Let's go to the Mountains!

For my father-in-law's birthday, he wanted everyone to enjoy a weekend in the mountains- and what a great weekend it was! Addie rode with Ryan's parents up to Gatlinburg, TN- her first long car ride without me, as Ryan & I went up later. While I thought about her the whole time, I knew she was in good hands. I was lucky to get off at 1:00 on Friday so I went home to pack for the trip...something I should have done way sooner, but I have become quite the procrastinator these days! I have a news flash for all new moms- something I never really thought about, but I'm sure that all mama's new & old have experienced- I felt SO LOST without her around to take care of! It's was like I had no clue what to do with this extra few hours on my hands! Anyways, we woke up bright & early Saturday morning and headed to Log Cabin Pancake House. I have to say that this was one of the top 10 best meals of my life! I got chocolate chip pancakes & sausage links and it was delicious! There is nothing else like it! After breakfast, we headed over to the outlets for some shopping. AK got lots of cute clothes (for Christmas) from her grandparents...shopping for a little girl is too much fun! The outlets were a little crowded, so we went back to the cabin for a nap...we needed to rest up as we were going to see Santa later on! Saturday evening, we went to the Chrismas Place Inn to get a sneak peak at Santa! While we were not able to stick around and get AK's picture with him, we did get a chance to hear him sing and watch all of the other little kids dance. His first song was "Let them be Little," and it was definitely a teary moment. After a few songs, we realized the jolly man was going to be doing this for about an hour & I didn't think our little princess could hold out that long, so we headed on over the the Christmas Place. I am excited to say that Addison is getting her first Lee Middelton baby doll for Christmas this year! I had one of the larger ones when I was younger and to this day, she is one of my most prized possessions! We are also starting Elf on the Shelf this year...I know, I know, she will have no clue what it's all about this year & maybe even the next, but I want to start it from her very first Christmas. At least this year, we won't have to move it every night :) As Saturday wound-down, we were exhausted from such a busy day. Sunday, as we were leaving town, we drove through one of my favorite places- Cade's Cove. We had a picnic at the Primitive Baptist Church- so wonderful! Church-goers even gathered and sang while we were there, something I've never experienced while at Cade's Cove and it was really neat to hear. Addie was awake the whole time, just looking around, taking it all in. She saw a deer for the first time- I'm sure she'll remember it :) She was FANTASTIC all the way home, but I didn't expect anything less. She is so magical, and everyday I am reminded that God is so good! The weekend was perfect- spending it with my parent's, Ryan's parents and his brother & girlfriend. I look forward to lots more trips like this!