Smokey Mountain High

The last week of July the extended Blankespoor family spent a week at Gist Creek Lodge in Seveirville, TN. 

 Rest stop on the way down with an old fashioned teeter totter.  Maybe Grandpa can build one of these for our backyard?? 

pure joy

Sunday morning praise walk.  

The kids are getting older so we can actually play games with strategy - yeah!

 Lots of time spent in the pool.  Favorite activities included squirting water at Uncle Jay through the noodles and finding frogs underneath the lip of the pool.

 No danger of getting too close to the fire with long bamboo roasting sticks.

 Yum!

 Aunt Cindy read a bedtime story to all the cousins every night.  

 When I think Smokies, I think of deer, rocks and mountain streams. . .

 Cousin Danielle is 6 months older than Audrey and Sami.  

 Exploring Cades Cove. . .

 mountain spring water source from "back in the old days. . ."

 Gobble Gobble. . .we saw more turkeys in one week than I've eaten in my lifetime.

 Cousin line-up w/o bellies.

 Cousin line-up with bellies (and nipples in Sami's case)

 Tasting some delicious mountain jam

 "I can do it myself!"  says Sami as she stamps her national park pass (in the wrong place)

 All you birders out there get excited . . .can you spot the pileated woodpecker??

 Just when we were about to leave the Cades Cove road look who decided to stroll across the road right in front of our car!

 Audrey found some rock "friends"

 The trail guide said "paved trail."  It did not say, "paved trail in disrepair with roots poking through making it very difficult to push an umbrella stroller."  We made it to the top and enjoyed cooling off in Laurel Falls.

 Worn out after a long day of hiking in the national park.

 Grandpa spent lots of time reading and playing games. 

 Dixie Stampede - no silverware allowed!  

Annika and Lauren now know what they want to be when they grow up. . .

 White water rafting was a big hit.  Annika had a HUGE smile on her face the whole time.  

 It's all fun and games until you can't get the comb out of Lauren's hair w/o lots of tears and a scissors!

 Excited hikers ready to climb all the way to the top of Clingman's Dome!

 Are we there yet????

 To keep things moving we had to encourage games of "run ahead and hide and we'll try and find you."

 Good thing I have 2 legs!  This is an all too familiar pose for the twins!

 Danielle, Annika, and Sami, ready to set out on the A.T.

 Wild Bee Baum!

 The water was a little deeper than we realize when we let the kids start climbing in it.  Annika, Lauren, and Alex could have spent hours walking up and down the river.  

 Dad, Mark, Jay, and I got up early one morning to hike to Grotto Falls. . . the only falls that you can walk behind in the park.

 Jay's crazy idea. . .yes, it was cold!  

 On your mark, get set, go!  The Blankespoor Olympics have begun.  

 Lauren is VERY focused in the relay race. 

 Our week ended with a hot dog roast over the fire.  

 Run, Uncle Jay!  You are about to get attacked by a hot, squishy marshmallow.  

 These 3 "slept" together in the same room. . .

 Pile on in Grandpa and Grandma's bed!

 Happy Birthday, Aunt Cindy!  Cake for breakfast. :-)

 Good bye Gist Creek (and crazy karate kid-looking Grandpa)

 We stopped at Mammoth Caves on the way home.  We all were a little nervous how three 3 year-olds would do, but it everyone had a great time. 

 names on the ceiling from the 1800's . . .pretty cool!

 Dinner at the local pizza joint.