First Half of Smoky Mountain Camping

Who knew that during all the years we have lived in Georgia that the Smoky Mountains were only a three hour drive away?  We put it on our bucket list and luckily we were able to convince some great people to join us in our adventure.  Thank you Jared and Rach for picking a great place to stay and for coming all the way to Tennessee for some camping fun. 

As we traveled along the way we stopped at an overlook for Tallulah Falls.  This was another thing on my bucket list so we stopped.  We didn't get much time because we knew it would rain and we needed to get camp set up before the rain came in.  We tried stopping on our way back but the boys fell asleep so we missed seeing the falls up close.  Still it was a fun stop and reminded me of Jackson Hole, a little.

There were hills we were driving on.  The boys put their hands in the air for a great roller coaster ride.  They were so cute.

We picked a campsite that would accommodate the Harrison Family Reunion (of sorts, missing a few family members).  We luckily had an extra tarp that we could put over the picnic table and luckily had just enough rope to put it up in a skiwampus kind of way.  It was shelter enough for the rain we had. 

Dinner for the first night; spaghetti and meatballs.  Oh it was such a great idea I found online.  This was quick and easy for the first night and it kept our bellies full.

The only problem with this meal is that it got all over the place...I mean face.

We were happy to have the Allen's arrive in time to set up and eat dinner.  In the morning we found that a few things had gotten a little wet from the nice storm we had that night.  We used some rope and a tow rope to create a clothes line.  The kids had way too much fun running through the sheets.

I borrowed this nice little shade tent from a friend and it perfectly fit the picnic table inside.  We didn't know when or if it would rain again but it was great to have for the kids.

Our first little hike took us up to Juney Whank falls.

Lincoln really wanted to ride in the back pack.  We really needed Henry to ride in it because he walks a bit slower than the rest of the kids.  Plus Linc weighs close to 40 lbs!  That's a lot of extra weight for Willie to be taking.

Luckily Lincoln snapped out of his grumpy mood and really enjoyed running with his cousin Tori and Parker.

I love the personality of each of the kids.  They are all so fantastic.

Henry was disappointed that he didn't get to run around much.  Poor kid.

Trees.  Beautiful Trees.

Juney Whank Falls.

On the way back to the campsite Parker was up on a rock wall and I asked him to get down so he wouldn't get hurt but as he was jumping off the wall to get down he tripped and hurt himself.  Willie went with the other two boys so Henry could finish his nap and Parker and I took care of his injury on his right elbow.  We took our time and as we did this we found a really cool multi-colored lizard.

Nap time = game time.  We were able to play Mickey Mouse Yahtzee.  This is a good game for kids and adults.

The boys were pretty thrilled with seeing a train as we came into town so we took some time and went back into town to see the trains.  Turns out that this is where they would annually do a Day out With Thomas adventure.  I had looked into doing it for Parker's birthday once but man it was expensive for a ticket.  Perhaps you would get your money's worth though.  Either way student budgets don't allow for such extravagances, that's why we go camping.  Well there is definitely more to come with this trip, each day we had with the Allen's was a day to be treasured.

What Will I Miss?

We are coming down to only a week and a half before we move.  The baby isn't here yet and I'm thinking about what I will miss in Georgia.  I will miss the trees.  I get to look out my window and see a forest of trees right now and it's so beautiful with all the green.  I find myself taking more pictures of the trees.  One thing I am sad about is that my boys will hardly remember living in Georgia and all the wonderful people who have influenced our lives.  There are so many who have done so much for our family over the years some have moved on and my boys don't even know that these folks existed.  I will miss the summer swimming that unfortunately died down quickly this year.  I will miss joy school and the time I would get with friends.  I will miss cutting our own tree down at the Hunter Tree Farm for Christmas.  I will miss the temple being so close to us.  I need the temple in my life because going helps me to calm down a little.  Usually the only thing that makes me cry is reading an article from the Ensign (the Church magazine).  I try my best not to cry about moving away from our home in Georgia.  You could have asked me three years ago if I would have cried and I would have said no way, but today I'm missing making more memories here and being influenced by good people.  We will be living in a house in Colorado and so I will miss a few of the amenities that can be found at an apartment complex.  In the same respect I will greatly look forward to walking my groceries into my home from the garage rather than over 150 ft.  Likewise with the mail.  The kids will be safe riding their bikes on the sidewalk rather than getting run over in the parking lot (they never did get run over).
Thank you to those who have taught us great principles while we have been here.  Thank you to those who influenced us every day.  I am grateful for the experiences we have had while Willie finished his PhD.  I love and will miss all of you.    

Baby #4 Game.

Here is the deal.  We would like you to take your guess on when this baby will come.  My due date is July 30.  The doctor said it's okay to do an induction a week early if we want.  Keep in mind we are moving so an induction isn't too bad of an idea.  Although I don't want to really get induced at the hospital.  So the last day for that would be July 31.  I am dilated already, I won't say to what because I don't really think it matters much.  Make your guess in the comment section or through email.  The winner will get something...maybe...if we remember.  :)  Here's what you can guess on,
Baby Name: (remember it's a girl)
Baby Height:
Baby Weight:
Baby Delivery Date:
Baby Delivery Time:

Lake Lanier, Buford Dam

June 9, 2012

Our goal this time for our bucket list was to go to South Carolina with these wonderful folk so we could go to the beach and use Johns nifty beach shovel.  Well time got the best of us and it turned out that we could only travel North for an hour to a beach at the lake.  Not quite the same as the ocean but you deal with what you can.  The company was really appreciated.  It was a nice warm day to be at the lake.  The smells and activity brought back so many memories of when we would go boating as kids.  My family would go for about a week down to Lake Powell each summer.  We also would travel to Pine View Dam and go boating.  One of the snacks that my dad always had and will always remind me of the smell of the boat is Lay's Original BBQ chips.  We also always had Twizzlers.  Good times boating.  It would have been fun to rent one for the day but that can get a bit pricey for only two families.   

The red ball in this picture was the limit to where the kids were allowed to go.  We made a rule that if they went beyond then they had to have an adult and a flotation device with them.  It was perfect.

Olympia.

The mound of sand behind Willie is a part of a beach chair that John carved out with his shovel.  It was great watching the two boys (Willie and John) play at the beach together.  They really were like little kids.  They would run with buckets to see the water go down the path they made.  I wish I had taken a picture of the two of them.

Thanks for going to the beach with us Salmon family.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

June 1, 2012

Bucket List item: Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  Thank you Lindy for getting a season pass and inviting us along.  What a treat it was to spend some time with you and the girls.  As soon as we walked in all the kids received a map of the gardens.  This really came in handy later when they all sat down with them to find out where we should go next.  

I love water features.  This is a really cool place and it would be worth going again.  I could spend a lot of time just enjoying the flowers but of course we tried to see all of it.  By the way I don't know if I mentioned it but Lincoln is POTTY TRAINED!  He was in his first few weeks of wearing underwear when we went to the gardens.  I was a bit nervous and we had many bathroom breaks where no one went potty but it was okay in the end.

This frog was a little intimidating for Lincoln.  He wouldn't even get close to it.

This section of the garden reminded me of our trip to France.

Oh so beautiful.

The weather on this fine day was fantastic.  It was not hot at all.  In fact when we made it to the kids little splash area it was almost too cold for them to get in and play.  Parker was very hesitant to run through the water.  I suppose that's how it will be on occasion in Colorado.

This was Peter Rabbit's home.  The kids area is really cool and you could spend the entire day there.

The pond was a hit.  At one point I started hearing this strange noise and I couldn't figure out what it was.  Then the kids ran over and told me it was a frog.  I thought there must have been a recording but sure enough in the pond there were many huge frogs that were talking.

This was one of our last stops at the botanical garden, we didn't spend much time because all the kids were getting really tired.  In fact as soon as we were in the car driving it started to rain really good and by the time we were home it stopped.  What an absolutely perfect day with some friends.

The Hydrangea garden.  This is my favorite flower of the South right now.  Love it!

I love this photo of Auch helping Anya with her flip flop

My own little hydrangeas.