Smokey Mountain Getaway

We left last Wednesday evening for the lakehouse, in an attempt to cut our trip to Sevierville, TN in half because, well, let's just say that Becks can think of one hundred other things he'd rather do than be strapped into a carseat for any time longer than fifteen minutes. And he's not shy about informing us either, as he writhes beneath the carseat straps, loudly wailing. "Get out! Get out! Too tight! Too tight!" The trip to our halfway point to spend the night was uneventful, and Becks loved spending time checking out his Papa's boat and splashing around in the hot tub.

However (and there always has to be a however), the trip the following day was eventful alright. After eating a handful or two of colored goldfish, and then continuing with the "get out!" plea for a solid 30 minutes accompanied by whining and saying "hold you, mommy!" I knew something wasn't right. I could tell he didnt' feel well. And then he was sick, bless his heart, all over himself and his carseat. There's nothing like rainbow colored vomit (remember the goldfish?) on a long car trip in 90 degree whether. It was fun. And smelled terrific. But besides that, the trip was great :)

Becks main goal once we reached our desitination was to go to "Ga-burg" and get ice cream. Of course, we obliged. The cabin we stayed in was actually in Pidgeon Forge, so we took off for Gatlinburg on Saturday morning. And, while I know the tacky, gaudy, air-brushedness of Gatlinburg is all part of its charm, I just couldn't handle the heat or the thousands of people crowding the streets. We were literally there long enough to find a soft-serve place before realizing how miserable all of us were. Tanger outlet mall shopping is much more my style.

Anyway, the bottom line is we had a great time. We spent some great times with our extended family, playing spoons, taming racoons, rocking on the front porch, and eating delicious meals. Becks got to play with his {2nd? 3rd?} cousins, and became particularly fond of little Paisley who recently visited our home.

The trip ended with a breakfast at The Apple Barn (apple julep and apple fritters - yum!) and a visit to Outdoor World. If you need a free field trip for your kiddos (boy or girl) you need to visit this mecca of all things outdoorsy. Becks was in heaven. Between the large mouths swimming around in an aquarium, to the many taxidermied critters on display, to the opportunity to sit on an ATV, this child was in love.

We made it back home on Sunday, but not before a little father-son bonding in the backseat.

PS. Thanks for many of your sweet comments about what to do in Gatlinburg/Pidgeon Forge! We've actually been many times, and are pretty familiar with the fun things to do there. You know how it is though - I didn't want to go advertising that we were going to be out of town, so I scheduled some posts to go up while we were away.