Yay! Family Vacation!
Our journey started on Saturday, May 9th. We were heading as a family down to Tennessee. On our way, we stopped in Kentucky and visited a horse park.
The cousins all got a chance to see some real live horses and pet them too:
After spending the night in Lexington, we had Mother's Day breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and then continued on our journey to Gatlinburg, TN, where we met up with the rest of our travelling companions.
Included in our group were:
Andy's brother Bob's family - Bob, Cathy, Caity & Jacob,
Andy's parents - Bob & Vicki, Andy's brother Nick's daughter Grace,
Cathy's parents - Bob & Gayle,
and last but not least Cathy's brother Russ' family - Russ, Jamee, & Alex,
So all in all 10 adults and 6 kids.
Luckily, we had this small little cabin to snuggle up in:
The view:
It was a five bedroom, 7 bath, three story cabin with great room, loft, and game room. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom so we didn't have to share. And the downstairs rooms had bunk beds so there was room for one family in each. Queen size bunk beds - two of them - I had never seen that before! And since the walk-in closets were large enough, Aiden's pack 'n' play was tucked in there. Yes, he slept in a closet! Honestly, I did feel kind of weird about it at first, but really it worked out fabulously because we could put the kids down at the same time and they still had their own "rooms!" haha!
"Our" Bedroom:
Kitchen:
Dining Room:
Great Room:
We stayed "home" on Monday because it was rainy and such, but it was great to relax in the big cabin. In the game room there was an air hockey table, pool table, fooseball table, and a classic arcade machine so we had plenty to keep us entertained. And the kids even had room to run around so we didn't feel closed in.
Tuesday we ventured into Smoky Mountain National Park and saw the Noah 'Bud' Ogle Farm.
We also hiked up to Grotto Falls. Most of the way was rocky, and covered in roots with a few patches of smooth path. So most of the way up (and down) I carried Aiden. Thankfully, he's stilll a lightweight, but it was still a feat! Thankfully, we had a nice view at the end of our hike:
Here is a picture of us when we were almost to the waterfall:
It also was Mikaela's fourth birthday so we had packed along her presents and ordered a cake down there for her. She thought the whole trip was to celebrate her birthday I think! :)
Wednesday we went out on our own and saw The Sinks:
had a picnic lunch beside Meigs falls:
and climbed up to Clingman's Dome. It was worth the .5 strenuous hike up the mountainside with kids in tow. You might not think 1/2 a mile would be that tough, but this was extremely steep. They provided benches every so often so you can catch your breath. We didn't have to stop at all of them, but Mikaela wanted to! :) We were right on the border with North Carolina at that point, and could see quite far because the mist had cleared by the time we got there.
It was very windy up there (and Aiden was crying...) But still was worth the view :)
The Appalachian trail runs right along this area. Andy says he wouldn't mind trying to hike a portion of the trail someday. So far he's only stepped foot on it as you can see from the sign. :)
Thursday was our trip to Ripley's Aquarium. Amazing. Sharks, turtles, sting rays, saw-head sharks, sea horses, sea dragons, crabs, and on and on.
What a great picture of the jellyfish! (Way to go, Andy! :)
The kids each got something at the aquarium's gift shop as well to remember the trip. Mikaela found some mermaid bath toys, and Aiden could not be separated from a yellow stuffed turtle. Afterwards we walked the very touristy downtown of Gatlinburg and found a trinket for a souvenir for Andy and me as well.
Friday we had to head back to Detroit-land, but it thankfully wasn't that bad of a drive. The kids had new movies to watch on the way home since Mikaela got some for her birthday. And luckily we had Saturday and Sunday to recoop before heading back to "real life." It was truly a fun, relaxing vacation. We'll have to go back because there was so much that we missed. There are so many waterfalls and geocaches that we didn't get to see! I don't know when the next time we'll get to have a vacation like that so we are just going to savor it for now....
Aiden would not stop running around and around and around the circle of fountains. I was so sure he was going to take a header into the concrete at some point, but thankfully he avoided skinned knees, a concussion, and bloody lip. (Yes, all things I thought could happen...)
