Relaxing in the Smokies

Among the hustle & bustle with all the exploring, we also had time to relax at the cabins.  We had two that were about 4 doors apart from each other in a cabin resort type area.  We ate dinner every night together, spent time on porches talking & played some Bunco & Balderdash.  Here are some of the happenings....

Charlotte carried Eloise back & forth to introduce her to "the boys" ie Rob's cousins Jack, Charlie & Thomas.  Charlotte was obsessed with them & multiple times a day she would ask "Mommy, can we go to the boys' house?" or "I want to see Jack."  Jack was the fav since he actually paid Charlotte some attention. She also always clarified when saying "Thomas" is not "Thomas the Train." 

Our first evening, Grandma Virginia or Gigi to the girls cooked up a Polish feast of homemade pierogis & some delicious kielbasa.  We danced to some Polish music & enjoyed every last bite of our dinner.

a plate full of Polish goodness

Gigi got to meet precious Isaac for the first time.  This woman is accustomed to little boys as she had five grandsons before her one & only granddaughter Caroline arrived. She definitely enjoyed her time with the little man in the family!

Gigi wasn't the only one that enjoyed some Isaac snuggles.  Eloise was requesting to hold him multiple times a day by stretching her arms up & grunting. She would actually hold him for a good five minutes though, I was impressed!  Anne & Caroline loved on the little ones as much as they could : ) 

We had a pool up just about the steepest hill I have ever walked up. I am awful at guessing so I won't but let's just say I couldn't make it pushing a stroller with my two girls.  Thankfully Uncle Steve took over while I caught my breath ; ) The cousins were too cute in their swimwear...

I would have thought the way back would have been easier but there was a steep climb to get to the top.  Grammy offered her assistance & I gladly accepted.

Walking down that hill was a bit scary thinking if we tripped & let go of the stroller it would go flying. I decided to walk behind Jenny so if mine took off down the hill it would hit her first ; ) We made it without any tragedy.

We celebrated Bob's birthday with the Valentine family favorite Triple Chocolate Cake.  We not only had a full cake but lots & LOTS of cupcakes.....to die for!

One evening after we got the kids in bed we headed down to the main strip of shops & attractions in Gatlinburg with Steve & Jenny. It was fun to wander around with just the four of us. We listened to some bluegrass music, watched a guy play his tie shaped washboard with a spoon, & picked up a couple souvenirs.  We also had a dance party in the car on the way home....love those.

The afternoon that we ziplined, the rest of the crew headed over to do some mini golfing.  Here is one proud Grandpa teaching Char how to golf & snuggling Elo.  This man couldn't be happier with all the little ladies in his life : ) 

This post would not be complete without a picture of Char & her favorite boy Jack.  She was chattin' him up on the steps one evening.  He was SO sweet to pay attention to her!

After what seemed like the blink of an eye even though it was 4 days, we were all packed up to head out of Gatlinburg. Our only complaint about the trip....IT WAS TOO SHORT! We had such a lovely time & wanted it to last much longer.

Here are the front porch shots before hopping in the cars....

Grandma Virginia & Aunt Edna

The Blantons- Jack, Thomas, Anne, Caroline & Charlie

the whole crew

The countdown is on.....next trip in two years?