Dollywood

Abbie enjoys the Tea cup ride at Dollywood



Abbie, age 22 months, enjoys her first tea cup ride at Disney World in Oct. 2009.



Abbie and Sophie ready to ride with their Daddy.

having fun on the ride

Aunt Leia, Daddy, Abbie & Sophie got soaked on this ride!

After we left the Wilderness Lodge, we checked into a nearby hotel for the next 2 nights. Then, we headed to Dollywood for the evening. The girls had a blast in the kiddie area riding the carousel, the ride pictured above (Star Shooter or something), the teacups, and a few other rides. If you paid for admission after 3 PM one day, the next day was free. We went back on Sunday and had a fun time though it was pretty hot and crowded. There were a few rides that Abbie wanted to ride repeatedly. The mini-drop tower ride shown above that took you straight up and down kind of bounced you as you came down. I rode it a couple of times but each time after I rode it with her, I said someone else is going to have to ride with you the next time. I didn't get sick or anything but my stomach would drop every time. Sophie and I enjoyed riding the swings together. Some of the rides and shows brought back good memories of Opryland for me where I spent a lot of fun times growing up! Abbie was sad that she wasn't able to ride a few of the rides. Sophie rode one bigger indoor roller coaster with me, her Daddy and Aunt Leia. During the ride she said, "My eyes are wide open but I can't see anything" (it was pitch black for part of the ride). After being told that she wasn't tall enough to ride the Scrambler, Abbie said, "I am big because Jesus made me big!" So sweet!

Memorial Day Weekend

Aunt Martha & Sophie

close-up view of the meerkats

Matt, Martha & Sophie model their hats and sunglasses

Last weekend, we visited the zoo. It was pretty crowded since it was Memorial Day but the weather was great for it. I realized when I pulled up these pictures that we didn't really get any pictures of the animals. Oh, well. For some reason, Sophie really wanted to see the farm animals at the zoo this time. They do have a section with just farm animals so we did that. Sophie was really interested in the "sick" horse who was laying down in the barn. After our zoo trip, someone would ask her what animals she saw and what was her favorite. She would say, "the sick horse." We also went to the petting zoo where Sophie petted the goats and a llama. We enjoyed seeing many other animals. I wish that I had taken a picture of Abbie. She was there but much like her sister at this age on our trips to the zoo, she slept the entire time. It worked out great for us because we could enjoy seeing all of the animals. We didn't do too much Memorial Day weekend but we did get together with some of my mom's family for a cookout.

I'll try to get out some new pictures of Abbie soon and update you on her latest accomplishments. =)