10th Anniversary

Our 10th anniversary was August 14th, so we planned a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN for a few days. We had a great time! Here are the pics...

CADE'S COVE:

Cade's Cove is an 11 mile one-way road that loops around a flat valley where there used to be a log cabin settlement. The cabins were cute, the traffic was terrible. There were several deer that came close to the road that people would stop to look at.

At one end of Cade's Cove there is a real working grist mill. The day we went they were grinding corn into cornmeal. It was fascinating to watch that huge wheel turn the gears as big as our living room inside the mill.

OBER GATLINBURG:

This is a huge bus-like tram, packed with up to 120 adults, hanging by three tiny cables, swaying and bouncing up a two mile trek at a whopping 14 miles/hour! There are two trams and they pass each other on their way up/down the mtn, this is a pic of the other tram we are passing.

Once we made it safely to the top of the mtn by tram, we further tested our faith by climbing in a chair lift swaying and bumping over jagged and rocky terrain up to another summit. Notice the two white tracks going downhill across the bottom of this pic--those are bobsled tracks!

The jagged and rocky terrain... :)

Some folks bobsledding down the mtn. We did this and it WAS fun!


WATERFALL BEHIND SUGARLANDS VISITORS CENTER:

It amazed me how many waterfalls and vistas we took pictures of...most of them look alike. It was an easy hike to get to this one, but just perfect.

NEWFOUND GAP:

I think this is Newfound Gap. Can you tell why we love the Smokies? Just beautiful!

We saw this sign at the trailhead at Newfound Gap. We thought if we got started right away, we might make it to Katahdin, Maine in a few months. But it's actually the Appalachian Trail here, so that's cool.

The Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap.

CLINGMAN'S DOME:

We drove most of the way to the top of Clingman's Dome--the highest point in the Smokies. At the parking lot is a paved trail leading another 1/2 mile up to this spiral ramp to the lookout tower. We had terrible visibility that day, but it was still so pretty. The fogginess made it so quiet and peaceful. You're supposed to be able to see 5 (or is it 7) states from the lookout tower.

This is the best view we got from the top. Not what we expected, but pretty isn't it?

The fog rolled away for just about 5 seconde before it rolled back in. We were already back on the trail down. But this is just amazing how opened up just a tad then rolled back in. I'm not even sure it's actually fog. There was a sign that said something about it being air pollution in solid form...but I like to think of it as fog.

GROTTO FALLS:

This was a moderate 2-1/2 mile hike. It was a beautiful trail. We climbed around these rocks to the right and then behind the waterfall. Then there were some boulders our in front of the waterfall making somewhat of a "pool" area that the water landed in. Just beautiful.

Mike behind the falls.

OH NO! Did you see that BEAR! We were on the boulders in front of the waterfall and along came a HUGE black bear! (Well, huge to us...the locals told us he was probably a yearling.) He came poking along around these rocks, looked straight at us several times and followed us back across the rocks! We were a little scared, but had our wits enough to video most of it. Eventually he went the other way and we quickly got outta there.

When we got back down to the parking lot at the trailhead, along came another bear! This one came close, too! He stood up on his hind legs to look at a trash can and came sniffing close to the cars/people. He was another one about the size of the one at the falls. They're so cute when they walk! But still scary. While we were walking the trail, we also saw a mama bear and her cubs, but they were far enough away and walking fast enough that we didn't get a picture. All together, we saw 7 bears in a little over an hour! Most of them UP CLOSE!

Pretty, isn't it!

That night we took the advice of a friend of ours who used to live in Gatlinburg and ate at Best Italian. Our friend recommended their calzone, and boy was he right! Just look at that huge calzone! We barely made a dent in it as we had just eaten wonderful salads and amazing fresh homemade garlic rolls. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm...can't wait to go back!

One day we rented a Harley Davidson motorcycle and drove around the scenic roads in the Smokies! It was a blast! We thought we enjoyed the scenery of the mountains before, but never had we realized how limited our view was when we were in the truck. Wow! a 360 degree view is amazing! It really was a lot of fun! But at the end of the day, we were glad to be on four wheels again.

again...

Well, for the once-in-a-lifetime event of riding a Harley, we sure did get enough pictures to make it look like we rode it for a week or two!

CHIMNEY TOPS:

This was a 4 mile stenuous hike to the rocky top of a mountain. It was a fun hike--very difficult at times, but very fun. Here is a view along the way.

Here is the rocky top of the mountain. You have to scramble up these rocks to get to the top. They're kinda slippery and steep and a little scary considering what would happen if you slip.

With that in mind, I took my shoes off part way up the rocks. They were slippery, and I could climb better barefooted. Everything's better barefooted.

The view from the top! Ahhhhh...so worth the climb!

This shows the steep rocks. We climbed up a little farther to a place where we could recline against the rocks. I ate a granola bar and we watched the birds flying overhead.

While we were reclining we heard something behind us, but I thought it was just a bird landing on the rock. Then again we heard something, but this time it sounded more like a grunt. AAAAGH!!! No kidding, there was a BEAR at the TOP of this MOUNTAIN!!! And it looked right at us and came straight toward us! I was so scared because there was nowhere to go but down the steep rocks or OFF the steep rocks. We scrambled down a ways, then Mike insisted that I give him the camera, I was insisting that we get DOWN--NOW! But I'm glad he got this pic. That bear is right where we were sitting! I crawled down to my shoes and just grabbed them my hands and continued to crawl down the rocks and ran part of the way down the trail before I stopped to put my shoes on. The bear had since gone the other way.

TOURIST TRAP:

here are some pics of really creative buildings in Pigeon Forge. This upside down building is just an arcade inside. But the lobby looks upside down, too.

some crazy castle building.

We had a great vacation! It was soooo nice to finish our own conversations, eat our own food, and follow our own schedule for a few days. But we really started to miss the girls after a couple days. They weren't missing us much, though. They spent a night with their cousins in Plainfield, then Mike's folks came to our house to watch them until we got back. We are so grateful for everyone who helped make this such a wonderful trip. God truly blessed our time together.

Growing girls

Some updates and stories about the girls:

Hannah--She can read really well now. She mostly picked it up on her own. I had tried to help her learn the phonics and some sight words earlier in the summer, but she and I both got frustrated with it. The exceptions to our language are so difficult to figure out for a five year old. So we both dropped it, but the a couple weeks ago she just picked up a book and started reading it! She can sound out lots of long words, but sometimes she just guesses and she might read the word "look" as "like" or something. But overall she's doing great! And it's great for me, too. Her sisters LOVE listening to her read and they'll stack up a bunch of books and sit on the big chair together reading. Hannah will ask them questions to make sure they're understanding and show them the pictures. It's perfect for her!

She stayed a night with her cousins in Plainfield last week, and they live kinda near the airport. They told me that there were lots of planes flying over their house that day, and Hannah commented, "That's because you live in Plane-field!"

Alli--She loves her preschool class, but she's a little timid with being the center of attention. The other day her teacher told me that she wouldn't play duck duck goose. :( I know she loves that game, hopefully she'll warm up and be comfortable in her class.

One day we dropped Hannah off at school where the principal helps the kids get out of their cars. As we drove away Alli asked who that man was. I told her he was the principal, and she replied, "So...he's a PRINCE!!!"

Alli is really good at puzzles. She's so patient and persistent. She'll keep trying quietly until she gets it done!

Carrie--She's such a character! Carrie loves to be silly and have fun. She says such cute words now. When she sees a helicopter she says, "Mom, it's a helpacotter." Her flip-flops are "slip-shlops" or "fee-pops." She says "mine" instead of me or I, for example, "Mine fine" instead of I'm fine. Lately she has been saying "nevermind, Mommy" especially when she thinks she's going to be told not to do something. Like, "Carrie, did you make that mess?" She'll say, "Ohhh, nevermind, Mommy." She copies anything her sisters do, but she knows she's just copying it. If they're starting to get whiney or throw a fit, she might start to copy them, but if I look at her she'll giggle. She's good at taking care of her sisters--if one is feeling sad, she'll pat their back and try to comfort them, asking them what's wrong. She still runs instead of walks most times and when she gets to where she was going she hops once!

The 2nd half of August

So here's the story on the second half of this month. (I uploaded these pics in reverse order, so the story will be backwards, though.) :)

Alli's looking a little nervous just before I drop her off at preschool. 8.17.09 She had fun, but couldn't tell me much of anything they did. She loves school days!

Alli and Carrie and their friends Grayson and Parker Burkett on the first day of preschool. Alli and Parker will be in preschool together. Funny thing--the Burketts and us together have 7 kids, all within six years, but only Alli and Parker ended up in the same grade in school. Anyway, they're good friends and Alli's glad he's in her class.

Beautiful sisters, Carrie and Alli on first day of preschool. 8.17.09

This is our friend Anna Beth at a goodbye party for her family. Her parents just moved to Joplin, MO to work at CIY. My girls love Anna Beth and they'll miss her a lot. But now we have even more reason to go visit Joplin!

Crazy face Alli!

Alli shucking some of our homegrown corn. We had a pretty good crop from our very first garden. The girls love playing in the garden and finding fresh veggies for the dinner table. Mmm mmm mmm.

8.13.09 Here's Hannah on her first day of Kindergarten with her teacher, Mrs. Binder. On the first day I was "lucky" enough to be able to take her into her classroom instead of dropping her off in the car line. But what a mess I was! It was all I could do to blubber our the word, "Smile!" here. She was proud and excited, and although I was proud of her, I was just a mess of tears that day. To think that not long ago at all we just brought her home from the hospital, and remembering all the cute first milestones, thinking of all the things I wanted to do before she was in school that we haven't done, wondering if we've prepared her for all the influences and difficulties she'll face, but mostly just seeing my little baby already so independent is so hard to come to terms with. I just grasp at the memories of the past almost six years and want to experience them just one more time. I don't want to stay up all night with a crying baby anymore, but just one night to soak up those sweet little soft cheeks and tiny fingers. One day to hear those precious baby giggles, to watch those first steps, to see the wonder in her eyes when she sees snow for the first time, or crunches in fall leaves, or plays in rain puddles. How did the time go so fast? And I think the part that made it even more apparent to me that my time with them is fleeting is that Hannah and Alli are both in school three mornings a week. Last year we were just starting to do the school thing, and this year I only have one left at home those days. Oh well, enough reminiscing. The good part is that they both love school!

Here's a sweet oldest sister before we take her to her fist day of school.

Showing off her new backpack. 8.13.09

Open house to meet her teacher. 8.12.09 You can tell here, that Hannah's a little nervous. She had been worried about school, not knowing what to expect. We tried to reassure her that it would be fun, she'd meet new friends, play new games, get to go to the school library, etc. But she just wasn't sure she wanted to go to school. In fact, she said she just wanted to go for a couple days, then quit school. Now, I was a middle child, and my older sister, Rachel, paved the way for me in lots of ways. She was the first to go to school, and would come home and tell us all about it, so I wasn't nervous at all. So I called in the reserves and asked my mom and Rachel and her oldest daughter Ruthy to tell Hannah what school was like. She took their advice very matter of factly and said she wasn't nervous anymore. And once she made up her mind that she was ready for school, she was. The other day I asked Hannah how she liked school now that she's had several days of it. She replied, "I DON'T. They don't teach me anything I don't already know!" Some of that is probably true since she can read pretty well already. But I think she enjoys going to school.

August Pics

Here are some of our August pics so far.

It finally got hot enough to go swimming! 8.7.09

Hannah playing in the sprinkler. 8.8.09

Alli and Hannah in the sprinkler. 8.8.09

Carrie 8.8.09

Mike took a day off and we went to Apple Works, and orchard/petting zoo/playground. We are so lucky to live 5 minutes from Apple Works, it's a great place. This is Hannah and Carrie feeding a goat. 8.10.09

Alli talking to a turkey. 8.10.09

Wheeee! Hannah at the end of a two storey barn slide! The highlight of the day for all three girls. It was FAST and DARK and FUN!!! 8.10.09

Awww...aren't they cute!!! 8.10.09

Ice cream in the gift shop. 8.10.09