What do 3 black bears and a new transmission have in common?  They were both unexpected parts of our vacation!  Overall our family had a wonderful time on vacation.  First we were in a chalet outside of Great Smoky Mtn National Park, TN.  Then we went to North Carolina and stayed in a rustic cabin at Forest Lake with some dear friends.  I will run you through the hightlights:

Here is our chalet.  It was awesome and we loved it!  The view of Mt. Le Conte was great.  The 3 older kids had a loft and we all enjoyed the hot tub!

On the first day Ryan noticed our van's transmission was not working properly.  Then as we ascended the mountain, it would not go beyond first gear!  The next day we took the van to a transmission shop... and long story but we ended upneeding a new transmission, a rental van, and having to get a hotel to extend our stay while they finished working on our van!  God was so good to give us timely blessings such as our one week old cell phone, and the grace to trust in Him. We realized that this vacation would be joyful if we choose to make it that way and it would be awful if we let the circumstances dictate our feelings.  Enough about the tansmission... here are some joyful memories in the Smokies:

Eating lunch in a hallowed out log on the Trillum Gap Trail.

Walking behind Grotto Falls.

A little time out of the backpack on a footbridge on the Met Calf Bottoms trail.

My favorite waterfall:  The Falls at Tremont.  Here we were walking on the rocks and Lydia fell in the water.  No harm, except the water was really cold.  So, to help her warm up, Lydia and I switched shirts!  Her shirt was really tight on me, so glad it was a just us on the trail back!

Yummy ice cream!

The 3 Bears!  It was 8:15pm and we were at our chalet and had just put the kids to bed.  Ryan went out to the rental car to check something and came back in saying, "Bears by the garbage!"  "You get the kids and I will get the camera!."  We all watched from the safety of the loft balcony while 3 black bears (2 large ones) finished rummaging through our trash.  They lifted the can right from the bear cage!  Then they walked passed us down the road.  It was great!  It was also getting dark, so we couldn't get good pictures.  With digital brightening, this is the best picture.

The second half of our trip was at Forest Lake, Thousand Trails in NC.  This part was more relaxing as we stayed on the campground most of the time.  It was also special as we were with good friends of ours.  We played lots of games and had a great time.  Lisa's favorite was the canoe, Lydia the pool and Todd playing with Benjamin!

Yeah for Chee-po-pos!  Praise God for special time with our covenant blessings!!!

The first two weeks of April have been pretty amazing.  Lorraine's family was in from NJ to meet Anthony Spirito and help Loretta in her recovery.  The time with family was very special and I posted several of the pictures below.  But these weeks also included things I don't usually take pictures of  like ear infections, frantically trying to finish a school lesson while making dinner, dishes overflowing in the sink, blow out diapers, standing out in the rain and cold at Todd's first baseball practice, etc. etc.  I needed to consistently be praying for the Lord to direct my path, to keep kindness on my tongue, and joy in heart.  Not possible on my own, but with the Holy Spirit helping me with my attitude, my husband helping me to adjust expectations, and the family all working together, we made it to Easter Sunday with lots of sweet memories to cherish!

* Haircuts for the whole family!  It was Ronald and Lisa's first ever!

* The kids get to meet baby Anthony.  They all love holding him.. and Ronald doesn't want to let go.

* Within a few hours of arriving, Ray and Sue caused Loretta's dishwasher to overflow with suds! It was pretty funny and we all laughed while cleaning it up!

* Easter Egg hunt with Ray and Sue.  Poppy Gordon joined us a little later.

* Let's learn to spell our name and eat dinner at the same time!

* A snack and a video can buy a homeschooling mom about 30 minutes of quiet!

* Mom and Dad Rossow were a tremendous help to Loretta.  Thankfully they were able to come over to our house to play with the children some.  They also go to see one of Todd's baseball practices and one of Lydia's soccer practices. 

* Easter morning!  Ah, such sweet children.  Daddy takes photos while mommy is upstairs frantically pulling curlers out of her hair while putting on her skirt.  Ha! 

* After a beautiful worship service at church, we then ate dinner with Grandma Janet and Poppy Gordon.  Next, the little ones took naps, and finally we headed over to Loretta and Brian's home for dessert.  Here we are playing with baby Anthony (remember Ronald in the Christmas bag?).  Lastly, a picture of my mom and dad with all their grandchildren!