Great Smokey Mountains - Part 2

We headed back up into the mountains on our second day.  This time to get out and see some nature - go for a scenic drive and a hike and have a picnic.  We attempted the hike up to Rainbow Falls, but it was 2.9 miles one direction, so we didn't make it.  Stian just couldn't/wouldn't go that far.  But the hike that we did do - at least a mile each direction - was still beautiful.

Silje let me wear her some, but mostly she either wanted to walk or ride on Daddy's shoulders.

Stian spotted this cool spiderweb floating over the trail.  He was quite observant of all sorts of interesting small things that we missed.  

Our scenic drive took us past several old homesteads in the mountains.  While it was gorgeous there, I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live there.  On this homestead there was a married couple and their 9 children.

Great Smokey Mountains - Part 1

For Memorial Day Weekend we decided to get out and explore a little of our new state.  We headed all the way to the other end of the state to visit the Great Smokey Mountains.  They were gorgeous.  Tennessee is gorgeous.

The first day in the mountains we decided to drive up to the top and visit Clingman's Dome.  It is a beautiful drive up the mountain with many scenic views and places to stop and enjoy the view.

When you get to the end of the road you stop at a parking lot and then get out and walk up a very steep half mile sidewalk to get to the very top.  The views from the walk up were amazing.  It was quite cool here.  It was 48 degrees when we got out of the car, and I imagine it got colder as we went up further.  Though we warmed up walking up the very steep walkway.

When you get to the very top you come to Clingman's Dome.  This is an observation tower with a crazy vertigo inducing ramp.

When you get to the very top you are higher than the highest peak on the Smokeys - about 6600 feet, as a I recall.  You can see in all directions.  Apparently on a clear day you can see 7 states.  I have no idea if I saw 7 states or not.

I'm holding on to Silje so tightly not because i'm afraid I'll drop her, though there is that, but because it was quite cold and she was chilly.  It was windy up there!

End of the school year

Yesterday was the last day of school for Stian and Silje.  Today was the graduation and promotion ceremony.  Silje's class didn't perform, but most of the older classes did.  Stian's class sang along and performed to KISS's "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night."  Such a great group of kids.  Sad that they will be going all different directions this summer and next year.

And then a few pics of the kids' friends in kindergarten, who had their graduation ceremony.  This is Stian's good friend, Parker.

And here are Nancy and MJ.  Silje loves Nancy and MJ.  When I pick the kids up in the afternoons I pick Silje up first and then we head down to Stian's aftercare classroom.  His aftercare is a combination of several classrooms, including kindergarten.  Silje loves to hang for awhile with the big kids.  And Nancy and MJ are two of her favorites.

Silje's Two!

Silje turned two!

The night before Kris and I blew up a bunch of balloons so she would have something festive when she got up in the morning.  Here is her reaction to the balloons.

At breakfast she got to eat in her brand new chair from Grandma.  She loves it.  Stian has one and she liked sitting in his, and now she has one of her own.  Such a big girl!

Later she opened presents and got to play with this awesome zoo set from Grandma and Grandpa.  She really likes this set.

Although her favorite present might just be this little motorcycle.  This girl loves motorcycles.  Hopefully that love wears off long before she's old enough to actually get on a motorcycle.

We invited the neighborhood over for cupcakes in the afternoon and lots of people came.  It was fun for us to chat with neighbors, some we had never met before, and for the kids to have someone to play with.  Silje wasn't overly impressed with my cupcakes.  But she gobbled up the strawberries we had bought at the farmers' market that morning.

Here's Silje and Ollie.  Not the best picture.  But Ollie lives on our street and is in Silje's class as school.

And here's the birthday girl looking so grown up at age 2!