Our 1st family vacation!!

(September 14-18th)

So on my birthday Tommy surprised me with a packet of information for The Great Smokie Mountain Lodge. It had our check in and out times already booked! I was pretty surprised to say the least! :) I wasn't so sure about it at first because I knew Brie would be starting school at the end of August and she was going to have to miss a day or two of school. Well, she ended up being on the Tuesday, Thursday schedule (per my request) so she only missed one day. Whew! I was nervous :/ So anyway, it was the most amazing time EVER!! I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out! 

We left on Saturday right after Brie's dance class so that was about 11 and we got there right around 4. We checked in and went to our room and then straight out to to pool! They have a pool and slides outside and also inside. We decided on going outside because it was so nice outside :) Their wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was around 80 degrees!! They have a wave pool and it has a lazy river going through it. Brie was in absolute heaven, swimming with her Daddy, she had waited all summer to go on water slides and in a pool with him. He works a lot and we didn't get to hit the water parks around here like we had planned this summer :( We did, however, get to go to Kings Island quite a few times with him and they got to ride roller coasters together :) Of course Mommy couldn't, I am baking another baby in oven! Noah is a little more timid when it comes to trying new things. He was more content on staying with Mommy in the 1 foot deep water! haha...he's so dangerous! So Daddy kind of stuck with Brie and I with Noah. Him and I just hung around the baby area and he played with his monster trucks. When we finished playing outside we headed up to our room to get ready for the night. The kids fell in love with our huge bath tub!! Tommy and I loved it too! We let them take bubble baths every night after the that :)

On day two we went back to the pool outside again because it was just so nice out. This time we tried to get Noah to get in a float and go on the lazy river with us. He screamed a little (a lot) at first but then warmed up to it. Mommy was tired of walking along the side walk watching Brie and Daddy float, it was kind of a long walk! haha...We switched and Daddy took him and had him laughing in no time. After that Daddy got to go to the "big boy" slide, at least that's what we called it! It was so high up there! You stand and the bottom of the floor drops underneath you, say what?! I could tell he was a little nervous when he was waiting at the top but he didn't let the kids see that :) I tried to snap a picture of him as he dropped but I was too slow, darn camera! The kids thought he was just so brave!  I love my little family so much. My heart just hurts sometimes watching Daddy with them :) It's the best thing ever to watch and see the love that goes on between the kids and my hubby! :) So, after a few hours of playing outside we decided to go check out the inside of the place. WOW! It was so cool! They have a smaller pool with basketball hoops, a wave pool, a surfer thingy (not sure what you call it),I think like 4 slides, and a kids play area with slides with a jungle gym thing. On top of all that they had a couple different places to eat and a huge arcade! It was amazing :) Noah, again, stuck with Mommy and we stayed more towards the baby area and Daddy took Brie on the slides. We all met up in the wave pool and had a blast!!

After going back to our room to shower we headed out to eat and to get the kids pictures taken at an Old Time Photo place. They did so good! Noah refused to give us a mean face but his smile looked a little sinister in some. Brie was a pretty as a princess and did perfect in every shot! We started off in the bar area, then moved to the piano room, and finally ended up in the hillbilly room. We ended up picking our favorite, in the piano room, which was hard! I love it!! I was getting a little nervous because I knew Noah was wearing down and didn't know how much longer her would last. He was done by the time we were paying! haha....such a great experience. Next time we will have our baby girl with us and maybe Mommy and Daddy will get in the picture too :)

On day three we pretty much stayed in the indoor water park. The outside was closed through the week :( Really though, it wasn't bad. The inside was so awesome that it didn't matter! We finally got Noah warmed up to the water enough that he went out with Daddy to ride the waves! He was giggling and having the best time ever! Brie is my little dare devil and was charging the waves, not scared one bit! She is so proud of herself because she has become quite the swimmer. The deepest part of the indoor wave pool was only like 4ft so she did awesome and could go out pretty far. Big deal to a 5 year old! Her and I went out together and I tried to get us a good spot so we could ride the waves together but every time a stinking wave would hit me my bathing suit would drop on the bottom and raise on the top! haha...I'm sure it was a sight to see! I was pushing it a little in my swim suit because I refused to go buy another suit for our 4 day vacation! Oh my, it worked but barely :/ haha...oh well, I won't be seeing any of those people again, or at least that's what I'm telling myself! ha. We went up to our room and got ready for dinner and then after that we headed over to Polka Dot Pottery. The kids picked out a magnet and my Courtney gave me a coupon for a free piece to paint when you bought one. Daddy, of course, got the extra piece of pottery and I took pictures :) Brie painted a flower and Noah picked a lizard. They started off so cute but the kids got a little paint happy and well, they still turned out cute! haha....Noah's lizard just turned out really blue and Brie's flower ended up with some weird polka dots but hey, it worked! I'm just happy they liked it. Daddy did a little piece sign thingy with all THREE kids names on it. Brie insisted that Bailey liked the color purple! So, Brie was pink and Noah was blue and baby Bailey was purple :) I'm going to use it as an ornament for the Christmas tree!!

On our last day we did the same again and had a blast the entire time. We decided to leave tonight instead of the morning because that way we didn't have to wake up extra early and drive we could just do it at night, while the kids slept. On our drive into town we had noticed two monster trucks sitting outside this building, Noah is obsessed with monster trucks! Well, we decided to let him get out of the car to see them up close and noticed a sign saying they gave rides. Say what?? I jumped on my phone and googled it and it only cost $11!! Daddy and Noah walked in to check it out and Brie and I stayed in the car. BUST!! The guy tells Tommy that they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but if he bought a ticket today he would give it to him for half price! Yay! NOT! It was Tuesday and we were leaving that night :( Noah was pretty bummed but Daddy bought him a new monster truck and he was over it pretty quickly! haha...Mommy and Daddy, not so much! We were so upset, if only we had stopped yesterday when we first noticed them!! Well, we know for next time at least now, I guess. Trying to go for the positive outlook here! 

So that was our wonderful, amazing, never going to forget family vacation!! :) I honestly don't have anything negative to say about it. Maybe our first night when I ate some nasty buffet food but that was just a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things :) I am truly blessed with a wonderful little family and couldn't be happier! Bailey is going to be here before we know it and it's only going to make things that much better!! I can't wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her little face off! Next year she'll be a chunky little baby going with us on vacation :) God has truly blessed us with more than I could have ever dreamed of!

1st blog entry :)

So I have decided to start up a blog to help me keep tract and remember all the things happening in my life now so I can look back and remember them like it just happened. I have been putting off doing this for what seems like forever, why?, have no clue! My sister has been in blog world for what seems like forever and I am always telling myself to start one up, well, here I am :)

First I'll start with my baby girl turning 5, starting kindergarten, and signing up for dance class (again) all in the same week. Eek!! Talk about an emotionally charged mama! It was hard but we are in week 3 of everything and I feel like we have a good system going. She started dance for the second time and I was terrified how it was going to turn out. To my surprise it was great, she was great! We tried this back in 2011 and she just wasn't ready and I had to pull her from the class. Fortunately she didn't even seem to mind or care! HA! I am so proud of my little grade school er, can't believe my baby is in school!! She turned 5 on August 24th and it, for some reason, hit me hard. I just can't seem to wrap my head around my sweet baby girl being so big!  

 

We had her birthday party and Woodland Mound Park and it turned out to be a perfect day :) She wanted to have a princess party with all the princesses, not just one! I basically copied exactly what my sister did with her daughter back in July. Hey, when it's a good idea, well, it's a good idea! :) We brought pizza from Gramma's for everyone with some chips and pop to drink. After playing, eating and opening her gifts we all went over the the water park area and I paid for all the kids to get in. Uncle Steve was even nice enough to buy all the kids ice cream cones too! She had such a blast and I'm so happy it didn't end up raining or anything to ruin the day. I didn't have a back up plan!! haha...that's how we Smith's roll :)

At her five year check up she weighed 49lbs and is 44 inches tall. She passed both the hearing and vision test, I was scared for her on the vision, I couldn't even see the chart! haha...I'm pretty blind, although I did have my contacts in, hmmm, anyways! She did awesome :) She was a little confused with the star BUT in all fairness, from far away that could look like a fuzzy circle! She looked at me and I told her I was sorry but Mommy can't tell her the answers! After that we went back to the room and talked to the doctor. She looked and sounded great so now we just have to go back in a few weeks for her to get the flu shot. Hate having to give them so many shots but I know it's for the best.



Now for my little firecracker, my baby boy! :) He turned 3 back in March and just can't wait for his next birthday! He tells me everyday something new that he wants me to buy him for his birthday. Little does he know that won't be for another 6 months but oh well. So as for him, he is just one giant ball of energy that NEVER stops!! :) I mean that in the most loving way ;) He is obsessed with monster trucks at the moment. He was on the TNMT for awhile, he still likes them but not as much as monster trucks. Well, at least not  for right now. He also loves construction vehicles. He gets so excited when we pass any trucks working on the road. That seems more often than not right now because they are working on every road it seems like around here. He loves his sissy to pieces and wants to be a big boy too :) I'm so happy we finally got him potty trained!! Whoa, that was a task! Thank goodness it happened at the beginning of summer too. So glad I didn't have to buy the swimmer diapers again!

As for my third little one. Well, SHE's still in Mommy's belly :) We just found out yesterday that our third child is going to be a baby girl! I was so surprised because I was so sure that it was going to be a boy. I think it had a lot to do with my son though. My poor little guy :( It is all girls, and everywhere! He doesn't have one little boy his age to play with. All the kids that I have watched over the years, girls, girls and more girls!! I was really wanting a boy for him but in all fairness this baby will be a little less than 4 years younger than him and they won't be playing together for at least a few years. By then he will be in school and playing sports. He is so mad about it though! haha...when the ultra sound lady (not sure what her official title is) said it was a girl he got so upset. He said "NO, that's my brother in there!" haha...I said" No honey, it's a girl!" He just kept shaking his head no and saying their was a boy in there for him. Poor little guy, he just didn't understand :( When we got in the car to leave I tried to tell him how he can be his little sister's protector and big brother. He still wasn't having it but I know he will come around. He's going to be so excited, especially when he gets to meet her :) January 21 st is going to be here before we know it! I love my family so much!! :)