Fall Break : Gatlinburg, TN

We did something we've never done before and took a quick trip over the kids' fall break. In the summer, we decided to book a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN and it was so amazing! We spent 4 days in the smoky mountains resting, enjoying the scenery and taking part in some fun activities that the area has to offer! It was an amazing trip! Fall is so crazy for us with the start of school, sports and harvest, that it was really nice to get away and be in the quiet.

Anytime we are within range of a Buc-cees, the kids are pumped! 

Our cabin had an old school arcade game that was very heavily used during our trip. 

....as was the hot tub!

We picked a dinner show to watch for our first outing and we all enjoyed it. 

Right next door was the Titanic museum, so we hopped on over and went through that as well. It was so well done!! I really didn't expect much but I would say that all 5 of us would rate it a 10/10-it was that good!! 

This part of the exhibit showed how the boat sloped over the course of time while it was sinking. You can climb up on the "boat" to feel what the passengers experienced....

The kids really loved this Lego replica too!

The grand staircase replica was incredible too! It is so hard to fathom that this was on a ship!

We were told that we needed to eat at the Apple Barn Farmhouse Restaurant. There was a bit of a wait so we walked through the Christmas shop next door and found Santa and his elf! 

Another "must do" on our list was the Smoky Mountain Knife Works Shop. John wanted to grab a knife to replace the one he had to give to TSA and the boys were really interested in maybe finding a knife of their own. The other thing they ended up super interested in was the rock and gemstone area. Johnny could have spent all day in this area! 

When in the mountains, you've gotta do a Mountain Coaster! 

Our final day in Gatlinburg, we thought we would go to Dollywood. Nobody really felt like doing that when it came down to it, so we decided to rent a Ranger and venture into the mountains. We hiked a trail, picnicked for lunch and spent the day in the beautiful fall colors. 

 

Fall Fun!

 We may already be counting down the days until school is out and summer is here, but we are still having some fun in the meantime! 

We celebrated the 45th birthday of our number one guy in his most favorite way! John loves poppy seed cake and a yummy, quiet dinner from Hunter's Pub at home, so that is exactly what we did! A few months back, I gave him his birthday present early so he could get some good use out of it before the weather turned real cold. We gave him a small fridge for the barn so he could stock all his favorite drinks and ice cream treats (per the boys' request) for the days he is working on things out there. 

I can't believe we even did it, but I dropped Mellany and Charlotte off at their first football game without a parent. Just chalk it up on the list of things we said we would never do!

The dance team was finally able to perform their routine with the high school and two other middle school teams. Mellany really loves this event! (She's in the back row, the tallest girl)

Just another car line morning with Charlie. :)

John was supposed to attend a field trip with Charlie but it got cancelled last minute because of rainy and windy weather. So, we took advantage of his empty schedule and headed to see the movie "Reagan" and went to lunch at Olive Garden. We had the best spontaneous date day!

Winston: Our favorite guard dog; always on the lookout

Cargill set up a tailgate and got tickets for everyone at a Purdue football game and we all got to attend. It was another hot day, and wasn't one of Purdue's best played games, but we still had a great time!

Another Sunday afternoon, another flag football game! Charlie's favorite! 

Johnny's class took another field trip to the battlefield, this time for fishing. It was one of his most favorite trips so far! He was in heaven all day! (He's in the red shirt)

It was 8th Grade Night for the Battle Ground Football, Cheer and Dance teams and the dance team performed at half time. I love watching these girls!!

By the end of the night, Winston is exhausting looking after all his people! 

The boys earned a couple of awards at Cub Scouts! 

The boys have also been taking basketball lessons with Simon and have learned SO MUCH over the past few weeks. I'm so impressed with how their skills have improved!

She turns thirteen and nothing says "Welcome to your Teen Years" like a set of braces! She was a bit nervous, but has really handled them like a champ! The plan is for her to have them on for about 15 months! 

The 7th grade band performed with another middle school's 7th grade band, which then concluded with a party after. This was definitely a favorite night for Mellany! She loves band so much and when you add a party on after, it's the best night ever! 

Never fails I find a random selfie on my phone! 

Charlie has been packing his own lunch some this year and on this day, he somehow ended up with two chocolate bars and declared it the best lunch ever! Hi lunch room monitor took a pic of him and sent it to me because he was laughing so hard about it!

John has been making some great progress on Johnny's closet and I can't wait to see the final result! 

HAPPY MONDAY!