Fall Break

I am a little behind posting this and I have no excuse except that it's really chilly here and I would prefer to stay on the sofa curled up in my Snuggie rather than doing my work or chores around the house. But the world keeps turning and apparently 4 people that live with me need my assistance with keeping their world turning as well so I oblige.

It was nice to have a Fall Break a couple of weeks ago with the kids out of school and my hubby off work. We took a little trip to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee aka PCB of the high country. Literally, there was something on every corner and in every crevice of that place. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are filled with places to spend plenty of money on all sorts of things from Daniel Boone caps to Indian headdresses, a magnet for just about anything you can think of to a Dolly sucker. I am not even teasing about the later. There was actually a sucker made out of white chocolate of Dolly Parton from the chest up. I'll leave that to your imagination, rather than explaining further.

Our friend M and her daughter HR went along on our adventure to the mountains. It was so nice to have a playmate for my girls and it was even nicer to have 2 Moms on vacation. I've always needed another Mom around to help. I lived my dream for 3 days.

There is so much there to do in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg that it's hard to decide what to actually do. Do we go to the comedy barn, which looks like Hee-Haw made over, do we go see part monkey/part fish at Ripley's Believe It Or Not, or do we choose to eat giant turkey legs while watching a lot of horses run around at the Dixie Stampede? Decisions, decisions. We chose Dollywood for a day which proved to be very nice. We rode a lot of rides, some of them riding more than once. It wasn't crowded and the weather was nice. Some of the roller coasters were the best that I have ever ridden!












On our second day there we just strolled downtown Gatlinburg taking our time going in and out of stores and finally making our way to Ripley's Believe It Or Not. That place had me hook line and sinker when I saw the mannequin boy with the horn coming out of the back of his head going up and down on a rope. I just had to see more. And I could have spent all day looking in the funny mirror in that place. That was hysterical and in some angles very nice. By the way, I look pretty good at 6 foot and 90 pounds.





We also just had some good times at our cabin. The scenery was nice, the hot tub was relaxing and the game room was fun. Oh, and the beds there were so very comfortable and cozy.




It was a nice trip and a great opportunity to get away from it all.

Oh, and apparently my kids are much smaller in the mountains than they are here....BELIEVE IT.....OR NOT!

The Sweetest Six Year Old In The World!

Yesterday we celebrated K's 6th birthday! It was a great day and filled with fun. We celebrated with her at a local jumping establishment and many of her friends came for her party. We (well,..THEY) jumped, giggled, ate pizza and cake, and opened presents. Fun was had by all.









She still holds her claim to sweetest and prettiest six year old in the world. (I am her mom so I can say that). That and the fact that it's my blog....and the fact that it is true.

Happy Birthday sweet K. You are master snuggler, queen of kindness, entertainer of young brother, friend to older sister, and princess of the family. We love you so very much.

Slowing Down To Enjoy The Scenery

Do you ever just feel like you are running on auto-pilot? I know I talk often about time passing too quickly and my kids growing up faster than I would like.

My mother was telling me about a conversation she had with my brother the other night. He was recalling a very scary event in his life when his 6 year old daughter had to have an emergency brain surgery because of an aneurysm that had occurred. M, his daughter is doing great and it has been about 6 years since that very frightening night. He was telling my mom that he stopped and looked at her lying on the sofa, sick with the flu, and it all came rushing back...the emotions of that time. He said that during that time he was so busy with surgeries, therapies, etc., all while still preaching every Sunday to his congregation, that he never really had time to feel the grief and the sadness while it was occurring.

I remember having newborns. I remember feeling desperate, tired and emotionally drained. I remember feeling like I wished the "newborn stage" would hurry up and be over. I was ready to get some sleep. I don't know how well that I relished the opportunity to hold and rock my babies because quite frankly, I wanted them to sleep..in a bed..in their bed..all night long. I was even too afraid to go in their rooms and watch them peacefully sleeping after they finally fell asleep, in fear that the creak of the door might wake them. Did I let those moments slip by me or did they just go by too quickly?

Do you ever just feel like your life is full of calendars, to do lists, schedules, and routines that you are always living life a few days ahead of yourself? It's like vacation. You have to plan and prepare to go on vacation, while on vacation there is so much you want to fit in, and before you know it your on your way back home.

I this post by Ann yesterday and it all fit in with what I was thinking. You should read it, but my favorite quote from that post is this:

"When I fully enter into now, the weight of being fully in the moment slows time down. Full attentiveness is the only thing that does."

I love that and I couldn't agree more with that statement. When you are truly "in the moment", being fully attentive, you do seem to relish in it more. Your paying attention, you've slowed down to enjoy it. I remember being on vacation this past summer with my family and while swimming the pool with my daughter, both of us looking silly in our goggles and mask, we were looking at each other under the water and laughing in the moment. I remember thinking to myself REMEMBER THIS. It is like those days when I had those sweet babies resting in my arms and would stop to smell their little heads...REMEMBER THIS I would think. Or lately, when I catch a glimpse of my son and hear him counting "one, two, free, go" and jumping off the chair then rolling with laughter....REMEMBER THIS.

I want to have more REMEMBER THIS moments and less panic over what "has" to be done. I want to slow down and be more attentive. I want to experience the joy of a moment and stay there a minute to savor it and be thankful for it. Pay attention. Be IN the moment, not just OF the moment.


(I guess I did actually go in and sneak a picture of a little one sleeping.)
REMEMBER THIS:

(K helping make cobbler a couple of years ago)
REMEMBER THIS:

(A beautiful smile on a chilly day)
REMEMBER THIS: