Zebras, Donkeys, & Monsters.. Oh My!!

Thursday morning, the babies & I packed up & hit the road (again).  We went to my parents’ camper in Sevierville (my parents were already there).  After a few hours of traveling & then unpacking, there went most of the day.  That evening we headed to Dollywood so Olivia could get a few hours of rides in.  She did so great.  So rode almost everything she could, she even braved the Scrambler for the first time with my dad (now a new favorite).  In the end, we all piled on the train, my first time back on in at least 12 years or so).  So that was nice.   We left to pick up some food then head back to the camper just in time for bed.

Friday was a lazy day.  I had promised Olivia I would take her swimming, so I get her & myself ready for the pool.  I actually took Jameson with us (he did not get in the pool, of course).  Now that’s 1 mom, 2 small children, and 1 large pool.  Luckily there wasn’t many people around.  I parked Jameson’s stoller beside the pool, locked the brakes, then Olivia & I stayed in that one corner so I could check on him.  Being the best baby he is, he slept the whole time & Livi surprised me by being understanding & helping as I explained how we had to stay close so I could watch them both.  She probably listened to me better than she ever had that morning.  SUCCESS!  Moments like that gives me the confidence that maybe I can do this whole “I have 2 kids” thing. J  We cooked-out that evening & spent the evening around the camper.  Brandon joined us Friday night (he had to work that day), what a relief!!  Its never the feeling that I can’t be without him, its just a comfort when I know he’s around to help.

Saturday was another day of being lazy & swimming.  Again, Jameson joined us (he’s not allowed in public pools for a while – my rule.  maybe one day he’ll get his little feet wet, until then he’s perfectly content snoozin’ in the shade).  Brandon was around to help Olivia as we’ve been working on swimming with her.  She did GREAT.  She wore her floaties for the first time & was paddling from person to person, of course with plenty of assistance.  She’s not anywhere near going solo –remember, she’s only 2 – but we’re making progress.  After the pool, we hurried to get ready & headed back to Dollywood with everyone (my mom & dad, Michael, Amanda, Andrew, Brandon, Olivia, Jameson & myself).  We had a few hours to get some rides in & ate some delicious food.  Needless to say, by the end of the day the sun zapped any & all energy we had & left us in pure exhaustion.  Bedtime was more of our friend than our enemy that night.

Sunday we decided to do something a little different than just being at the camper.  I initially wanted to take Olivia to the Knoxville Zoo, but heard rumors of it not being that great recently & them not having many animals.  So we found an alternative.  About 10 minutes away was a drive-thru animal safari park & petting zoo.  WOW!  That’s definitely an experience.  I chose to drive through the park because I wanted Brandon to be able to hold Olivia as she fed & petted the animals (I’m sure I don’t even need to mention that Jameson slept through the whole park since he sleeps through everything, haha).  The lady warned us the animals wouldn’t hurt you, but that they weren’t really “tame.”  All they were after were the buckets of food.  We were met with our first animal who put its whole head, horns & all, in the car.  The pot-bellied pigs were a favorite, a good thing since there was a good 500 of them running around.  But the most interesting part of the trip was this bird.  It was TERRIFYING.  The first one that came up to our window looked like it was going to peck us to death.  After that, Olivia referred to it as a “monster” and screamed every time one even looked at us.  (And by scream, I mean my brother could hear her in the car behind us-scream.)  But between the llamas, camels, goats, zebras, and a million pigs (along with a bunch of other things I can’t pronounce), we truly had a great experience, even with the “monster-bird.”



Yes, this is quite nasty & re-affirms my love with soap, hot water, & hand-sanitizer.



the "monster"

zebra & donkey

another "monster" pecking on my window

feeding the llama (or la-mama as Olivia referred to it as)

Andrew with the baby chick

it scared her when it flapped its wings

now that's more like it

later that day at the park

After the animals, we came back to the camper to nap, then went to the playground, out-to-eat & shopped a bit all before bedtime.

We headed home Monday morning with a great family fun filled weekend behind us.  Brandon tends to work a lot, so having him all to ourselves for several days is the best luxury the kids & I can have.   Add in our family & good times & I call it an awesome time. J