The second half

 The second half of the week was spent in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We have been once before about 4 years ago.  It was a whole lifetime ago.  I can't believe how long and hard these 4 years have been.  But also beautiful and amazing.  Most wonderfully we have 2 more kids with us!

 Cade's Cove is just gorgeous.  They have left a few homes and other buildings to let you walk around and see what life was like 200 years ago.

 Pigeon Forge.  What can I say.  If you haven't been, go.  It's like, hmmm, I think Jackie said it right when she called it "Red Neck Vegas".  There are shows, Dollywood, dinner shows, places like this Wonderworks, at least 12 mini golf places, lots of go-karts, and my personal favorite is the outlet mall!

 Getting creative with their hay bales those crazy Tennesseans:

 Park sign.  Aren't the trees lovely?  I'm not sure I could live somewhere without trees now that I've lived with them so long.

 Anddddddd the highlight for the kids was the waterpark.  We stayed at the Wilderness at the Smokies which is a hotel with 3 waterparks.  2 are outside and closed this time of year, but you betcha we enjoyed the indoor one.  Cate didn't like the big water dump.  Funny side note, we call Brooks Mike Wazowski (from Monsters Inc) and it was perfect because he kept just missing the water dump.  He would hear the bell ring and run but was always a few seconds too late.  Lewis and I would just look at each other and laugh.  It's just so Brooks.  But he finally got there for one and loved it. 

 Abbers the bathing beauty.

 Wave pool: 

 Brooks hitting the waves (or whatever you call that thing):

 Our last day we saw 2 more bears high up in trees. (did I mention we saw a bear right as we entered the park the first day?!!? well, we did and it was up super high in a tree right over the road. cool!!)

 Then we headed up on a 3 mile (round trip) hike to a waterfall.  I love this picture because Cate is about to start her dropped shoulders and dropped head mope.  That's how she tells Lewis she is ready to be carried.  He was a good sport to carry her.  Actually, I think he liked carrying her because it meant we could move at his pace and not hers.

 Brooks caught a moth and named it Blue and Black.  I bet you can't guess why.

 It was cool because you could walk behind the falls.  But I didn't because the last thing I need is slippery rocks.  I am enough of a disaster without slippery rocks.  And I didn't want to endanger my baby who I was carrying at the time. 

 The kids at the trailhead. Why are these so out of order?  More importantly, why am I too lazy to figure out how to get them in the right order?  I'm actually just proud of myself for posting at all so let's leave it at that for now.

 The whole fam:

 We almost picked up every leaf on the trail.  But we left them with their friends.  Not without taking lots of pictures first of course.  Honestly, I don't blame my kids.  It's hard for me to walk past a beautiful leaf or rock and not pick it up.

 Sweet goopy eyed baby.  She has had a clogged tear duct since birth.  Add that to the constant drool and YUM!! To me it just adds to her tastiness.

 You have to click on this one to read the sign.  I love the south.  Not only do they use "ya'll" which makes sense if you think about it, but they also call me and my kids things like honey, sweetie, sugar, sugar pie, little mama, lil bit, darlin', etc.  I have to admit I love it.  Also, Cate has a southern accent.  It's the craziest thing because I don't.  But it's cute. And she was born here and has only lived here so what do I expect?

 And completely out of place, but cool anyway, a church from Cade's Cove.