Pigeon Forge Summer Vacation!

We returned from our family vacation yesterday, and I so miss it already! We had such a great time with family and friends! We went to Dollywood 5 times, Jordan and I went to the Titanic museum, we shopped at the Tanger Outlet Malls, ate at The Old Mill, Mr. Gatti's Pizza and Flapjack's Pancake Cabin and made wonderful family memories. 

I didn't carry my phone at first because we didn't get hardly a lick of service. I was able to post two blogs one day from a hot spot, but internet access was extremely limited. It was pretty nice to get away. We played games, sat in the cabin's sauna, and relaxed in the hot tub on one of the back decks. Ahhhh, I miss it :o)

Here's our vacation in pictures! 

Click here to read about our visit with my grandparents on our way to the cabin. The other post I was able to get online was "Sunday Funday." Click here to read that post.

Jordan got this picture from the race that he and my dad did the Saturday we left for vacation. This race was halfway to our vacation spot so they left early Saturday morning to run in the Knoxville Expo 10K. 

More Saturday highlights!

Our cabin!!!!

Sunday, May 27

Riding the tram to Dollywood for the first time!! :-D

We LOVE rollercoasters!!! This was the Mystery Mine ride- awesome thrill!

 Lilly, Brittney, and Colton on the ferris wheel.

After our Dollywood filled day, we had a cookout and s'mores with Matt, Rachel, Brittney, and Colton (and Brittney's "friend" CJ)

Monday, May 28: Go Carts, Putt Putt and Dollywood! 

Jordan, Jeff, and Paw Paw took Lilly to play putt putt and ride golf carts before we went to Dollywood. Lilly got her first hole in one!

Paisley was not a fan of her sunglasses... Mac not so much either- he took them off right after this pic.

Hydrating the thirsty ones! They actually do better with bottled water than sippy cups.

 Family!! 

 Tuesday, May 29: Dollywood. of course!

By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was kind of burnt out... and exhausted! Jeff went with Matt and Rachel's crew to float down the river, and Jordan and I went on a date to the Titanic Museum and lunch. I was only allowed to get pics of the outside, but I couldn't do the artifacts justice if I could have taken pictures. If this story interests you at all, I highly recommend going to this museum!

 Here are our passenger cards we received when we "boarded" the Titanic. These are actual passengers and their information. At the end of the museum, we looked on a memorial wall to see if our passenger survived. `

 

Jordan's passenger (Alfred) did not survive, but my passenger (Manca) lived! 

Thursday, May 31

Vegetarians beware!!!

Look at this!! I've never seen bbq like this! 

My grandparents met us at... guess where?? Dollywood! Haha! (Thank goodness for season passes!) We went to a couple of shows (Granmom's favorite), had a picnic, and enjoyed the park. 

 Mac was very interested in the music on stage :o)

 Time to ride the rides!! 

 ... and win (ridiculously sized) stuffed animals playing games!

 Everyone was happy doing what they love :o)

After a fun filled day, we went to The Old Mill for a wonderful southern, family style dinner!

 Paisley was so exhausted, and Uncle Jeff didn't mind humming and holding her. Sweet.

Friday we went to the outlet malls, and I only snapped one picture while everyone was getting ready to leave.

We had such a great time!! Paisley started pulling up and saying "Na Na" and Mac learned to gulp from a water bottle and eat table foods as a meal. I think the older M and P get, the faster they grow up. This is bittersweet for me. 

I learned that Pigeon Forge is was underrated as a great vacation spot, the 28 degree water that Titanic passengers were swimming in is painfully cold, and no matter how many times I ride a coaster, I still get incredibly nervous when it's time to buckle in! 

Happy Monday! (Although today's recovery from vacation has been pretty rough for M and P)

Sunday Funday

We had a blast yesterday! My mom made a delicious breakfast of omelets and bacon. I still can't eat eggs, so I helped myself to a bowl of Raisin Bran and rice cereal. Crazy, but now that I can have cow's milk, I don't want it. Every time I drink it, I feel sick. So I am back on rice milk now. 

Mac and Paisley enjoyed table foods again! I tore apart a blueberry pancake and cut up a banana for them. Though Uncle Jeff tried, Mac continues to spit out bananas. I dislike bananas for their texture so maybe that's his issue too..?

I failed at getting pictures at Dollywood. Boo. Jordan's excitement plus his long legs put us all in a sprint several feet behind him. Plus I left my phone at the cabin. 

We rode a couple of roller coasters while my mom (Nana) watched M and P. After they ate lunch, Nana volunteered to go back to put M and P down for a nap so we could stay. 

After we rode most of the coasters (including the new 'Flying Eagle' that has a 210 foot drop), we came back to the cabin and went to the pool. Mac still does his frog leg kick, and Paisley didn't mind the water... she doesn't like being splashed, though. Does her picture below warrant being called 'Princess Paisley'?? haha! She wanted to be in her float playing and not splashed or rocked.

'Let the good times roll'!!

Great Grandparents!

We visited Mac and Paisley's great grandparents this weekend! It was so cute to see them waiting in the driveway when we pulled in... and they weren't waiting for me! We are used to the bee line for our back seat :o) 

As soon as we got inside, I couldn't wait to take pictures. My Aunt Kathy prints pictures for my grandparents so it was sweet to see Mac and Paisley's pictures framed in their house. Now they can have pictures of them with M and P :o) These kids are so loved 

 My dad  (Paw-Paw) also got in on the action, of course.

 Mac has learned to flirt with the camera... I can't imagine how, though, ha. 
I was one of many cameras so our models didn't always know where to look. 

We went to lunch, and Mac and Paisley enjoyed a wide variety of table foods! They had spaghetti squash, peas, asparagus, mashed cauliflower, tilapia and chicken! Mac's favorite was peas, and Paisley loved cauliflower and tilapia. 

 
We got to our vacation spot that evening, and bath time was around the corner. The bath tub in the cabin is quite large, and there's no way for me to lean over and bathe M and P. It didn't take long for someone to volunteer to help. 

I am so excited to be on our first family vacation with M and P!! We go on a family vacation every other year, but I'm confident this will become a yearly event It's just too fun having everyone around, and I love the memories we are making with Mac and Paisley.

9 Month Check Ups!

We had our nine month check ups today, and we still have healthy nuggets in our home! We don't take this for granted, and we are so blessed to have such good health for Mac and Paisley. :o)

My last post shared their favorite toys, but I didn't include my own favorite! Here is how I start every morning... and with my wonderful selection of fancy creamer pictured here.

Pictures from today.. woah... Mac and Paisley are so big! And so proud of all their developments: crawling, waving, signing "more" and "all done", saying "dada" or "mama", fake coughs and cries, playing peek a boo... They had table food for the first time tonight, and we started with Fazoli's breadsticks, haha! NOT at all health-conscious, but what the hey. Of course we they loved them. 

This morning we had to scoot out for a house showing. They woke up before I was able to get myself ready so they sat in the tub (without water) and played. It's more practical than a play pen with two babies (mobile), haha!

Appointment pics!!

Mac's little hand is bruised from getting his blood drawn Wednesday.

 Paisley was over being at the doctor's office, and she became clingy. We barely got these pics.

 

 I sent Jordan these pics yesterday morning. We like to send pictures to him in the morning to wish him a good day. 

 TGIF, y'all!!

Favorite Toys at 7-9 months

I've wanted to do a post on Mac and Paisley's favorite toys, and the MOMs link up from Monday was just that. Click here to enter the link up.

These are in no particular order, they love (and fight over!) them all! The links are to the toys on Amazon... because Amazon is my go to for shopping online. And, well, that's just about my only form of shopping these days. :o)

Sassy First Sounds Book Set and Cube. We use the plastic books every night during bath. The block is soft with a rattle inside.

 LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table. This table has removable legs so babies can enjoy it at younger ages than when they begin to pull up. The rattle makes the table sing the "ABCs", and Mac loves this feature. It becomes a puppet and puppeteer relationship when he gets going on this rattle. He makes it sing, I dance. We do this several times a day.

Rhino Toys Oball Rattle is great for little curious hands and fingers. Babies can grasp this ball without effort, and it provides lots of entertainment.

 Bright Starts Lots of Links are a must! Mac and Paisley chew and shake these links all the time. We probably have 50 total! They're great to attach to a stroller. I connect Mac and Paisley's sippy cups to these links when we're on a run.

 Our Lamaze Chime Garden is very popular around here. Each time a flower is tapped it lights up with a sound. Two of the three settings play music when the flower is tapped.

Our kids love music so most of our toys play tunes. I posted our registry must haves and newborn favorites here, here, and here. Hope this helps!! 

I am on the search for a second high chair. I prefer something slim and chic with a flare of fun. I love the Jenny Lind high chairs, but apparently they aren't made anymore. I prefer not a big, bulky and plastic high chair. The seat saver chairs won't work because we are already limited on seating... Any suggestions?? 

9 Months.. Already.

My sweet, sweet Mac and Paisley. Where have these nine months gone? I can't believe it has only been nine months, and I can't believe it has already been nine months... It's like you've always been with me, yet I feel our time together has still been so short.

I love love love watching each of you become individuals. It is so exciting to learn what you love, dislike, and could care less about. I get emotional when I think about our times together, M and P. I was looking at some pictures of you from the hospital and when we first brought you home, and I cried. I am not ready for you to be 10 years old, but I know it'll happen as quickly as these 9 months. 

Random facts-

We can have dairy now, and you love fruit mixed with yogurt

Breakfast is your biggest meal

You love feeding yourself Cheerios and puffs

Our days of keeping you in the car seat in a restaurant are O.V.E.R.

Your Nana calls every morning and sings to you

When Dada gets home, you light up. 

You're mobile!

We FaceTime with GeeP and Mimi, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Courtney, Pac, KK, and Blakey. 

Tonight you 'graduated' to 9-12 month pajamas, and I almost lost it. 

You. are. loved. 

 Mac, 

You are still sweet as ever. You are gentle, and you are soft. You're pretty easy going unless you're hungry or tired. This month you've started feeding yourself. Sometimes you use the pincer grasp, but most often you are a whole hand feeder.

This smacking noise when you eat is too cute, but at some point it won't be cute table manners. You nap well, and you cuddle loveys when you sleep. You also like a soothie pacifier. 

People laugh at your emotions because as easy going as you are, you let us know how you feel with either a squeal, grunt, or by moving your arms in excitement. 

We dance and sing, and you just love being cuddled. 

I wanted to capture your personality, and here are things you do these days:

Self entertainment

 Excited face and gesture

Still shots of your lip 'smacking'

Paisley, sweet P, Paisley Grace, Pai Pai.. 

Just a few of your nicknames. You are spunky. You are so fun and full of energy. Never a dull moment as you're constantly striving to know what is going on around you, and you do your best to be in the middle. You make me laugh so hard sometimes, and I know I'm in for a real treat as you grow. 

You have mastered a fake cough and cry. You love being held and rarely do you miss a beat. Most often you're reaching, leaning, or scooting. I've learned this month that you aren't a fan of cinnamon as I've tried it in applesauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. 

You, sweet P, are a pinwheel in your bed. You crawl to the end and pull down the bumper to see. We call you our little 'fire cracker.'

After I got one still shot, here's what you did in your chair:

I decided to take individual pictures this time after the joint pictures looked like this:

I could get soppy on you, and I am oh so tempted. I don't want to 'lose my marbles' just yet, though, so I'll wrap it up telling you what you already know so well-

We are blessed with you, and we love you whole heartedly. :o)

You have taught me a new kind of love, and it is incredible. Thank you. 

Now, time, slow down!