Camping trip!

A few weeks ago we took the family to Knoxville and the Smokies. We got in the car and 3 hours later we're in Knoxville at the Ijams nature center. (pronounced I-ems, but we said I-jams because it's way cooler.) We took the boardwalk trail.

And found a turtle.

Even when she's crying, I still can't get enough of her.

I'm putting this picture on because it's the only one I don't look 5 months pregnant in. And frankly all you people-that-i-don't-see-often, I don't want you to know that I look five months pregnant, because then you'd want to ask and I'd have to tell you, that I've just increased the year's supply of storage that I carry on my body. And that would be awkward for both of us. Plus, I just want you to think that I always look like this.

Is there a better sight than your children laughing together?

Sometimes I call her Paula, she looks so much like her Dad.

Then we met up with a friend of Paul's and went downtown. We were just in time to see them close the doors on the Museum of Art. So we went to the square where they had the world's fair. Then it started to RAIN.

After drying off at our$80 hotel room that we paid $30 for (thank you priceline) we went out to dinner with aforementioned friend, went to sleep in aforementioned hotel and had a breakfast that was not prepared by me. Delicious. Went frisbee golfing, had EXCELLENT sushi - it was my first time. I've felt so white-trashy until now.

Drove an hour on winding backroads to make camp in the beautiful smoky mountains.

Lucy would not keep her shoes on. Everything was wet. I tried about 5 times, but then I stopped putting them back on. She was actually setting the trend. Paul and I explained and reminded countless times about the camping rule NEVER to be broken: No shoes in the tent. No bare feet on the ground.

Everything was so wet in fact, that we city slickers couldn't get a fire started. So we put our hot dogs right on the propane stove. The smores were better.

Successful camping tip #1: Bring a hatchet to make kindling of the big chunks of wood you can buy from the camp office. We're not in the dessert, ya'll! Plus campfire stories, songs, games, burning trash, smelling like fire cannot happen without the fire.

So what do you do when it's dark outside and you are cold and you have no fire? You go to bed, lullabied by your neighboring piros and their lovely camp songs. Paul was unhappy that I put our eggshell foam under the children. We had to rough it with only a fluffy air mattress, sheets, and comforter.

Successful camping tip #2: Don't go skimpy on the bedding. Do not leave behind the pillows, even though the air mattress has a built-in 'pillow'. A good night's sleep is crucial if you ever want to convince your husband to go camping again.

Then we packed up our tent next morning.

Successful camping tip #3: Don't be lazy about the food. Eating cereal when you can smell sausage at the not-lazy-camping-neighbor's site, is torture.

Lucy helped me pack the car.

We went on a little hike to a waterfall, and along the way I captured two beautiful trees:

This one is an advertisement to come back in October. I can only imagine the fire mother nature makes on this mountain.

On the trail there was a sign which read: Keep your children close, falling deaths have occured.

Axel said, "on this trail we could have falling death." We would sporadically shout, Falling Death!

Axel and I were the bravest about the waterfall.

I like Axel.

Lucy fell asleep and I parked her in the perfect position to photograph her and the mohawk girl - at the same time!

We had a picnic lunch and went to a car tour of old buildings. We also found a horse to eat one of our car warm apples.

Pretty cool waterwheel. Could I somehow harness the energy created to power a robot maid?

And the grand finale.... 5 black bears in a tree that we drove directly under. 1 mama, 4 cubs. We got 4 of the 5 in this picture. Can you find them?

We'll be making another trip before we leave beautiful Tennessee.