With Tate being out of the pool for a week because of his ears, we had to find alternate fun. Sunday 6/30 we met my Aunt Sandy (dad's sister) and her husband Steve in Gaitlinburg for a day of fun. Gaitlinburg is a touristy little town in the Smokey Mountains. My kids had never gone mini-golfing before, and my aunt hadn't been in several decades, so we decided to give it a try.
Of course the kids loved it! The course was Davey Crockett themed, so it was very Tennessee-ish and even I liked it!
Monday we decided to go back up to Gaitlinburg, this time with with Auntie Jill. She and Auntie Barbara were headed back to England at the end of the week, so we took her out for a little fun. First up the aquarium.
The kids pretended to be in stuck in a fish tank-
The fish swimming behind their heads were bigger than their heads!
We all loved the penguins-
I have seen seahorses a few times and they are pretty cool. But the exhibit of leafy seadragons were unreal-
As was the mermaid show! We were skeptical at first, but it really was amazing to see these women swim, float, flip with the fish, unattached to anything with a mermaid tail!
These were the only bears we found in the Smoky Mountains- fortunately
Cathryn and Peter served moonshine at their wedding. A very different moonshine than you may be thinking of! They had flavors like pink lemonade and apple pie! It was made by Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine. When I learned that the distillery was right there in Gaitlinburg, I wanted to go!
While Auntie Jill and the kids waited outside and listened to the live banjo band that was playing, I went in to check it out. The place was huge! It is set up like a bar and they give complimentary tastings, like at a winery. The place was packed, so I bought a jar to go instead!
If you see this label- try it!
When I was a kid, my grandmother, Ba (mom's mom) would always take us kids (cousins included) berry picking. We would go to an actual pick-your-own strawberry farm for strawberries. But when it came time for blueberries, we would just pick them from the low bushes along the side of the road. I haven't been blueberry picking since I was a kid, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids.
So off we go to a pick your own farm-
Tate especially loved them!
I always forget how much I enjoy Japanese Teppanyaki- the tasty food, but mostly the experience. We took Tate once when he was younger- maybe just 1 or 2- but he does not remember it. So we thought it'd be fun for the family to go again with the kids. And it was!
What is everyone looking at?
The 4th of July was especially fun this year because Cathryn and Peter returned home for the long weekend and it was (British) Auntie Jill's birthday! I tried my hand at tie-dying some red, white and blue shirts for the kids to wear on the 4th-
Cathryn and Peter took the kids, and Jill, downtown for some fun. They went to
see the ducks race. What is a duck race you ask?
It is an annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Knoxville. For $5 you can buy a rubber duck to enter into the race. First prize if your duck wins- $10,000! YES PLEASE!
Earlier in the week we took the kids out to buy our ducks. I just knew I was going to be the big winner-
Between 40,000-50,000 ducks are released into the water! Here are Tate and Macy, just waiting to be winners-
Can you believe all the ducks? They actually dump them into the water from the back of a dump truck!
Well, we didn't win, but the kids had fun-
And I stayed home to make some red, white and blue rice krispie treats!
That afternoon we had all the family over for a bbq and then some fireworks-
Uncle Peter was the brave one who dared to shoot them off. It was late, dark and loud so Macy wasn't really a fan of the fireworks. (Plus I don't think she liked just knowing there was a threat of her beloved new Uncle Peter getting injured!) So she went in the house to watch TV with grandpa. After our fireworks show, I came in to check on her and found them both fast asleep together-
Friday July 5th we had to say good-bye to Auntie Jill and Auntie Barbara. They had been with us
for 2 1/2 weeks and every day was just so fun!
Cathryn and Peter promised Tate and Macy a fun day out once they returned from their honeymoon, as a thank you for being in their wedding. It turned out to be an amazing day!
First, Uncle Peter went out to get them Dunkin Donuts (before they were even awake!) for breakfast and surprised them each with a newly released Minion toy from McDonalds, as they would be going to see Despicable Me 2 later in the day.
They went to the movies, lunch at Chic-fil-A, a trip to Toys R Us and then the grand finale- Build A Bear Workshop!
Here they are with their new bears-
They got bears, outfits and major accessories- like skateboards and tents!
We also had one more wedding to attend this summer, for Molly and Mark. Molly is Brian's brother, Lawrence's daughter. She married a sweet guy who is in the Marines (just out of boot camp!) and they will be living in Colorado. Happiness always guys!
Well, all good things must come to an end, so they say. It was a VERY sad good-bye on Sunday when Cathryn and Peter left...
No comments:
Post a Comment