Jefferson Fun

This weekend we made a quick trip to Jefferson but we did manage to have a little fun!  There was a small petting zoo with baby ducks swimming in a pond and goats.

Ava loved picking up the baby ducks.  

Dawson giggled at the goats nibbling on his fingers.

We also enjoyed face painting and soap making too!

Gatlinburg - Miscellaneous

All right, the long deluge of vacation posts are coming to an end.  Here are some random pictures that didn't have any other logical place:

Kids in their Davy Crockett hats

Daddy and Bo may have enjoyed this store a little too much!

A big double thumbs up for our breakfast out.

One day as we returned from a big morning of hiking, Dawson just fell down to the floor and refused to get up.  Looks like we wore him out pretty good!

Carter and Ava received their Junior Ranger Badges.  They had to complete some activities in a work book, pick up trash around the park and attend a class.  We went to a flag folding class, and the kids learned the proper way to take down a flag and fold it.

The whole Family!

Daddy, Bo, Aunt Tiff, Andrew and his Bear, Uncle Jason

Mommy, Carter, Grandma, Dawson and Ava

Doc and Ava snuggling after a long day

Sweet kids in front of the mountain scenery

Clingman's Dome

Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the park, and while there is a short hike to the top it is a steep incline.

All three kids made it to the top under their own power, but we did have to stop about every ten feet.  Here is Carter using his compass to guide us to the top. 

Daddy and Doc climbing the ramp to get to the dome.

The View from the Top!  I was so happy to see it!

The kids also did a little rock climbing while we were there.

Daddy was in hot pursuit the entire time.

We also took a short walk down a quiet walkway with Grandma and Bo.

I cannot remember what they were doing here!

Three little kiddos sitting in a tree!

Chimney Tops

This time around I hike Chimney Tops, considered the most difficult trail in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  It is only two miles to the top but with a 1200 foot elevation change.

It started off with a beautiful mountain stream, and then got a little crazy.  

But the views at the top were worth it!

And take a look at this picture:

That is Uncle Jay scaling the top of the mountain.  It scares me just looking at this picture!

At the top!

I made it!

Uncle Jay gets my vote for best rock climber!

And Bo was definitely the fastest!

Maybe when the kids are older we will take them on this hike.........maybe!

Laurel Falls

I laugh in the face of Danger

So, just in case you can't read the sign it says "DANGER Falling deaths have occurred.  Closely control children."

And of course at one point he took off sprinting down the path, I went running after him and luckily a kind man stopped him.  Doc got a little upset, but it helped him understand that he couldn't run off on the trail.

But a lot of the time he had piggy-back rides or he was shooting his Dad with a microscope.  (Everything becomes a gun!  Even rocks and cheese!)

The kids at the falls

Carter had a wonderful time hiking with his Grandma, while Ava ran up ahead with Bo-ey.  I have to say, this is one hike I doubt we will see Mike do again, especially with the kids.  The sides of the trail were very precipitous.  

Little Greenbriar School House

Another Fun Hike!

We saw Uncle Jay's favorite insect, the millipede!

We traversed mountain streams!

I was nervous about bears because this was an isolated hike, so we sang the whole way!  Mike and I tried singing 99 bottles of pop on the wall but the kids declared it "annoying."

Then we explored the school house and graveyard.  The kids really wanted to play school, so we did!

Cade's Cove

Cade's Cove is one of our favorite areas of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  There is an eleven mile loop through the cove that is scattered with historical cabins, churches, mills and barns of the late 1800's and early 1900's.  It is closed two mornings a week for bikers to explore without motor vehicles.

On the way to the cove we saw our only black bear.  I was so excited that the kids got to see a bear from the safety of our car!

Mike and I biked the cove while Grandma and Bo took the kids on a short hike through the cove.  

Then after our bike ride, we met as the cove was opening to cars and drove to the Village area.  

Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Bo, Dawson, carter and Ava in front of a nearby stream.

In the Village we explored a mill, barn, smokehouse and much more.  The kids were able to watch the mill in action and see corn being ground up for corn meal.  We even purchased some corn meal to make homemade corn bread!

The kids were so excited to explore Carter Shield's cabin.  Nothing too exciting, but they obviously loved the name!

Ripley's Aquarium

We enjoyed an afternoon at Ripley's Aquarium with the kids in Gatlinburg.

It was so fun to see so many of the ocean creatures that we don't get to see on a regular basis.  I love watching fish swim, how relaxing and calming!

Dawson enjoyed punching the fish, because he's Dawson.

His favorite part was the sawfish.

The moving walkway

Carter and Bo

Not suprisingly, Carter liked the penguins the best.

In this picture Ava was checking out the poison dart frogs, but her favorite was the jellyfish.

I love this stink face

Megalodon!!

I thought the best part of the Aquarium was the penguin exhibit.  There is a little tunnel for kids to crawl into the exhibit and then pop their heads up into a little glass enclosed area within the exhibit.  Here is a picture of Carter with a front row view of the penguins. 

Gatlinburg - Then and Now

We also visited Gatlinburg in August of 2008, right before Carter's first birthday.  Here are some comparison shots from our first and second trip, my sentimental side showing!

2008

2014

Clingman's Dome in 2008.  It was really early and we had to bundle Carter up with a jacket, blanket and Grandma's jacket with a hood.  When we got to the top, nothing.  The view was completely obscured!

Clingman's Dome in 2014.  We went later in the morning and there was no need for jackets.  All three kids walked up the steep incline, but we had to stop about every ten steps.  I was so happy that we had a pretty view this time!

Play Time in 2008

Carter had taken a couple of steps here and there, but crawling was his preferred method of transportation.

Play Time in 2014

Ava loved spending time with her little cousin Andrew.

Aquarium in 2008

I remember that Carter was fascinated with the fish swimming in the tank.

Here is Carter with his brother and sister in front of the very same tank.  This time Carter was spouting off facts about jellyfish and sea horses and loved watching the Megaladon jaws.

Our Family of 3

Our Family of 5

Wow!  That escalated quickly!