Dollywood and Apples

For CJ’s birthday in July she asked if she could not have a birthday party but go to Dollywood instead, but Monste and Ellie came and we went to the beach instead.  We told CJ that we would take her to Dollywood on a different day.  Then school started and it got crazy.  Jay and I just said that we had to find time and money and take her because we promised. So October 17^th we went.  We were going to drive up on Friday get a hotel and come back Sunday, but a hotel were so pricey and with the cost of the tickets there was not much left over.  So we got up early Saturday drove up had a great day and drove back home that night.  CJ loved it she enjoyed all the music.  She wanted to go though the museum first and see Dolly’s coat of many colors.  I was surprised at how small it was, but Dolly is a very small woman.  I went on some rides with CJ but one of them made me sick, so I had to have Jay go on the rest of the rides with her.  CJ thought that was more special because her dad does not always go on rides with her. It was a wonderful family day.  At the end of the day we took one look at the line for the shuttle back to the car and said it would be faster for us to walk.  So we walked back to the car, saying that we would have never been able to do this a year ago if we had not lost all that weight and been walking every night.

The next weekend I decided that I was a bad parent because I had never taken CJ apple picking at an apple orchard.  Brittney and Claire came with us to Skytop Orchard to go apple picking.  They had so much fun.  They played, we went on a hay ride, food the animals, but CJ really liked climbing the trees and picking the apples herself.  She thought that it was fun to eat an apple while we were picking.  It was cold and foggy but the kids did not mind at all.