The Beckstroms

Last week was Adam's spring break so we headed down to Tennessee.  We went to Gatlinburg, TN to visit the Smoky Mountains.  I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful our excursion was.  It was just what a vacation should be, it seemed as if time slowed down and we didn't even feel like we needed a vacation after our vacation.  It was an 8 hour drive from D.C. and the girls were little dreamboats for the long day in the car.  Our friends, the Tabatabaei's, joined us as well for part of the week and that was such a highlight.  They were so fun and easy to travel with!  We had some down pouring rain and some sickness the second day there, but it didn't dampen our spirits!  We had delicious food, lots of laughs over the southern drawl and random shops, and we talked for hours and hours all sitting on the huge bed.   

  It was refreshing to be outside in 60 and 70 degree weather all day.  We didn't know anything about this place, but had heard really good things about it.  We stayed in a cabin that was away from the main drag in Gatlinburg.  We couldn't stop laughing as we drove slowly down the street because it was bumper to bumper!  This place was a mix of Vegas, a carnival, Disneyland, and the South.  I think that about covers it.

This sign actually had a lot of vintage charm and it caught my eye.

All of the kids were absolute delights.  These two just pranced around like they were in there own little bubble.  They slept up in a loft and we could hear them start chattering away each morning at 6 a.m. about how they were wide awake and their brains wouldn't shut off.  Adam tried to have them go back to sleep the first morning, but came back overwhelmed by how much they could talk and just let them be.

I think this little one felt invinsible on the hikes.  She was trying to run on her chubby little legs and just toddled all over the place so quickly.  She found mud, chewed on sticks, and would have put her face in the waterfalls had we let her.  Maybe the chewing on sticks explains why she threw up all day the second day.  Although my heart broke that she was so sick, it was comforted by her cuddling with me all day.

And this little beauty is Pearl.  She found every little cupboard or closet and would back her little bum in and sit down in her little cubby hole.  Olive and Pearl spent a lot of time in the pile of shoes by the door trying different ones on and occasionally smacking each other on the head.  Gotta love toddlers.

These girls can't get enough of their fun and up-for-anything daddy.  They enjoyed swimming with him, tennis, searching for rocks, making s'mores, reading, and going on nature walks.

We stopped by Dollywood just to take a look.  It was closed, but a gate was open so we went inside the park and snuck a peek at this beauty.  We knew our dear friend (you know who you are!) would be excited to see a picture of this thriller.  And we finished the trip off with one of my favorite things to see, a covered bridge!  I had no idea that there was New England charm way down in the South.