Tennessee Vacation (3)

When we think about this vacation, DOLLYWOOD is certainly the most memorable part of the trip.  We spent two days at Dollywood.  Not sure if that was the smartest thing, but it was still fun anyway.

The 5-mile journey on Dollywood's real steam locomotive, Cinder-ella, was probably everyone's favorite attraction.  The kids loved it for sure.  This was quite a treat for Daddy as well!  I haven't ridden on a big train like this since I was a wee sprig in the hills of Carolina.  (Tweetsie RR!) 

I think Micah was so convinced his horse was real that he thought he was going to get bucked off!  So he made sure he held on for dear life!

Nate the Navigator!  It was amazing how good four-year-old Nate was with the Dollywood map.  He was pretty accurate with his directions!  He always had his copy on hand.  (The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree for sure!)

There were points were I certainly envied Caleb.  Oh to be carried around the park, never have to walk, and be fed when you get hungry.  And when it's all over everyone said what a hard day he had.  Really?

Micah is on the train closing his ears from the loud whistle.  When we got off the train Micah was holding his eye and rubbing it.  We wondered if he got a cinder in his eye.  Ashley took him to the first aid station and they were able to get it out.  It was a cinder from the train.  They took good care of him.  He was a good patient, too!

One thing Dollywood does better than any other theme park I've been to is move people around from the parking lot to the gate.  There really wasn't a bad parking spot in the whole park (and there were a lot of them!)  They had tram stops all along the parking lots to get people to the gate.  It's especially great if you travel in a herd like we do!

At the same time, it would have been nice if they had something like that actually inside the park.  They give you a ride to the gate, but once you're in it's nothing but walking...everywhere you go!  Two days of walking was a bit much!

Tennessee Vacation (2)

Here are more shots from just our hanging out around the cabin.  You honestly could have just locked me in and I would have been just fine.

Ahhhh....marshmallow goodness.  Sometimes good taste comes at a high price.  For example...see Abigail below.  She was a sticky mess, but if you ask her she'll tell you it was well-worth it!  Her face says it all!

Tennessee Vacation

Last week found us hanging out with Ashley's family in a beautiful cabin in Tennessee.  The mountains were so majestic!  The weather was perfect.  We got pretty tired by the end of the week, but still had a good time.  I hope to upload pictures a few pics at time and try to explain what we were doing and why that pic was significant.  We had so many pictures it will be hard not to upload every one of them.  I'll pick out the best ones and share them.

We spent the first two or three days just hanging around this beautiful cabin.  It was the perfect size for the family.

There was plenty of entertainment around the cabin.  We didn't have to go very far to find something fun to do.

This was a first for our kids.  S'MORES!  We roasted hot dogs and had smores for dessert.  I think I ate like 5 hot dogs.  There's nothing in the world like a fire-roasted hot dog.

Caleb at his best!

All My Boys!

I don't really think there are words to add to this amazing picture.  I think it pretty much speaks for itself.  What can I say?  These are some fine young men...look out world!

Abigail's First Dance Recital

After many hours of practicing, Abigail was able to demonstrate for dozens of parents all she had learned from her Pre-Dance class.  All those Friday evenings were so worth it to see her up there in front of everyone.  She did such a great job!  She shined so bright!  I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, but the camera was acting up, and these were some of the best action shots I had.  The lighting was pretty bad in the place.  But that didn't matter really...I was the proudest Daddy in the room!

Beach Getaway!

We took advantage of a family gathering to get away as a family!  Ben was graduating from Coastal, and since we were right there at Myrtle Beach we decided to hang out well past the graduation.  We got a great rate on a place in Myrtle called Captain's Quarters.  We had a blast!  It was also our 8TH ANNIVERSARY!  So, Ashley and I got to do one thing we enjoy doing, and haven't done for a while.  We ate Japanese take-out.  It was great!

We had such a good time.

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel!

I know I'm a little late on this post.  Forgive me for that!  But we had another birthday boy recently and I wanted to share it with the world!  My Nathaniel just turned 4!!!

Now in our home, birthdays tend to stretch out over a few days.  When the actual day comes it is certainly special.  But for the whole week, we are doing special things together, and the birthday boy/girl gets to choose the special things we do.

Nate really enjoyed his race car birthday cake.  Mommy did a very professional job with it!  We got to share it with some friends of ours, and it was a very memorable time.

Then we took a day and went to Monkey Joe's in Raleigh.  It was a blast! Micah sure was in his element.  Nathaniel absolutely loved it.  Well, I guess we all did!  I think I had as much fun as the kids did.  It wasn't very crowded, so it was very enjoyable.  We stayed for hours!

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel!  I can't believe you're four years old already.  Your growing up to be such a handsome young man.  You certainly are one of a kind, that's for sure!  I love you, little buddy!