Tennessee Travels

So last Wednesday we went to Tennessee with Tj's boss and his fiance to their chalet in Tennessee. It was just outside of Pigeon Forge and was such a great get away. We drove the ten hours up there- which I was a bit weary about since it was the longest road trip with Joel by far. Of course Joel handled it like a champ. He quit nursing about three weeks ago so as long as we warmed his bottle at each stop he was good to go.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the smoky mountains were beautiful. I always forget how much I miss mountains until I'm up in them. The cabin we stayed at was almost at the top of the mountain and while getting there was a bit of an adventure (about half the road was unpaved) the view was amazing. It was so relaxing and it was nice to spend so much time with Tj and have Tj spend time with Joel.

We got to see quite a bit of the area. We spent a lot of time in Pigeon Forge. We also visited Gatlinburg, hiked up to Laurel Falls and attempted to go to Cade's Cove. Unfortunately I forgot a bottle on that trip and about 3/4 of the way there Joel decided he was starving and had a melt down. I learned my lesson and brought a bottle just about everywhere else we went- just in case!

It was a nice trip and about as relaxing as I think I'll get as "mommy" until Joel's about 8 or 12. Although now that he's taking a bottle Tj gets to help with the feedings. I still usually don't get to sleep through the night but I get a longer amount of sleep than before. I'll take what I can get! It was a fun time but now it's back to the same old grind.

Here are pics from our trip.


Us at Laurel Falls.
It's kind of a bad picture because of the glare
but you can see the falls pretty well.


Joel and Mommy playing.


We went over a particularly rough patch
and Joel was a little startled.
Talk about clinging for dear life!


Joel and daddy napping at the cabin.