Rocky Top Tennessee

So sorry for the hiatus but this girl has been on vacation!!! Our little family of four joined my parents, and both of my brothers and their respective families for a little getaway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  

The plan was to leave in the middle of the night so our boys could sleep on the way down.  Driving 10+ hours with two little ones is an adventure that you never know how it will go.  So if we could ease ourselves into it with them sleeping a good portion of the trip that was fine by me!

Andrew rushed home from work on Friday to pack (as he is living in Pittsfield currently) add his bags and be on our way.  I volunteered to start the drive knowing Andrew needed to get a *few* hours of sleep before driving our precious cargo.  Beau and Hudson both transitioned to the car so easily.  But sweet Hudson, since we had been talking lots about our "trip" was really excited and didn't fall back asleep right away.  It was so cute to hear his little voice from the back seat commenting on how dark it was or "we going on a trip, mama." melt.my.heart

We were following my parents down and stopped in Lexington the next morning for breakfast.  We changed the boys out of their pjs and into their clothes to continue our journey.  Can I just ask what people did before portable DVD players?  Hudson watched a movie and half and by then we were pulling into Pigeon Forge and that was enough to keep that little one entertained with everything to see! And I swear, Beau is the easiest baby on the planet! Have Beau. Will Travel

We met up with Zach, Rachel and their boys at the pool.  I love, love, love little boys.  They are curious, and mischievous and just all kinds of fun!

After swimming we headed back to our cabin.  Our cabin was beautiful, people! It was on top of a mountain, literally.  It had three levels and was just so perfect for a getaway.  I would love to see it decorated at Christmas time but not sure I'd want to risk driving up the mountain if ice or snow came.  Jay and Tori had arrived and we all got settled.  Mom, Dad, and Tori made dinner for everyone that night.  It was so good for the kiddos to be able to move around and play after being in the car for so long and Aunt Rachel was on the ball (even with a 6 week old) and packed some toys to keep the "big boys" entertained. 

The next day our family ventured out to an indoor water park. It was so nice and had plenty for all the kids to do. (Sweet baby Emmett slept most of the time except to eat and get in some tummy time.  He is such a good baby!!) If there is one thing my boys love, IT'S THE WATER! We put Hudson in a life jacket because he wanted to do everything "by hisself!" He was swimming the lazy river! And I'm pretty sure in another life Beau was a fish.  He is a happy kid but in the water he just grins and grins.  He didn't care if he was getting splashed or dunked. He LOVED it!

Later that night we went out to dinner at this wonderful little Mexican restaurant down an the strip in Gatlinburg.  They had awesome food and AMAZING drinks.  It was such a good meal after all day water fun! We followed up our dinner with a walk on around the shops and a little ice cream treat! :) 

 When we got back to the cabin the boys changed into their pjs for some more play time. For some reason, Hudson has been on a superman kick- kid has never seen the show.  So we tied his blanket to make a cape.  Well, Graham had to have one too.  Then they added hats.  A John Deere and fedora superman? T-R-E-N-D-Y!

 The next morning, our little family had planned to go Ripley's aquarium.  Hudson loves animals and we knew he would enjoy seeing all the different creatures they had! We were headed out to our car and had to take pause.  Outside our cabin were 4 baby black bears which meant, mama was close too. It was such a highlight to our trip! We actually stood on the porch of our cabin to snap some pictures and also our balcony!

They broke through our trash container in the back and apparently wanted some corn on the cob!

Once we were sure we could escape make a safe exit, we headed to the aquarium.  Note Hudson's hands behind his back.  He literally stood like that at every exhibit.  It was so much fun.  We got to see them feed the penguins and stingrays.  Definitely a great part of our trip!

We went back to the cabin to have lunch and pack up.  We headed back a day early because Andrew had to be back at work for payroll (BOO!)  We soaked up the last bits of family time! So grateful to have that time together to build memories! I can not wait for our next adventure! :)

Hudson 2 Beau 8 months