I wasn’t putting up the Christmas ornaments fast enough for Susie, who took matters into her own hands with a set of building blocks!
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I wasn’t putting up the Christmas ornaments fast enough for Susie, who took matters into her own hands with a set of building blocks!
There’s something missing in our home as of Tuesday – Susie’s tooth! Much to all of our surprise, the tooth that only started wiggling a week ago is already gone! Apparently while Susie was eating lunch at school, she reached up to wiggle her tooth for the umpteenth time that day and was shocked to find it had fallen out. We assume she must have swallowed it, but she took it in stride once we assured her she’d still find something under her pillow the next day. When the kids were young, Jim and I decided that we would tell the kids the truth about the Tooth Fairy, Santa, etc, but that we would still emphasize to the kids that we can have fun pretending. So even though Susie knew it was going to be her parents sneaking into her room that night, she was still so excited she could barely stand it. And honestly, I was too! I found an idea online to paint the quarters with glitter nail polish so they would “sparkle” with fairy dust. Much to my surprise, I actually had purple sparkly nail polish in my possession (thanks Mom!), so I was able to transform some ordinary coins into magic ones, and I printed out an envelope to put them in under her pillow. I swapped it for the picture of a tooth we drew in place of her actual tooth. Susie found the envelope the next morning and was so bowled over by her sparkly coins that she took them to school with her, and then took them to bed with her the next night. I love the fact that she is still entranced by the magic of this whole experience, even though she knows it’s all make-believe. My grown-up girl still has a marvelous childlike imagination!
We tried to do cousin photos while we were all together (especially since Alli and Jon are excellent photographers), but getting six little kids to all smile at the camera is easier said than done! Here are a few shots of the more willing participants:
We made a trip to Dollywood the day before we left, and even though it was cold and crowded, we had a great time. The park is such a fun place to visit – it just whet my appetite for another trip there!
At the end of the day, I even got to visit with a friend of mine. I was sad we couldn’t spend more time together, but seeing her was a blessing to me all the same!
When we got home that night from Dollywood, Jim proudly announced that his pedometer recorded he had walked well over 10,000 steps. We concluded that meant little Jimmy had probably walked over 20,000. He was a bit worn out!
I took one last look around our cabin before we left the next morning. It had been a great house for the week!
The drive home was long and tiring, but the kids did remarkably well. You know it was a long car trip when I let the kids draw all over themselves to keep them entertained!
I’m so thankful we had such a great week with our family in Tennessee. We can’t wait to go back! The day before Thanksgiving, the guys agreed to watch all the kids so us ladies could go shopping. So my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece and I had a wonderful time at a nearby outlet shopping mall while the guys herded kids. We met up for dinner, but not before the guys took the kids to an arcade, where Danny eagerly inspected the candy and games:
Thanksgiving day dawned sunny and a touch warmer, so to further appreciate the gorgeous scenery, we drove out to the National Park and hiked the path to Laurel Falls. Only Jim and Jon made it the whole way (the kids’ little legs weren’t quite up to the challenge on the icy path!), but it was a lovely outing.
It was on that hike that Susie realized she had her first loose tooth! It was a very momentous occasion! Here’s the “kids’ table” at our take-out Thanksgiving meal:
After dinner, we took an evening stroll to walk off a few of those eagerly-consumed calories:
Danny found out that icicles look more exciting than they taste! And we ended the holiday curled up by the fire and playing games. It was a perfect day!
My favorite outing during our Tennessee trip was attending the Dixie Stampede dinner theatre. I was spellbound during the entire show, as were all the kids. And not only was the production fantastic, the food was outstanding as well!
We followed up the dinner show with a trip to a huge Christmas store and an ice cream parlor. Yum! I had to get this shot of my dear husband putting Jimmy to bed. Every night, Jim dutifully tucked Jimmy into his little tent. It’s so nice not having to lug around a pack n’ play for him!
The girls’ bedtime routine was more social, since it involved the cousins. We had the four big kids all sharing a room, so after Julie read them a story and we tucked them into their beds, we typically heard giggling for another hour or two!
Each morning, the big kids would leap from their beds and wake up the household with their excited banter. Good thing we all like early morning cuddles!
We woke up Wednesday morning to a fresh layer of snow, much to the children’s delight. It was good, sticky snowball-friendly snow:
The kids were happy to thaw out by the fire with bowls of popcorn!
Many of my fondest childhood memories involve trips to see my out-of-state cousins, and I am sure the same will hold true for my kids. We just returned from a wonderful, action-packed trip to Tennessee with Jim’s parents and sister’s family, and it’s safe to say my kids were on cloud nine the whole time. From sun-up to sun-down (and usually before and after the sun!), the cousins giggled and played and squealed and wrestled and hugged and chatted with each other. We were all so impressed by how well the kids got along with each other (the only exception being that Danny sometimes greeted his cousins’ sweet overtures with an irritated, wrinkled-nosed “Bah!” We’re all hopeful he’ll be more receptive at our next visit!). And of course, the little kids all flocked to their big cousin Alli, who entertained and embraced them nonstop. Tennessee didn’t fail to provide amazing adventures our whole week, including a chilly snowstorm that blanketed our rental mountaintop cabin. While the adults were wishing for warmer temperatures, the kids thoroughly enjoyed the snow! And seeing kids all bundled up with hats, gloves, boots and pink cheeks is awfully cute, even when you’re freezing! Here’s the first installment of the many pictures I took this week. Looking back through them is making me miss everyone even more! Our rental cabin, complete with three levels of decks overlooking the Smoky Mountains:
We took the kids to an arcade the first night there. Isn’t it great when they enjoy the games without having to put any money in? 😉 Danny did occasionally let himself be cuddled by Kate!
Sweet Alli:
We took a great hike, led by Jim in his new quest to take as many steps as possible (thanks to a fancy new Fitbit pedometer!). I don’t think Danny was quite up to Jim’s speed.
We couldn’t get enough of the breathtaking Smoky Mountain vistas:
Alli was such a good sport to squeeze in the back and listen to the kids’ incessant chatter!
Becky and Susie came nose-to-nose with stuffed wildlife behind glass:
As well as with LIVE wildlife behind glass!
Some of the group took an air tram ride in Ober Gatlinburg:
Bubba and the baby:
Uncle Jon giving the kids a breakfast Bible lesson:
The kids used a downpour as an excuse to go stomping in puddles with umbrellas:
And of course they had to warm up afterward with a soak in the hot tub:
Pappy’s lap was frequently full this week!
More pictures to come! |
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