Hello Cuties, we arrived at this house we are staying in this week, Monday afternoon. Yesterday, all the kids, grands and greats went to Cades Cove to see the wildlife and old buildings in the Cove. I told the kids to text us pictures of what they had done but they had no service. Last night they blew my phone up with 37 text of pictures. Here are a few below.

Hubby and I stayed at the house with Avery and cooked supper so when we got back from our photo shoot all we had to do was warm up the gumbo. Everybody was hungry as I think the photographer took more time than the kids paid for. She really connected with our family and took extra time and patience with Avery and Dawson. She had told Ashley, when the kids bought us this photo shoot for Christmas, that she understood the difficulty of trying to get them to cooperate because she has a special needs child herself. Dawson is 4 and non verbal but he seems to understand even though he get frustrated.
I enjoyed the shoot as I think we all did. Everyone was in a good mood, even though we had to rush ironing, steaming our clothes and getting everyone ready.
We met the photographer on a new road that was opened up because I said this was a place I had never been and I’ve been up here four times. Ashley told her they came 4 years ago. The photographer said they must have just started building it about then but it took a long time because of bridges. I loved going and stopping along the pull offs she took us to for the shoot. Gorgeous views! When she heard me say I loved the curvy bridges along the mountainside, she told all the family when we left the spot we were at then, to go to the next pull off after the bridge. She said there was not enough room for all of them to park. She said for me and my hubby to ride with her because she was taking pictures of us two along the bridge way. I know the kids paid her well but she really seemed to like our family and went the extra mile to do special shoots. I am anxious to see the pics.
Today the family are all out again and we stayed again with Avery, so Ashley’s family could do things, they can’t do with Avery. We don’t mind at all because our backs are bad and we can relax with our coffee on the decks and look out across the mountains. Avery gets to hear the birds she loves and hear the fat squirrels scurrying on the ground.
After supper the guys played pool and the women played a game of Farkle. Marsha won! Dalton had came downstairs and told us we needed to go up and watch him play pool against his grandpa. We were into our game but we had a good laugh, when we find out Papaw beat Dalton but he didn’t come to tell that!-lol
Hope y’all have a good day. I give an update when I can, either adding to this post or making a new.❤️Toogie

Ps, this is Declan on his dads back. He wanted Dalton to hold him and it was Dalton’s turn to play pool. When Deck went to sleep, I told Dalton just to put him in our bed because it was on that floor. Then when we went to bed we told Dalton to just leave him. Deck could sleep with us. When he woke up he was very surprised at who he had slept with. Marsha is his grandma called Mimi by Deck and she had told me before what a bad bed partner he was. I told her we did fine until right before daylight. He climbed on top of me with his head on my shoulder and an arm across my neck. I told her I felt like he was choking me- she said I told you he’s rough.

I told Eva she must be the old pioneer woman and those are all her children. She says of course!
Last night she hugged me and said, “thank you Gram for doing this while I could come.” I told her I wanted to do this because I love her. She is so sweet. This morning she caught mine and my husband’s hand and said with her cute Spanish accent, “ Come on Gram and Pawpaw. You cannot stay here again today. Come go with us.” We told her it’s their time to enjoy as we’ve been here and done that before.