Saturday, August 9, 2014
Tea Party and more fun in Knoxville
Knoxville, TN - Market Square
One afternoon we took the kids to Market Square in downtown Knoxville. They had a blast playing in the fountains, eating gelato, and then pizza for dinner with their aunt and uncle who live nearby. It is a very cool area of the city that they are trying to re-vamp downtown. They also enjoyed McFee park, with more splash pools and a large playground where Miss M mastered the monkey bars to the point of having her first blisters! Unfortunately daddy and mama did not see it because we were finishing up our shopping while Nana and Opah took the kids to the park. If you are in the area, definitely visit these two places. 
Knoxville, TN - Cade's Cove and Swimming
Our final stop was Knoxville, TN for a week at Nana and Opah's house. We had a lot of fun relaxing here and simply staying out, visiting with family. Two times we got to take the kids swimming at a friends' pool. Of course, they enjoyed it. It was fun to see both kids get more comfortable with the water. We also took the kids to Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains. We were hoping to spot a Smokey bear but no such luck. We did enjoy getting out of the car and petting horses and playing in log cabins that were representative of what the settlers there lived in long long ago. As you can see, the Smokey Mountains are beautiful. Hopefully next time the kids can take some hikes to enjoy the beauty a bit more.
Little Rock, Arkansas/ Family Wedding
We are back home now which means the pictures from the big camera have been uploaded and I can complete our blog entries for the remainder of our trip stateside. We spent some time in Little Rock, Arkansas for a family wedding. It was a long drive from Kentucky but well worth it. We got to spend one night with my college roommate and her family which was so fun. I love catching up with her and her husband. They are such a breath of fresh air and their commitment to Christ is so encouraging. They live very authentic lives and I am always blessed when I am around them. At their house, Miss M rode a bike with two wheels! She just got on it and started going. We were so amazed. The bike was smaller so I think it was easier for her to handle, like a balance bike with wheels. So, the first thing we did back in Tokyo was take her training wheels off. She is having a harder time here because the bike is heavier and bigger but with practice I think she will get it soon. It will really help us out when she can bike on her own with us around the city.
The kids loved having cousin time in Arkansas. They were comfortable right away with their cousins and on the first day they all went swimming together without mama and daddy. They even went down the slide in the pool with Cousin Shelbs catching them. She is our niece who spent four weeks with us back in July of 2012 in Tokyo. I loved seeing the kids be more comfortable with family on this trip, especially Miss M, and not being so reserved. She really blossomed into a young girl while we were in the US over for the summer and it has been beautiful to watch. Both kids were in the wedding of our other niece who got married. They did great, except the K Man fell asleep during the service and did not exit with the other ring bearers, who are second cousins with our kids. Miss M hit the dance floor at the reception like no other and was dancing non-stop with everyone. It was hilarious. We stayed with friends of our family in Little Rock who have three children...at one point I saw Miss M dancing with all three of them and their father as if she was part of their family. Very sweet. We were really blessed by our time with these new friends as well. The mom home-schooled her kids for awhile so she gave me a lot of pointers regarding that.
Overall our time in Little Rock was crazy busy but a lot of fun. We were encouraged by going and were glad to be a part of the family wedding festivities. Enjoy the pics.
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