Going to see the Grandparents

On Monday July 27th, I packed up the car, kids and dogs, drove 1.5 hours south to pick up Cathryn and Gracie and we all headed to Knoxville for some R&R with Nanna and Grandpa for a couple weeks... 

It took us 10 hours in all (not too shabby with 2 kids, 1 toddler and 2 dogs!) and it was well worth it when we arrived and Gill had dinner waiting on the table for us and wine in my glass! After dinner (9ish maybe?) the kids were so excited to go out and jump in the pool for a little night swimming. It was the perfect ending to a long day.

Gill bought them these awesome noodle-riders- 

They even kept me afloat-

One day we headed to a great playground on the UT campus, with the cool view of the Knoxville Sunsphere-

Tate and Gracie-

Then we went down to a splash pad on the river. My kids liked the waterfall the best- 

Tate laid out on this warm rock, just like a lizard-

Macy opted for a wooden swing-

Took the kids to the farmers market, where they got to experience the dreaded wooden ice cream spoon-

Ambra and I would march as girl scouts in our town parade each  Memorial Day and at the end, you would be rewarded with a Hoodsie Cup- that came along with a wooden spoon. I couldn't do it and it still gives me chills just thinking about it!

My aunt Sandy (dads sister) lives in North Carolina and always drives over to see us when we are visiting Tennessee. We try to do something fun with the kids, and this time we chose the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. Now Pigeon Forge is kind of like Las Vegas for families. And we have driven by this museum for years and always been impressed by its massive size, so we thought we'd finally go inside!

There is even a giant faux iceberg at the side of the ship!

Well, I am happy to report that the museum did NOT disappoint! I was worried that it may be cheesy or gimmicky, but it wasn't at all. The owner of the museum was the 2nd person to finance a deep sea exploration to the sunken titanic, at the cost of $6 million dollars, so needless to say, he knows what he's talking about!

Afterwards we went out to lunch and got our fill of southern food- Tate devoured some fried okra and I was happy with my chicken and dumplings for sure.

I was shocked one day to see Macy's back and her tan lines! They would usually swim for a bit in the morning, and again after naps in the late afternoon. Not once did she get red at all, and suddenly- a tan!

Gill watches a little boy named Silas once a week and for the last 3 years, my kids have loved playing with him when we visit-

I under packed books for Tate. Big time. I found myself having to buy him books the last few days we were in Knoxville, so that he would have something to read each day. (I love the library and hate buying chapter books!) But, boy was he psyched when I found the two "extra" Harry Potter books for him-

He didn't even know they existed, and carried them around giddy with excitement for days!

Crazy hair after a nap Macy-

Sweet Gracie-

Macy realized one night at dinner that she could stick her shoulder blades through the chair spindles, kinda creepy-

The kids got to try out the cool bungy cord trampoline things one day-

And loved every minute of the high flying, flipping action!

Gill and George celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary while we were there- and I didn't take any pictures... Oops. They are such an inspiration to Brian and I.

We found out last month that Brian's brother in law (of 43 years- yup, he's been married to Brian's oldest sister, Caron, since before Brian was even born!) has a terminal cancer diagnosis... Gary is a special person and just lights up the room he is in, so being able to spend time with him over the last 2 weeks was a gift. Here he is with Gracie, who for some reason just loves to climb into his lap-

And we celebrated Gill's birthday while we were there!

Lots of fun with Gracie... The kids literally could not get enough of her!

Even wanted to show her how to play mind craft-

And then it was time to go... We packed up and headed home on Monday Aug 9. And boy were we packed up, the dogs beds were overlapping each other in the back-

The kids had each other, and lots of screens, so they were just fine!

Brian and I had originally blocked off the whole month of August to fly to England with the kids to visit his Grandmother. Then he deployed and Granny passed away. So with a whole month just wide open, I knew I wanted to head to Knoxville. Being there feels like home, even without Brian. Spending time with Gill and George is such a blessing, for both me and the kids... I am so lucky to have the in-laws that I have!