On Thursday, we loaded up the van a day early and headed out for a three-day trip to Gatlinburg. Ok, I know it only takes about eight hours, but we decided to take it slow on the way down. On Thursday, we went to Jessica's grandparents' house in Broseley (about half an hour east of Poplar Bluff.) We were greeted by a lunch of barbeque chicken, twice-baked potatoes, fresh tomatoes, macaroni & cheese, and salad. Wow - I can get used to a lunch like that! For dinner, we went to a Chinese buffet in Poplar Bluff.

Friday morning, we packed up and headed to Nashville. Jessica's uncle lives in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee - a suburb of Nashville. They have two twin two-year-old girls. We met Jessica's sister there. She has a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old girl. And we have a nine-month-old girl. Anyone keeping up with the math here? FIVE girls under four!!!

Friday night, we took all the girls to the Rainforest Cafe at Opry Mills Mall. Sure, we used half our eating-out budget for one meal, but it was definitely worth it for the experience. We drove out to Phil & Beverly's new house and took the tour - the walls are up and the roof is on. On the way back, we stopped by Dairy Queen. Wow - a large Blizzard is about the size of an extra-small concrete at Dairy Bar. It definitely made us appreciate what we've got!!!

It's 9:09 on Saturday morning and we're getting ready for breakfast. We're hoping to leave Nashville around 10:00 so we can make it to the cabin between 4 and 5. We'll see how it works out - we haven't seen Jennifer all morning . . . it may be a while before she surfaces from the basement. Here are some pictures . . . .