August trip to Gatlinburg, TN

Going back a few weeks we went out to Gatlinburg, TN for our summer family trip.  It was about a 10 hour drive, and then another hour to get through the crazy traffic in Gatlinburg, who knew!  We drove to Gatlinburg August 4th and returned August 10th.  The new car was great and the kids did really well for the drive.  Gatlinburg and it's sister city Pigeon Forge is nestled at the entrance of the Smokey Mountains National Park.  It was beautiful!  We drove around the park a little but we had a lot of rain the week we were there.

Who knew Gatlinburg has one of the nation's best aquariums!  It wasn't a huge aquarium but it was amazing.  Instead of walking along a wall of tanks to see different fish they had a huge tank and when you went downstairs you stood on a moving walkway and it moved you in the tank in tubes.

 

 The sharks and fish swam all around you.

Here comes the shark!

Here is another tube we waited in to get to the penguins.

They had a tank of HUGE spider crabs that were amazing to watch.

It was an amazing place to visit and really see fish, sharks, crabs and even mermaids under the water.  We didn't get the picture but there were a few mermaids swimming in the stingray exhibit.  Rachel loved it!

After the aquarium we walked along Gatlinburg, which is full of little shops of every kind.  It was so much fun to see and sample it all!

We went to Dollywood's Water Park but we didn't get any pictures because we were having so much fun.  The kids loved the wave pool and the lazy river.  Aaron even tried some big water and tube slides.

Next to Gatlinburg is Pigeon Forge.  That is where Dollywood is and we also attended a Lumberjack Feud there.  It was a lot of fun in a Midevil Times type arena.  Pigeon Forge also has a ton of go-cart and amusement park places.  We went to one park and had a blast.  Andrew was too small to ride on anything so we had to keep him busy watching.

 

 We all did mini golf at the park.

Anson and especially Aaron can't get enough go-carts.

Rachel even tried go-carts for the first time.

Rachel loved the other rides more like the truck train and spinning ride.

Here is Rick as the ever willing partner to take the kids on all the courses.

We had a great time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  It was nice to have time to spend time just as us.  We all got some much need quality time with each other.

Ugh to Potty Training

So my least part of parenting thus far is potty training.  I've never been very successful at it whether that is my fault or the fault of my kids.  It usually takes months, and a couple cases a year, to complete.  I've tried a range of books, rewards, and ages to accomplish this but it comes down to my kids are stubborn enough to only do it when they want to.

So in getting to that age with Andrew I again started a new approach and started it earlier in age.  He has been able to hold it for hours on end and on our last trip to TN he held it through 2-3 cups of juice or water for over 5 hours.  I knew the problem for him would be the BM.  He has been able to hold that since he was an infant for days on end.  We've tried diet adjustments, mineral oil, and laxative in order to get him routine.  Finally around 2 he decided it wasn't such a big deal.  So I muscled up and decided to do it as soon as the boys were in school but Rachel wasn't.  Rachel's preschool is on the other side of town and I was worried about commuting while potty training. 

Well it went as horribly as I thought.  Andrew can hold everything, and hold it, and hold it!  We had 2 days of just him and me working on potty training.  The first day he had to go BM but wouldn't so he couldn't take a nap.  He finally conked out on the pot at the end of the day. 

Yep, I'm really showing pictures because of all the yuck I've had to deal with the last couple weeks I needed a good laugh.

So after holding BM for 4 days we finally worked it out in a traumatizing experience.  Afterward he refused to even sit on the potty.  Andrew is big in to play fighting, swords, lightsabors, guns, etc.  So in one of our down times I was sword fighting with him when I started thinking if we called it a shooter and had a big brother shoot if he would go for that.  So Aaron volunteered to "shoot" standing up in the big potty with Cheerios and wouldn't you know it when I told Andrew it was his turn to shoot he got up there and did it.  Everyone cheered and I laughed the rest of the night.  Who would have guessed calling it a shooter and putting Cheerios in the potty would make a difference. 

So for the last week and a half we've had the most success with a big brother, usually Aaron, invites Andrew to go "shooting" and it's all good.  We're still working with him initiating it but he has amazing bladder control and can hold it until I take him. 

BM we have not come close to mastering.  I'll follow him around for days and he just holds it until I miss him for a couple minutes and he goes in his underwear.  He promptly tells me he's "bombed" but it is after the fact.  SO we have a ways to go but we're trying.  I hate potty training and all that goes with it but I was hoping that if I do it earlier I don't run into the terrible 2's and 3's attitude that I have had such a hard time with.  We've been homebound for most of the time just in case but we'll get there; it's only been 1 1/2 weeks.  I look at the bigger kids and they were all a pain to potty train but they all eventually do it so I just need patience and a lot of Clorox wipes.