10.10.2019
Ashton's 6th Birthday
Ashton turned six last month and had a great birthday. She had school that day so was able to help with the school announcements and Joseph went to lunch with her. Ashton planned out most of her special day. It started with crepes for breakfast, ordering school lunch with Dad, and ribs and corn on the cob for dinner. On Saturday, she had a few friends over for a birthday party. The theme she chose was a baking/cooking theme. So we made pizzas with her friends and then decorated some cupcakes. The kids also decorated chef hats and played pin the candle on the cupcake. Ashton actually spent a lot of time decorating her cupcakes and I enjoyed watching her experiment with it all. It seems she has been watching me decorate over all these years.
9.17.2019
Gemma is 18 months old!
Gemma celebrated turning 18 months old with going to nursery. Hooray! She doesn't love it yet but will with some more time. Joseph has to be the one to take her and then sneaks out when she's not looking. Thankfully, our nursery teacher is a friend and knows the kids outside of church as well. Plus, Tanner is with Gemma for the rest of the year, which helps her a little.
Gemma's typical schedule:
Wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30am. She seems to follow Ashton's sleep schedule more. Tanner is still our best sleeper as he sleeps in most days and takes longer naps. Oh well... maybe Gemma will shift her schedule one day.
Breakfast and morning errands/outings from about 8 to 11am. We can't be out much past 11am or Gemma will fall asleep in the car. She is notoriously good at falling asleep quickly in the van and nothing keeps her awake. So we try to be home by 11am right now.
Lunch around 12noon and then playtime until 12:45ish for naps.
She naps from about 1-3pm. With school pick up, we have to leave by 3pm so naps end no matter what by then. She typically sleeps 1.5-2 hours even on the weekends when she could nap longer.
Gemma goes to bed with the other kids at 8pm. Thanks to school starting for us, we are more strict on bedtime. She typically sleeps through the night. I wake up to her fussing off and on but I think she is just crying a little in her sleep. I've never had to get her out of her crib or anything since she was weaned at 12 months. Last month, she moved from a pack n play in one of the master closets to a crib in her own room upstairs. The transition went just fine with no issues from her. I think she wakes up a little earlier but it could also be that I hear her sooner. Plus she's getting some molars right now, which may contribute to it.
Gemma seems to be a talker. She is already saying about 20-25 words at home. Many of these include animals and animal sounds. She can say: please, cheese, more, all done, thank you (she says "come" as in welcome for thank you), Dada, Mama, Papa, Nana, banana, neigh, moo, quack, duck, dog, cat, meow, shoe, up, cup, woof, roar (for a dinosaur), cracker, bus, and a few others that I can't think of right now. She understands a TON and follows lots of commands. If it's her turn to say a prayer, she will babble during it. I'm happy to see her learning vocabulary quickly.
She's not the most social kid so far in our family but neither was Ashton at this age. And now Ashton doesn't know a stranger. Gemma likes to be nice and social from a distance. If someone tries to pick her up or gets too close to her, she is not afraid to speak up. I think Gemma is our most dramatic kid so far, as well. Which I thought I'd never say. She was so quiet and easy as a baby. She doesn't have huge meltdowns or anything but just makes her preference well-known in the house.
Gemma has caught up with her gross motor skills since 15 months. I wasn't concerned then but now she is going up and down the stairs on two feet rather than climbing on all fours. This terrifies me but she is adamant that she can do it. She hasn't fallen yet so I guess she is doing well. Gemma enjoys riding her tricycle. I tried her on the balance bike a few weeks ago and she isn't quite tall enough. I'm hoping for an early bike rider like her siblings. She kicks at balls, throws things, starting to scribble with crayons, etc.
Favorites:
Food- milk. Hands down, she loves her milk. Her other favorites include black olives, strawberries, pepperoni, corn on the cob, and bananas. She continues to be a little picky with food but we still just provide whatever we're eating and she eats if she's hungry I guess. I'm not about to make special foods for her. I don't have time for that.
At home activity- playing with magnatiles, climbing stuff, playing with the water table outside.
Errand/Outing- HEB. She loves going and lights up when we pull in the parking lot. She especially loves Buddy Bucks and hitting the button on the machine.
Book- any book. Gemma loves reading and will bring book after book to you. She especially loves books with dinosaurs or cats in them.
Show- I put this on here because Ashton had such a preference for this. Gemma actually doesn't watch screens a lot. She's in the playroom if Tanner is watching his lunch show but could care less about it. Same way with movie night. She much prefers to play and run around. I'd say she maybe looks at a screen for a max of ten minutes a day, which I'm grateful for. Although, with school starting, we cut back to one PBS show a day for Tanner and none for Ashton so screen time in general has cut back a lot.
Gemma loves animals and will chase any squirrel or animal she sees. She especially loves cats. There is a super friendly cat that lives outside a few blocks from us. It's on the way to Ashton's school so if we see it, Gemma gets the perk of petting it for a while. She also goes across the street a lot to pet our neighbor dogs behind their driveway gate. Thankfully, the neighbors know Gemma well and don't mind her. She has taken an interest to River lately, which leads to some problems. Gemma just gets in River's space and tries to pet her eyes or grab her tail. Gemma will figure it out soon enough.
Gemma is finally doing much better at going to the YMCA for me. She loves one of the workers there and goes right to her. She does okay with me leaving her at some people's homes for a doctors appointment or something. But even then, she's still a little picky about who it is. She seems to do okay for our babysitter and only cries for a few minutes.
Body measurements:
Height: 31.5 inches
Weight: 25 lbs
About 50th percentile for both. Gemma is probably our smallest kid so far in both areas. I couldn't find the measurements of the older kids but I feel like Gemma is smaller in the percentiles. And clothes that fit Ashton at this time are a little too big right now on Gemma.
Gemma's typical schedule:
Wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30am. She seems to follow Ashton's sleep schedule more. Tanner is still our best sleeper as he sleeps in most days and takes longer naps. Oh well... maybe Gemma will shift her schedule one day.
Breakfast and morning errands/outings from about 8 to 11am. We can't be out much past 11am or Gemma will fall asleep in the car. She is notoriously good at falling asleep quickly in the van and nothing keeps her awake. So we try to be home by 11am right now.
Lunch around 12noon and then playtime until 12:45ish for naps.
She naps from about 1-3pm. With school pick up, we have to leave by 3pm so naps end no matter what by then. She typically sleeps 1.5-2 hours even on the weekends when she could nap longer.
Gemma goes to bed with the other kids at 8pm. Thanks to school starting for us, we are more strict on bedtime. She typically sleeps through the night. I wake up to her fussing off and on but I think she is just crying a little in her sleep. I've never had to get her out of her crib or anything since she was weaned at 12 months. Last month, she moved from a pack n play in one of the master closets to a crib in her own room upstairs. The transition went just fine with no issues from her. I think she wakes up a little earlier but it could also be that I hear her sooner. Plus she's getting some molars right now, which may contribute to it.
Gemma seems to be a talker. She is already saying about 20-25 words at home. Many of these include animals and animal sounds. She can say: please, cheese, more, all done, thank you (she says "come" as in welcome for thank you), Dada, Mama, Papa, Nana, banana, neigh, moo, quack, duck, dog, cat, meow, shoe, up, cup, woof, roar (for a dinosaur), cracker, bus, and a few others that I can't think of right now. She understands a TON and follows lots of commands. If it's her turn to say a prayer, she will babble during it. I'm happy to see her learning vocabulary quickly.
She's not the most social kid so far in our family but neither was Ashton at this age. And now Ashton doesn't know a stranger. Gemma likes to be nice and social from a distance. If someone tries to pick her up or gets too close to her, she is not afraid to speak up. I think Gemma is our most dramatic kid so far, as well. Which I thought I'd never say. She was so quiet and easy as a baby. She doesn't have huge meltdowns or anything but just makes her preference well-known in the house.
Gemma has caught up with her gross motor skills since 15 months. I wasn't concerned then but now she is going up and down the stairs on two feet rather than climbing on all fours. This terrifies me but she is adamant that she can do it. She hasn't fallen yet so I guess she is doing well. Gemma enjoys riding her tricycle. I tried her on the balance bike a few weeks ago and she isn't quite tall enough. I'm hoping for an early bike rider like her siblings. She kicks at balls, throws things, starting to scribble with crayons, etc.
Favorites:
Food- milk. Hands down, she loves her milk. Her other favorites include black olives, strawberries, pepperoni, corn on the cob, and bananas. She continues to be a little picky with food but we still just provide whatever we're eating and she eats if she's hungry I guess. I'm not about to make special foods for her. I don't have time for that.
At home activity- playing with magnatiles, climbing stuff, playing with the water table outside.
Errand/Outing- HEB. She loves going and lights up when we pull in the parking lot. She especially loves Buddy Bucks and hitting the button on the machine.
Book- any book. Gemma loves reading and will bring book after book to you. She especially loves books with dinosaurs or cats in them.
Show- I put this on here because Ashton had such a preference for this. Gemma actually doesn't watch screens a lot. She's in the playroom if Tanner is watching his lunch show but could care less about it. Same way with movie night. She much prefers to play and run around. I'd say she maybe looks at a screen for a max of ten minutes a day, which I'm grateful for. Although, with school starting, we cut back to one PBS show a day for Tanner and none for Ashton so screen time in general has cut back a lot.
Gemma loves animals and will chase any squirrel or animal she sees. She especially loves cats. There is a super friendly cat that lives outside a few blocks from us. It's on the way to Ashton's school so if we see it, Gemma gets the perk of petting it for a while. She also goes across the street a lot to pet our neighbor dogs behind their driveway gate. Thankfully, the neighbors know Gemma well and don't mind her. She has taken an interest to River lately, which leads to some problems. Gemma just gets in River's space and tries to pet her eyes or grab her tail. Gemma will figure it out soon enough.
Gemma is finally doing much better at going to the YMCA for me. She loves one of the workers there and goes right to her. She does okay with me leaving her at some people's homes for a doctors appointment or something. But even then, she's still a little picky about who it is. She seems to do okay for our babysitter and only cries for a few minutes.
Body measurements:
Height: 31.5 inches
Weight: 25 lbs
About 50th percentile for both. Gemma is probably our smallest kid so far in both areas. I couldn't find the measurements of the older kids but I feel like Gemma is smaller in the percentiles. And clothes that fit Ashton at this time are a little too big right now on Gemma.
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| Enjoying a cold treat outside |
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| Beach time |
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| Random picture of her on my phone |
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| Loves to wear her siblings' helmets while riding her tricycle |
8.25.2019
Ashton starts school
Ashton started school on Monday, August 19. She's a week in and so far, so good. I'm grateful we chose dual immersion for her. Some other friends that started kindergarten at the same time said their kids were bored and felt they knew the material already. Ashton hasn't complained at all about that. She mentioned a few days were "rough" because the teacher spoke a ton in Spanish. I think the teacher speaks most of the day in Spanish so I can imagine it is frustrating at times. Ashton is already learning the alphabet in Spanish, which is crazy to me. She is also counting past 20 in Spanish so far.
She met a few friends and talks about Zoe and Chloe. I don't know who they are but she says they are nice and they tell funny jokes. She plays with them at recess and at lunch.
Her teacher is Senora Garcia. Ashton likes her and seems to be doing well with her.
Tanner seems to be adjusting well to being the older child at home. The hardest times for him are when we need to leave at a certain time to get to school for drop off/pick up. So we're working on a system for that. Otherwise, I'm enjoying having two napping kids again and a quiet house in the afternoon. It's refreshing to only have two kids home during the day. I feel I can breathe a little bit. But just a little bit because just when I do, Tanner does something to throw me off my groove.
She met a few friends and talks about Zoe and Chloe. I don't know who they are but she says they are nice and they tell funny jokes. She plays with them at recess and at lunch.
Her teacher is Senora Garcia. Ashton likes her and seems to be doing well with her.
Tanner seems to be adjusting well to being the older child at home. The hardest times for him are when we need to leave at a certain time to get to school for drop off/pick up. So we're working on a system for that. Otherwise, I'm enjoying having two napping kids again and a quiet house in the afternoon. It's refreshing to only have two kids home during the day. I feel I can breathe a little bit. But just a little bit because just when I do, Tanner does something to throw me off my groove.
8.23.2019
Goal Update
1. Ashton to learn addition, subtraction, and reading. She also wants to learn how to tie shoes.
She worked on all of the above. Her reading is going very well and I hope it helps her in kindergarten. They teach reading in Spanish and the children often do well in both languages. Ashton can successfully tie her own shoes. Although the knots are a little loose so I go behind and double knot them for now.
2. Tanner to learn to write some letters and shapes. I also want him to be able to dress himself by the end of summer.
Tanner learned to write a T, N, A, R, E, L, M, and maybe a few others. Some times, it is by random chance that he drew the letter and other times, he does it intentionally. He actually improved a lot on his drawing abilities and started drawing people and very intense pictures. He can now put on underwear and pants by himself. His shirt is a little harder but we'll get there. With him, it's not so much a lack of ability but rather a lack of desire.
3. Go the beach!
We went once with my sister and hope to go a few more times in the early fall months. We tried more but things came up.
4. Complete temple ordinances for my grandparents.
This should be done by the end of the year. The Houston temple closed all of August, which slowed me down a little.
5. Live it up in Gatlinburg!
We definitely enjoyed our time in Tennessee. There is a slew of blog posts on that so I won't go into detail.
6. Plant a garden.
After many conversations, we decided to forego a garden still. Maybe another year.
7. Swimming at the pool.
We went swimming a bunch this summer. Gemma prefers to walk around the outside of the pool so I can't take the three kids myself. But we went at least twice a week, sometimes more. Ashton jumped off the diving board for the first time and did great. She can swim on her own about 30-40 feet or so. We worked with Tanner a little bit on swimming without a life jacket. We'll hit it harder next summer.
8. Complete some house projects like replacing all our gold door knobs, staining outside furniture, painting some more rooms, etc.
I got our half bath redone and it was everything I envisioned. I painted it, did the backsplash, and painted the cabinet. It was a fun project. We also replaced all the doorknobs, stained furniture, and got a few other minor projects done. We also added sod to some places in our backyard that used to be landscaping bricks. Now I'm working on painting the craft room, Tanner's room, Ashton's room and the kid's bathroom.
9. Move Tanner and Ashton together in a bedroom and move Gemma to a crib upstairs.
We decided to keep Tanner and Ashton separate for a little longer since we have the space. Gemma is moving upstairs in another bedroom in a few days.
10. Build a massive fort inside.
We built some forts, probably nothing "massive" by definition.
11. Visit all the local splashpads.
We accomplished this with all our ward playgroups. The kids enjoy splash pads. Gemma takes a while to warm up to them and then enjoys sitting by the small fountains.
12. Make a slip and slide in the backyard when it's not a rainy week.
Didn't do this. Maybe next summer or later this year. The kids haven't asked for it again.
13. Go hiking. Not quite sure where yet but maybe Brazos Bend State Park.
We went hiking in Tennessee but not Texas. We'll try Brazos Bend this fall when it cools off.
14. We'll all do the summer reading program at the library again I'm sure. With that, I hope to read a chapter book/week with Ashton.
We completed the summer reading program. We read at least three chapter books/week with Ashton. She loves reading Sophie Mouse books. The summer reading program gave out free books for the first level, which was pretty cool. They had great options too. I have been pleased with our library's story times and reading program so far.
15. Visit the Lone Star Flight Museum. They do a cool reading/story time once a week and I haven't ventured there yet. I know Tanner will love going.
I need to see if they still do the story time so I can take Tanner and Gemma. We didn't make it as we didn't have many open Fridays (when they offer story time).
16. Visit the space center as much as we can. Since we got a membership, I hope to go there when it's super hot outside.
We went a few times this summer and they updated some exhibits, which make it more kid-friendly.
17. Visit Schlitterbahn or another waterpark in Galveston.
We spent a WHOLE day at Schlitterbahn (like over 7 hours) as a family and loved it. We initially planned to just have Joseph and Ashton go but at the last minute, we all went. The kids had a blast. It was a fun day and we'll probably do it once a summer if possible. Because of height restrictions, Ashton had to go on a lot of rides by herself so one of us could ride tandem with Tanner. She did amazing at it and showed minimal hesitation. She even tried boogie boarding. She is so little and light that she just flew off the second her board hit the current but I was so proud of her for trying. Gemma hated the lazy river but loved played in the toddler sections of the waterpark.
18. Visit the Houston Dog Show.
I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the dog show with Ashton and Tanner. It wasn't as big of a hit as I expected but they enjoyed it still.
19. Visit some new parks.
We tried out a few new ones. We still prefer the few close to our house though.
20. Be outside as much as possible. I know for many people, Texas summers are not "outside weather." I try my best to deal with the sweating and the heat and just enjoy it. I'm going to sweat no matter what so I am going to TRY to find the joy in the heat. I'll stock the freezer with popsicles to make it better. I really want to try to be outside at least three hours a day when possible. I have read a blog with a goal of 1000 hours outside each year. This averages out to be 2.75 hours/day. Right now, we probably spend 2ish hours a day outside so I'm trying to increase this. Some days are easier than others (rain vs. sun) but I can still be more willing.
I felt pretty successful with this goal. The kids were outside everyday for at least an hour or more. The summer hasn't felt too unbearable plus the weather blog I follow mentions a slight cold front coming next week. I'd love to have a longer fall to enjoy the outdoors more.
She worked on all of the above. Her reading is going very well and I hope it helps her in kindergarten. They teach reading in Spanish and the children often do well in both languages. Ashton can successfully tie her own shoes. Although the knots are a little loose so I go behind and double knot them for now.
2. Tanner to learn to write some letters and shapes. I also want him to be able to dress himself by the end of summer.
Tanner learned to write a T, N, A, R, E, L, M, and maybe a few others. Some times, it is by random chance that he drew the letter and other times, he does it intentionally. He actually improved a lot on his drawing abilities and started drawing people and very intense pictures. He can now put on underwear and pants by himself. His shirt is a little harder but we'll get there. With him, it's not so much a lack of ability but rather a lack of desire.
3. Go the beach!
We went once with my sister and hope to go a few more times in the early fall months. We tried more but things came up.
4. Complete temple ordinances for my grandparents.
This should be done by the end of the year. The Houston temple closed all of August, which slowed me down a little.
5. Live it up in Gatlinburg!
We definitely enjoyed our time in Tennessee. There is a slew of blog posts on that so I won't go into detail.
6. Plant a garden.
After many conversations, we decided to forego a garden still. Maybe another year.
7. Swimming at the pool.
We went swimming a bunch this summer. Gemma prefers to walk around the outside of the pool so I can't take the three kids myself. But we went at least twice a week, sometimes more. Ashton jumped off the diving board for the first time and did great. She can swim on her own about 30-40 feet or so. We worked with Tanner a little bit on swimming without a life jacket. We'll hit it harder next summer.
8. Complete some house projects like replacing all our gold door knobs, staining outside furniture, painting some more rooms, etc.
I got our half bath redone and it was everything I envisioned. I painted it, did the backsplash, and painted the cabinet. It was a fun project. We also replaced all the doorknobs, stained furniture, and got a few other minor projects done. We also added sod to some places in our backyard that used to be landscaping bricks. Now I'm working on painting the craft room, Tanner's room, Ashton's room and the kid's bathroom.
9. Move Tanner and Ashton together in a bedroom and move Gemma to a crib upstairs.
We decided to keep Tanner and Ashton separate for a little longer since we have the space. Gemma is moving upstairs in another bedroom in a few days.
10. Build a massive fort inside.
We built some forts, probably nothing "massive" by definition.
11. Visit all the local splashpads.
We accomplished this with all our ward playgroups. The kids enjoy splash pads. Gemma takes a while to warm up to them and then enjoys sitting by the small fountains.
12. Make a slip and slide in the backyard when it's not a rainy week.
Didn't do this. Maybe next summer or later this year. The kids haven't asked for it again.
13. Go hiking. Not quite sure where yet but maybe Brazos Bend State Park.
We went hiking in Tennessee but not Texas. We'll try Brazos Bend this fall when it cools off.
14. We'll all do the summer reading program at the library again I'm sure. With that, I hope to read a chapter book/week with Ashton.
We completed the summer reading program. We read at least three chapter books/week with Ashton. She loves reading Sophie Mouse books. The summer reading program gave out free books for the first level, which was pretty cool. They had great options too. I have been pleased with our library's story times and reading program so far.
15. Visit the Lone Star Flight Museum. They do a cool reading/story time once a week and I haven't ventured there yet. I know Tanner will love going.
I need to see if they still do the story time so I can take Tanner and Gemma. We didn't make it as we didn't have many open Fridays (when they offer story time).
16. Visit the space center as much as we can. Since we got a membership, I hope to go there when it's super hot outside.
We went a few times this summer and they updated some exhibits, which make it more kid-friendly.
17. Visit Schlitterbahn or another waterpark in Galveston.
We spent a WHOLE day at Schlitterbahn (like over 7 hours) as a family and loved it. We initially planned to just have Joseph and Ashton go but at the last minute, we all went. The kids had a blast. It was a fun day and we'll probably do it once a summer if possible. Because of height restrictions, Ashton had to go on a lot of rides by herself so one of us could ride tandem with Tanner. She did amazing at it and showed minimal hesitation. She even tried boogie boarding. She is so little and light that she just flew off the second her board hit the current but I was so proud of her for trying. Gemma hated the lazy river but loved played in the toddler sections of the waterpark.
18. Visit the Houston Dog Show.
I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the dog show with Ashton and Tanner. It wasn't as big of a hit as I expected but they enjoyed it still.
19. Visit some new parks.
We tried out a few new ones. We still prefer the few close to our house though.
20. Be outside as much as possible. I know for many people, Texas summers are not "outside weather." I try my best to deal with the sweating and the heat and just enjoy it. I'm going to sweat no matter what so I am going to TRY to find the joy in the heat. I'll stock the freezer with popsicles to make it better. I really want to try to be outside at least three hours a day when possible. I have read a blog with a goal of 1000 hours outside each year. This averages out to be 2.75 hours/day. Right now, we probably spend 2ish hours a day outside so I'm trying to increase this. Some days are easier than others (rain vs. sun) but I can still be more willing.
I felt pretty successful with this goal. The kids were outside everyday for at least an hour or more. The summer hasn't felt too unbearable plus the weather blog I follow mentions a slight cold front coming next week. I'd love to have a longer fall to enjoy the outdoors more.
Tennessee Day 4
Our last full day in the mountains and we were determined to get a hike in. After the flat tire issue the day before, we knew this was our last day to try. We hiked Laurel Falls and it was great. The kids did awesome and the views were amazing. Ashton and I saw a black bear off the trail a ways on the way back down, which was neat. Gemma cooperated yet again by staying in the carrier the whole time plus taking a nap. Such a champ!
After our hike, we hit up the national park visitor's center and gift shop. Then we met my parents and the rest of the crew for a late lunch in Gatlinburg. This was our only time actually going into the city and I'm grateful for that. After lunch, we visited the Ripley's Aquarium. Then we rode the free trolley around a little bit for the kids and headed back to the campground for a cookout that night.
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| Pre-hike. Waiting at the trailhead while Dad parked the car. |
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| She slept right through the waterfall part. But I think that is okay. I was worried she'd want to play in all the water and be wet coming back down. Plus the drop off was fairly substantial at the falls. |
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.
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| Tanner wanted a turn taking pictures. I'm guessing there was some bug in the rocks for this one. |
8.12.2019
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.
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.
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