Spring Break 2010 Pictures

This Spring Break we went to someplace we had never been before as a family, Gatlinburg Tennessee. Jeff had been there a couple of times growing up, but since we have been married he hasn't been back. I have heard a lot of great things about Gatlinburg, so we were really excited. We didn't tell the kids where we were going until we got there, which added to the excitement. I think they had a good time. Here are some pictures of our 2 1/2 days of fun in Gatlinburg. We didn't spend much time in the hotel room and stayed pretty busy from sun up to sun down. Adison warmed up to the idea of sitting on the carousel horse. At first she didn't want anything to do with it. I love how she is waving to her Daddy!
Note to self: do not go all out the first time on the bungee run. I ended up with a major case of whip lash. It totally whipped me back. I was sore for a couple of days.

Bayley and Kendal had a great time ice skating. Trey also gave it a try and after 2 times around was crying and sure that he was a complete failure at ice skating. I tried pointing out that he wasn't the only one holding on to the railing most of the time. Maybe we will let him try again in a couple of years.

Kendal enjoyed the carousel, but I think most enjoyed the Alpine Slide portion of our visit to Ober Gatlinburg. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of us on the slide or on the sky life, but Bayley, Trey, Kendal and I had a great time going up and down the mountain. It was pretty chilly outside, but fortunately we had brought our coats.

I love Adison's face in this picture. Jeff and her missed a good portion of our visit to Ober Gatlinburg while Adison took her afternoon nap in the car. She did get to go to the zoo and see the bears which she thought was pretty cool.

One morning we went to the aquarium there in Gatlinburg. Jeff and I really like it and thought it had a lot of really cool fish. The kids had a good time too, even though Kendal decided to be funny in this picture.

I would have to say that the one of the favorite things we did (and most expensive) was the Dixie Stampede. The kids were mesmerized by the show and enjoyed the huge amount of food that we were given to eat during the show. After the show the kids got to go and get autographs and touch the horses. It was a very fun night! In fact, they asked if they could go again the next night...always a good indicator of fun.

Our attempt at a family picture at the Dixie Stampede.

The girls on the lazy river at the indoor water park. We stayed at a resort that had a indoor water park. We spent most of the day on Tuesday at the water park and the kids had a great time.

Trey and Jeff were buddies on the lazy river.

Monday night after we arrived we headed into Gatlinburg and went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. We enjoyed seeing all of the weird stuff and watching Trey scream at the screaming box.

We had a very busy couple of days and came home exhausted, but it was totally worth it. I don't think it is a place I would want to go every vacation, but every once in a while it would be fun to head back. Friday we went and swam with friends at our local Rec center and then spent the rest of the weekend watching basketball. It was a great week. Now it is back to the grind.

February is a Short Month!

My matching girls


My 4 matching KidsThe Sunday couch picture

Their favorite way to pose

One of these kids is not happy to have their picture taken?

So February came and went in a flash. We have been busy and I have been procrastinating blogging, but before March has come and gone I figured I better get a few things down before I forget.

Bayley finished a successful season of basketball. She scored a couple of times, hung with the boys, and said she might even play again next year. I am so glad that she had a positive experience. Honestly I was a lot worried when I saw the make up of her team and the league and that it was mostly older boys. But she really surprised me with how tough she was and how she didn't back down at all to the challenge. They didn't pass her the ball as much as she would have like, however the boys on her team were so cute when she scored....they cheered like she had just hit a game winning shot. I thought it was awesome. By the end of the season, numerous coaches let Bayley know how much she had improved and how much potential she does have. We will see what the future brings, but she now knows she can do a sport and have fun doing it. She still is taking piano and coming along very nicely. She likes it, but doesn't like to be pushed too much. Our new compromise to make practice a priority is that she doesn't get dessert that night unless she practices her piano. The key to Bayley's desire is found through her stomach and desire for sweets! She is also still taking ballet. She hasn't really made any friends in her class this year, so it hasn't been as enjoyable as she would have liked. However, she is very excited about her recital in June.

Bayley was the flag bearer for her class during her trip to the American Village.

Kendal also had a good time playing basketball. She is still trying to figure out the rules, which is hard to do when you don't play by the "real" rules in basketball. In her league they weren't allowed to steal the ball from the other team or guard outside a certain area in the key. So after watching a game with me on TV she was sure the teams were fouling and breaking the rules by stealing the ball and gaurding outside the key. She is feisty when she wants to be and is very determined. She practices a ton and loves to be competitive. I'm sure she will even enjoy basketball more once she is allowed to play by the "real" rules. Now that basketball is over, she is gearing up for softball. She has a great coach this year and is the oldest on her team. I think she is excited to be a leader and to be one of the best players on the team. They take their softball serious around here, so I hope it is a great season. In school, she has really caught the reading bug and is doing a great job. She has started chapter books and loves trying to keep up with the best readers in her class. She loves to be challenged and I love that!

Kendal on the court!


Trey is gearing up for his first season of T-ball. It should be interesting. He is excited though and hopefully will have a positive experience. He is still doing preschool twice a week and looks forward to learning and spending a couple of hours with his friends. He struggles sometimes with being the only boy with three sisters, like when they were matching dresses in the pictures above. He was sad and felt a little left out, but we did our best to color coordinate his outfit and make him feel a part of the group. He does love his sisters...sometimes a little too much, just ask Adison!

Adison is the "baby" of our family in every way. She is a bit spoiled and knows it! She loves attention, especially when it is positive and is a bit of a show off sometimes. She has started to say a few words like ball, thank you, please, mom, dad, dog, nose, eyes, but she still longs to be able to communicate with words better. It's hard to believe she turns 18 months this month. She is my buddy and is a trooper running errands and running kids with me most of the time.

Grandma G came to visit during her winter break and the kids loved it!



A real snow day in Alabama! The kids were out at 7 am checking out the white stuff!