Last night we didn’t go to bed until after 11 pm, again. B10 listened as I read almost 30 pages of Bridge to Terabithia and I introduced him to the Game Show Network (ah, the old game shows are just one of my major weaknesses…).
We managed to be up this morning by 8:15 am, but I did let B10 stay in bed while I went and got his breakfast (bagels and apple juice) and we watched a fishing show as we ate. B10 is intrigued by the idea of catch and release fishing. I don’t fish (I’m allergic to all seafood) and he thinks this would be a perfect compromise. (I don’t have the heart to tell him that the idea of bait and fiddling with a fish’s mouth doesn’t seem appealing to me at all!)
Our first stop was the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, one of my favorite repeat attractions. The Gatlinburg Museum was actually destroyed in a fire in 1992, and completely rebuilt and reopened in 1995. B10 was enthralled by the oddities, but the funniest part was the live sparrow that had somehow gotten into the Museum and was fluttering about. It almost gave me a heart attack when I came around the corner to a small room and it swooped down on B10 and I! B10 loved the optical illusions, he’s always a fan of those no matter where he finds them
Our next attraction was the Ripley’s 4-D Moving Theatre. I have to confess I had a smile on my face the whole time and couldn’t stop giggling at how fun the ride was. The only bad part? We were the first guests there that morning and they only played ONE song as we waited – so B10 and I heard “Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkston seven times in a row. The nice part of the ride was that there were actually TWO movies, and we got to ride both (each is approximately 10-15 minutes long). B10 was laughing right along with me.
We left the theatre and strolled down Parkway to World of Illusions. B10 had found a brochure and asked if we could go, to the point of repeating that request every time we walked by. It wasn’t the best exhibit, I think it could use a lot of improvement – because it was small and not kept up well. But I did like the educational content that showed magicians and illusions throughout history and all over the world. The best part was the boxes on walls that explained how many common illusions are preformed by street magicians.
Lunch was Breakfast at the Pancake Pantry – a Gatlinburg staple. B10 had an M&M Pancake with bacon and I had a plate of Georgia Peach Crepes and a cup of coffee. Poor B10 had asked for a glass of Chocolate Milk, which the waitress forgot, and I didn’t realize he thought that the small pitcher of peanut butter syrup was his Chocolate Milk! The child had tipped it back into his mouth and was sputtering up a storm! Our waitress rushed his Milk to him, but by that time he had already downed most of his glass of water.
After lunch we returned to the hotel so B10 could take a math test. While he worked on that, I took a short rest and uploaded our pictures from the day so far. As soon as he finished, we put on our shoes and headed to the Trolley Station. The fare for the Red Trolley is 50 cents and we simply rode all the entire route without getting off. We got to see the backside of Gatlinburg, the snow on the top of the mountains, and see lots of puppy dogs wandering around.
After the Trolley returned to our hotel, B10 took a rest and worked on the rest of his math book while we ate dinner. He finished quickly and we walked to a local course to play Mini-Golf. It was B10’s first time ever, and he did such a good job learning how to hold the golf club and swing it. Luckily there wasn’t anyone playing behind us, so he was able to keep swinging – even though there was a five stroke limit on each hole.
We wandered back and he took a shower while I called Fiancé. We talked for a while (I miss him SO much!) and then I took a bath while B10 watched Mythbusters on The Discovery Channel. When I got out of the tub, B10 had spread out his new Sea Animals in a mini-zoo, and I was able to tour his exhibits as he told me about each animal (my favorite is the angler fish).
B10 is now snacking on Pringles, as we watch Card Sharks on GSN. (I really do want my cable company back home to have GSN!) We’ll read some more Bridge to Terabithia tonight, but we have to get to bed early so we can get up and go to church by 8:30 am.
Our only snag today came when B10 and I got into a battle of wills. We both had to take some time to pray – and I had to ask forgiveness from B10 for my attitude. It’s always hard for me as a parent to admit that I was wrong is saying or doing something, but I can’t expect B10 or CW to admit wrongdoing if I’m not modeling it for them.
I’m so glad I’ve had this time with B10, just he and I! This is the time to lay the foundation for communication when he's a teenager.
~Lone Butterfly
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