Tennessee Trip 2013

 Highlights of our Tennessee Trip 2013 included The Smoky's and the Knoxville Zoo.

Ready to hike:

 The kids loved this rustic cabin in the woods. When they went inside, they decided they wouldn't want to live there, though :)

Climbing around the falls was also lots of fun. We had to pull ourselves up on a rope. Even Grace made it, which speaks to her determination!

This big guy stole my heart at the Knoxville zoo. I could have watched him for hours. They brought out his lunch pail, and he rifled through it searching for his favorites to eat first. The lettuce was quickly tossed out. He dove on the carrots, then peeled a leek and ate it. He ate some kind of tomato paste from a bottle but got impatient and chewed through the plastic. Finally, he ate the lettuce and cabbage but only the inside leaves. His cage was strewn with the disco

The long trip!

Cutest Cows on the Block!

Everything tastes better when you're dressed like a cow! Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day is rapidly becoming one of my favorite family traditions! Nothing like feeding a family of four for FREE just for showing some cow spirit!

Grace-isms

Grace says the funniest things!

Grace (while eating a PB&J she made all by herself): Daddy, when I'm done eating I'm going to fight you.
Daddy (playfully): Oh, Grace, don't fight me. I'm scared!
Grace: (giggly): Don't worry, Daddy! I'll fight gently so nobody gets vanquished!

Did somebody say vanquished???
Grace loves to latch onto a word someone says and ask the question "Did somebody say (insert word)?"

Earlier this year her two expressions that cracked me up the most were:

"Here goes nothing" (said before doing just about anything but especially funny when said before doing something daring like zooming down our giant, snowy hill on a by herself on a sled
)

"At your service"
Think I like this one. Pretty nice to call a kid's name and have them scurry to stand before you "at your service". Can I keep it?

What can you do in 1 min. 9 sec.?

Enough time to throw a load of laundry in the wash? Run upstairs to grab something and be so distracted by a screaming kid you forget what you were going to grab and head back down? For Archie, it is now enough time to swim a length (25 meters) of the pool. This is his first year on swim team, and he is loving it. We worked hard in the indoor pool for about two weeks to get him ready for the K.C. Waves time trials.

Archie is getting quite brave in the water. This is the first day he jumped off the diving board.

A Visit to the Land of CHOCOLATE!

Fun and chocolate? Chocolate and fun?

That's what we had at Hershey Park last month. They had tons of kid friendly rides. Archie was disappointed that neither of his parents would take him on an adult roller coaster (even though he was tall enough to ride one of the smaller ones).

It wasn't a particularly hot day, but a quick trip down the log ride was still fun!

Tower of Terror miniature style? Archie loved it!

Nothing like shaking hands with a Hershey Kiss (unless it's eating one). Grace was hilarious when she ran over to this guy and kissed him.

My favorite part was the Hershey Museum. They had an "It's a Small World" style ride that taught all about the production of chocolate. Archie, my non-fiction guy, and Grace both loved it, too.

Afterward, they gave a free sample then funneled you into the store to buy more. Looking down and seeing the hoards of people crowding to buy the same things you can get for cheaper at Walmart reminded me of China.

Who's the Sleepiest of Them All?

This does not look comfortable! We must've really worn Grace out at the park today. She was so out in the car I threw my freezer bag down for some padding and she never woke up until the check-out line.

Fun Saturday

What's even better than a birthday party? A birthday party followed by a soccer game. We had a blast this morning at our 3-year-old neighbor's farm party.

Archie on the cow train!

Grace loved feeding the goats. She wasn't even a little scared!

Today was team picture day. We arrived at the field about one minute before the big event.

Archie's soccer is really improving. He absolutely loves it! Their team is really good. It is one of the largest (number of players) and tallest teams in the league. They are currently 3-0. There are two kids who are soccer machines. They score almost every time they get the ball. I've promised Archie an ice cream when he gets his first goal. Their coaches are really great, too!