Tennessee Day 3

This day turned out a little different than planned. Initially, we planned to hike up to some waterfalls but we woke up to a flat tire on the van. While Joseph took care of that (thanks to a spare, we could at least get into town to repair it), I joined the family and we headed to the Deer Farm/Zoo. We spent the morning enjoying that and Joseph met us up there. After that, Joseph took the little kids back to the cabin while Ashton, my parents, and I went horseback riding. Ashton wanted to go horseback riding for her birthday but there aren't a ton of trail riding places in Houston. So we decided to try it in the mountains instead. It was great and I was proud of her for being brave. She got to ride her own horse and did awesome at it. It was pretty mountainous terrain and she never showed any fear on any steep incline or declines.

Tanner wanted a turn taking pictures. I'm guessing there was some bug in the rocks for this one.

Tennessee Day 1

Our first full day at the campground was Monday, August 5th. We rented a two bedroom cabin, which worked out perfectly. My parents and sister brought their RVs and stayed at the same campground. My brother came for a few days and stayed close by at another rental. It was very nice to have everyone right in the same area to allow for maximum play time. The campground was perfect for us as well. Mini golf, a pool, a great playground, some mountain streams with rocks to play on, etc.

We spent Monday morning on a hike that went from our campground into the Smoky Mountains. There was a waterfall at the top but we failed to realize it was about a four mile hike to the waterfall plus the hike back down. So we made it about 1.5 miles up and turned back around. We saw an old cabin built in the woods and lots of wildlife. The kids complained a fair amount but I also could empathize as we couldn't get the waterfalls. Plus they were anxious to play with their cousins at the campground. Gemma did GREAT in the backpacking carrier we got for the trip. We thought she'd last a few minutes in it but actually made it the whole way up and down. Plus she took a nap in it.

Monday afternoon, we spent time around the campground with family.

Tennessee Day 2

Tuesday was a great day as well. We hung out around the campground all morning in preparation for the rafting trip that afternoon. We signed Tanner, Ashton, and Joseph up for whitewater rafting with some of my family. Unfortunately, Tanner was too scared to go rafting and Joseph could not convince him to get on the boat. So they stayed at the rafting place until Ashton finished the trip. She had a blast with my family and thoroughly enjoyed seeing blue herons, turtles, and other cool animals. They stopped a few times to go swimming in the river as well as hit some good rapids. I was proud of her for going. Hopefully Tanner can go next time. He acts all brave and dare-devil-ish and then still has his moments of being three and scared.

I hung back at the camp with Gemma while she took a super long nap. She'd had a long few days of car naps. Then we played around the campground and had dinner with the family.

No hands!

Like I said, nothing could cheer him up. I wish I had gone to try and help but Gemma napping was a wonderful perk too.

Tennesse Trip: Driving there

We left Friday, August 2, to head to Tennessee. On the way there, we split the trip into three days. On Friday, we planned to drive about seven hours to north Mobile. But there was terrible traffic on I-10/I-12 so it ended up being closer to 8 or 9 hours driving. We stopped in Lake Charles for a splash pad, east of Baton Rouge for ice cream at Chick Fil A, and then dinner about an hour from the hotel. We didn't plan to make the third stop for dinner but due to traffic and running late, we had to add it in.

We stayed a hotel in Saraland, AL, which was in a great spot to set us up for an easy drive Saturday morning. Mobile isn't on the way to Gatlinburg but we decided to go a different route so we could see Joseph's grandmothers and some extended family that live near there. We've seen them three times now since moving to Texas. It's fun to do but the towns they live in are little itty bitty towns with nothing much for kids so it's always a bit tricky with little ones.

The hotel went really well! Gemma ended up being a great sleeper when traveling, which I'm grateful for. We got rooms with two separate sleeping rooms, which helps too. Saturday morning, we drove to Brewton to see one grandmother for lunch. She decided to take us out to lunch at a Chinese buffet, which I was pretty nervous about. Not only had our kids been traveling a lot but they also got a little less sleep than normal. And unless a restaurant has a playplace, eating there doesn't end well. Thankfully, I had enough toys to keep them entertained and it allowed Joseph to catch up with some family.

After lunch, the kids and I went back to the grandma's house to play with her kittens while Joseph went to visit his other grandma in a nursing home. We decided not to take the kids with since his grandma is suffering with severe dementia. It wasn't really worth struggling with three kids in a small room just for someone to not even know who they are. Joseph had a good visit though and we were happy he made it there.

After Brewton, we drove north to Castleberry to see a cousin and her kids as well as Joe's aunt and uncle who live on a farm. Once we finished visiting, we drove north to Birmingham for another hotel stay on Saturday night.

Sunday morning came and we went to the local ward. Then we drove further north to Knoxville. A family from Lake Jackson moved there two years ago so we stopped at their home for Sunday dinner and the kids all played together. It was a perfect way to keep the Sabbath day despite traveling. After dinner and playing, we loaded up one last time for the 1.5 hour drive to our cabin. The rest of my family was already at the campground so we were anxious to get there.

Overall, the kids did great traveling throughout the three days. It was a lot of travel time but they enjoyed the stops and hung in there. But we were all very excited to get to our destination and be out of the van for a while.

Careful packing of our van

Ice cream stop at CFA

Playing at Grandma McGlothren's home. I was just grateful they didn't break anything.

Cousins Visit

Terry and Anah and their boys came to visit the week before the Fourth of July. The kids were thrilled to have a few cousins to play with. We kept busy with a trip to the Houston Space Center. The whole group went there in the morning and then after lunch, the older kids all went back. Tanner was so excited to stay from open to close. That kid sure loves rockets and space.

Tanner wore his spacesuit for most of the morning at the space center. This surprised me as it was hot outside during our tram tour.

Then the next day, we took everyone to the Armand Bayou Nature Center. They were hosting a dip and find activity where the kids could take nets and find some cool water animals/organisms. Gemma spent the time filling containers with water. She was soaked, which was great as it kept her cool (she sweats a lot!) and it kept her occupied from falling in the bayou. Tanner was very much in his element here too. He loved finding animals and using microscopes to look at them. After the water part, we went on a hike to catch grasshoppers and Tanner enjoyed that too.

We tried to get a good cousins picture of the five kids.

All in all, we had a lot of fun eating good food, swimming, and enjoying being together. We're looking forward to traveling to Utah in November to see everyone again.

Wisconsin 2019

Joseph's lockout at work kept going and going and going. I had to cancel my solo trip to Utah/Idaho because of it. I was sad about that as I've been counting down the months to it since last year. So instead, I decided to take the kids to Wisconsin. Not quite the same but it allowed us to get away for a week and see family. We hadn't planned on visiting this year but I couldn't fathom not seeing everyone for another year. Joseph's lockout actually ended a few days before we left but he stayed home to catch up on work and house projects.

We flew out bright and early on June 15th. Our flight was at 8:30 so we left about 5:45am. The kids did great waking up early and Gemma napped on the plane for some of it. We landed in Minneapolis and spent lunch and the afternoon there. We visited the Mall of America and went to the aquarium there. The kids loved it but we were feeling the effects of travel. We drove to my parent's home that afternoon, which is about three hours away.

Sunday was church day for us. I always enjoy visiting the Wausau ward and seeing all the familiar faces from over the years. We hung out that afternoon at home with my sister coming to visit for the day.

Monday was the only day my mom worked so I took the kids to the splashpad in town. It was much too cold for them so we rode the little train at the park instead.

Tuesday we ventured out to Rib Mountain State Park and hiked/climbed some rocks.

On Wednesday, we went up north to Jim Peck's Wildlife Park. We love visiting here and this year was no different. The kids had a blast. I anticipated Gemma being terrified of the animals all around her but she loved it. She fed all that she could and even ate some of the goat food too.

Thursday was a quieter day in Wausau and we visited the cool rocket park by the airport. Always a favorite of Tanner's.

Friday, we hung around the house and got ready for a family dinner that night. We had a delicious BBQ and s'mores.

Saturday was busy with sanding the front deck at my parent's home. After all the hard work, we went out for pizza at Sam's Pizza and played some arcade games.

Sunday was our last full day in town. We went to church again and hung out with my sister. My mom, dad, and Ashton went to a Frozen play in town that my cousin's daughter was in.

Monday was travel day again. We didn't fly out of MSP until 8pm so it made for a long night. We got home about 12:30am. The kids were up and at it at 7:30am that morning ready to get back to Texas life.

Gemma is 15 months

Weight: 23 lbs
Height: 30 inches tall. Continues to be the shortest among the three kids.

About 70-75th percentile for height and weight.

Comparatively, Ashton was 23 pounds and 32 inches at 15 months. Tanner was 27 lbs and 32 inches tall at 15 months.

Typical Schedule:
Wake up between 7 and 8. Closer to 8am and the more likely she is to make it with one nap that day.
Breakfast is milk with some strawberries and a piece of bread. She eats it plain and it's easy.

We spend the morning out and about. Gemma went to one nap a day at the beginning of summer so Tanner and her overlap every day. She almost always falls asleep in the van around 11:30 if we're out but then still naps later in the afternoon.

She naps from about 1-3ish. She still isn't quite there with marathon naps like Tanner but I'm hopeful she gets there soon-ish.

Bedtime is between 7:30 and 8:30pm depending on nap length

Vocabulary: Cat, cracker, dog, Dada, Mama, Papa, and then signs more and all done. Gemma understands a ton so I'm not worried.

Movement: Tanner was a mover and Gemma is a little slower comparatively. I am enjoying the break. Gemma prefers to stay close and doesn't wander. She is also a little more hesitant so chooses safer options. She does go up and down stairs very well except for when she fell down some stairs in Wisconsin. She's been walking for several months now.

Favorite food: spaghetti, pizza, strawberries, milk, and popcorn. Gemma knows where the popcorn bowl is and will bring it to you when she wants popcorn, which is several times a day.

Likes: Playing outside in the water table, milk/straw cups, reading books, playing chase with Tanner and Ashton.

Dislikes: Water/swimming. She loves baths with a little bit of water in the tub but has not enjoyed swimming or splashpads. It is making for a long summer. She loves puddles but just not spraying water. She also dislikes it when a sibling has a toy she wants. Also not a fan of long car rides. We'll see how that fares for us this summer with our trip out east.

Gemma is slowly getting out of the stranger danger stage. She lasts over an hour at the YMCA now so that is a wonderful relief. She actually did great for a babysitter we had a few weeks ago. In Wisconsin, she was quick to warm up to family and did well. I feel the end is in sight very soon!