For the first time since Owen was born Ben and I went away for a couple of days ALONE! My wonderful in-laws drove down from Michigan to watch Owen for a few days while we escaped to the Smoky Mountains. We left Saturday morning and returned Monday night. It was the first time ever that Owen and I have been apart for an entire day - not to mention overnight (for 2 nights). He did great, and so did I! It was such a joy to see the bond between Owen and his grandparents while we were away. He clearly loves and adores them! By all indicators, it would seem that all three of them had a fabulous time together. I'm so thankful.
And while I love my son and am thankful to be with him each and every day, it was nice to shop, eat, sleep, sight see and do whatever else my heart desired without worrying about nap times, diaper bags and so forth. Because Ben is gone in the evenings and Owen goes to bed at 7:30, I'm never out late. It sure was odd, and fun, to be out past 11:00 each night and get to sleep in every morning.
Ben and I went to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Here are a few pictures from our weekend away with a short description of our trip:
We went to a Magic Show our first night there. We were impressed! I have NO IDEA how those guys pull off those tricks. In this picture he is lifting a woman up into mid air using only a small sprinkler of water underneath her. There were other tricks I was much more impressed with but I'm sure nobody cares enough for me to describe them all. You really have to see it to believe it.
Smoky Mountains
We drove to the highest point of the Smokies and then hiked another half mile to get to the highest point of all. Supposedly it's the highest peak in the Eastern U.S.A. I forgot to pack tennis shoes so my pregnant-self hiked all the way up in flip flops!!! Unfortunately it was a very foggy morning so we hiked all that way to see nothing. But at least we can say we did it!
We rode a tram to another part of the mountains. It's amazing how those trams work. Who would've thought that a entire car full of people could swing mid-air for a couple of miles in the sky hanging on to just a cable? When we arrived we ate lunch overlooking the mountains.
We took the ski lift to another peak. It was quite a long ride up - and without any safety belts or anything!
The view after we got off the ski lift.
Live music on top of the mountain
12 comments:
what a wonderful getaway for the 2 of you! I love the pictures too!
Love the pics of the mountains!! The pregnancy is still lookin' good on ya', Kel. Though I will be anxious to see how the ankles do the last trimester..perhaps they'll stay "ankles". :)
Sarah
that is such a blessing
how fun! we've made that trip twice with friends that used to live in knoxville. i know gatlinburg is technically and "old fogey" place to go, but we love it!
and when i was pregnant with annelise, we hiked that same trail - and i only brought flip flops. needless to say, i was a tired pregnant woman at the top.
our anniversary trip is in 2 weeks. we're staying home, but plan to spend every minute of it without the kiddo. :)
Kelly! I love the pic of you and Ben with your backs turned. I'm so glad you had a great trip and Owen had fun! I saw him Sunday morning at church and he looked very happy ;) Can you believe your family of 3 is soon to be 4?? How fun!
I'm so glad you guys had a weekend to yourselves!
I feel so fortunate that my parents live close enough that we've had the opportunity more than a few times to be alone overnight.
The pictures are great. You're looking really good!
What a nice relaxing getaway, I know it's always nice to be home too. Glad you had fun.
What a great trip! I wondered if Ben went up and joined in with the live music. :)
Looks like you had a fabulous time away! I've never been to the smoky mountains but it looks gorgeous! Praise the Lord you were able to sneak away before the new baby arrives. Glad Owen did so well -- my kids always surprise me when we leave them. It's like they need the time away from us as much as we need the time away from them. :)
Good for you, Kelly! I'm so glad you and Ben were able to get away just the two of you before baby #2 comes along! As much as we love our babies, it is SO much more important that we spend time with our spouses. Our kids need to see that as valued time as well! I'm glad Owen did so well with Grandpa & Grandma! It's good for them to have that one-on-one time also. I hope you are feeling well as you are approaching your due date here soon! Best wishes! Will we get to see you at all this summer (ie July 4th?) Hope so!
Love,
Debbie :-)
Debbie,
We do hope to make it over to Grandma and Judy's on July 4. We haven't planned out our entire time in MI, but I am pretty sure we will be in Holland on that day!
I'm so glad you were able to get away just the two (okay 3) of you. What a great time for John, Debby and Owen too. I'm sure they really enjoyed their time together.
You are looking great!
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