Tweetsie Railroad

Over the summer, the kids participated in our library's reading program. A few days after it ended, we got a call from the library letting us know Alyssa had won one of the grand prizes - tickets to Tweetsie Railroad! After consulting the BYU football schedule, we strategically planned our trip for a Saturday when BYU didn't play. (Jason's condition, not mine.)

Located in the mountains near Blowing Rock, NC, it was about a two-hour drive. Definitely not as big or as high-tech as an amusement park, Tweetsie Railroad is more like a county fair. It wouldn't be worth the regular admission price (a whopping $126 for our family of five for one day), but since we got in for free, it was well worth the money! We really did have a good time, and it was a fun family day out!

Ready for the train ride! There were "real" cowboys who rode along in each car, and we stopped along the tracks at one point so they could look for a wanted indian at a distant outpost.

The girls enjoyed the carousel a lot more than Jordan did.

This was one of the kids' favorite rides. The lines weren't long for anything, so most of the time, we could get right back on. I have no idea how many times we rode this!

I was following Jordan and Courtney, and Dad and Alyssa are in the lead.

Jordan and Alyssa are at the top and off to the left. Jason and I got our fill of this ride pretty quickly, but these two kept riding it! (Much to her dismay, Courtney wasn't tall enough for a few of the rides.)

This was the first time our kids had been on a ferris wheel. Courtney loved it the most, and she went back later for a second time (much to her mom's dismay since I was her riding partner). I don't mind heights at fast speeds, so I was fine when it was spinning, but I'm not a big fan of just hanging & rocking high in the air as it stopped to load and unload. Courtney wasn't phased by it a bit and kept telling me to let go because it felt like flying.

Panning for gold.

Jason and the girls on the chair lift that connected the upper and lower parts of the park.

This was another favorite ride. Jason and I quickly realized that almost all of the rides involved spinning around and around. About halfway thru the day, our stomachs needed a break, and the kids proceeded alone.

I threw this one in just to prove I really was there!!

Thanks again to Alyssa! Her love of reading paid off for the whole family!

The Ward Talent Show

Our ward has a strong devotion to the annual talent show, and it is usually quite the entertaining experience...for better and for worse. In years past, only Jordan has been brave enough to take the stage, but this year, our family was represented three times!

(And just to clarify, the lighting in the gym was pretty bad for pictures, so going black and white helps disguise my lacking photographic abilities in such conditions.)

This year, Jordan played two songs on the piano - "Hey There Delilah" and "Paralyzer." He did a great job and wasn't nervous at all. I'd question where he got the performing gene except I think the pictures below will make that quite clear...

By way of explanation, the previous bishop in our ward has a long history of ward talent show performances. One year he did an Elvis impersonation; another year he did Napoleon's dance from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Needless to say, the ward members have grown to expect an act from the Bishop - no matter who he is. In fact, the day Jason was set apart, one of the first things Jordan said afterwards was, "Hey Dad, now you have to do those funny things at the ward talent show." Expectations were high for Jason's debut.

For his first act, Jason was part of a Harry Potter skit reenacting a YouTube puppet show. (Here's the link if you want to see the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4) There was constant movement, so the picture isn't the greatest, but hopefully you get the idea. Snape was played by the stake president (our previous love-the-talent-show Bishop), Hermoine is our RS president, Ron (yes, he did the voice) is one of Jason's counselors, Dumbledore is the EQ president, and of course, Jason as Harry Potter - quite the cast. It was hilarious! Jason proved himself well.

Unbenownst to most, however, Jason had a second act - the grand finale. The skit was called "Don't Call the Bishop," and it followed a teenage band in their quest to find a lead singer for their talent show act. Having been counseled not to bother the Bishop with trivial matters, they wrestle with whether or not to call their YM president or perhaps a home teacher. In the end, however, they decide the matter is of such importance that only the Bishop can help. They call Jason (who is sitting in the audience with a microphone), and everyone hears their conversation and plea for help. Jason arrives at the church (ie: on stage) thinking he's merely there to offer counsel - only to discover they want HIM to be the lead singer. Jason steps off stage to think about it and bounds back in a few moments later ready to rock. He then belts out a surprisingly good rendition of "Surfin' USA," complete with rock-star moves and the audience joining in for the chorus. I'd brought some glow sticks, and the kids and I waved them in the crowd.

Comments from the crowd: "At first, I just thought he was lip synching, but then I realized he was ACTUALLY singing! I couldn't believe it! Who knew he could sing?" From the lead guitarist, "He had been a little off-key during practice, but man, he NAILED IT tonite!" And finally, from the former bishop, "I'd say the torch has been successfully passed."

Regrettably, the Bishop has explicitly banned posting the video of his Surfin' USA performance. Private home viewings may be available but only with the express written consent of the lead singer.

Courtney Tells It Like It Is

(with her "Courtney" that she made for school)

Three recent examples...

1) Every Tuesday, Courtney's teacher sends home her work from the previous week. As I was sorting thru the first batch of the new school year, I came across a worksheet titled, "How do you feel about coming back to school?" Courtney had written: "I feel bored. I feel tired. I feel happy and sad. That is 3 rezins (reasons) why I hate school." Luckily, her teacher is not one to take such comments personally, and she had added her own "3 reasons why school LOVES you!" underneath.

2) Over the summer, Courtney completed the reading program at our library and earned a free kid's meal at a local restaurant. Last week, Jason asked her if she wanted to go out on a dinner date to use her coupon. Courtney said, "I don't know. Just a minute." She then ran to the kitchen to ask me what we were having for dinner that nite. After learning it wasn't one of her favorite meals, she went back to Jason and said she would go out with him.

3) While out on their date that evening, the subject of Jason being Bishop came up. Jason asked if she had any questions, and Courtney told him no. But she did offer him a little constructive criticism... She doesn't think he's funny enough and told him he should tell more jokes!

Back to School

It's hard to believe it's that time again already!

Here are the kids on the first day of school.

Courtney is in first grade, Alyssa is in third,

and Jordan starts MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Our Tennessee Adventure

We wanted to squeeze in one last vacation before school started, so we took off for Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains. We divided our time each day between tourist stuff in Gatlinburg and hiking/exploring in the park. We had a great time, and no one wanted to come home!

On our first day there, as we were walking around downtown Gatlinburg, Jordan spotted a hotel sign with an important letter missing. That became the joke for the rest of the week as we compared hotel amenities. "Sure, it's a nice place, but does it have heated poo??" =)

We toured Cades Cove, an old farming community from the 1800's. The kids are on the porch of one of the old homes.

Gatlinburg is filled with things to do (ie: ways to spend your money). This outdoor mini golf course was built on the side of a large hill, so you had to keep climbing up to get to the next hole. The indoor course was done in black light, so we all glowed as we putted along. And just for the record, Dad won both rounds. =)

One of our favorites was our trek to Laurel Falls. The kids loved the rocks, and they stopped to climb all along the way.

Dad and Courtney on the way up.

The trail ended about halfway up the falls. Once there, the girls took off their shoes and splashed in water. It was VERY cold!

From there, we climbed down the rocks and made our way to the bottom of the falls. We felt like a little family of mountain climbers, and Courtney declared her love of rock climbing. =)

Once at the bottom, the kids had a great time climbing and exploring the rocks.

A family pic at the bottom of the falls!

Another day we took a scary-high tram ride into the mountains near Gatlinburg. This picture is from the highest point on the ride, with Gatlinburg down below. There were several towers along the way, and the tram would rock slowly back and forth as we passed thru each one. It was a little unnerving. =)

The kids loved the tram ride, though, and had no issues with the heights. In the picture, you can see Jordan calmly videotaping the whole ride. =)

The tram took us up to "Ober Gatlinburg," an amusement park with tons to do. And what were the kids most excited about?? The bumper cars!! =)

We also hiked to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains. Jason and the kids are waving at picture-happy mom from the observation tower.

The kids thought it was cool to stand in two states at once. =)


With the exception of Courtney (who thought too many things were scary), we all had fun at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. Here are Jordan and Alyssa next to a model of the tallest man. Doesn't look like it's in our genes... =)

Enjoying funnel cakes while walking around downtown Gatlinburg after dinner one night.

The kids loved exploring around this stream in the park. Here they are looking for worms.

And here's Courtney holding her "special" worm which ended up staying with us...until it was time to get back in the van. =)

Dad came on this vacation hoping to see a bear. All during the week, we'd seen signs, read pamphlets, etc. about how bears are everywhere in the Great Smoky Mountains. Even on one of our hikes, we just missed seeing two bears by a couple of minutes (according to people we passed on the trail). Dad was pretty bummed. Anyway, on our way home, we took the route that took us thru the park. We were driving along and suddenly noticed a bunch of stopped cars. "It's a bear!" yelled Dad. Thankfully, no one was behind us, so he threw the van in reverse and backed into the parking lot we'd just passed. And right there, not more than 15 feet away was the bear we'd been waiting for. I asked the kids if they thought I should jump out and get a little closer for a better picture, and they screamed, "No!" =)

What a great trip!