Gatlinburg days 1&2

We're back!  We rolled back in town yesterday afternoon and it's good to be back.  Of course, we did not want to leave, and we heard the kids say all the way home that they wanted to go back, but once we were home, it was nice to be back, and nice to sleep in our own beds.

We had a fantastic time.  Yes, I was the one who really didn't want to go, but it was exactly what we needed and we really couldn't have had a better time if we'd tried.  I was going to include a link to our cabin but their site isn't working, so I may just end up having to post all of the pics I took of it if it doesn't get back up.  That will be a whole post in itself...  It was an adventure...  I'll share pics and post them by the day as I get them edited.  My big girl camera was acting up, so some of them, despite editing, aren't the greatest, but at least they capture the memories!

We set off early Thursday morning to meet Keith and Dee at Mc Donalds to leave town.  We were there by 6, they didn't get there until 6:30, so we got off to a late start.  We made great time, though, and were through Nashville earlier than expected, so the rest of the trip went by quickly.  The kids were SO good!  The PSP and iPod kept them entertained.

We "followed" the Man Caves truck and trailer most of the way down.  Keith didn't use his cruise, so we'd pass and get passed by this truck repeatedly throughout the day.    We made it to Gatlinburg right around 4:00, and stopped at the welcome center to stretch our legs.  It was so nice to be there!  After that, we went to our cabin to unload before buying groceries.  When we got in, we found this on our bed!

Jessica and Reid had to work Thursday, so they didn't leave town until after they got home, so it was just us and Keith and Dee the first day.  They got in around 2:30 a.m. and the kids were excited to see the girls when they woke up.

DAY TWO

At breakfast, we planned our day and decided to stop by a horse riding place to let the girls see if they wanted to ride horses and then planned to hike to Grotto falls after that.  Abbie rode on a pony, but Issie wanted no part of it!  And I figured it would be the other way around!

Once we left the horse place, we headed to the Smoky Mountain National Park to find the Grotto Falls hiking trail.  On the way up the mountain, traffic was stopped and there were two bears off the side of the road!  My main goal was to see a bear this time, and I was SO happy to see some!

This year's hike to Grotto falls was MUCH better than last time.  We learned our lesson and drove the second trail head before starting out!  We actually made it to the falls, too, and it was well worth the hike!  The kids got to walk behind the falls and they really thought that was cool!

 Our afternoon was spent planning our week and letting the kids play.  There was an air hockey and pool table downstairs and that was right up Preston's alley!  He played more pool than anything else all week, and he's missing it now!  He's pretty good, too!

We went to the Smoky Mountain Brewery for dinner.  I called ahead to all the restaurants we planned to visit to see what the kids could eat, and this one was OK for both of them- or so we thought.  Kate ordered her grilled chicken sandwich and they brought her a grilled cheese.  After much confusion, it turned out that they didn't even have a grilled chicken sandwich on the menu even though the manager assured me that they did.  So Kate was left to eat French fries, which she didn't mind.  The food was good, although WAY over-priced.

The Brewery was located downtown on the main drag, so we walked around the shops before and after we ate.  This is a big attraction when you're in Gatlinburg, and the street is packed with people.  We're not really shop-looking people, but it's kind of fun to see all the stuff they have, and you definitely see a lot of interesting people, too!

Stay tuned for day three!

Laundy Land

My children are strange creatures.  They LOVE going to the laundromat.  It's not very often that we go- only when we have to wash the quilt on Kate's bed that happens to be way too big and bulky to fit in our washer, so it's a treat.  And instead of the fancy new laundromat that opened with the flat screen tvs, we opt for the dive down on Jefferson St.  It's classy, folks, but I can wash that quilt for $3.25 in some retro jumbo washer, and flashback to the 70's. 

As we were leaving to go to the laundromat, Preston told me that I didn't need to bring any money, and displayed a bag of quarters (corters, as he calls them).  I kindly told him to save his money, and he decided he'd use it to buy something from the vending machine, which, is likely as old as the place itself.  And when he got there, he did just that.  Now, this machine is iffy on whether it will work.  He wanted a Hershey bar, but that one didn't work.  The Fritos did, but they were chili cheese, so that meant he had to buy something else.  By the time we were done, he'd bought 3 bags of chips (for vacation), and then wanted to see how the Suds 'n Such machine worked, so he bought a box of Tide (for vacation).  Good thing everything was cheap! 

All is well

Today was our big double dr. appointment day that I haven't been too crazy about.  Usually, I look forward to Preston's ENT appointments, but with Kate's appointment looming in the afternoon and everything we had to do between the two, and keeping the kids happy, I was just ready to get the day over!

The best news we could have gotten today was that his tubes are STILL IN!!!!!  Thank the Lord!  I had been dreading them being out before our trip since the day we decided to go- while sitting in recovery the day he got them in October.  I feel so much better knowing his ears should fare well with a week in the mountains.  Mine won't, but as long as his are OK, that's what I care about.  I told him about the incident in March when his tube plugged and he immediately started up with pain/pressure/couldn't hear, and he just said that proves he's not ready to be without tubes yet.  Nice...  I also discussed his recent sleep apnea episodes and we're supposed to monitor him until he goes back in Dec.  I have to determine if they are "startle" responses or obstructive.  Two to three obstructive episodes in an hour is not good, but "startle" episodes are fine (adults can have 10 an hour).  His tonsils are big but not "terribly impressive", so he doesn't want to do anything with them now and have to go back and do new tubes in a few months.  Now, had he taken them out when he took the adenoids 3 years ago (doesn't seem that long ago), we wouldn't be in this mess.

Kate had her 13 year well check today and she's doing really well!  She's just an inch shy of being as tall as me.  She's going to pass me up!  She had to get a shot that the State decided was necessary before the next school year starts and didn't even flinch!  And she puts up the worst fight at the dentist?  Really, I'm thankful that it went well because after waiting an hour and a half, I wasn't up for a fight.  It was just too long for the kids to be there after already having to sit through one appointment.  And Kate has to have her hearing tested.  Sigh...  I've noticed recently that she's not hearing as well as she should.  I don't know how much is just being 13, or if she really can't hear.  When she tried to repeat things I've said, she's not even close to what I said, and today she couldn't hear me talking to her in the car with the radio off.  But with my hearing loss and my family's history, Dr. B. felt it better safe than sorry and wants it checked out.  It never ends!

I'm looking forward to a low-key weekend.  I do have to wrap up some loose ends for our trip and maybe start packing.  Kate's only been bugging me to do that every day for the past 2 weeks...

Our harrowing day

 Don't let this little guy fool you.  He may look all sweet, but he's a vicious little creature.  One little chipmunk (not to wrongly accuse the above critter) caused us a very stressful day that we'll not soon forget, and it taught Preston a hard lesson in why you NEVER, EVER pick up a wild animal.

After picking Preston up from basketball camp, we came home to plant some plants out back.  I was on the patio and the kids walked out to the pond.  Less than a minute later Preston comes running with his eyes as wide as could be, "Look mom!  He fell in the pond and I saved him!"  I shout, "Put that down, he'll bite you," and no sooner than I got the word "bite" out, that chipmunk bit his finger.  I immediately think rabies and my heart is racing like mad.  We raced inside and I made him scrub his hand really well and we slapped some triple antibiotic on it while I called the dr.  Of course, they had to check with Dr. B. and call me back.  I asked if chipmunks were a rabies risk and the nurse didn't know, but they didn't carry the rabies vaccine- that was the health department's domain.  An hour later the phone rings and I see the health dept. on the caller id and my stomach sank.  The lady basically wanted to know what happened and if the bite was provoked or if it just ran up and bit him.  She said she had to call the State health dept. and would get back to me.

I was a nervous wreck.  I couldn't sit still while I waited and I paced around the house.  Christopher had me call his mom who works at the health dept here in town and she called the State and talked to someone who told her that it's nearly impossible to infect small rodents with rabies in a laboratory setting, and it was even less likely for them to catch it in the wild, so not to worry.  Funny how she could call and get some answer in 10 minutes and the other didn't...  At 1:30 I still hadn't heard from the dr. or the other health dept. so I called Dr. B.  Apparently his chart said that they had called me to say that they had transferred his "case" (yes, it turned into a case) over to the health dept.  They must have called someone else's house because they didn't talk to me!  Again, the nurse didn't know much, but I asked about a preventative antibiotic, especially since we leave next week for vacation, and she said she'd call me back...  Finally, around 3:45, I get a call from the dr. who had heard back from the State who had talked to a veterinarian and said that there was no risk for rabies and no treatment was needed.  She also said I'd have to watch his bite for signs of infection and then they'd have him come in to see if he needed an antibiotic. 

So here is my little guy sporting his Angry Birds bandaid on his sore finger.  Luckily, he was only bit on one side of his finger since the other side hit his nail.  We're so thankful that everything was OK.  He's still not out of the woods in terms of infection, but Kate sees Dr. B. Friday for a well check, so I'll have her look at it then unless it gets bad before then.  I can't tell you how many times I have told him today to never ever pick up a wild animal, ever again- no matter what.  I think he learned his lesson.  At least I hope so!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a long, busy and fun weekend, and it was really nice!  Hot, but nice!

Saturday Christopher and his dad were able to install our new sump pump and emergency backup pump.  Of course, nothing ever goes without bumps in the road, and this was no exception.  They spent all morning getting this all hooked up only to discover around 12:30 that the new pump we got did NOT work.  Nice...  So the guys went to town and bought a new one and got them both installed.  The upside?  No more worrying about power outages and making a mad dash to the garage to get the generator so that we don't have a flood in our basement.  Hallelujah!  The downside?  Having to look at this ugly mess in our basement.  Total time to install- 5.5 hours.  Afterward, we went out to Keith and Dee's to swim for a while.  The kids swam, we watched!

 Sunday we went out to Ramsey to the cabin for Zoe's birthday party.  It was HOT- near 97 with no breeze.  The kids had a good time and it was nice to visit with Christopher's family, but we didn't stay long.  We headed to Granny and Pa's after that for dinner and an evening of fun.  It had cooled off enough by that time that the kids were able to run and play and not die of heat stroke!  I came home with a bag of carrots, zucchini, cabbage and an onion from our garden and can't wait to eat them!  Something ate my lettuce, roots and all, so no more of that.

One of our favorite things to do on Memorial Day is to drive through the cemetery and see the avenue of flags.  I don't know how many hundreds of flags they have, but it's amazing.  This year we remembered to take the camera along.

Even the State House was decked out.


We headed out to Pa's property up in Ramsey early this morning to do some fishing and relaxing.  We had to do it early since it was supposed to be another record-breaking heat day.  It was SO windy, and it really helped it to feel nice.  We rode the Titanic again, but it was really too windy and we had to fight to get it where we wanted, so we only rode for a short time.  Preston spent a good deal of time fishing again and managed to catch 2 good sized catfish and some bluegill.  He didn't catch the whopper he caught last weekend, but still had a great time.  There was a good hour we didn't hear or see him or Pa as they sat and fished.  I know they both enjoyed that time together.

  By 2:00, we were hot and tired, so we headed home, with the kids begging to swim the whole way, so we went back to Keith and Dee's and let them swim some more.  My children are little fish and would live in the water if we let them! 

I'm glad to be getting back to a more normal week tomorrow.  Preston has basketball camp each morning, but it's over by 9:30, so we'll be able to have pretty much the whole day to do whatever we want.

Summer so far

We're 3 days into summer break so far and it's already been a roller coaster.  I've been trying to tie up some Etsy orders, so we haven't had as much free time as we'd like, but we've made the best of it.  We've played outside, spent the morning at the park, and spent the morning at Granny and Pa's playing with the hose (well, they did- I bought groceries).  They've gotten along well, and gotten into fights- possibly more of the latter.  I'm hoping next week works out better since Preston has basketball camp each morning, so they'll be apart and Kate and I will get some one-on-one time.  We'll also be packing for vacation, so we'll see how that goes!

Tonight we went to Gracie's preschool graduation party.  The kids had a blast playing with a frog they found and building it a house out of sand.  They also had fun playing with a puppy that someone brought along, that was pretty cute.  Of course, they beg for one, but they always get the standard answer- "I'd rather have another baby than get a dog- they live longer and eventually take care of themselves!"  And I would!  Can you tell I'm not a dog person?

I'm not sure what the rest of our weekend will bring.  We're installing our emergency sump pump tomorrow so we don't have to worry about power outages while we're gone.  Whoo!  It's supposed to be 97 with heat indexes in the hundreds tomorrow and Sunday, so that kind of puts a damper on outdoor activities.  We are supposed to go to a birthday party at the cabin Sunday and I think it will just be too hot.  Hopefully we can head up to Ramsey Monday instead of Sunday since it's supposed to be much cooler.  Late July heat in May is pretty rough!

Weekend round-up

Phew!  The garage sale is over and done and really, I'm glad!  My heart just wasn't totally into it this year, which isn't like me at all.  I enjoyed seeing stuff go, but we didn't have the turn-out we usually have, and a good regular who buys tons of the kids' clothes, didn't show, so we didn't do as well as we'd hoped.  I didn't at least, but then again, I didn't have the riding lawn mower or the living room set to get rid of, either!  Now all of the leftovers are at Habitat and my attic is free of a lot of junk!

Saturday evening we went down to dad's to celebrate Me-maw's 79th birthday.  It was a lot of fun and the kids had a good time playing with Liam and Kullen outside.  And the food...  it's always to die for, and this was no exception.  I really wanted to fix myself another heaping plate, but everyone else was done, so I skipped it.

 Yesterday mom and Granny were both out of town, so we joined Pa up at his pond in Ramsey for some fishing.  You can see that he's just as happy as can be because he caught the biggest fish that Pa has EVER seen come out of that pond!  Pa couldn't even keep a grip on him because he was so strong!  At Preston's request, he threw him back so he could "get bigger!"  Just a few minutes before he landed that one, he caught one that was a good 18 inches long.  He was really on a roll!  Kate and I paddled around the pond all afternoon in the canoe and eventually the canoe turned into the Titanic as we dodged the many stumps sticking out of the water- they were the icebergs.  Preston has always disliked boats, but once we told him it was the Titanic, he joined us as we attempted to dodge icebergs.  We hit most of them, and even got stuck on one, but we didn't sink!  Now the kids want to paint the canoe like the Titanic!  We've got big plans to go out there for Memorial Day this weekend, so I'll take my camera and get some better pictures than from my phone.

We went to Granny and Pa's today and picked over a gallon of cherries that took me 2 1/2 hours to pit.  I'm a bit spoiled.  I will only eat pies made with their cherries, and they MUST have a homemade crust.  They are the world's best tart cherries, and make some pukery pies!  Tomorrow is the last day of school for this year.  It's went by too fast, but I'm glad to have them home for the summer!