the joys of raising jack, jovie & judah: Our Trip to Orange Country

we had oh so much fun in knoxville this past weekend. it was so nice to get away for a couple of days and relax. we all really needed that time.

on thursday we arrived in knoxville around 5 p.m. we checked into our cabin, unloaded our stuff & headed out to get some dinner. we ate at Tony Roma's. it was my first time there but man oh man was it yummy!! then we headed to kroger to pick up groceries. when we got back to the cabin, Jenna (ben's older sister) was there to greet us. she had not seen Jack since july 4, so she was super excited to have a weekend with him. Jack didn't get in bed until about 9:30 that night (2 hours later than normal) but he went straight to sleep and did just fine all night.

on the road to knoxville!!

our view from the cabin

friday morning we woke up and had a big breakfast at the cabin. we spent a lazy morning just playing around & relaxing. Jack loved to crawl all over that place & he certainly got plenty of attention. then we packed up & headed out to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Pigeon Forge. it was so crowded but we still had a lot of fun just walking around. my sweet mother-in-law bought me a good bit of maternity clothes. which really met a need for me! ben & i got jack & jovie some christmas ornaments at kirkland's. after some shopping, we headed back to the cabin to rest & get ready for supper. we met some more of ben's family for supper at Calhoun's. its a steak house chain & oh my word was it good!! we had a great time visiting with ben's aunt & uncle & his cousins. after supper we went back to the cabin to wind down for the evening. we all went to bed early that night, we were exhausted!!

sweet boy playing early in the morning!

being silly with uncle tripp!

all dressed up in his UT gear!

we woke up to peacock's on our porch!!

cheesing it while waiting at dinner to get our table!

saturday morning we got up early, ate breakfast & got ready for the game. we decided to leave jack at the cabin with ben's mom. the forecast was calling for rain all day & we thought the game might just be too much for him with all the people & loud noises. and of course, mamie was happy to stay behind & spend the day playing with jack. they had a fun day together. ben & i had a blast at the game. we got to sit in the club level seating with ben's dad. it was so fancy! there was a free all you can eat buffet & ice cream bar. then during half time they brought out all new food. we ate ourselves silly. it was like thanksgiving!! we sat in some movie theater type chairs under a covered awning during the game. we missed jack & really wished he could've been there to experience a game but he'll get to go next year & we can't wait!! the Vols just crushed Georgia, so we had a blast!! after the game, we went back to the cabin & ben's extended family came over for some chili & hot dogs. we enjoyed a quiet evening before we all went to bed at 9:30!!

our super nice seats!!

our view of the field

the menu for the first half of the game

the buffet table

my power T sugar cookie. so yummy!

the inside of the club level. it looked like a hotel lobby!

some of the memorabilia. this stuff covered the walls.

this guy's pants cracked me up! can you see the little T's all over his pants?! now thats a true fan!

the band spelling out "Vols"

the power T

the football team running through the power T at the beginning of the game!

me & ben loving every minute of our fun seats & the awesome game!

i was so excited!

but i also really missed sweet Jack!!

sunday, we got up & packed everything up. we grabbed some McDonald's breakfast on the road & headed home. we stopped at O'Charley's for a yummy lunch & then we were back home by 5 p.m. it was a quick weekend but so much fun. we're always amazed at how quickly this trip comes & goes. we can't wait for next year when Jovie will be joining us!!