The Mountains

Blogging has been on my list of "to-do's" since our Mountain Vacation, but I am slow to complete the list!

The kids were GREAT on our trip both up and back! We actually got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to Knoxville by 2:00 for our niece, Catie Beth's birthday! We made it about 20 minutes late, but we made it! I took lots of movies and things "to do!" On our trip home, we stopped ONE time! That is unheard of, for us, with three kids!!

We had a fun trip! The kids enjoyed themselves- Blaine and Sarah Claire had been to the mountains before, but neither remembered the trip.

We stopped at Elkmont Campground on our way to Gatlinburg. The kids LOVED playing in the stream. The water was so cold, but that didn't matter to them.

The kids had a little "hot tub" time before we walked into downtown Gatlinburg. Of course we went to The Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen for some taffy and rock candy. Anna Britten and Caroline had an important decision to make, "What kind of gummies should we get?"

Rock Candy...GOOD STUFF!!

Blaine has his own restaurant!

Smoky the Bear outside of Ober Gatlinburg. Sweet cousins headed to play in the stream with braids in their hair!

Having fun at Greenbriar!

Sarah Claire and Blaine tried tubing!

These two were all about the snack!

Such a fun morning!

That night, we went to the Dixie Stampede!

Pictures before we left.

Listening to the band before the show- they were GREAT! We sat on the "South" side during the show. It was fun to watch the horses, performers, and animals while we feasted on cornish hen, corn on the cob, potato, and yummy soup! The kids were very entertained!

It is hard to get a good picture with seven kids. Blaine and Walker decided to climb and asked we get a picture.

Beginning our day at Dollywood...ExCiTeD!

The boys!

Our first ride was the Ferris Wheel and EVERYBODY loved it!

The shooting star- Sarah Claire and Walker were smiling the entire time!

We spent a good amount of time in the Country Fair area- lots of kid rides!

It was a very fun day! Considering the heat and ALL the kids- it went very well!

Seven VERY tired children with lots of fun memories!

Our long journey home- did I mention we only stopped ONCE!

The kids with their mocassins from Cherokee, NC.