Where is baby Jesus?

When I notice a stool located in a conspicuous place....

I know that someone is missing.

The baby Jesus has been swiped again. 

Can Christmas get any sweeter?

Because today I walked in to find my little ones singing to Baby Jesus.  Caroline was playing the guitar and her brother was singing as loud as he could while playing the drums.  It melted my heart.

If you haven't gotten your kids a nativity they can play with and enjoy (which I highly recommend because it allows them to enjoy the real meaning of Christmas), you should consider What God Wants for Christmas.

It is a treat for parents and kids and is currently on sale at Lifeway.  As you read the Christmas story, the kids get to open little presents to find all of the important characters involved in Christ's birth.  Then at the end of the story they open one last box to discover what God really wants for Christmas....us.  Well worth the money and something everyone can enjoy.

Oh, and before I forget, my daughter has requested that I put a cute picture of her and her little one on the blog.  I took several pictures of the two of them together and Caroline then picked her favorite pose for the blog.  To be exact, she said, "that one is real cute".  For those who haven't met Caroline's baby girl, let me introduce you to Suzie Q.

Blackbear Gamboree

On Tuesday of our trip, Matt had to return home so that he could get back to the grind at work. Since we were hitching a ride with Pop and Mimi, we had an extra day to play. We decided to take a carriage ride in Cade's Cove.

A very friendly man known as Pappaw was our driver who let both kids have a turn in the driver's seat.

After our little carriage ride, we decided to sight see once again in the Smokies since the weather was so nice.

I'm glad we did because it seemed that the leaves had turned colors even more since just a few days prior.

Our journey up the mountain ended once we arrived to the state line.

To conclude our trip, we went to the Blackbear Gamboree.

It was a very family friendly show that even included dinner. Before the show started, the band asked for all kids to join them on stage. Much to my suprise, my kids went!

Caroline realized that the stage was no place to wear the hood of your jacket, so she took care of her little brother.

While neither of them performed the little act the band was trying to get them to do, they looked adorable on stage and made us all very proud!

On Wednesday, it was time to head back home. Our family is so thankful that Pop and Mimi treated us to a wonderful family vacation filled with great memories, fun times and full bellies. I failed to mention all of the wonderful food we ate...it was good and it was plentiful. I think our favorite restaurant was the Applewood Farmhouse. Those apple fritter and julep were delicious!

Thanks Pop and Mimi....we will cherish every minute we got to spend with you!

Dollywood

We decided to take two days to enjoy Dollywood and I'm glad we did. That meant we really wouldn't' be rushed and could see it all. Again, our timing was just right because we were there during the National Gospel and Harvest Celebration. Everything was decorated for fall.

The kids loved riding all of the rides, but especially the flying pigs. Dollywood's employees are so nice and the lady operating the pigs made an "oink" sound when Will and Caroline passed by. It produced such a kackle from Will that she did it everytime they passed by. Needless to say, he wanted to ride the pigs again.

Caroline seemed to enjoy driving the cars with Mimi.

Pop and I decided to get a good view of the upcoming street show that was about to start.

Little did we know that he would soon be part of the entertainment. Mimi and I both agreed that it was a good thing that she didn't offer him a microphone, or she might have gotten more than she bargained for!

For our second day at Dollywood, we took Pop's suggestion and rode the trolley there. Will really got a kick out of that.

Will also loved the carousel...

...while Caroline loved strolling around the park with Pop and Mimi.

Somehow, I let my husband talk me into riding the Tennesse Torando and Mystery Mine. He gets so excited when he rides thrill rides...me...not so much. I decided to be a good wife and accompany him. I'm glad I did because watching him on those rides outweighs the heavy pounding of my heart as I fear for my life.

We ended up shutting Dollywood down on both days that we went. It was a great amusement park with top-notch entertainment, great food and fun rides for the whole family. I should also mention that it was so clean which makes a momma really happy!

Play me some mountain music...

As I mentioned a while back, Pop and Mimi treated us to a week-long vacation in the Smoky Mountains in October. We had so much fun and I took so many pictures, that when we returned I was a little overwhelmed in putting them all on the blog. Plus, I have so many memories that coincide with the pictures I knew this post would take a while to complete. Anyway, without further delay, here are some of our favorite memories from out trip.

We began our trip on Thursday, October 22nd. After packing what felt like our entire house, we began our 8+ hour drive to Pigeon Forge, TN where we met up with Pop and Mimi. When we first saw the foothills of the Smokies, Caroline said, "Mommy, are the mountains following us?"

The kids were so excited to see the mountains for the first time and couldn't wait to get there.

Unfortunately, we finally arrived to our destination a little after dark, so we had to wait until morning to really see the mountains around us. In the meantime, we got to enjoy the nice comfort of our condo.

Our condo was easy to find because it was located under a huge cross which we assumed to be a cell phone tower because they were sporadically located throughout the area.

Did I mention that our view from the condo was breathtaking?

Friday morning, we decided to go ahead and get our tickets to the Comedy Barn before heading to Gatlinburg to sight see. Mimi and I couldn't resist the perfect photo op. Unfortunately, the kids weren't really into smiling just yet and to top it off, the pumpkin Mimi placed in Will's lap was rotten. Mimi didn't realize it was rotten when she placed it in his lap, but quickly realized afterwards. Perhaps that is why we couldn't get a smile out of him! We thought that a wipe would clean him up fine, but the stinch was still strong, so we took him to the bathroom for a major clean up. Thanks to a high-powered hand dryer that make your skin crawl, he had a clean pair of pants in no time. (Mimi, I would apologize for telling this story on you, but it still makes me snicker and I want to remember it.)

Next, we headed to Gatlinburg for breakfast and sightseeing in the mountains. We hit the season just right because the foliage was absolutely breathtaking.

Despite some rain, we managed to get a glimpse of God's great creation and a few pictures. We then headed back to Pigeon Forge to see a show at the Comedy Barn. I didn't know my kids could sit so still...I guess they really enjoyed the show, as did the adults.

One of the things Matt and I were most looking forward to on our trip was riding our bikes through Cade's Cove. Everyone always raves about Cade's Cove and since it has a biking tail, we figured we would try it. So, we hauled our mountain bikes with us so that we could hit the trails early while Pop and Mimi babysat for us. (Ole Miss was playing on TV so that meant Pop wouldn't be leaving the condo anytime soon).

Before we left for vacation, Matt had me go get him a new tube for his bike because he had blown his on our last ride. I advised him that we should just let the bike shop fix it to be certain it was okay, but he insisted that he could handle it and the tires would be fine. I'm sure you can guess where this is going....

On Saturday morning, Matt and I rose before the sun so that we could bike Cade's Cove. Everything was going according to plan until Matt hopped on his bike. His outer tire had a huge hole in it. I then questioned him for varification that we did indeed haul a bike for 8+ hours that had a flat tire? He reluctantly concurred and told me that he could kick himself. I decided to take a moment to myself before I did the kicking for him. At this point, we had no other choice than to wait for an hour until the bike shop opened so that we could RENT a bike. This meant that we would now be enjoying the ride with everyone else and would not be beating the Saturday crowd.

When the bike shopt finally opened, Matt made a rush approval of the bike he was given in an attempt to not hold us up any longer. Big mistake. Now, instead of having to deal with a flat tire, he got to enjoy riding a bike that wouldn't shift gears...not something you really want to have to contend with while riding in the mountains. Personally, I believe it was God's sense of humor sent to further teach Matt a lesson. After having to walk up several mountain trails, I think Matt learned his lesson and will spend a few extra dollars to ensure his bike is in good working order! As for me, I enjoyed getting to snicker at my husband as he panted heavily behind me!

Don't you love the backpack Matt's toting? We had to use Caroline's "going to Nana's suitcase" to carry our water because we forgot to pack one. It worked perfectly!

Cade's Cove was beautiful...filled with gorgeous settings and unique old buildings. Biking Cade's Cove definitely rates as one of the most favorite things I've done!