Welcome Home....

Vacations are wonderful....but that first nap back in your own bed is priceless (mine was two hours)!!

On the 12+ hour drive home...besides losing the shred of sanity I had left, I asked the girls to name the best and worst parts of vacation. It was unanimous....the 25 hour car ride was the worst (even the adults agree)...from now on the Bellangers are flying! In fact, if I ever mention a driving trip over five hours, please remind me of this vacation!

Thankfully, the girls rattled off lists of "favorites"...for Avery, it was the cheesy simple things....holding the lamb at the smelly petting zoo, riding the pony at the same smelly petting zoo, finding a rabbit outside of our hotel and seeing fireflies for the first time, petting the horses at Dixie Stampede and the dogs in the Comedy Barn show, organizing her rocks into colors after "panning for gold", and having a fish splash her in the face in the Lost Sea...

Morgan's list included the pig races at Dixie Stampede, playing with Emily and Maddie in Knoxville, getting a full bag of Maddie's "hand me down" shoes, the scary ostrich eyes at the petting zoo, hiking Grotto Falls, putting her bare feet in the cold waterfall, and the rock climbing at Wonder Works...

Our lack of planning drove Morgan into daily panic attacks. Morgan requires a daily itinerary with exact times, places, menus and activities. She may never vacation with us again. We may need to send her on old folks bus trips from now on....

And what vacation would be complete without daily pancakes and the Salt and Pepper Museum with over 20,000 sets of shakers....
Both girls have started wish lists for the next vacation...

Here are a few of the highlights....

a bear shaped waffle...

PANCAKES!!!

Morgan found this sign... and thought it was hysterical!

pony rides...

with our friends...

inside the caves of the Lost Sea...

Avery's new friend...she was hoping to sneak him in the car...

more photos to come....but I need to figure out how to make dinner out of the three ingredients in the house... eggs, ground turkey and rice....what's the number to Papa John's?????