Springtime

We have had an eventful few weeks! Grandma and Grandpa Loftis stayed in Forge/Gatlinburg for a week around Easter in April, and drove the 1 hour 45 minute trip to Asheville about 5 times in the week. We had Easter dinner at our house on Easter Sunday, then they came back on Wednesday to watch Grady for the day and take him overnight to stay with them at the resort. Aunt Catherine went too, and they had a fun time exploring - even went to a petting zoo!

That Saturday we went for a visit, and had lunch in Pigeon Forge at The Old Mill restaurant. They had some nice shops there too... of course one was a toy shop so we bought Grady a robot stuffed toy named Kale.

Then we went to Gatlinburg and spent most of the afternoon at the Ripley's Aquarium. It was really nice! Very interactive, with tubes underneath the huge tank so we could walk underneath the sea life. They had Sawfish (sharks with saws for noses), a couple other kinds of sharks and lots and lots of fish. In the kid's play area, you could pet horseshoe crabs and had some other interactive things for children, including a big tree to crawl through which was PERFECT for Grady. There were 3 large fish tanks that you could crawl into and pop your head up in the middle, so the fish were swimming all around your head! Justin and I both got in there with Grady - the best one had fish in it like on Finding Nemo.

The last (and probably best) exhibit was the Penguins, of course! It had one of those crawling tubes and an open space inside the exhibit so it was like you were in there with them! Very cool. We had a fun time watching them splash and swim around.

Grady continues to grow and mature every day! He can pull himself up onto his knees and I'm sure will soon be standing on his own. He has learned (likely from the dogs) that he can carry a toy in his mouth and crawl at the same time. It is quite entertaining to see! We vacuum every day and mop at least 2 times a week, and his knees still are always covered in dirt and hair.

This past Sunday was my first Mother's Day! Justin made me blueberry pancakes in the morning, and then the boys went on a little shopping trip and came back with an orchid and a card that "Grady made" with his handprint. We went for a hike in Bent Creek and had a picnic, THEN went to the Tourists baseball game! I am very lucky to have such a sweet, happy family. It's only been 9 months and I can't imagine NOT being a mom.