The Last Bit of Gatlinburg

The rest of our trip to Gatlinburg was awesome! We've done a lot of shopping (buying things for Eli and his room), playing cards/games (we are Phase 10 addicts), and watching of the Office (season 3) and Everybody Loves Raymond (season 4) that we brought with us (our favorite shows to watch together!).

But, we also spent a day doing the Ober Gatlinburg thing and walking around downtown.

I'm not a fan of roller coasters (unless they're the indoor kind....if I'm going to plummet to my death, I really don't want to know it's coming), so I hung on for dear life inside the tram.

But it was impossible NOT to take pictures. The view was amazing!

There were six towers we passed by.

I tried not to look down too much though!

This is the Delta chateau. The roof is made out of airplane wings!

I'm not sure who owns this one, but supposedly it is the exact replica of Barbie's dream house. I wish I could see the inside!

Supposedly Bernie Madoff also has (had?) a chateau on this mountain, but I wasn't looking when they pointed out which one it is (was?). The lady running the tram told us though that the banks now own it and so far, aren't selling.

Here's the ski slopes sans snow! Notice the chair lift on the right. You can see the snow machines too.

Isn't God's creation beautiful?!

The view heading back down the mountain.

We had a great, relaxing trip, but it sure is good to be home! : )

Sew What?

Wesley got me a GREAT Christmas present last year (2009). It was exactly what I wanted!

I'm not sure it was this exact model, but you get the picture....I got a sewing machine!

I'm a wee bit ashamed to admit it, but it's mid April and the thing is still sitting in the box. Eek! I'm going to just play the 'pregnancy card' and blame it on Eli and that whole 'first trimester thing'.

But, I'm feeling pretty good these days, and mighty relaxed after having the entire week off thanks to Spring Break, and I'm feeling up to tackling the beast and learning to sew. I want to be able to make some cute things for Eli (and for around the house) by the time of his big arrival in August. Nothing too fancy; just basic stuff.

My problem is I just really don't know how to start. I've heard that the best way to learn is just to do it. I know a few things. I'm not completely ignorant. My mom sewed a lot as we were growing up, and sometimes she would let us help. I've also made pillows and a few things like that before. I do plan on getting some "lessons" from a lady who's twins are in my class this year. I'm just getting anxious to get started. I might pull the thing out of the box and at least set it up next weekend.

Once I get the hang of things, here's the project I have in mind:

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL!?!! We went to a HUGE Christmas store in Pigeon Forge this week, and I fell in love with this from the clearance section! Sadly, it was the only one like it, and I want to buy a "family set." Wesley and I didn't decorate for Christmas last year since we had just bought a house, were moving in, AND headed west for my sister Caitlin's wedding. My MIL offered to buy us some counted cross stitch pattern stockings, but I never could find exactly what I wanted (nor anything Wesley and I both agreed on). But, I LOVE this stocking, and I think that Mom and I could sew something similar to it fairly easily.

Anyway, do you sew? How did you learn? What's something good to start off making?

Apples and the Biltmore

Warning: Long post, read at your own risk! : )

On Tuesday of our week in Gatlinburg we decided to do some shopping and medling around town. We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon walking through HUGE Christmas shops. Wesley and I started a tradition when we got married of getting a Christmas ornament from every place we visit. Since last July, we've gathered ornaments from Myrtle Beach, Chicago, Gatlinburg, and the Biltmore. We also got a couple of Christmas decorations (I couldn't resist) and got Eli his first Christmas ornament! : )

After all of that walking we came back to the room, took a nap, and then headed here for dinner: The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. It was so neat. It was obviously in an old farmhouse and all of the waitresses were dressed from that era. They looked as if they could have been Amish. When we were seated we were immediately served with apple juleps (apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, and lemon juice) - SOOOO GOOD!

Then you were served with these things of delicious goodness: apple fritters!

They looked like a hush puppy covered in powdered sugar, but were very sweet. They were served with the BEST apple butter I've ever had in my life. And I looooove apple butter! We of course then had to buy some to take home! Our actual meal was delicious too. By that time I was so full, I could only eat a small portion of it. Wesley and I shared a huge portion of trout, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

The view from the restaurant.

Wesley and I

This was the original, I think, The Apple Barn. It had a smaller restaurant, shop, and you could learn about making apple cider.

Wednesday morning we got up and decided to drive over to The Biltmore House, in Asheville, NC. It should have only been about an hour and a half trip for us, but due to some Interstate closures we didn't know about, sliding rock off a mountain, and the world's longest detour, it took us more like three hours on TN's curviest roads. But, we finally made it!

Here we are in front of the house.

(Notice Eli beginning to really pooch out! I look so fluffy next to my slim husband!)

Sadly, you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the Biltmore. Which is a shame. The house is incredible, and we only got to see a small portion of it. I really don't remember how many bedrooms the thing has, but I did remember 43 bathrooms. Which is incredible considering it was built in the late 1800s, when most people didn't have any kind of indoor plumbing! Also, nearly every single room had at least one fireplace. I think my favorite parts of the house were the library (with over 10,000 books in 8 languages - and yes, they were all of the original books in the library, and Napoleon Bonaparte's chess set) and all of the bedrooms. I could go on and on about all of the things we saw in the house, but I won't bore you!

They did let you take pictures of the view from the balconies. But the pictures really don't do it any just at all.

This is the view from standing on the front porch of the Biltmore.

The front door. Can you imagine coming over to pick up a girl for a date here. Ha! Totally intimidating!

The gardens were also incredible. We could have spent an entire day just wandering around the gardens. I told Wesley that I sure hope the Vanderbilt's enjoyed all of this when they lived here. It was all sooo peaceful and surreal. It would be a shame to live there and not spend a lot of time outside. For some reason, this little area reminded me of The Secret Garden. I have no idea why?

Wesley and I in the tulip garden. This was my favorite. Each tulip looked so absolutely perfect!

I LOVED all of the colors. They tulips went on and on. I could have spent forever out there. Had I had my book in my purse, I just may have, ha!

This green house (or Conservatory as it was called, I think) was like nothing I'd ever seen. You can't tell how far it goes on in the back.

The inside of the green house. Once again, the picture does not do it justice!

We had a great time at the Biltmore and are very glad we went! It was a bit pricey, and I'm not sure it's something we'd go do again (unless it was Christmas or something), but it was a great experience and I'm very glad I got to see that bit of history!

Spring Break Reading

One of the things I love about Spring Break is all the free time! During the school year, I just don't have time to read. Not regularly anyway. Once I get caught up in a good book, I can't put it down! So, I tend to wait until breaks: spring break, Christmas, summer, etc.

My mom let me borrow this book, The Last Song. I started it one afternoon and finished it the next morning. I honestly could not put it down. All of Nicholas Sparks' books are great, but this one very well maybe my favorite. I liked it even better than A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, and The Wedding (which were my previous favorites). The book was not at all what I expected. And, I ended up crying the last hundred pages or so: both sad and happy tears. It's an easy read and doesn't require too much thinking, but I highly recommend this book! Now I am dying to see the movie.

Because I finished this book so quickly, and I still had six days left of SB, I had Wesley take me to Books A Million. I had a very hard time picking out a book to read. I wasn't really in the mood for anything. I finally settled on this, Esther, by Charles Swindoll (totally different than the previous book I read). I'm only about two chapters into it, but so far it's great. I love how Swindoll tells the story of Esther, mixing Biblical truth with his (and others) own research. He gives sooo much background on Esther and all that transpires before she even enters the scene: things I never realized before. This one isn't quite as quick of a read as the first book. There's just so much to digest. But I'll let you know how it goes!

We're having a great time here in the Smoky Mountains! We've been so busy, and I have a ton of pictures to upload. I want to recount everything while it's all still fresh, but first - DINNER! Be back later.

Spring Break 2010

Spring Break has gotten off to a fantastic start! Friday night we went out to eat and then were just wandering around Babies R Us when Wesley decided we should go ahead and register; so we did! We still are undecided on which brand/model of some things, and want to register at Target too, but it's a work in progress!

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On Saturday we did some things around the house and ran some errands around town. That afternoon we headed to the wedding of one of my good friends from high school.

The wedding and reception were held at Landmark Park in Dothan. The wedding was outdoors by the gazebo and the reception was inside the barn. I wanted to have our reception here, however the barn isn't air conditioned and that would have been miserable in July, but in April, it was perfect! I LOVED how the inside of the barn was decorated. The ceiling and rafters looked amazing!

The decorations were sooo pretty!

Me and Emily at the reception

Me and Wesley at the reception. Wesley said it was his kind of eatin' at that reception. It was basically all meats and sweets - his favorites! : )

The "high school" picture with the beautiful bride!

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And, finally, we made it to Gatlinburg just after lunch on Sunday.

The view when you walk in the door.

The view from the patio.

The bedroom.

And the view from the patio. There's a very pretty mountain, but we're not facing it. We've left the patio door open and the breeze is so nice! We've even made friends with this little robin who flies to the porch, but won't come in. He just stands and stares!

Once we got here yesterday, we took naps and then headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some groceries and snacks, and just relaxed in the room. Today we slept late, I read and took a long bath, and then we went to see the movie, How to Train Your Dragon - it is seriously sooo cute. A very good movie. Wesley and I both enjoyed it. Tonight we've got reservations for a dinner mystery show.

Spring Break is off to a great start!

Shopping for Eli

We've wasted no time shopping for Eli! It was so much fun! We've hit up Target, Babies R Us, and Carter's....and spent too much money considering we've got awhile until he gets here! This was seriously some of the most fun Wesley and I have had together! : )

He wasn't thrilled with me taking pictures while we were shopping. I really wanted to document/remember the day though! I brought my camera to the doctor too, but was so excited that I didn't even remember to take any!

Here I am...sporting the new haircut and a big belly. (It was actually a little shorter than I intended it to be, but I really kind of like it.)

Here's a few of the clothes we bought. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg, but these are my favorites!

I just love this one. It's so sweet and it makes me smile!

Notice the soccer rattle. Wesley coaches and plays, so it was natural that Eli have a soccer ball, too!

These little gym shorts scream Wesley Taff....if you know him at all! : ) Wesley lives in athletic shorts probably 70% of the time, haha!

And Wesley was practically giddy when he found this! He's a huge Braves fan. It's already been decided that this will be Eli's outfit the day of Bobby Cox's last game in October. And of course, Eli has to have a hat, just like his Daddy! : )

The boring stuff:

Eli weighed 12 ounces and was just over 5 inches long.

His heartbeat was about 140.

And, his legs and feet are shoved underneath my ribs. Which explains why I've been so sore and feeling like I can't catch my breath. I sure hope Eli plans on moving those sweet little feet somewhere else for the next 20 or so weeks! : )

One of my students overheard me telling another teacher this, and he proceeded to tell me that he heard it hurt pretty bad to have a baby and that that would probably be worse than Eli's feet poking me! HAHA! He's probably right....

It's a .....

This morning was one of the few mornings that I hopped out of bed. I was just so excited! I was afraid I'd be up a thousand times during the night, unable to sleep. But for the first night in WEEKS, I didn't even get up to pee!

I meant to take pictures of us at the doctor's office today, but I was just so excited I didn't even think about it!

Everything looked great this morning. We saw baby's stomach, spine, brain, heart, etc. Even at 9am, the baby kept yawning and rubbing his eyes and face with his arms. ha, that is definitely my child! I forgot to ask how long it was (or maybe she told me and I just don't remember), but it weighs 12 ounces and the heartbeat was around 140. At first the US tech had a difficult time getting a glimpse between the legs because baby was moving its legs and feet all over the place. But, she finally was able to see. And sure enough, there was something there!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Eli Charles Taff will be here in August and we are SOOOO EXCITED!

Incase you're wondering, we just liked the name Eli. But, Charles is Wesley's middle name, and Wesley's dad's middle name, and was his grandfather's name.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Because I Just Figured It Out...

I feel so proud of myself. I just figured out how to put a youtube video into my blog.....I'm a little slow, I know.

Check out Uncle Brian's latest video, starring Harley, Lishak's cousin. My favorite is the shower scene (that makes this sound dirty or something, I promise, it's not).

Happy Easter!

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

XX or XY?

I had my monthly doctor's appointment last week. Wesley had soccer, so my mom came up and went with me. It was all the usuals: urine sample, draw blood, get weighed (I'm about halfway through now, and have only gained 7 lbs. I was pretty pleased), see doctor, hear heartbeat, make next appointment.

While there, the doctor set up my next ultra sound appointment. I had one at 8 weeks and baby weighed 0.2 ounces! We're going on Thursday and I'll be 20 weeks exactly (halfway through this thing - 20 more weeks to go). I can hardly wait for Thursday to come. We find out XX or XY then! To answer the popular questions, no, I/we don't care what it is. To be perfectly honest, if I had my pick, I'd pick a girl, but I'm not going to cry or anything if it's a boy. Wesley and I both think that it's a girl (no specific reason why, we just do), however, I've had dreams that it was a boy - idk if that means anything one way or the other. Also, yes, we will be telling baby's name on Thursday.

I'm 19 weeks right now. From what I've found online, baby is about 6 inches long and between 8-9 ounces. I've really started pooching out this week. My kids at school are funny. I stand at the door every afternoon as they leave and go through the usuals, "Have a good afternoon. Love you. See you tomorrow." One student in particular hugs me bye, rubs my belly, and then talks to it (and not to me) in that really annoying baby voice, ha! Baby is beginning to store iron for the production of red blood cells and even has REM sleep! I wonder what little baby is dreaming about?!

I'm feeling pretty good these days. My lower back hurts some, but usually just at the end of a long day. Oh, and add Arby's to the list of food that baby does not like.

Just a few more (long) days and baby will have a real name and an identity! : )

Justin Bieber

Last week at school, I had an "I feel old moment." It was one of the first that I've had that made me feel like I had no idea what was going on with the "youth" these days (ha, that makes me sound old too). We've been doing standardized testing the past two weeks, so our schedule has been very low key. The mornings have been very relaxed before we start testing, so some of my girls were looking through some kind of magazine for kids and there was a picture of this guy on the front:

Do you know him? That's Justin Bieber with Usher (who 'discovered' him). Well, I knew his name, or so I thought. I completely butchered the pronunciation of his last name, and of course that sent the girls into giggling fits. The girls then asked me what I thought of him, and I said he's cuuute. Oh my word. They giggled about that ALL DAY LONG! They then said that they were going to tell my husband (we teach at the same school - me third grade, him PE), and I just played along, held my finger over my lips, and told them shhhh!

Well, that afternoon one of my girls stayed behind after school because she had to talk to me. She told me that another girl had actually told Coach Taff at PE that I had a crush on Justin Bieber. I tried not to laugh, and told her thank you for letting me know and she said, "Well, I just wanted to warn you before you got home. I didn't want you to walk into that!" HAHAHA! They crack me up!

(I'm catching up on blogging tonight. Stay tuned for more posts.)