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Contrary to the girls’ initial expectations, the Dollywood theme park was not full of dolls. But I’m happy to say, they liked it anyway! It was a very, very cold evening, so we didn’t stay as long as we would have liked, but we still had a wonderful time there. The whole park was decorated for Christmas, and the lights were spectacular. The girls were especially thrilled by all the pink and purple lights, and by the fact that their Bubba won them two large plush reindeer at a carnival game. Who has ever heard of winning TWO large prizes at those games? Way to go, Bubba!
Our Tennessee Thanksgiving day was a welcome departure from our normal stuff-our-faces-with-turkey-then-sit-on-the-couch routine. Instead, we stuffed our faces with Tony Roma’s steak and then rode bikes in the sunshine. No prep-work or clean-up necessary! Here are the girls dancing by the river at our campsite after our meal:
And to give you a sense of the carefree spirit of the day, here’s a clip of Becky twirling and singing to herself: Even though he’s not quite twirling yet, Danny enjoyed the day, too (doesn’t he look like he ate his fill of steak and maybe snuck a few turkey legs in there to boot?!)!
The next time we travel to Tennessee, I want to make sure we get to do more sightseeing in the Smoky Mountains. We took a long scenic drive and fell in love with the gorgeous landscape. I can see why they’ve inspired so many beautiful songs. And seeing my family enjoy the outdoors practically makes me burst out in song, too!
One of the highlights of our trip was seeing a dinner show called The Lumberjack Feud. I’d never been to a dinner theatre before, and I wasn’t sure how all the kids would behave, but it turned out to be a great evening. The girls were mesmerized by the action on the stage, Jimmy was enthralled by the real chainsaws, the vehicles, and the puppy dogs in the show (as well as a nonstop flow of Gerber Puffs), and Danny seemed to like all the activity. As for me, I just liked having a dinner where I didn’t have to provide the entertainment!
What state boasts stunning mountains, mild winters, bountiful lakes, and all the Southern Gospel music one could want? Well, thanks to a wonderful week-long RV trip, I can now say Tennessee fits the bill! We camped out with the kids and Jim’s parents in an RV park in Sevierville (pronounced “severe-ville”), which is the town next to Gatlinburg. We all fell in love with the area’s natural beauty, as well as its endless family-friendly amusements. We can’t wait to go back! I’ll post more pictures in the next few days, but I’ll start off with a picture from our first night featuring a stop at Cracker Barrel for dinner. You can’t eat there without trying out the rocking chairs!
Jim: “Susie, do you like bacon?” Susie: “No.” Jim: “How do you know you don’t like it?” Susie: “God just made me that way.” *** Jim, holding up a dessert that the girls helped me make: “Susie, is there bacon in this?” Susie: “No! Bacon POWDER!” (I wonder if she’d also call it “bacon soda”…) *** Me, after Jim navigated the car into a tight space: “Hon, you’re a pro!” Susie: “Did you know that a crow is a type of bird?” Me: “No, Daddy’s not a CROW – he’s a PRO!” *** Becky: “My bed smells funny.” Me: “What does it smell like?” Becky: “Like sheep’s fur.” *** Susie: “What day is it?” Me: “Saturday.” Susie: “That means it’s almost time for Christmas!!” *** Becky wrapped a blanket over her head like the Mary she’s seen in a Nativity scene, turned to Susie and said: “I am Mary. You are the donkey.” *** I told the girls that I’d only take them to the mall if they were on their best behavior. I said, “I don’t take whiny kids to the mall.” Without missing a beat, Susie replied, “Well, we better leave Danny at home.” Our family has so much to be thankful for. So much. And Jim and I are trying to raise our children to appreciate how blessed we are. So when I saw a craft about thankfulness in Family Fun magazine that looked so simple even I could complete it, I decided to go ahead and try my non-crafty hand at it. First I wrapped a Styrofoam ring with strips of fabric and straight pins: Then I drew leaf shapes on cardstock and had the girls cut them out:
Then we wrote something we were thankful for on each leaf, and attached them to the wreath with straight pins.
It turned out well, and the girls enjoyed naming things they were thankful for. Granted, their ideas typically centered around items they spotted in the nearby vicinity (“I’m thankful for…windows! And doors! And carpet!”), but I think they still grasped the concept that we are surrounded by blessings that we don’t deserve.
This Thanksgiving, I pray you are blessed by the love of family and friends, and most importantly, by the love of the Savior. Becky lined up her “grandkids” on the couch this morning. There were sixteen of them. Kinda crazy to think that if our four kids each had four kids, that line-up could be our own progeny!
We had a fun playdate with my friend and her kids, one of which is only a few days younger than Danny. My friend has four young children as well; it was nice to know that my head is not the only one spinning these days!
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