A Weekend Getaway

     Friday we packed up and drove to Nashville to spend the weekend at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel with Nonna and Granddaddy. When we got there, we were all in awe at how beautiful everything was. Our rooms were adjoining and the girls were so exciting to have a "secret door" that led to Nonna and Granddaddy. We spent much of the first night walking around the hotel. There were people EVERYWHERE, but it was so pretty.

   Then we headed back to our rooms and ordered room service for dinner. While we waited for it to arrive, we took the girls swimming. They were so excited to able to go swimming in November. It was a lot of fun.

    The girls were so excited, it was hard to get them to sleep, but once they were out, they were sound asleep until morning. They loved the big hotel beds and having their favorite blankets and cuddly toys from home helped, too.

     Saturday, we woke up, got dressed and walked over to the Opry Mills Mall. It was a lot of fun. At first we walked around and checked it out a little. Then, we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. The girls absolutely loved it there. It was so pretty and a lot of fun.

     Then we split up, the men took the girls and Nonna and I went and got some major Christmas shopping done. Nothing better than a day of retail therapy. It was a lot of fun, but by the time we left, the mall had gotten so busy, you could barely walk around anymore. It was definitely a good tie to leave.

     When got back to the hotel, we took the girls behind a waterfall inside the hotel. It was really cool. Then we went on a riverboat cruise through the hotel's garden. It was gorgeous. We got to see all the Christmas decorations from a different view and it was nice not to have to walk around through masses of peopl for a few minutes.

    After the cruise, we took one last walk around the hotel and outside to take in all the beautiful lights. It is such a beautiful place to visit this time of year! Then we headed back to our room, fed the girls and got them ready for bed. Once we got them to sleep, we snuck away while Nonna and Granddaddy kept their door open to keep an eye and ear on our sleeping beauties, while we had a rare dinner by ourselves. Alone time is such a rare, precious thing when you are the parent sof young children and we made sure to make the best of it!

    Now we are home, and Thanksgiving break is coming to an end, but I can truly say it has been a fantastic break filled with memories that will last us a lifetime!

Thanksgiving 2016

    Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day has been as wonderful as ours has! I am so thankful for another year to celebrate with my precious girls and sweet husband. We are truly blessed.

     We spent our Thanksgiving at Granny and Paw Paw's. Aunt Vicki, Amber, Matt, Jenna, Maddy, Emilee, and Jeff were all there, too. We ate a delicious meal, then talked and laughed at the girls playing and being silly.

    After everyone had left, but us. We spent some quality time with Granny and Paw Paw. The girls were so excited to stay and play a little longer and we were grateful for more time with them. They sure are 2 special people and they way they love us and our girls means the world to us.

An "Incredible" Day with Uncle Ben

   Today, Ben was able to get a 6-hour pass from Teen Challenge Memphis to spend the Day with us! We did a little shopping at Kohl's and then spent the rest of the time at Incredible Pizza Co! We all had so much fun.

    Ben was nervous since, other than for a quick moment at his baptism, he hadn't seen the girls since January that they wouldn't remember him, but he was way wrong. They both warmed right up to him, but especially Payton Joy. She and Ben were inseparable the entire day. It was so precious.

     Of course, the kids had a blast riding the rides and playing the games, but so did we! It was so good to finally be able to spend some real time with my brother! I have missed him so, but I am so proud of him and his commitment to Teen Challenge and the progress he has made throughout his time there.

    It was a perfect day even though it was hard to say goodbye at the end. Payt had the hardest time with it, but if everything goes right, we might get to "steal" him for 4 whole days for Christmas. That would be amazing!