So We Really Like Dollywood...

Before all my crazy started, we, once again, used our awesome passes that Dad & Janet got us to go to Dollywood.  This time we were joined by Mom, Paul, Sherry, and McKellan.  Mom and Paul got us a room so we wouldn't have to drive up and down in one day.  We ate meals out of the car in the parking lot to be safe for Lucy and that worked out really well.

 cautiously optimistic!

 dancing :)

 boys watched the wood worker for quite a while!

 Girls watched and talked to the rug-looper for quite some time.

 Nena, the only one brave enough to ride this with Clyde!

Fun had by all!!

Camping & Rafting (Massive Picture Dump)

With my mom schooling my kids, my husband bringing me everything that my personal nutritionist ;) says I need, and muscle relaxers in my body, I shall finally blog. :)

Back in Sept, for Sherry & David's anniversary weekend we descended on their camping trip like wolves and sapped all the romance out of it!  ;)  (Seriously, though.  We were invited.)

Yay for 4 years!!!

Setting up camp...

creek play, including finding a snakeskin...

Sherry and David cooked AHHMAZING dinners!!  Pork chops one night and steaks one night.

Girls drawing local flora...

 Roasting marshamallows for SMORES!!

THE PERFECT SMORE.

Settling down in tent with good books and stuffed animals.  (Yes, folks, this was soft camping.)

Awesome fire.

The old married couple :)

Breakfast.

How to fit comfortably in your aunt's lap when you're over 5' tall  .....

Proper way to poke a fire.  Apparently there is one.

He learned to skip rocks quickly, as the girls enjoyed sitting mid-river before the dam opened.

The triangulate (or arrowhead) orb weaver.  Though he liked living on our condiments and containers, I'm pretty sure he survived our adventure.

RAFTING.  We got an awesome introduction from our own in-house river guide.  The boys/men + Iris were in one raft, and Lu, Sherry and I were in the other.

The men and Iris....

 Picnic on an island with a swim...

 

 

Lu and I on Sherry's raft  (She was an awesome first time guide.)...

Afterwards Sherry took the kids just floating down a loop of the river a few times....

We had a GREAT time and can't wait to do it again.  BUT on the last morning Iris collapsed in a bathroom stall and was found by her sister, retrieved by her aunty, and the message was brought by a exceedingly fast and short-winded brother.  After we consoled her and made sure she was alright we packed up.  She had to lay down though.  Her brother and sister took turns consoling her until we left.

Much MUCH fun was had by all!!!  Everyone can't wait to do it again!! (minus passing out)  Grateful the anniversary couple allowed us to interlope!