Gatlinburg and Dollywood

When Grandma and Papa get suckered into visiting a timeshare and listening to the whole spill we tag along for a fun weekend getaway.  When we left out we had to stop by Krispy Kreme for our free doughnut on National Doughnut Day.  I think it's safe to say we all enjoyed them!

The place my parents got in Gatlinburg was at the very top of a mountain with lots of sharp curves.  I may not have been feeling great by the time we arrived.  Dollywood offers a special if you enter the park after a certain time you can go back the next day for free.  We took advantage of that offer and went for a little bit on Friday night and then went back on Saturday.  Not sure if we had a celebrity encounter or not, but lots of people were saying that the guy we saw was Jack Nicholson.  If it wasn't him, he was a great impersonator.  However he's not someone I'm dying to ever meet so I could have cared less.  Raleigh rode her first roller coaster and looked terrified, but said she loved it.  Jason's happy that he finally has someone who loves water rides and I'm happy I won't have to disappoint him anymore.  :)  Raleigh was also happy she got to enjoy the pool while Grandma and Papa went to listen to their talk about buying a timeshare.  Garner enjoyed walking around more than swimming.

We also saved some money on the entrance to the park with a large cup from McDonald's.  Garner thought he was going to get some sweet tea.  :)

 Waiting patiently to ride the cars!  Of course they broke down while we were waiting.

 Garner was able to get a good nap while Jason and Raleigh rode a ride

 I can't believe Raleigh actually wanted to ride this!  She loved it!

 Garner enjoyed some rides just his size!

Before we headed home on Sunday we ate at Apple Barn, enjoyed a little time at the river, and shopped a little at the outlets.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain, rain, go away! Garner wants to go out to play!  I don't think we'll have a drought this summer with all the rain we've had so far.

Despite the rain, Raleigh has had a fun week going to VBS at Union Grove Baptist Church.  Several of her friends went and they have all had the best time.  I'm glad she got to experience a VBS at a small church...they're just different.  They even had a little program to end the week!

17 months

Garner is 17 months old now and constantly moving!  Pictures are getting very, very difficult!  Garner is Mr. Independent!  Raleigh didn't mind letting us do things for her at this age, but Garner wants to do things on his own.  He hasn't been eating as well lately.  Sometimes I think he's just being stubborn (not sure where he would get that from) and wanting to do it himself and other times I think his teeth are bothering him.  His cuspids are all trying to come through and look so close, but aren't breaking through.  Every once in a while he'll have a random fever and we know it's teething.  He hasn't added any new words which concerns me a little, but at the same time he's very physical.  I think it's just a difference in boys and girls.  He may not say much, but he understands a lot!  We'll ask him to do something and he'll do it and know exactly what we're talking about.  It's pretty cute and for right now he's somewhat obedient, but the more independent he gets I'm sure that will change.  Garner enjoys playing with Raleigh's dollhouse.  His favorite thing is the mop.  Maybe he's going to like to clean...or maybe it just feels good on his gums.  I'm going to hope he enjoys cleaning.  :) He's so funny and cute with little things he does that it always make us smile.  He's going to be a difficult one to discipline with that cute smile!

Baby Party at Zoo Atlanta

Northside Hospital sent us (or Garner) an invitation to a baby party they were throwing for all the babies born in the past year.  All we had to do was to bring canned foods to Zoo Atlanta and we could get in free for about two hours.  We were in!  It was great!  There were a good many people there, but it wasn't too crowded.  They also had some feeding times that we were able to watch.  The one we enjoyed was the gorillas.  Since we weren't spending any money to get in or for anything else in the park we splurged and let Raleigh and Garner feed the parrots.  The hospital also had face painting, music, free cookies and ice cream.  It was a wonderful fun, muggy night at the zoo!