New Years Eve Day

Last year when we came to Gatlinburg we had LOTS of snow.  So much snow that we couldn't even get to our cabin the first day and had to sleep in a hotel that first night.  But this year, unfortunately we haven't seen much snow but it has made travel alot easier.  The weather at night has been kinda chilly but during the day in the sun it is in the upper 50's and feels perfect with a jacket on.  This morning we got out before the crowds got bad and rode on the skylift.  The kids have looked forward to this since we got here!

Riding over the creek...

View from the top...

Heading back down...

Before we rode up again (we got an all day pass), we ate lunch at the Mellow Mushroom...yum!

We walked down the strip some....

Then we were driving back to our cabin when we passed a crowd of people standing by the woods with their cameras out.  So we turned the car around and joined them.  There were at least three black BEARS right by the 4 lane highway in the middle of the day!  It was so neat!  You can see them barely in the middle of this pic but of course we couldn't get too close.  I wanted a zoom lens so bad for this moment!

Look at the crowds of people looking at it!

This was the kids' first time seeing a wild bear and they thought it was so neat.  Glad we got to experience it on our last day of 2011 and last day of our vacation!

Bandages and Bowling

This morning started off leisurely as we slept in and the kids and I watched most of the movie Enchanted on the iPad before we ever even got up for coffee.  Then we got up, showered and were fixing breakfast when I kept hearing Lucy whine downstairs.  The kids had been downstairs putting puzzles together on the  pool table but when I heard her whining, I went downstairs to check on them.  I asked Karis since she was down there, "What is wrong with Lucy?"  She replied, "I don't know she keeps laying on that air mattress and crying saying her arm hurts.  Her and Brayden were jumping off the picnic table onto the air mattress."  "WHAT?!?!?"  After I got onto them, I realized Lucy was hurting so bad she wouldn't even move.  She just kept crying/whining saying her arm hurt.  I brought her upstairs to try to assess the situation and for over an hour she would randomly cry about it and would not move at all and wouldn't let go of her wrist.  After some contemplation and phone calls, we decided to go ahead and go to a doctor about 3 miles away (that just happened to have an x-ray machine) to get it checked out. 

From the time we called to the time we walked out it was less than an hour.  They were WONDERFUL!  As soon as we walked in they called us back to x-ray her and then the doc immediately came in.  He explained he saw no fractures or breaks but that the cartilage may be damaged and it was swollen and sprained.  He wrapped it up in her favorite color and sent us packing with extra supplies.  She was a trooper.  We were so glad it was just sprained and we didn't have to go to Knoxville to the hospital to be casted!  Lolli met Jay and I there and helped take care of Lucy. It doesn't matter how old I get, it always makes me feel better to have my mom there. :)

The loot we came home with...

Her hand all wrapped up....

After we got back from the doctor, we spent the afternoon on the couch watching a movie to let Lucy's wrist feel better.  Then Lolli and Karis went out to run some errands and ended up going ice skating with some friends while out so we took Brayden a 1/2 mile down the road to go bowling.

Uncle Matt

Me helping Lucy...

She got so excited every time she would knock one down it was so cute!

Aunt Jenna

Aunt Tiffany

Uncle Jon-Jon

Daddy and Lulu...

Jonathan and Jenna

Me and my man

Tiff and Matt

Brayden had a BALL!  He loved it but would get disappointed if he didn't knock them all down.  He didn't understand why he couldn't get a strike every time.

Here are randoms I dumped from my phone from the last couple of days I wanted to add also....

Oh and here is a pic Lolli took of Karis while she was ice skating tonight.  She has gotten so good at it and she has only been twice!!!

Vacation is almost over and we will be sad to go home.  But I intend to enjoy every last bit we have left!!!

WonderWorks

Today we took the kids to WonderWorks which is like a souped up Children's Museum.  They loved the outside of the building and kept calling it the "upside down building."

This is the ceiling when you walk in....so neat.

In the hurricane exhibit...

You put your hand in this water and it is supposedly how cold the water was the night the Titanic sank.  You see how long you can stand the water.

This is neat.  You stand on this and it measures how tall you are.

Karis' height...

Brayden's height....

Lucy's height...

This ride was in there but we did NOT do it.  People were screaming while riding it.

Pop, Jay, Me, Brayden and Karis all did the climbing wall.  It was super fun and alot scarier than it looks!

Brayden, Jay and Karis all going up at the same time.  I was about to get on at this point.

Here's me and Karis...

Pop and Jay did this Spacewalk Challenge while Lolli and I took the kids around to the exhibits.  It was really neat!

This was above our heads and they walked/climbed on ropes up there with a harness on of course.

Me and Lolli laid on a bed of nails...

This was cool.  This measures your brain wave activity and you win the ball game by how well you can relax your brain.  Brayden beat Lolli!

Karis and Lucy played and we were amazed at how still Lucy sat for only being two.  She sat perfectly still for almost 10 minutes!

After the museum, we headed to FIVE GUYS to eat lunch...so yummy!  Then we all came back to the cabin for naps/rest time.  Karis and I watched a movie together in her made-tent on her iPad.  We ate tacos for dinner, chilled, played games and got in the hot tub.  Fun day!