The Final TN Blog....Finally!

**Warning** Another LONG Blog~!

*

But by now you know that I just cannot do a short blog! Just as I cannot pass up a good sale, a good dessert or a nap!! I read some other people's blogs and they post one or two pictures with a page long story of what's going on and I'm in awe! Me...well I guess that's just impossible! I take TONS of pictures and can't seem to only post one or two. Especially when you have a son as CUTE as mine!

Well I'm finally posting the last of our Tennesse pictures from our trip in October. I have ONE HUGE regret I have to mention first. Somehow I did not manage to get one picture of Craig. I'm so sorry!!! We're going back at Christmas and I promise to make up for it!!! I'm just so mad at myself!!! But to let everyone know...Craig is doing wonderful! He loves going to UT (that's TN for you Texans, ha). He has officially changed his major to Electrical Engineering, like Dee, and he's doing great in school!

On to the pictures...the last part of our trip we went up to visit Craig in Knoxville (no pictures there either, ugh) and then onto Pigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg. The boys (Dee, Craig and David) went to the UT Football game that Sat. night and us girls and Don (our chaparone) went onto Pigeon Forge to do some shopping. Don is such a good Father-in-Law!

Here's a picture of Hooper outside our hotel in the courtyard.

Ok, so I spoke a little too soon about our travels....aka I'm out of order...anyhow back at the Harris house one day Mamaw and Hooper went outside to play and this is what I found:

I love these pictures of them!

Uh Oh...Mamaw gave Hooper a bucket!

He loved it!

Look at all those leaves he collected.

The bucket is almost as big as him.

Ok, back to Pigeon Forge..outside our hotel again. Hooper really enjoyed all the decorations they had. In fact the night before he and I went down to the lobby to get some coffee/tea and there were these small pumpkins sitting around on all the tables. I thought they were real and didn't really worry about Hooper playing with them. Well as I was getting my tea I heard a crash. Hooper had thrown one down and it shattered. Guess what? It wasn't real. I was so embarrassed. The night clerk was so nice but made sure I knew that all the rest were not real or toys either. Oops!

Trying to get him to pose for a picture is almost impossible.

Thank God for Aunt Donna! She helped me so much on this trip!!!!Papaw (Don) and Uncle David

Papaw and his boy.

We walked around all the little shops in Gaitlynburg and had so much fun! Hooper enjoyed the toy store with these little barking dogs.

He really enjoyed peeking at them from behind the door.

He wasn't ready to leave but Daddy convinced him otherwise.

Sun grins are so cute on my boys!

There was this huge granite ball floating on water that Hooper really wanted.

"Please Dad, just one foot in the water! It looks like so much fun!"Hooper and Mommy playing.

Remember that scratch/battle scar Hooper has above his eye? This is where and how it happened. The huge golf ball is a trash can and Hooper wanted to play chase around it. Well the brick walk-way was a little too uneven to play chase safely and poof. You saw the results.

A few scenery shots of the Great Smokey Mountains. If it were a normal year we would have hit the peak season for the leaves changing color. But this year they were a little late. Oh well it was still beautiful!!!

To the left is the town of Gaitlynburg, TN.

Another shot of Gaitlynburg.

I caught Aunt Donna taking a picture of me taking a picture so I repaid the favor.

Mamaw and Papaw enjoying the scenery. (Oh and Big Red in the back ground, ha)

Hooper was not enjoying the scenic ride as much as we were. Even when we stopped for some photo opps he wasn't too happy.

Mommy and Hooper

Back at the Harris house Hooper decided to wear Mamaw's slippers.

Many people may think Hooper is a strange name. Oh well. Actually it's Don's (Papaw's) Mother's maiden name. Anyhow there are Hooper's all over this part of the country and they're all related. The road just behind Mamaw and Papaw's house is the Hooper Gap Road...named after an ancestor. So we had to stop and get a picture of Hooper by his sign.

Hooper sitting on the bed of Big Red by his sign.

Dee took me up the ridge to a look out and we could see the Harris House. Sorry for the power line disecting the photo but this was the only shot between trees and such that I could get. If you look the the far right of the picture just under the power line in the middle you'll see their house. And dead center of the picture between two trees and being disected by the power line is their barn.

That's it for Tennessee! Well until Christmas!