Saturday morning we got ready and made the 5 minute drive over to Ober Gatlinburg, the amusement park type place where we'd be spending the first half of our day. They had a few little rides, an ice skating rink, a "chairlift" that took you up the mountain or to the alpine slide, a small zoo area, and a playground. It was really perfect for our kiddos and their ages. Except for the ice skating rink. But more on that later.
After arriving the first thing we did was ride the carousel. Austin even got to ride on a horse this time. He was sliding all over the place. We didn't get a good picture but I think he enjoyed himself even though he didn't know what was going on. I know Garrison and Allison loved it.
Garrison and Shannon also spent some time on the playground. Allison distinguished herself as the oldest and ventured out on her own quite a bit.... with a parent of course.
Kara and Allison were the first ones to do the Alpine slide and many, many years ago on a trip to Gatlinburg I also braved the slide. Sooo, Terrell and I thought about maybe him and Garrison doing it together. Garrison wasn't interested (I would appreciate this much more later), so I went instead. The ride up was nice and so was the scenery. And the conversation with my hubby. But once we were on the chairlift way up high, I was very thankful Garrison didn't want to do the slide. Because I decided it wasn't safe for him. He could get squirmy. He could change his mind half way up. He could freak out and get squirmy. And there's not much holding you in. Yeah, my protective mama instinct came out with big flashing red lights going off in my mind. It said, It's Not Safe! Haha! The slide itself was pretty harmless. You're riding on something that has a brake and everything. I used mine regularly. Because I'm cautious and safe like that.
Once we got to the bottom, I got off my slide so Garrison could ride a little ways.
After the slide, Garrison rode the cars and motorcycles a few more times before discovering that Allison was ice skating. It was approaching lunch time (the time we had planned to leave) and I had a bad feeling about the whole ice skating thing. What good could come from a 3 year old attempting to wear heavy ice skates and actually maneuver around on a slippery surface? Oh dear. But, I could tell that Terrell wanted him to experience it... or didn't want to tell him no... not sure which, so they went ahead while I hung out with Austin. Needless to say, ice skating took a turn for the worse when Garrison fell down, started crying his eyes out, and then let everyone in the whole place know his devestation when Terrell removed him from rink. Oh dear. Again.
We had dinner at a restaurant in downtown Gatlinburg (another adventure) and then enjoyed frozen custard afterwards. Despite the name and my husband's skepticism, okay mine too, it was really good. And Nana got up in the ginormous rocking chair with all the grands again this year.
Once we were back at the house, I fed Austin and put him to bed while everyone else did birthday stuff for Pops. Then later on we played another fun game together. And I laughed hard again.
After arriving the first thing we did was ride the carousel. Austin even got to ride on a horse this time. He was sliding all over the place. We didn't get a good picture but I think he enjoyed himself even though he didn't know what was going on. I know Garrison and Allison loved it.
After the carousel ride we went outside and rode motorcycles and cars. This was a big hit. Especially for my little man. He loves cars and motorcycles and turning a steering wheel and pretending he's driving the real thing. He rode these rides multiple times and never got tired of them. And since we arrived right when they opened, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There were absolutely NO lines. Perfect.
Garrison and Shannon also spent some time on the playground. Allison distinguished herself as the oldest and ventured out on her own quite a bit.... with a parent of course.Kara and Allison were the first ones to do the Alpine slide and many, many years ago on a trip to Gatlinburg I also braved the slide. Sooo, Terrell and I thought about maybe him and Garrison doing it together. Garrison wasn't interested (I would appreciate this much more later), so I went instead. The ride up was nice and so was the scenery. And the conversation with my hubby. But once we were on the chairlift way up high, I was very thankful Garrison didn't want to do the slide. Because I decided it wasn't safe for him. He could get squirmy. He could change his mind half way up. He could freak out and get squirmy. And there's not much holding you in. Yeah, my protective mama instinct came out with big flashing red lights going off in my mind. It said, It's Not Safe! Haha! The slide itself was pretty harmless. You're riding on something that has a brake and everything. I used mine regularly. Because I'm cautious and safe like that.Once we got to the bottom, I got off my slide so Garrison could ride a little ways.After the slide, Garrison rode the cars and motorcycles a few more times before discovering that Allison was ice skating. It was approaching lunch time (the time we had planned to leave) and I had a bad feeling about the whole ice skating thing. What good could come from a 3 year old attempting to wear heavy ice skates and actually maneuver around on a slippery surface? Oh dear. But, I could tell that Terrell wanted him to experience it... or didn't want to tell him no... not sure which, so they went ahead while I hung out with Austin. Needless to say, ice skating took a turn for the worse when Garrison fell down, started crying his eyes out, and then let everyone in the whole place know his devestation when Terrell removed him from rink. Oh dear. Again. Thankfully there wasn't too much more drama after I stepped in and told him he needed to stop all this llama drama (love those books). He snapped out of it after a few minutes of a public temper tantrum and we finally got back to the house, the kiddos fed, and down for naps. After our full day the day before and a busy morning, I was determined to make naps a priority.
While the boys napped, Terrell and I went into town to walk the streets and go in and out of all the little stores. It was fun getting away for a little bit and we both enjoyed ourselves. I was able to regroup after having my feelings hurt mulitple times by my 3 year old (another post for another day), we were on a mission to find something for my mom (which we accomplished), and it was good alone time (with hundreds of strangers). Ha!
After naps, we all got ready to go out for Terrell's dad's birthday... but not before family pictures. We went out on the deck just like last year, except this year we added a member! Getting pictures of everyone turned out to be an adventure... and a challenge. Whoa. Family pictures are hard work! Glad we were ready early. My favorite one is the one of all 4 cousins. They're not all looking at the same camera but every single one of them is happy. What an accomplishment!
We had dinner at a restaurant in downtown Gatlinburg (another adventure) and then enjoyed frozen custard afterwards. Despite the name and my husband's skepticism, okay mine too, it was really good. And Nana got up in the ginormous rocking chair with all the grands again this year.
Once we were back at the house, I fed Austin and put him to bed while everyone else did birthday stuff for Pops. Then later on we played another fun game together. And I laughed hard again. Sunday morning we packed up, loaded up, and filled up on pancakes and a delicious breakfast before saying our goodbyes and heading home. Our trip was filled with lots and lots of memories and we were so grateful for our time away with everyone. Thanks to Nana and Pops for another fun trip!
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