Tennessee trip

We left at 5:20am on Thursday. Brian did most of the driving (thanks, honey!) The beginning of our trip was with the Thompsons. On Sunday, we'll meet 20+ more family members for a Kitterman vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Bristol Motor Speedway

It took us about 7 hours to get to Julie's house where we had lunch and a great visit. Matthew was able to come home for lunch so we got to see the whole fam. Issachar was a great host, showing us all around his home. Ruth took her time checking us out and finally let Emily hold her for this picture without crying. Two hours later we arrived at our cute A-frame cabin in the woods. The Thompsons arrived just minutes after us - good timing. Off to dinner... Dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Gatlinburg. Jenna loved the double kiss from her mommy & daddy!

After dinner, we walked around the town of Gatlinburg. I soooo thought of you, Cliff, when I saw this place! I know you could've eaten here for every meal! 21 varieties ~ wow!! Can you find Uncle Jake in this picture?

Friday: We went to the top of our mountain (where our house is) and the view was beautiful.

They had a fun attraction we all rode. We took the lift up and rode Alpine Slide down. This pic shows Brian and Rachel in the lift in from of me and Emily (Brian's wearing the red shirt.) The white track on the ground is the track of the Alpine slide. You sit in this little wheeled car and fly down this cement track. The car has a hand break, that's it. Quite fun for most of us... some went faster than others. :) Can you guess who?

How many people have tried on those hats?! ewww

Lunch in Gatlinburg at No Way Joses - YUM!

I thought the tree behind the girls was pretty neat, too.

As we walked around The Village in Gatlinburg, this guy had parrots we could hold. He was promoting a show at another location. Pretty neat!

How appropriate. Uncle Jake has a store dedicatied to him!

Brian was in heaven with these caramel apples - one of his favorite treats!

Slick Track in Pigeon Forge

Saturday: Great Smokey Mountain National Park

We hiked 1.3 miles up to the falls. Did I mention there are no porta-johns up there? oh my... On our way back down, we saw a black bear and 2 turkeys. (not the 2 turkeys below... 2 wild turkeys!)

new pet at our house

Emily received a beautiful teal beta fish for her 12th birthday on Saturday. One of our kitties, Josie, was the welcoming committee. :) She was very curious about the fish and watched the tank from many different angles for most of the day. It was great.

Great shots, Em. Quick thinking to grab the camera when Josie was being so funny.

GO BACK 3 years to 2005

Here is our other kitty, Claire, enjoying a new beta fish that Rachel received for her 12th birthday.

Not sure what it is with us giving beta fish as a 12-year-old birthday gift.

It's totally unplanned. random.

But I'm glad we got pictures each time. :)

1 fun camera + 2 creative girls = 300+ SPRING pix

On Saturday, we went to my parents/grandmothers for the day. All of their trees are just beautiful!! The girls took my camera out for a photo shoot and took several hundred pics!! These are just a few fun ones that give an idea of the day... I'm glad the girls enjoyed their time together.

playing with the timer...

a tree growing out of a stump!

What a neat experience to go on a photo shoot with a *real* photographer! Danielle's friend, Andi, invited her along and b/c I was in town visiting, she let me come along, too. How incredibly neat! We all rode together but poor Danielle left her purse in the other car and they wouldn't let her onto the base so she didn't get to go! Andi is HER friend... and I get to have the fun! awkward! Being positive, like she always is, Danielle turned the disappointment for good - she walked the beach and prayed for the whole hour! You're amazing, Danielle, for sure! Anyway, I just thought I would be changing batteries, holding stuff and LEARNING - but NO, Andi put a camera in my hands and told me to shoot! It was very fun and I learned a ton! The beach at Fort Story was just beautiful, Andi is a fun photographer and really captured the mother-to-be well. Please check out her blog and see the great pics she took! Andi Grant Photography One of my favorite shoots she has posted is the Wolfe Family (posted in March).

18 Years!

So glad I married you, honey!

Recipe Swap

WELCOME to those who have linked over from Lysa's blog.

For my 4 regular readers (Hi Ma!) you should check out all the yummy recipes people have posted on Lysa's site. Many of the recipes look delish!

Here is my contribution to the Recipe Exchange. Everyone in my house (except one un-named picky child - Hi, honey!) loves this Taco Soup, made in the crockpot. My second contribution is another family favorite that even the afore mentioned picky child loves. It's called Swiss Chicken and is quite tasty. I hope you enjoy. Please LMK if they are hits for your family!

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

15 ounce can corn, undrained

15 ounce can black beans, undrained

15 ounce can kidney beans, undrained

1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix, dry

1 envelope taco seasoning, dry

1 small onion, chopped

tortilla chips

cheddar cheese, shredded

sour cream

Combine the first 8 ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with chips, cheese and sour cream.

Note: for our family of 6, I double this recipe and usually only have a little bit left.

Swiss Chicken

4 chicken breasts

swiss cheese slices, enough to cover each chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup (I used reduced fat)

1/2 can milk

2 cups stuffing mix, dry (I use more)

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted (I use less)

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray baking dish and place chicken inside. Top chicken pieces with swiss cheese. Combine soup and milk; pour over chicken. Sprinkle dry stuffing mix over chicken and drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

No pictures of these meals, sorry. That woulda been a good idea but I've not yet started photographing my dinners. LOL - maybe I'll start!

Misc January Happenings

We went to VB the beginning of the month and were able to be there for Hannah's 4th birthday party. Danielle did an incredible job, making Hannah's birthday top-notch with a Littlest PetShop theme. Here's the pretty birthday girl: Hannah Rose

Candy dropping from the piñata

Rachel with Juliette (who's SO big and growing way too fast for her far-away Aunt Jen!) More January fun: Emily and her buddy, Sarah got together a few times this month and had a great time together.

Goofy faces

We're very excited about an upcoming trip to see our friends, The Nams, in Phoenix, AZ. I found this in Em's room today - a dry erase board with a "countdown 'til the Nams". I thought it was sweet! It's been a while since we've seen them. Since August 24th @ 4am. But who's keeping track?! (miss you, Ashley!)

And I think I totally whiffed on posting December events. We had fun family gatherings, gingerbread houses with friends, etc.... I'll post that next. I think.