My mom used to always say "home again, home again, jiggity-jig" whenever we would pull in the drive way. I would say "when I was a kid", but I think she still says it to this day on occasion!
Although it is Thursday, we "just" got back from our fabulous vacation on Saturday. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get things back to "normal". Then again, I really don't remember normal....We had a grand time in the Great Smoky Mountains! Lots of beautiful scenery, enjoyable company, and exciting activities all at our fingertips. We were blessed to have Brian (Scott's brother) and Nicole join us with their little angel, Isabella, along with Grandma (Scott's mom). It was a nice family trip and we stayed in a lovely cabin/resort.
We drove through the park a few times. We even had a day of picnicking in the park and the boys got to fish. I think Brian and Scott could have spent everyday in the park either driving, hiking, fishing, or just sitting around staring at the beauty of it all. I enjoy being outdoors, I really do. Aside from being worried about getting poison ivy and eaten up by mosquito's I enjoyed our time at the park. I guess I should clarify, in case anyone has never been to or heard of Gatlinburg. The "park" I'm referring to is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lots of trees, mountains, history, and bears! We saw two black bears and we were fairly close to them too!!
I enjoy doing activities like shopping, seeing the sights, walking around, and EATING!! All of which we were able to do. We took Levi to the Ripley's Aquarium. It was a great time and he thoroughly enjoyed it! We enjoyed seeing his excitement and enthusiasm. It just makes your heart melt to see your child discover new things and get excited about it all. We also took the tram up the mountain and boy did we enjoy it! The sights were amazing and so beautiful. You could see the whole town and all the mountains. We went on a day that was overcast, but still lovely. On the way done the mountain it rained and it was so beautiful! Levi LOVED the tram. Well, Levi loved just about everything about the trip, actually! He loved looking out of the tram and he got to stand up to look out the window. We stood in the front, so it felt like we were just gliding down the mountain with nothing in front of us, but some cables. It was a blast!
The resort we stayed at had an indoor waterpark that I had looked forward to from the day we set our reservations. The park was amazing and really cool. Sadly, though, Levi was intimidated by all the attractions and did not have a pleasant experience. I wanted to take him back and try again, but time didn't permit us to do so. Scott and I loved the waterpark. We relaxed in the hot tub and floated along the lazy river. I tried going down the water slides, but the lifeguard noticed my protruding belly and kindly asked if I was pregnant. Sadly, I had to admit it and reluctantly turn around and meet Scott at the bottom of the slide. I was pretty bummed, but don't worry, I honestly wanted to keep the safety of my child a priority. That's why I didn't try to lie about it or sneak back another day to see if there was another lifeguard on duty. And yes, I thought about both options. ;)
We enjoyed playing games and cards with the family. I enjoyed eating out! :) We had a really good time and are already looking forward to going back someday!!
Levi posing on the rocks. He learned to say "cheese" when we got the camera out. He's now a pro at picture-taking.
Here are the mom's on Mother's Day! (And that brown spot on my chest is a drop of chocolate ice cream that I discovered later.)
A nice family photo while visiting the old mill at Cades Cove.
Grandma and Levi in front of the mill.
The two black bears we saw on our way home from our drive through Cades Cove.
Yummy dinner at Bubba Gumps! Daddy's sharing his lobster with Levi.
But Levi decided just to stick with his french fries! :)
Here we are at the aquarium. We had a great time.
Levi loved the fish and discovering new things.
The first time I had ever been so close to a shark! Kinda scary!
Levi loved the school of fish. He finally said the word "fish" and he makes a fish face.
Daddy liked the spider crabs.
Here's daddy and Levi playing with some of the cool toys they had.
Levi at our fun picnic day at the park!
Scott with his pole down by the water. He and Levi had a fun time playing with the rocks.
This is Levi's "funny face". He thinks he's hilarious when he does this! However, we do all have a good laugh everytime he does it!!
Aunt Nicole with Izzy! She was such a good girl on the trip!!
Levi playing in the dirt and with the fishing worm from Uncle Brian's tackle box.
What a lovely view! This is the view from the Tram on the way back down the mountain.
Scott and Levi enjoying the ride. P.S. That pacifier was a thorn in my side most of the trip.
This is what the tram looked like that we rode in. This tram was passing us going up the mountain as we were coming down.
Levi absolutely LOVED riding in the tram and looking at the mountains. Crazy kid.
This was before we headed back down the mountain. This is what happens when you give Levi a sip of Mountain Dew and then tell him "no" when he wants more. He gets it from his mom, what can I say. At least he gets it honest, right?
On one of the last days we took a drive through the park to get a family picture. We stopped here for a lovely photo shoot. Here we our with our beautiful niece, Izzy.
Grandma and her grandbabies.
Nicole with her princess.
Isn't she just beautiful! :) She was smiling, I just couldn't take the picture fast enough.
Funny story: Scott stood Levi up on the rock ledge and looked down to find this written on the rock. Can you see "LEVI" written in green marker. How ironic. It was right in front of Levi.
Uncle Brian and Levi on our last night. I had to get a pic of them in their crazy Hawaiin shirts!
Our last stop, our last family pic on our way home.
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