Favorite Jack Moments from Our Vacation

Okay, so I fully realize that the real reason most of you who read this blog do so only to keep up with Jack's antics. So my first post about the Smoky Mountains will be some of the best Jack moments and quotes of the week.

Oh, you said mountains.

Leading up to the trip, whenever we asked Jack where we were going, he would reply, "Smoky Mouse." We thought it was just a cute toddler way of saying mountains. As it turns out, I think he was fully intending to see a flaming rodent of some sort.

Driving into the park via the Gatlinburg bypass, this is the first full view that you see. (The tall peaks in the background are hard to see because, well, they were smoky)

We pulled over and got out of the car. Holding Jack, Kate said, "Look Jack! The Smoky Mountains!"

"Where Smoky Mouse?

"Right there!

"Where?

"Right in front of us.

"Where?

"Seriously, look, the mountains are right there.
"Where?

"With the trees!"

"...oh...I see mounts!"

The Case of the Missing Toddler

We bought Jack a sleeping bag/air mattress thingy for him to sleep on. The first night, we put it right next to the bed on Kate's side. Both Kate and I woke up at the same time the next morning to the sounds of Jack stirring. (Really, is there a way for a parent to turn off that automatic wake-up instinct?) Kate sleepily rolled over to pat Jack on the back, and sat straight up exclaiming, "Oh my God! Jack's gone!" I jumped up in a panic to go looking.

About that time, though, we heard a sleepy, "Mommy?" coming from under the bed. Out crawls Jack with his stuffed animals and a sly grin on his face.

"Dackson hiding, Daddy! Dackson seep under bed!"

We moved his bed away from ours for the rest of the week.

Monkeys?

Our suite where we stayed had a little balcony. Immediately off to the right, there was a hill with this view.

Jack and I walked out there to check things out after we first arrived.
Jack looked up at the trees and said, "Oh, I see trees. With monkeys!"
"Monkeys?
"Yes, monkeys in trees! Here monkeys! Have cookie!"
After that, every time we were on the balcony he had to feed the monkeys treats. (Usually cake-cakes.)

Giraffes?

On one of our hikes, we managed to see three baby bears. The picture is not that great, but unlike all of the other idio...um...hikers, I did not want to stick around for Mama bear. If you look closely, you can see two black smudges near the bottom and one over to the left behind a tree. Those are the bears.

Of course, there was a crowd of gawkers looking at the bears. This is, more or less, what we overheard from the other people.

"Look, I see a bear!"

"Oh, I see it too."

"It's a baby!"

"I see another one!"

"I see three bears!"

And then from my crazy son, "I see a giraffe!"
I guess he felt like contributing to the conversation and shouted out his favorite animal.


Watching for "The Car"
There was an arcade on the strip in Gatlinburg, and at its entrance (and at stroller height) was a car that vroomed, moved, and played music for a quarter. Jack became obsessed with it and would look for it every time we passed. Even if we walked on the other side of the street, he knew where to look. Sigh. He ended up riding in it eight times.

Climb Every Mountain These steps are at the Newfound Gap in the park. Standing at the base of them, Jack proclaimed, "Dackson climb the mounts!"
And with every step, "I climb mounts, Daddy!"



Gummi Bears and Trolleys
The only reason we went into the tourist Hell-hole that is Gatlinburg was to eat. We rode the "Trolleys," rather than drive and it was probably Jack's favorite part of the trip. The first night we went into Gatlinburg, we stopped at a candy store for some dessert and bought Jack some fresh made Gummi Bears. (Gummi candy is is absolute favorite food.) We had to wait a bit for the trolley to pick us up, so Kate kept Jack busy by feeding him the bears. (Not to the bears, though it was tempting at times.)

The next time we went to eat in Gatlinburg, as we were heading back to the trolley stop, Jack said, "We ride trolley, Dack need Gummi Bears." So of course, every time we rode the trolley, he wanted Gummi Bears.

The last night we were there, Kate pulled out the little bag of Gummi Bears. Jack looked at her, smiled, and said, "Dackson happy. Have Gummi Bears."
(By the way, Jack's souvenir from the trip is a stuffed black bear that he insists on sleeping with. We named it "Gummi.")



And the quote that is sure to tick off Creationists...

If you have driven on I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati in the last five years, you have probably seen "Touchdown Jesus."

Driving past it, I said something along the lines of, "Look, it's Touchdown Jesus."
From the back seat I hear, "Where? I see big monkey."