Memorial Day Weekend

We enjoyed a fun-filled weekend and made the most of the extra day!

On Saturday, we explored our downtown area. The kids loved running through fountains, watching a train come through, walking along the river, and enjoying a yummy dinner on the river. I mean, we didn't eat on the river, but the restaurant overlooked the river. You knew that, right?

We set the camera on a big rock so we could take this family shot.

 

John and Christian watching the Three Rivers Rambler coming through. Christian started waving to everyone on board, and Ansley ran up and down the sidewalk waving.

   

On Sunday, we headed off to Dollywood. Sadly, this is the first time we have been since May 2007, when we went with Mimi and PopPop and JonJon and Missy. But now we have season's passes, so we'll definitely be going more often. I didn't want to lug around my huge camera, so I took Ansley's little camera. It was hard to remember to take pictures while riding on rides and waiting in line, so I didn't get very many. But even though I don't have the photos to prove it, the kids had a blast!

Christian just loved waiting in all the lines!

 

And, ironically, three of the four of us had on the same clothes as the day before. I guess they were just easy to grab the next morning? But I promise it really was a different day.

 

Once this roller coaster got going, John said Christian was all smiles, and at the end wanted to do it again. (Although he pitched a complete FIT at having to get measured to make sure he was tall enough.)

We ate lunch at Aunt Granny's, where Christian had his first ice cream cone. Sad, isn't it? We realized that we took Ansley to Bruster's all the time when she was this age, but back then we weren't all P90X'ers either, so Christian has missed out on ice cream. He was crazy-silly boy with his cone, making us all laugh, and even people at other tables were laughing at him.

 

We rode the big train that goes through the mountains. Christian laughed every time the whistle blew, even though I never could capture it.

 

You know what he's looking at in this picture? The family behind us was eating popcorn, and he was giving them his pitiful starving eyes to see if he could get some.

On Monday, we rode up to Cade's Cove and had a picnic and played. It was beautiful!

After lunch, we made s'mores, and Ansley enjoyed the roasting marshmallow part. You'll be happy to see a change of clothes on this day.

 

Christian could like the s'mores. But he absolutely could not like chocolate all over him. Even though I tried to tell him just to lick his fingers (which, yeah, I know, I would not have done, so why am I trying to tell him to do it?), he just wanted it OFF. So what do I do? I grab the camera, of course. One day, I'm sure he'll understand.

 

Don't worry, he didn't stay like this for long.

Then it was off to play in the streams, which my kids absolutely love to do! Well, Ansley really loves the stream, water, bugs....Christian loves the rocks, and gets used to the water right about when it's time to go.

 

 

The water was FREEZING. Ansley didn't care; Christian couldn't like it. He liked throwing rocks into the stream, while Ansley enjoyed all kinds of exploring. She is definitely an outdoorsy, bug-lovin', rock-climbin', explorin' kinda girl. So much like her Mom.

 

 

 

Then Ansley decided to get crazy and get in a splash fight with us. She got me pretty wet, but in the end, I'd have to say she lost.

 

And Christian got caught in a little crossfire.

 

I wish I had a picture of the HUGEST spider you've ever seen, and Ansley's FACE within less than an inch of it. Seriously. And I know sometimes I can exaggerate when it comes to bugs, but I'm not kidding, this was the most ginormous spider I've ever seen. Think Tarantula size. I told John it was big, and he got up and came over, I'm sure thinking it was gonna be some tiny thing, but John even thought it was huge. So you know it was. Ansley also enjoyed catching little fish in the stream, and even found a salamader that she let crawl up her arms and legs and give Mama the heebie-jeebies. But the spider was by far the worst. I kept telling her to back away, but she just stayed right there, looking at it. And even when some other kids started screaming and throwing rocks, she asked them not to throw rocks because it might hurt it. Which I was thinking, yep, that's the point.

It's so fun exploring and doing new things together!

Comments

[MiMi]

Those are great pictures and I see FUN written all over them!!! Ansley definitely did not get your bug genes--in fact I think they must have come from John's side of the family! Maybe she will be a forest ranger when she grows up!

[Renee]

Hi Megan. :) It looks like y'all had fun all weekend!!! Your Cade's Cove pictures are terrific - the one of Ansley splashing makes me smile huge today...Sarah's bike update - she's flying up and down the hills on the road now!

[Leigh Ann]

You wouldn't guess it, but then again, we seem to always be in the same place at the same time...we were in Cades Cove on Monday as well!! Asheville then Cades Cove ... where to next my friend? :) Looks like ya'll had lots of fun too!