Second half of our vacation!

Well as our week is sadly coming to an end, I just wanted to update our second half of our trip.
Wednesday we spent the day in the mountains. We hiked up to the highest part of the mountain, Clingmans Dome. Actually, Chris carried Joey in the backpack and I carried Andrew to the top, but Adriana did walk with my parents. The hike was a half mile straight up and I got the best workout I have had in a long time carrying Andrew! But it was the most beautiful view when we finally got up to the top. After that we went into Cherekee, North Carolina and ate lunch. We also did a little shopping while we were there then headed home. We were all really tired so we just got some pizza for dinner and crashed out early.
Thursday morning we got an early start and headed up to Cades Cove. We did another hike up to Laurel Falls. It was a longer hike, but not as much up hill. It was so beautiful hiking through the woods this time of year and I got some great photos of the kids. They all did great on the hike. This time I took the easy one, Joey, and gave Chris Andrew to carry up. The trail was on a steep hill and did make me a little nervous, but we made it. Then we headed into Cades Cove and made a drive through in our car. We saw a few deer and I was able to get within 15 feet of an eight point deer. I guess the deer were really used to people because it didn't even phase him that we were that close, it was so neat. After our drive through, Chris and I took the kids on a hayride through the park. The kids thought this was so neat. We covered up with blankets and enjoyed the panoramic view of the park. It was really fun! That night we ate dinner at the Mill, which is apparently the place to eat in Gatlinburg! The food was probably the best food I have eaten in a long time.
Friday we headed back out to Cades Cove where Chris, Adriana, and I rode horses through the park. I was a little nervous about taking Adriana out because she was by herself on the horse, but she did excellent. Her horse seemed to be the hungriest and kept walking off the trail but she did really good controlling him and getting him back on the trail. Andrew was really upset that he wasn't able to go but I promised him we would take a trip back here in a few years and he would be old enough to ride then.........now I will have to keep my promise of course :) Oh, and on our way back into Cades Cove we got to see three bears along the road! That was very exciting, although I wasn't going to attempt to get as close to the bears as I did the deer. I did get a few good pictures of them. After our trip into the park we headed back to Gatlinburg and ate dinner at Bubba Gumps, this is one of Chris' favorite places to eat. We did a little last minute shopping and headed back to our condo to pack up our suitcases and get ready to head home in the morning. I love vacations but I always hate heading home. I will try to get all of our pictures posted as soon as we get back home! I miss everyone and will see you all soon!