Got back yesterday from Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains. It was a great trip, though a bit cold at the first of the week. This year we chose to go to Dollywood and the Dixie Stampede. I am not positive, but I think the kids liked the Dixie Stampede best. Dollywood offers attractions for the whole family- which means the kids had to do some things they didn't care to do, but the adults liked it. We also ventured out to Cade's Cove for a day. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time. The kids played in the stream and on the rocks while the adults watched and played Sudoku. We had a picnic and took lots of pictures. I managed not to step on the snake that was right at my feet so my brother-in-law found another, just in case I wanted to step on it I suppose. #2 fell in the stream about 3 times and then we quit counting. He had a fabulous time jumping from rock to rock and crossing the stream on logs. Later he said he wished I would have brought 3 pair of pants for him to change into (I only had 1 extra pair!) and I told him I wished he wouldn't have fallen so much. His response, "I choose to ignore balance, Mom." I don't know if this is the highlight of the week, but it is a memory I will always treasure. Son #1 wanted to prepare a church service for the family and so he worked on it the week before. His dad helped type it up, and I think made a few suggestions, but mostly my boy did it on his own. He made an order of worship and then presented a lesson on the gift of salvation. Certainly he messed up a few points and he could have ordered his thoughts better, but it was an eye-opening experience of how this little boy is growing up. At 9 years old he has a strong faith.