to the truth! John and Nathan had to grab Josh and meet Roger and Richard for a rematch pool game on Monday night so they could reclaim bragging rights. I'm still not sure who won, but I know I did hear a lot of clarification of the rules from the upper loft pool room at the cabin where Roger and Sue were staying with Richard and Shirley! And then on Tuesday, our guys all went golfing. They were all set to take Brody along, but the people at the course said no way, so he shopped with us womenfolks instead. He seemed like he still had fun. And then we women and kids all swam in the pool when we came back, and the family grilled out burgers and dogs on the balcony for supper, so it was a fun day.
The guys ready to go golfing on Tuesday.
Nathan lines up a shot.

Richard's secret strategy: Laugh at everyone until they're too flustered to hit a shot straight!

The cousins all play around while the guys shoot pool.

Brody puts on a show on the fireplace.

Smoky Mountain Vacation, Part I

I can't believe it's already Friday! This vacation week has FLOWN by! It's our last full day here, and the week is ending like it started - cloudy and rainy. We had some sunny days in the middle, though, and we've had a ton of fun all week long. Here's some photos from our first day or two in the mountains.

Nathan "drinking" from a mountain waterfall.
See Nathan on the right? Little guy, big falls. All that rain had all the creeks and falls roaring and rushing.

A kiss for Grannie!

Doodaddy and Grannie. Awwwww.....

My two favorite redheads in the hot tub.

My three crazy boys in the hot tub.

Me and Marley with the view from our cabin balcony.

Nathan and I pose with the view from a scenic overlook in the park.

Brody, Ben and me in a hollow tree.

The boys run around in the "spooky cabin."

The cabin from the outside... not so spooky after all! At least, not as long as you're with Doodaddy.

Brody stops where we had to turn back from hiking to Grotto Falls. The rain had swollen the creeks, making them hard to cross, and then it started thundering, too. Don't wanna be at the top of a mountain in a lightning storm!

Ben liked this tree stump.

More photos to come!

Happy Father's Day to the Bestest Daddies Ever!

We're up in the Smokies today on vacation, YAY!, and I can't think of any better way to celebrate Father's Day than by letting the kids have fun with their Daddy and Doodaddy. They already had a big time with their Granddaddy Longlegs, too, in an early Father's Day celebration at the park on Thursday.
What can I say about these three wonderful men except that I am so blessed to have each of them in my life? I know that there would be a lot of things broken and rundown around my house if it weren't for each of their handyman skills, and I know that I wouldn't be able to be home taking care of my children if it weren't for Nathan's hard work - both paid at work and not paid at home - and the many, many times Dad and John have pitched in to help. They are all Christian men, loving husbands, fathers and grandfathers, who teach my boys what it means to love your family and my baby girl what it means to have a man in your life that you can respect. We love you guys! Happy Father's Day!

The kids and I visited Nathan at work on our "Free Play Day" Tuesday. (Free breakfast at Chick-fil-A, free movie at Hollywood 18, fun!) The boys think their Daddy has the coolest job ever. He gets to play with blacklights and dye, he has big boxes there they can climb on, and he even drives a forklift!

And just when you think it couldn't get any better... balloons!
We topped off Free Play Day with a walk to the park after Daddy got home. I love my family!What would we do without Doodaddy? I reckon not have a cozy place to sit while you suck your thumb!And Granddaddy Longlegs' lap is the best spot for reading a book or looking over family pictures.The family with Granddaddy LL... we love you!

Date night

We had to get up bright and early to sell off stuff that didn't belong to us at the Dean family yard sale Saturday, so the Davises kept the kids overnight. Date night! We went to Maria Bonita again - couldn't resist the lure of a shiny new coupon! - and then came home to watch a Clint Eastwood movie. It's so nice to pretend we aren't a couple of boring parents with way too many crazy kids every now and then! And then we had a good yard sale, rain and all, on Saturday, so now we have a little money in hand for our family vacation to the Smokies in a week. Woo hoo!
Btw, I look exceptionally short next to Nathan, don't I? Note to self: Wear heels next time!