Family Spring Break in The Smokies 2011 (incl. Mother's Day)

Arrived in The Smokies on Friday afternoon around 5, enjoyed a wonderful relaxing supper @The Pottery House, Aly loved being in the pool again and her "Duggar-style" suit was a big hit with everyone! We also spent a day @Dollywood, with supper following @Big Daddy's (where they cook with a wood fired brick oven~YUMMM)! Every day was a beautiful day on our vacation in the southern countryside! You will see "CAPTIONS" on the photos, if you right-click in the center of the Slideshow, itself! On Sunday, @Cade's Cove alone, we saw 7 or 8 deer, several wild turkeys and a half a dozen black bears! Later, @Three Bears, we saw another 4 black bears, up close and personal! Those pix were taken on a different camera and will have to be shared at a later date. Aly loved all of the wild animals and wanted to find some she could pet and feed... which will have to wait til our next visit or til we find a local petting zoo! We always love the home cookin' @The Old Mill, too! What INCREDIBLE days were enjoyed on this Spring Break!!! Aly rode rides "alone", literally, in Kids Country @The Track (Family Rec. Center) including GO KARTS, also "alone"!!! We all loved eating @No Way Jose's, late afternoon shopping for Mama and I @Tanger Outlet, afterwards, we stopped by for Christmas Eve Stew and Million Dollar Dessert @Partridge & Pear and had a nice chat w/Kirk Talley... later that night, I was thrilled to go on a nighttime horse 'n carriage ride, followed by a round of outdoor putt-putt and late-night snack @Five Guys, with my Man and Baby Girl!!! Such beautiful sights to be seen all over the Smokies !!! Sunny and warm, the whole week, with the exception of ONE afternoon when rain and temps began to fall, but it remained in the 60's and the rain was that wonderful "slanted, gentle" rain like we Southerner's love! Temps shot back up the next day and the sun was once again shining! We found a new “favorite” place to eat @New Orleans Sandwich Co., in G'Burg, and it will now be a "REGULAR" stop for us! YUMMO for REAL Cajun cuisine!!! One can't forget ice cream @Kilwin's, either! Brunch @The Applewood Farmhouse AND shopping @The Apple Barn, General Store & Cider Mill, as always was a hit! Nothing beats their delightful "fritters" & homemade apple butter, either! Though this was far from a stress-free vacation, it was a GREAT one with TONS of memories made, and I will always be grateful to the Lord for providing it for us!!! Ya just gotta love southern sunshine and believe me, the five of us are considering putting down stakes and calling the South “HOME” again, someday... just sayin'!

***I also added a couple of Mother's Day photos to this album for you to enjoy!!!

Pre-Easter Trips, Sleep-Overs and More

It's been a very busy month and hard to believe it's been that long since our St. Patty's day blog! Too many things to mention without boring you, but we do have a handful of photos from this month, so far! Greg was sent to the New Orleans area for work and this left Aly and I at home...alone, for close to a week! Before he left, he and I had a date night with supper at Bravo's and Aly had fun with Uncle Mark, Aunt 'Nita and Nate while we were out...they even made cupcakes for us!

Pre-Easter and Springtime Fun

During the time Greg was out of state, Aly and I had a sleep-over at Papaw and Mimi's, went to supper with friends, rode bikes, and even had a sleep-over right in our own house, as well! We are all excited about Easter and will continue to try to capture a few special moments on camera to share with you...trust y'all are all having a fabulous Spring and Easter season, as well! Easter is a holiday when many people think of the Easter bunny, decorating eggs, dressing up in your 'new' Sunday best and going to church. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with these things, Easter should be more than just another holiday to the Christian. It should be a time to remember that Jesus not only died for our sins, but He rose again and is waiting to come back and receive us back to Him!!! "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." {Matt 28:5-6} Happy Easter to you and yours........

Summer 2010 (thus far, anyway!)

SO much has happened since our last post on June 1st! Too many things to try and list them ALL, suffice it to say, we're having an incredible time, thus far!!!
We truly enjoyed our 'first' family vacation...10 days away from home, together! Aly experienced her first hotel-stay (other than the ones when she was still a baby!), her first time to go 'swimming' with her Daddy (in a BIG pool!), her first visit to Six Flags Over Mid-America, etc.
Then, we ended the vacation by spending time with Greg's family... Wesley was in the process of preparing to leave for his 2-year USAF stint to South Korea (on July 3rd) and it was fun before his departure date, to all be together, again! Mawmaw and Pawpaw even let Greg and I go out on a "date" while we were there and Aly had a ball making crafts with them, at the same time!
Aly's favorite moments of vacation, were without a doubt, the "BIG" kid rides at Six Flags, the "BIG" hotel pool (of course!) and the "Splashing Hole" (also at Six Flags!)....... Can you tell that she's in love with water and having a good time all the time???
We have also attended some great restaurants, concerts, revivals, birthday parties, etc. back at home, in Indy! Mimi and Papaw have joined us for several really fun excursions this Summer, as well... Aly always LOVES any second she can spend with them and the more, the merrier! We really enjoyed spending the 4th of July together... the Princess thinks we should have a 'fireworks show' every night, now! Aly's favorite weekly activity would have to either be Summer School or going to the Mall, Park, etc. with her Papaw!!!
Whitley and her friend, Katie came to town for a few days and we enjoyed taking them downtown, shopping at Circle Center, supper with Mimi and Papaw on Monument Circle, Incredible Pizza Co., Ritter's Frozen Custard, etc. Aly thought she was a teenager while they were here, too!!!
The Children's Department, at church, began a new program for the Summer and it's really fun... full of media, music, etc. and lots of work for Greg and I, but the kids are loving it and that makes it worth it all!
We are excited about our 6th Anniversary coming up, on July 24th, a special dinner-out is being planned; a trip to Port Clinton (and probably Cedar Point) coming up at the beginning of August; Greg's parents will also be here for a visit, over his Birthday weekend, in the middle of August; etc.
So, as you can see... our Summer has been and continues to be FULL UP with many fun activities, great company, neat destinations, good food, etc.!!! Trust you and yours are enjoying a great one, as well.......
P.S.~ We hope to add pictures to this (pitiful quality, once again a BLACKBERRY) Photo Album right away or possibly create a new one, so keep your eyes open for more pictures soon!

Summer 2010 BLACKBERRY Album