Amelia's First Family Vacation

This past week, we have been in the mountains of North Carolina around Maggie Valley with my family for Spring Break.  We took a big family vacation and all stayed in the same house together.  Yes, that would be 14 people in one house!  We had a great time while we were there, and Amelia was wonderful.  It was difficult for her at night because she is teething and was in a new place.  She has 2 teeth and 2 molars coming in all at the same time!  Nights were full of crying and very little sleep for her and for her parents.  Last night was better now that we are home and in familiar surroundings.

Here is a recap of our vacation:
On Friday, we made the LONG drive to the mountains.  We were able to meet Poppy, PawPaw, Aunt Toni, and Uncle Will for lunch, because we were all in the same area while traveling (we left within 30 minutes of each other).  We arrived at the cabin and explored the place.  It was a fabulous house with lots of room to roam and a beautiful view.  Amelia LOVED being out on the back deck and playing with all of her family.

Saturday morning, we woke up and ate a big breakfast prepared by PawPaw.  Amelia enjoyed the biscuits and grits but didn't care for the eggs very much.  She decided that she liked PawPaw's runny eggs better and shared his plate.  That was fine with us, because it is rare that she will go to him.  I think it may be the mustache, but she only goes to him with M&Ms are involved or food.  After breakfast, we went into the towns of Maggie Valley and Waynesboro with PawPaw, Poppy, Uncle Will, and Aunt Toni.  The other family members were headed to Asheville.  The weather was beautiful, and it was a perfect day to stroll in and out of little shops.

A visit to Biltmore was scheduled for Sunday for the entire family.  Uncle Gaines was able to get us tickets through his work, so off we went after family pictures.  Amelia was great throughout the tour of the house.  We had her in the Ergo on David's back, but she got way too hot and began to get cranky.  We took her out and let her walk around the house.  She must have gone up and down EVERY step at least 3 times.  She liked having a little freedom to walk on her own.  Unfortunately, that meant that Mommy wasn't able to spend very much time examining each room or listen to the audio tour, but I was glad that she wasn't bored and pitching a fit.  We ate lunch at one of the restaurants next to the winery.  Amelia had her first Shepherd's Pie (with lamb), and we discovered that she doesn't like carrots or celery.  She did like the Shepherd's Pie and really liked Uncle Austin's creamed potatoes.  After lunch, PawPaw took Amelia on a stroll outside while we went to a wine tasting.  She was a trooper all day and took a nice nap when we arrived back at the cabin while dinner was being prepared.

After breakfast on Monday, David and I decided to take Amelia to Cherokee and Gatlinburg.  The other family members were going to Asheville or antiquing.  We tried to go through the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was closed for the winter.  We decided to go the long way to Cherokee and stopped at a few stores to try to find Amelia some moccasins.  I have a pair from my childhood that my grandmother bought for me one trip there, but they are still too big for Amelia.  I really wanted her to have a pair, but unfortunately, we couldn't find any her size.  We started to head on to Gatlinburg, but the road was closed due to a landslide.  Obviously, this was a bad omen, and we were not meant to see Gatlinburg this trip.  We spoke with a park ranger who told us the only way to and from Gatlinburg was to get on the interstate in Maggie Valley!  Since that is where we came from, we decided to just head to Asheville for lunch and the remainder of the day.  When we arrived in Asheville, we went straight to Tupelo Honey for lunch.  To our surprise, we found Uncle Tyler, Aunt Lauren, and Uncle Austin sitting at a large table.  They had just received their order and were in a big booth, so we decided to join them.  Lunch was fabulous!  After lunch, we decided to go to some shops with them and get dessert at a chocolate place.  I had a fantastic sipping chocolate with nice dark, bitter chocolate, and Amelia ate a shortbread cookie.  It began to POUR down rain, so we headed to the car and called it a day.

On Tuesday, everyone in the family decided to go to Cataloochee to hike and see the elk.  It was very cold, so I decided to take Amelia to the outlets in Sevierville.  Poppy wasn't feeling well and didn't want to be out in the weather all day, so she came with us.  We had a fantastic day shopping.  I was able to buy Amelia some shoes and jammies for the summer and a sweater to go with her Easter outfit since it will probably be chilly.  David was able to see the VERY friendly elk.  They actually came into the car and said hello!

Wednesday, we packed up the car and sadly left our cabin.  It was a special treat to be able to spend this time with my family.  I am glad that Amelia enjoyed herself and was able to get to know her Aunts and Uncles a little better.  We were all happy to be in our beds last night, but it was sad that our time together was over. 

Amelia was a big helper with all of the laundry we had to do when we got home last night.  She enjoyed playing with the clothes basket and watching the clothes being washed in the washing machine.  Unfortunately, after she turned over the basket and climbed on top for a better view, she couldn't figure out how to get off by herself.  She very sweetly asked for help and then wanted to do it all over again. :)  I hope everyone enjoyed their Spring Break!