Vacation Day Three

We decided to go check out the pool and then after naps (only by Leighton), we headed in to Gatlinburg for some fun.  

On the cabin steps for a nice pic.  It was so steamy outside, this is the only picture we got before the camera fogged up!  Good thing they were all smiling.  :-)

Some photos inside

Silly                  

Time to eat – Italian restaurant in Gatlinburg

After dinner and some “Ben and Jerry’s”, we strolled a bit around Gatlinburg.  They love to see fountains.  Adley is holding up her penny to throw in.

Watching some taffy

Then we headed over to the Ripley’s Aquarium.  We had just been to an aquarium in New Orleans, but everyone kept talking about how great this one was.  So, we went anyway.  The girls always love looking at all the fish and sea creatures.

We loved this giant tank of very colorful coral reef fish.

The girls wanted to pose at each place, so here is yet another pose.

And another. . . although, not looking. . .

We had been to a Ripley’s Aquarium before.  I remembered enjoying the long tunnel that you ride/walk through under all of the sharks and other fish.  You get really close to the sharks!

Here goes another one.

Saying “Hello”

Just hanging out, laying on top of the tunnel

Girls playing around

Adley and her new friend, the penguin

Jaylyn is now taller than a penguin

Leighton wanted to shake his hand, I mean wing.

You may remember a shot like this in the New Orlean’s pics.  Jaylyn thinks these are so fun.  She cracked me up when she started “holding her breath” and doing a swim stroke.

Nice underwater pose, Adley

More playing around

I loved the colors with these jellies

Aquanaut Jaylyn

This is a shot after the aquarium fun.  It was getting late and we were picking up the girls’ air brush shirts.  I was in line and looked back to see Leighton in her usual relaxed stroller position and Adley kept stroking her head.

One last slide down the cabin stairs before bed.

Vacation Day 2

After a nice continental breakfast and a late check out because we were too slow, we ventured on out past Sevierville and Pigeon Forge to check out Gatlinburg.  I have never been here, so it was fun to explore and see more mountains.  We parked and walked around to find some lunch.  We hit the second floor pizza hut.  You can’t see it in this picture, but it says that the wheelchair access is in the back and then you see the giant incline.  Even when we pushed the stroller to the back, we didn’t see where the entrance was.  Kind of amusing. 

After checking out the strip on Gatlinburg we walked back to play some “Hillbilly Golf”.

Here we are taking a little break before our golf game while poor TJ walked back to bring our car closer. It was hot and I had not anticipated all of the walking that day and wore the wrong shoes. Oops!  Blisters on the first real day.

Jaylyn enjoying the barrel seat.

Adley trying it out.

Leighton, just being cute. 

    To play at the Hillbilly Golf course, you have to ride up the mountain a bit on a tram to get to the course.

Going up!

You have to have an outhouse on a hillbilly golf course

Adley with her sweet golf skills.

Jaylyn was always ready to head to the next one.  

Having fun!  What a nice shot of her Tritzi.  :-) 

Here is the difference in the two girls after enjoying a long hot day walking in the hot sun and sweating, I mean playing Hillbilly golf.  (After hitting the soda machine.) – Jaylyn

Adley – She did smile at me after I took her picture.  I thought she was going to sleep with her soda in her lap!  They perked up when they realized we were now able to check in to our cabin!!  Woohoo!

We rented a cabin in the mountains.  It was in Gatlinburg just up the mountain from the Gatlinburg welcome center.  So, it was still close to everything.  It was so cute!     We loved all of the fun cabin decorations.  Adley called it our “Bear House”. 

The Brookside Hideaway

Our driveway down to the cabin.

The little brook down below and behind the cabin.

Front of the cabin.

We didn’t really have a “view” of the mountains because we were right IN the mountain.  We had a view of forest!

This was the view from our front porch.  There was another cabin closeby.

Front porch

Back balcony with the hot tub

Leighton found a little cubby hole to sit in.  

Kitchen – Our bathroom and bedroom were through the door to the right.  The doors on the left is the washer and dryer.

Living Room

Another view

View of the table area. The hot tub was outside that window.

View up to the second floor and upstairs balcony  

Upstairs bathroom    

Upstairs game room

I liked looking out that window right onto the mountain

Girls bedroom upstairs

It was adorable!

View down below

Our bedroom

Leighton could sleep in the closet.  :-)

Our bathroom

Bathroom again