Spring Break

So it's officially fall, but let's take it back to March.  Haha.  Life is crazy, but I don't want to forget all the fun we have in our days.  Spring break days were some of our most fun this year!  And thankfully they lived up to the anticipation...

We started it off with Japanese food, a Grizz game, and a big WIN!

Cole was a little into it!

Saturday we got up and headed across the state to Gatlinburg with some of our best buddies!  We had a great time hiking, checking out the aquarium, eating yummy food, and just playing at the cabin together.

I was a little nervous about how the car ride would go because, in case you didn't know, TN is a really wide state.  Haha.  But the kids did so good.  We definitely had several "Are we there yets?" and some much needed stops, but overall, I was really impressed with our crew.  We started out with the boys and Kyndall in our car, and the girls in the Shelby's van.  That switched up multiple times, and who got to ride where was a big discussion the whole trip!  ;)

Getting some energy out with Simon Says!

 The kids loved our cabin.  I wish I did a better job of taking pictures of it because it was such a cool place!  The girls all shared a big king bed, and the big boys were in the loft right above them.

Poor Nora...

(Side note... There was tv up there, and the boys kept telling us they were watching the football game.  We thought they were pretending until we realized they had been watching this dvd.  Haha.)

 Sweet Hayes slept on a pallet in our bedroom, and Kyndall got the pack-n-play in a bathroom.  We actually all slept!

 I did seem to wake up early every morning though.  It would have been pretty annoying if the views weren't so nice!

We really had such a great time just being at the cabin.  We loved swinging out on the porch, playing the fun games there and with toys we brought, painting nails, reading books, coloring, watching movies, getting in the hot tub, and exploring outside.

Nora was our little momma.  She was always playing with and taking care of the littles!

Play-Mobil indians for the win!

 They LOVED the hot tub!

 My morning person and my non-morning person...

We were all beautiful, thanks to the girls!  

 Jordan loved to have her hair done like Nora!

 They fell asleep watching a movie... I couldn't believe it when I found them like this.

 Kyndall got all kinds of loving!

 Check out Kevin's fancy apron...

And of course there were dance parties!

We even had a surprise birthday party for Mrs. Melissa!  The kids were so funny about wanting to plan specific party games, books, etc.  It was really cute, and I think they made her feel pretty special!

 Getting ready for the big surprise!

 Happy Birthday Melissa!

 Every party has its pooper. That's why we invited you!  J/K babe!

 They built a pretty cool house on the side of the mountain!  Jordan even used some moss to make carpet!

We did venture away from the cabin too...  One day we went to the aquarium.  The kids really loved it!

 Like everywhere there, the view from right outside the aquarium was so pretty!

We made sure to eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry one morning.  I think all the kids ordered chocolate chip pancakes, and they did not disappoint!

Ready to hike!

We hiked two days.  One day we were really ambitious (also known as dumb), and we hiked a trail up to a waterfall.  The waterfall was beautiful, but it was a little scary being up there with 7 kiddos!  Plus, they really preferred wandering around and exploring over sticking to a trail.  

 

We all started out walking...

And we lost one...

And we lost two... Murray was a major trooper!

 Snack break!

We passed some really beautiful spots along the way!

 We made it to the top!

We did survive and were glad we hiked it, but we didn't try anything nearly as ambitious the next day.  We stayed in a flatter area where the kids could really explore off the beaten path.  They LOVED it.  

This log/balance beam was hilarious.  We spent a lot of time at this spot seeing who could get the farthest.  Make sure to check out the videos... Kevin wins!  

 This was by far our favorite find of the hiking.  The kids threw rocks, dipped their toes, and could have stayed there all day long.

We also got the kids their National Park stamp books.  They were so proud of their first stamps!

One night we went to the Dixie Stampede.  The adults loved the food.  The kids loved the entertainment!  

 Nora left a really sweet evaluation of the whole deal.

 Checking out the horses after the show!

 Our pricey souvenir from the night...

 Jordan signed the guestbook at the cabin before we left, and Nora also wrote in it.  I love seeing what she thought about everything.

 Getting ready to head home... One pic for the view, one for a close-up of our cute kiddos.

 When we got home, the kids added our little group picture from the Dixie Stampede to our "family photo" shelf.  I think it's the perfect place for it!  :)

This definitely ranks up there as one of our very best family vacations ever.  We all had such a great time, and I know we would all do it again in a heartbeat if given the chance!  Well... maybe not the waterfall hike.  Ha.  Thanks Shelbys for really fun time!  We love you guys!