Another Andy, Another Birthday

This time it is my nephew, Andy, and he turned 17 today. He is quite the soccer star, so of course the party was soccer-themed. We ate the best grilled pork chops and cheesy potatoes before the cake and presents. Andy has to be one of the most appreciative kids that I know. He was so polite, thanking each person after he opened their gift to him and then giving them a big hug. As an added bonus, my sister from California, Angel, was in town, so we got to visit with her during the party.

2 Thumbs-up for his soccer cupcakes

As you can tell by this sweet face, they were good!

Andy Turns 16!

My nephew, Andy, turned 16 this week and we celebrated today. His birthday is easy to remember because he was born the night Nathan and I had our first date in high school.

My sister, Dee, and Andy

The Kids' Table

Enjoying cake and ice cream

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

On the way home from Tennessee, we like to stop at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. The food is great (the portions are HUGE!) and they have really yummy apple fritters and apple butter. We enjoyed a good meal and then headed for Ohio. It was kind of sad leaving the mountains, but we have many wonderful memories from our trip.

Emmaline and Mommy
(Can you tell the someone is tired of being strapped in?!)

Jacob, Aunt Katie, and Ellie

Andy and Nathan

Dad, Mom, and Andy

Rock Band

One of the highlights of this vacation was playing Rock Band together. It was usually girls (Katie, me, and my niece, Marleigh) against the boys (Andy, Andy, and Nathan) and we held quite the competition. Sometimes we even let the younger kids play, but their scores didn't count!

The Girls

The Boys

Ellie on drums

Emmy practicing for her first rock concert

Jacob on guitar

Grotto Falls

Every time we visit Gatlinburg, we hike to Grotto Falls. In previous years, we've gone in the fall and the trail was not crowded. This time of year was very busy, so the kids didn't get to play in the water as much as they would have liked. It was a good hike though and we saw lots of animal tracks on the trail.

Katie showing how far we are about to hike
It was almost 3 miles round trip.

Uncle Andy and Jacob liked playing in the cold water

Andy, Nathan, and Andy

Jacob and Daddy on the trail

Greenbriar Trail

Katie, Andy, Andy, and Nathan hiked on the Greenbriar Trail before dinner tonight. It was a shaded, mostly gravel trail that ran next to the river. They had fun playing in the water and hiking together.

Amazingly, Andy did not fall in!

My handsome husband by the river

Oconaluftee Indian Village

After Newfound Gap, we headed to Oconaluftee Indian Village. We ate a picnic lunch before heading into the village. Once inside, we watched several Indian dances and then toured the village. We watched several different kinds of weaving, making a canoe, a hunting demonstration, and saw various types of houses the Cherokee Indians have lived in through the years. Our last stop was the gift shop. The owner gave Emmaline and Kayla matching necklaces. I don't know if she has a family member with Down syndrome or what, but it was nice that she appreciated the uniqueness of both girls.

The Gang eating lunch

Emmy and Mommy

Katie, Ellie, and Jacob by a hut
(Jacob is trying to show the bug crawling on his arm.)

Mommy and the kiddos outside a log cabin

The Harvesting Dance

Emmaline and Daddy
She loved the dancing and would clap after each one.

Jacob next to some beadwork

Cabin Fun

We met all of my siblings (3 sisters and 1 brother) at this cabin outside of Gatlinburg. It was great having everyone together. We hadn't seen my oldest sister and her family in over two years, so it was nice having them with us. The cabin had a pool table, air hockey table, arcade machine, and hot tub. When we weren't out having fun, there was lots to keep us busy.

My nephew, Andy, and my brother, Andy
(just as confusing as it sounds!)

My sister, Angel, and her husband, Gary

Jacob and Kayla
By the end of the trip, Kayla was calling "Yakie" her best friend

Colton and Jacob playing Kinex

Gary grilling carne asada in the rain
Before the trip, we joked with Angel and Gary that they needed to bring this yummy steak with them from California. A couple days before we left, a package arrived at my parents' house filled with 15 lbs. of steak and lots of dry ice. We drove it down to the cabin and it was delicious!

Kayla and Jacob playing air hockey

Mommy and her girls

Kayla during the water fight

Andy and Nathan practicing on the upper deck

Jacob and Ellie's "room"
It was actually the walk-in closet in our bedroom, but they loved having their own private space.

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Kayla and Jacob playing video games

Emmy hiding in the cabinet

Aunt Katie, Emmy, and Ellie on the deck

Colton is 5!

My nephew, Colton, turned 5 on the 19th, so we celebrated at his house today.

Colton and Jacob play with the Wall-E figures from the cake

Jacob and Ellie liked eating pizza, cake, and ice cream

Emmaline though it was funny to stand on Colton's presents

Nathan, Me, Katie, and my nephew, Andy play "Rock Band"