Ober Gatlinburg - Snow Tubing

This was our last day with the kids in Gatlinburg, so we made it a fun one! We took a sky tram up in the mountains to a place called Ober Gatlinburg. They make their own snow there and have skiing, snow tubing, Alpine sliding, scenic lifts, ice skating, and more. The first thing we did at Ober was to ride the Alpine slide. It is a long slide that winds down the mountain side and mimics bob sledding. We had a great time racing each other to the bottom. Then, we took a ski lift all the way to the top of the mountain for some beautiful views, oh, and for some hot chocolate! It was cold there! Finally, we made our way over to the snow tubing - what a blast! We got a tube, rode a conveyor belt side walk up to the top, and waited in line to have our turn to race down the snow in our tubes. It was a fast ride down on those slick tubes!

Gatlinburg - Abrams Falls Trail in Cade's Cove

Cade's Cove is an area inside the Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a perfect area to see wildlife - we saw tons of deer! Also, inside the Cove is a 5 mile trail to Abrams Falls. Kevin and I bundled up and hiked together. It was so fun hiking along the river and getting to see the beautiful waterfall! I just love all the views here in the Smoky's!

Gatlinburg - Local Winery Tours

Kevin and I started off at the Smoky Mountain Winery in Gatlinburg to tour the winery, but it turned out to just be a store selling their wine while their vineyard is 30 miles out - bummer - but we did get to try a few varieties and bought a bottle. We were also directed into Pigeon Forge, TN where there are two local wineries that do give tours, so off we went. First, we visited Mountain Valley Winery and then Hillside Winery. Both were fun and we got to try some real southern wines, like the Muscadine wine.

Gatlinburg - Smoky Mountain Snow

Kevin and I took a drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park trying to catch a beautiful sunset. We never got to see a mountain sunset, but did end up at a high enough elevation to see beautiful snow cover. It was so cold!! At the bottom of the mountain it was 39 degrees and to the TN/NC state line, it was 17 degrees - brrrrr!

Valentine Parties 2009

Kaylee's Preschool class party was Friday, February 13th. I just love this Valentine dress!

Clayton's 3rd grade class party was on Thursday, February 12, 2009. He won best Valentine box and was so excited about it! He worked hard all week long to turn a Saltine box into a locker to hold valentine cards.

Nicholas had his 1st grade party on Thursday, February 12th also. He got to make his very own huge heart shaped cookie complete with gobs of frosting and candy and sprinkles!

Pinewood Derby Race 2.9.09

Nicholas' car is last on right.

Clayton's car is last on left.

The day has finally come for all of the hard work that Clayton and Nicholas put into making their race cars to hopefully pay off! The Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby Race! We weighed our cars in and waited for the race to begin...Tigers went first. Nicholas' red car with the yellow roof did great, but not quite fast enough to win. He came in 3rd, but only the top two advance to the finals. Then it was time for the Bear Scouts. Clayton's green camo and blue Humvee did great, but again, not quite fast enough to win. He also came in 3rd, but only the top two advance. They had hoped to win, but were excited to have been able to try. Of course, the pizza party made the losses so much more bearable :)

The Funroller ~ 2.8.09

The King boys came over to play this afternoon and they brought their Funroller with them. There are not too many flat yards in Alabama - including ours - so, this Funroller really was fun! The kids would start at the top of our yard and roll down to the bottom, laughing all the way. They loved it!

How Cute is Kaylee?

February 5, 2009. I just think Kaylee is so cute and so beautiful! I bought her this zebra pillowcase dress with hot pink ribbon ties off ebay, and love it on her! It goes so good with her hot pink boots. Anyway, just wanted to show her off a bit - since she still lets me dress her :)

Our Overnight Stay on the USS Alabama 1.31.09

USS Alabama

View from the top

Clayton shooting the guns

USS Alabama

Clayton on his bunk

Jack - Clayton's bunk buddy

Nicholas on his bunk

What a neat experience for the boys! Kevin, Clayton, and Nicholas went to Mobile, AL with the Cub Scouts to stay the night on the USS Alabama battleship. They got to fully explore the ship, eat pizza in the mess hall, and sleep in the bunks on the ship. The guys had a great time.