My very own bounce house!

Aunt Luann worked with someone who was getting rid of a bounce house so she asked us if we were interested....ummmmm yea! Woohoo!!! I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! ;)

Happy to be home!

It is really good to be home...sleeping in our own beds (the ones we don't usually fall out of), playing with our toys, crawling in a baby-proof house and catching up on laundry... ;)

The drive home...

Ok, first thing's first....I fell out of the bed in our hotel last night. I gashed my eye pretty good too!! See! :( Guess it's a good thing I have rails on my bed at home.

The drive home from Nashville wasn't so bad....it was really nice that we had two hours less of driving to do at one time since we were already that much closer. It was also nice to have mommy in the back seat next to us girls to keep us entertained. I stole her glasses!
Vivi took a couple of good snoozes!

She tried on the glasses too!

We made it home!!

Music City!

We decided to leave Crossville a day early so that we could spend a day/night in Nashville. Daddy had been when he was around 15 and mommy was there when she was very little. Pappaw hadn't been there for many, many years and we invited him to come along with us. Matt, Susan and Austin stayed back in Crossville to spend one more day and night there.

Our first stop was at Bass Pro Shop which had just opened up next to the Grand Ole Opry. Our hotel was next to the Opry as well. We thought we were booking a place downtown since we did it online, but didn't realize the Opry wasn't actually downtown. Oh well! Our hotel was really nice and it all worked out.

Mommy and Daddy used to live right next to a Bass Pro Shop store in Chicago. It is a fun place to explore. You feel like you are out in the wilderness. It was nice to just get out of the car after a two hour trip.
Of course, Daddy and I had to check out the 4-wheelers!! Our favorite! He REALLY wants one of his own!!

We even tried on pink "cow hats"!!

After leaving the store, we headed downtown for some lunch and to explore this beautiful Music City some more. There were tons of people since it was a Friday....and maybe it is always like that! Probably so!

We ate lunch at a place called Jack's BBQ. I wouldn't know whether or not the food was good because I had a MAJOR MELTDOWN right after we sat down with our food. I think I was overly tired or something. I started crying and I didn't stop.....for a long time! Daddy had to take me out of the restaurant. We walked on the streets of Nashville while I screamed my eyes out and people stared...until mommy, Pappaw and Vivi finished eating lunch. Poor daddy ate some before taking me out of the restaurant but not much. Needless to say, this didn't turn out like we had planned and I needed a nap...DESPERATELY!!

So, we decided to head back to our hotel and check in. Daddy stayed with me while I took a nap...by the way....as soon as we got in the car to go to our hotel I was out like a light! Mommy, Pappaw and Vivi drove over to Opryland and the Grand Ole Opry to see what it was all about.

Here is the Gaylord Opryland Hotel that was flooded just a year ago. They didn't actually go in because there wasn't a lot of time.

Pappaw and Vivi in front of the Grand Ole Opry House

Mommy and Vivi

Now, that is my kind of "cut-tar"!

Pappaw and mommy went back downtown a little later to check out the local talent and night-life.

They were given some great recommendations from family and friends who lived/live there. The first stop was a bar called "The Stage".....they both loved it!! The entertainment was super awesome and there were tons of people.

Pappaw even met Elvis!

This is Jack's BBQ....the place we ate at / didn't eat at for lunch earlier in the day!

We want to go back to Nashville soon and spend more time...I promise I will be better next time mommy and daddy!! ;)

Vacation with Pappaw in Tennessee

Pappaw Dan invited all of us to share a vacation with him this year, which was delightful. We all voted and decided someplace we could drive to would be best...considering we have so much stuff to tote around these days. So, Crossville, Tennessee was the winner. We landed just between Nashville and Knoxville on I-40 where the tourist destinations were plentiful! Along the way, we had to make a few stops to keep everyone happy during the 6-hours of driving time.

Our last stop was Dale Hollow to show Pappaw and Vivi the dam. This is where Uncle Mark's family has a place and mommy, daddy and I went a couple summers ago before Vivi was born. It was a beautiful day and a great place for a quick break. I even went all the way down to the bottom of the dam with Pappaw, Mark and Daddy. It sure was a long way down and a little spooky.

Mommy, Kari and Vivi stayed at the top.

Our first full day was spent at the pool. Vivi turned 10 months old today!! Can you believe it?

She tried raisins for the first time and really liked them a lot. I had a popsicle to cool off even though it was a little breezy on this day.
We picked up some brochures from the condo offices, and realized that there were lots and lots of caves around. Daddy thought this would be a fun family adventure, so mommy, daddy, Vivi and I drove a couple hours to the Cumberland Caverns. We really had a fun time at the caves and Vivi and I did great! There were over 300 stairs to climb inside that were all carved out of rock and it was a bit slippery so we had to be extra careful.

Happy girl back at the condo.

Uncle Mark and Pappaw... can you find Austin??

Catching up...

Pappaw in his souvenir Tennessee t-shirt.

What a bunch of sillies! Ok, back at the pool. This time Austin, Matt and Susan were with us. They didn't arrive until a day after us because they had something going on the day we left.

Uncle Mark and Uncle Matt sat in the shade.

Kari and Mark could only stay through Wednesday morning before they had to head back to work on Thursday.

We went on a walk around the golf course one beautiful evening. The paths were great and we even saw bats in the trees as the sun set! Chilling with Pappaw, Austin and Aunt Susan on the couch.

Good morning!

Today, we drove to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The Smokey Mountains were so pretty!! We went to Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum which turned out to be a huge waste of money...the coolest things to see were in the entryway to the museum that you could see before going in. Oh well! This was a huge marble ball that turned.

This giant chair was about the coolest thing in the actual museum!

There was free moonshine tasting that Pappaw and daddy tried.

Posing by a cool old car in Gatlinburg. Austin did not want to take a picture!

We made it all the way back after a long day of driving and exploring. Now time to relax before bed!

There was a great beach on Lake Tansi where we stayed. They had lots of pretty sand, a playground and really clean water. We could even see the fishies when they swam up next to our feet. Pappaw helped us build a sand fort that we filled with water. He sure is a good builder.

Vivi liked playing in the sand when she wasn't sticking it in her mouth. I did a really good job swimming with my arm floaties and Austin did great in his swim ring!

On our last night, we went out to eat at a nice place down the street from where we stayed. We heard from someone at the beach that this place was really good....and it didn't disappoint! Vivi was such a good girl and ate a lot! She especially loved the green beans and mashed potatoes.

Awww! Cute picture!

I loved the sweet pototo fries that Aunt Susan got. I dipped them in a syrup dip that was divine!

Cheese!!

Love it!! Posing with pappaw!

Our bellies are full and we are unwinding before bed again.

Our last morning and I sat with Pappaw on the deck while he drank his coffee. So fun and we made some great family memories! Thanks Pappaw!

Two peas in a pod....well sometimes! ;) Ha!