Eight Years Old

Adelie is officially eight years old.  She currently weighs 49.5 lbs (19th percentile) and is 50" tall (41st percentile).  She is wearing her size 7/8 and 8 clothes and size 13 or size 1 shoes.  Adelie is in 2nd grade in Mrs. Khattar's class.  She attends Stage Kids and Broadway Dance class, performing in Moana, Jr., Showstoppers, and Aladdin, Jr. this past year.  She takes piano lessons and singing lessons.  She was selected for the STEAM program before school one day each week and is getting ready to resume tumbling.  Adelie goes to bed around 8:15 on school nights and a little later on week-end nights.  It tends to take Adelie a little while to fall asleep at night after we've put her to bed.  She struggles to get up for school around 7:15 and prefers to sleep in on week-ends until around 8:00 or so.

Likes:  Adelie enjoys singing, dancing, tumbling, swimming, and playing outside.  When outside, she enjoys riding her roller skates, bike, and scooter.  She also really enjoys her spin hopper jump rope.  Adelie loves to do crafts, making just about anything out of paper and tape.  She also loves to create with things she finds in our recycling or in the craft drawers.  She enjoys drawing, writing, and reading.  Some of Adelie's favorite toys include small figurines and Hatchimals.  She also enjoys playing with stuffed animals, American Girl dolls, and my old Cabbage Patch doll.  Briggs and Adelie make up games to play together like house, school, and spy camp.  Putting on singing shows, dancing shows, tumbling shows, and plays are activities that Adelie enjoys doing with her siblings.

Adelie loves to practice her tumbling in the basement.

Adelie is a voracious reader.  Her current favorite series is the Rescue Princesses, but she also just finished the first Harry Potter book, which she really enjoyed.  She loves any opportunity to watch a movie or a TV show, generally going along with whatever Briggs or Staley pick.  She enjoys both animated and live action movies and is the least "scared" by various parts of movies of all my kids.  However, she does not like sad movies or sad parts of movies.  Adelie enjoys having her own special time with others, whether that's parents, grandparents, friends, or cousins.

Adelie loves when Grandpa walks her to school for STEAM early one day each week.

Adelie and Papa with the boat they made together.

Adelie is very social and loves to be included in play dates, sleepovers, and other activities with friends and cousins.  Adelie has plenty of kids that she plays with at school or in the neighborhood, but her closest friend right now is Stella.  Of course, her siblings remain some of her best friends.  She is excited about any opportunity to play with Staley, although she and Briggs play together more often.

Adelie and Stella

Adelie and Briggs always have fun playing together.

Adelie is not too picky about her clothes.  She generally prefers nightgowns to sleep in.  She enjoys dressing up and accessorizing.  Glitter, sequins, or mermaids make certain clothes her favorites.  She generally prefers to be barefoot.  Although a slow eater, Adelie is not particularly picky.  She LOVES fruit, bread, and anything sweet.  Tuna casserole, quesadillas, meatballs, and pizza are favorite dishes.  She also loves the family feast from Michael's restaurant.

Nightgowns, Harry Potter, her sister, and being silly.  These are a few of Adelie's favorite things!

Dislikes:  Adelie is very sensitive and does not disappointing people, feeling left out, or getting in trouble.  She does not like homework, things that she thinks are going to be difficult, wearing shoes and socks, or sad parts of movies.  Adelie can get sassy or upset about being asked to do things before she is ready like wake up, clean up, do homework, or practice her piano.  She does not like being rushed when trying to leave the house.  She does not like spiders or bugs or bad spots on food.  And she really does not like when things are "not fair."

Skills:  Adelie is very coordinated and flexible.  She rides her bike well, is learning to do roller skates, can go for a long time with her spin hopper jump rope, and does great with her scooter.  She has taught herself a number of new tumbling tricks over this past year and can do a back walkover and front walkover on her own.  She can also do the splints, cartwheels, roundoffs, back bends, and kick overs.  Adelie swims well underwater and is getting better at doing the front crawl stroke.

Working on her roller skating skills.

Adelie is very artistic.  She draws well, writes in cursive, and is very good at making things out of random craft supplies.  Adelie has almost finished her first set of piano books and is learning to play simple songs that incorporate both her right and left hand.  

Adelie's Eliza Hamilton potato she made for school

(Full disclosure:  I did help her make this.)

Adelie is independent with her showers, dressing, brushing her teeth, and doing her hair with simple pony tails or braids.  She helps with things around the house and does her weekly chores (although not always cheerily).  Adelie is very bright.  She does well in school with her latest standardized tests showing her in the 96th percentile for reading and the 73rd percentile in math.  

Personality:  Adelie is very sweet and kind.  She is very thoughtful and generous.  She loves to give compliments, make gifts for people, and use her money for others.  She is always taking money out of her piggy bank to get gifts for other people or to give to St. Jude.  Adelie is very in tune to how other people feel, always trying to cheer people up when she knows they are down.  She is sensitive as well, getting upset when she feels like she has disappointed someone or when she feels excluded.  

This sweet smile always cheers me up!

Adelie is also very funny.  She loves to make people laugh, often turning to inappropriate means to get a laugh like shaking her booty or engaging in potty talk.  Adelie likes to be included with others so that sometimes means she is more willing to go along with things others are doing, even if she knows she shouldn't.  Impulse control and thinking through her actions are still works in progress.  Adelie can have a sassy side if things are not going her way and tends to be my child who whines the most.

Adelie has a true heart for God.  Her prayers are sincere, her questions deep, and her desire to live for Jesus evident.  I just love her sweet, kind, sincere, sensitive heart that balances out her funny, sassy side.

What a blessing Adelie is to our family!

Easter

We got home from our spring break trip on Friday and jumped right into our Easter celebrations the very next day.  On Saturday my family came over for an Easter egg hunt and snacks in the backyard.

Always fun to spend time with cousins

The kids loved hunting for eggs and discovering all the fun treats and toys inside.

The "golden" eggs didn't have anything different inside, but the kids got really excited about them nonetheless.

It was a fun afternoon of playing and visiting and eating and egg hunting and enjoying some beautiful spring weather.

On Easter morning we all slept in, read the Easter story together, and the kids found their Easter baskets.

There were books, toys, clothes, Legos, and jewelry.

Everyone was excited about their baskets of Easter fun.

We followed up Easter basket hunting with making resurrection rolls.  After having family church on the porch with my parents, Erik, Elliott, Ethan (on Facetime), and our neighbor Vickie, we enjoyed a yummy Easter brunch.

We followed up church and brunch with one last family get together for an Easter egg hunt at Zach's Aunt Sandi's house.

Cade helped Briggs hunt for eggs.

The kids had a great time hunting for eggs and spending time with cousins.

We enjoyed a lovely weekend filled with family, food, and fun.

What a great way to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior!  

What a happy Easter!!

Spring Break

The kids had spring break from school the last week of March.  Since we had all enjoyed our Smoky Mountains trip last year, we decided to head back to Tennessee for a week of family fun in the great outdoors.  Although the 9 hour trip took closer to 11 both ways with traffic back-ups and unwise detours, we still rocked it, making only 1 stop each way for gas, bathroom, and lunch.  Our kids are road tripping masters!

We listened to a variety of books on tape this trip (The Witches, Tuesdays at the Castle, Magic Tree House, The Sisters Grimm, and part of The Wishing Spell).  Tuesdays at the Castle was everyone's favorite!  The kids also watched a few movies, played, and ate lots of snacks in the car to pass the time.

As I was looking for places to stay, we decided we'd like to stay in Townsend, a quiet little town near a less traveled entrance to the national park and close to Cades Cove, an area of the national park we definitely wanted to visit this trip.  There were less options of places to stay, but we still found this nice little condo in a gated community.

It didn't have all the amenities of a private cabin, like a hot tub or scenic view from the balcony or lack of neighbors on the other side of a wall, but it was very nice, new, clean, spacious, and had all the necessities of a home base for our week away.

We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a nice kitchen where we cooked dinner every night, a great table for eating and game playing, a washer and dryer (which came in so handy for our wet and muddy shoes and clothes), and a comfy living area for play time and movie night.

Although we didn't have much of a view from our own balcony, there was a public clubhouse for the gated community with this beautiful overlook, a pool (that was still closed for the season), a fitness center, and a community grill where we grilled out one night.

Our week of weather was a mixed bag.  On our first day after arriving, it rained all morning until mid-afternoon.  We spent the morning just playing around the condo until about 11.  I am not one to stay in while on vacation, so we headed out for a hike in the rain.

Someone had recommended Middle Prong Trail as a really nice hiking trail that is less popular and not as widely traveled.  It is not a destination hike, but a scenic trail along a river with little water falls and beautiful views.

We had the trail all to ourselves and hiked about 1.5 miles before stopping to eat lunch.  However, as we were finishing up our lunch, the drizzle we had been hiking in turned into more of a steady rain.  We got wet and cold, so we turned it around to head back.

Despite the rain, we enjoyed a 3 mile hike on an isolated trail.  It was a good start to our vacation.

We went back to the cabin, showered and warmed up, played some games, ate dinner, and then headed out to drive the Cades Cove nature loop.  Unfortunately it was closed because of some flooding from all the rain earlier, so we walked the first half mile of the loop (until we reached water rushing over the road) before heading home for bed.

We got a good night sleep so we could hit the trails earlier in the day.  We hiked the Abrams Falls Trail in Cades Cove.

This is a more popular trail, so we tried to get there early enough to beat the crowds.  Although it was definitely busier than our isolated rainy day hike, it wasn't too bad.  

It was a fun 5 mile round trip hike with this great waterfall at the mid-point.  We hiked to the falls, found a big rock in the river to sit on and eat lunch, and then hiked back.

At the trailhead, there was another half mile trail to visit an old homestead area with a restored house, barn, and corn crib.  We added another mile to our hike to check out the old buildings.

On our way back to the condo, we stopped to check out this little swinging bridge.  Apparently it is a historical landmark in Townsend.  Not super exciting, but a fun little free novelty.

After showers and dinner, we headed back to Cades Cove to drive the nature loop in the evening.  We had a great time listening to our book on tape while enjoying the scenery.  We saw turkeys, deer, coyotes, and a bear.  Cades Cove is a beautiful valley snuggled in the midst of the Smoky Mountains and was very close to our entrance to the national park.  It is very busy during the day, but our evening drives were the perfect way to enjoy the cove without all the people.

We started our next day bright and early with some horseback riding.  Because the stable in Cades Cove doesn't take reservations, we got there an hour before they opened.  We were the first ones in line (thankfully, because the line got crazy long by the time they opened), and we got to enjoy the first trail ride of the day.

Horseback riding was a highlight for the kids!  We enjoyed an hour trail ride on Prince, Pepper, Baby Dot, Furlap, and Joe.  The kids thought it was funny that Briggs' horse went off the trail, Adelie's horse passed Briggs to be in front, Staley's horse would fall behind and then trot quickly to catch up, and my horse had stinky toots.  Zach's horse was just super mellow.  Zached called him Eeyore instead of Joe.

Horseback riding was a fun activity and a great start to our best day in the Smokies.

We followed up horseback riding with a rugged 2 mile roundtrip hike to Spruce Flat Falls.

The kids enjoy more rugged hiking (roots, rocks, climbing, etc.) so they all really enjoyed this hike.  It was another less crowded, but beautiful waterfall hike.

We loved the hike and the waterfall!  We enjoyed lunch by the waterfall and then explored a bit before hiking back.

We enjoyed all our hikes, but this one might have checked the most boxes for everyone in the family.  Rugged hiking.  Rocks to climb.  Areas to explore.  Water to play in.  Not too long.  A beautiful waterfall.  This was a definite winner!

After horseback riding, hiking, and lunch, our day was still going strong.  The 75 degrees and sunshine was our nicest day of our trip, so we took full advantage.  The kids changed into shorts in the car and we found a fun rocky beach by the river to enjoy a few hours of sunshine, water play, and nature.

The kids had the best time playing in the water, catching water bugs, chasing butterflies, building dams, and learning to skip rocks.

No complaining.  No whining.  No arguing.  No disagreements about what we should do.  Just a beautiful day in a beautiful area enjoying nature and each other.

This was the best way to spend an afternoon!

We headed back to our condo for showers, grilled out for dinner at the community overlook, and then headed back into the park for another nature loop drive around Cades Cove.  We saw more wildlife, including another bear sighting.

We also stopped to explore some more of the old settlement buildings in Cades Cove, like a few old churches and the Grist Mill.  It was a full, fun, and fabulous day!!

Our next day was chilly and rainy all day long.  We slept in, had a big brunch at our condo, and then headed in to Gatlinburg, hoping to enjoy a tourist attraction without all the tourists.

Mission accomplished!  We rode the Skylift up the mountain to the Skybridge.  No lines.  No crowds.  Apparently most people prefer not to enjoy this outdoor attraction in the rain.

Although this is primarily an over-priced tourist attraction, the kids enjoyed the novelty of riding the lift up the side of the mountain and walking across the "longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America".  There is even a 30' section of glass floor panels so you can look down as you walk across.  I enjoyed the lack of crowds and the beautiful views, even in the rain.

After our trip on the Skylift, we walked along the downtown strip of Gatlinburg and found an outdoor patio where we ate an early dinner.  

After dinner, we took advantage of the fact that our Skylift passes were good for the entire day, road up one more time, and then headed back to the condo for ice cream and movie night.

We went from 75 degrees to rainy to highs in the 40's in the span of 3 days.  Our final day in the Smoky's was sunny but cold!  We started our day by hiking the Chimney Tops Overlook Trail.

It was a very scenic and somewhat strenuous hike.  Although only 3.5 miles roundtrip, the ascent is very steep.  Again, "hard" hikes are something the kids tend to enjoy.

We had our masks with us on all our hikes as it's a law on federal property to wear masks if you can't physically distance.  We rarely had to use them while hiking, but the kids all wore them for this hike just to help keep them warmer.  The cold weather on this hike led to some more complaints from the two littler members of the family.

We spent very little time on the summit as the wind at the top was biting.  We had intended to eat our lunch at the top, but everyone was too cold.  We instead hiked right back down with Adelie crying the entire way about being cold and tired.  We got back to the car and then ate our lunch in the van as we warmed up on the drive back to Townsend.

Once back in Townsend, we took the opportunity to check out a few the places we'd been seeing all week as we drove back and forth to the national park.  We stopped for a quick visit to the free Railroad and Lumber Museum.  It was tiny and not even technically open, although a nice lady let us walk through briefly to check it out.  Of course, Briggs loved getting to stop and see this steam engine that we had been driving past all week.

We also walked along the little Townsend River Walk that had a butterfly garden (too cold for butterflies), flowers, and these little fairy houses.  There were also some big boulders that the kids enjoyed climbing on.  We also popped in to check out one little store before heading back to the condo.

After dinner at the condo, we finished off our last day with one more nature loop drive through Cades Cove with a close up encounter with this coyote, as well as more deer, turkey, and another bear sighting.  It was a great way to finish up a great week!

Our weather wasn't ideal.  Our plans weren't perfect.  There was arguing and whining and complaining and tears.  But it was still nice to get away, to experience new things, to enjoy some outdoor fun, and to spend spring break somewhere other than home.  Thanks, Smokies!