The Burg.

Waiting to eat at Bubba Gump's

He loved the exit signs

Enjoying The Mill Restaurant

Little late updating, but we had a really good time in Gatlinburg. I think I could have stayed one or two more days. We mostly ate and shopped. Isn't it funny how your whole vacation is centered around eating? We would plan out our eating each day and then do things in-between to fill in the time! Not that anyone cares, but we ate at the following places:

Jacks- on the way there ; )
Pancake Pantry
Mr. Gady's Pizza (sp?)
Calhouns
The Donut Friar
Jose's
Bubba Gump's
The Mill
Applebarn-went here for the apple jelly, everyone was too full to actually eat.
CiCi's- on the way home

We, of course, walked the streets of Gatlinburg. Friday was not crowded at all, but by the time the weekend arrived it was a bit annoying. Sidenote: I have never noticed how many sketchy people vacation in G'burg. There were nights when I was a little scared of the folks we saw on the streets. They have a lot of haunted attractions there, I think 3 or 4 haunted houses and shows, a haunted tour, etc. I am beginning to think that might be the reason for the scaries. Either way, everyone needs a vacation, right?
We stayed at Jack Huff's, but instead of staying in the actual motor lodge, we rented their Wilhem House on the street behind the lodge. It was huge and big enough for all of us. Weather was great, low 70's and upper 60's the whole time we were there.

I was a bit worried how Carter would do going with the flow. He is a wonderful baby but sometimes he can be a little high maintenance. He is such a schedule baby, and he thrives on it, so you can imagine my concern. But, actually, he did quite well! The biggest bump in the road was when we first arrived at the Wilhelm House. It was about 12:30am and Carter had slept in the car, in PJ's, all the way there. I think he was a little confused, since things were obviously different and "off". He woke up when we arrived in the house and played and talked for about 30 minutes. Then he saw the pack-n-play get setup; I put him in it and he went NUTS. He cried and cried for 30 minutes straight. He was in a strange place, he was tired, and he was not about to go to sleep there! Needless to say, the first night he slept in-between Chad and I. Other than that instance, he went with the flow, took naps in his stroller and in the car, and had a really good time.
I have never been Mommy on vacation before and it was a different experience, good, but different. Just the amount of stuff I had to get together before we left for the whole day was overwhelming. Also, Carter now has happy hands and whenever we sat down at the table he was all over it grabbing anything he could find. And trying to get him to eat in public, when there is so many more interesting things to look at, is impossible. Everyone enjoyed watching him go nuts and I was the one having to counteract every move, so it was a little tiring, but it was so much fun. He would eventually get tired of the high chair and get passed around the table or walked around outside, so sometimes we ended up eating in shifts.
I love his age. He is learning so much, I love watching him experience new things. That has to be my favorite thing about being a Mom right now!
We also went shopping at all the Christmas shops! Going in there will definitely get you in the mood to decorate, I cannot WAIT!! I have new plans for decorating out house for Christmas and I am pumped. I have a few crafty ideas I am working on.
There are a few pictures above, but if you are my friend on Facebook, they are all there :)