The Smokey Mountains and Tennesse Volunteers

A much delayed post to the family blog...We spent the weekend in Tennessee visiting Josh's Grandpareents -- Max's first trip since he was 3 months old. What a difference! Grandma and Grandpa Schuckert (GiGi and PopPop to Max) couldn't believe how much he had changed. He made himself at home quickly and was soon walking from room to room, trying to climb the stairs, throwing food on GiGi's clean floor and banging on her pots and pans. Grandma Schuckert cooked quite the feast for us when we arrived and basically we just ate for the rest of the weekend...

Max showing off his teeth for GiGi and PopPop

Max and PopPop

Saturday morning we went into Knoxville to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Aunt Margi and Uncle Simon where we discovered that Max LOVES oranges (the rest of the delicious country breakfast ended up on the floor much to the waitress' delight).

Max trying to figure out how to eat his first orange

Finding a way...

Taking a break before eating his fifth orange

Afterwards we dropped Max at the Mowrers' to hang with Lottie Sue while the parents tailgated and watched the Volunteers try very hard to lose to Vanderbilt (fortunately, Vanderbilt missed a final field goal to keep UT's home winning streak alive).

Max and Lottie Sue...the closest pic I have of them looking at each other

An Adorable Jen at the famous Mowrer Tailgate

Josh with Margi and Simon

Halftime at Neyland Stadium

Megan vamping it up after the game

On Sunday, Max charmed the staff and patrons of the local breakfast spot in Wears Valley and then we set out on a drive to see the beautiful fall colors of the Smokey Mountains. Grandma and Grandpa Schuckert say they were the brightest they had seen in their 17 years in the Valley.

Max is not so happy about this hat

Max cannot wait to get into the leaves

Josh was excited to take Max to one of his favorite haunts, Metcalf Bottoms. Apparently, many Schuckert descendants have passed time here 'throwing rocks'...that's right, not skipping or hopping rocks, (although I am sure that came into play as the kids grew older), but just plain old throwing rocks and getting a big splash. This sounded a bit dangerous to me, and when I asked I did learn that almost everyone -- chaperoning adults as well as the little ones -- had been hit in the head with a rock at one time or another. Apparently this was just part of the fun. Anyway, with Josh's help, Max dipped his fingers in the water and climbed some of the mini-boulders. We'll save rock throwing (and hitting!) until he is a bit older. His favorite activity was crawling around on the dried leaves because it made a lot of noise!

Max's first dip in Metcalf Bottoms stream

Max gazing at the water (imagining all of those future rocks...)

Grandma and Grandpa Schuckert at Metcalf Bottoms

We said good-bye to GiGi and Pop and hit the road for the long drive home. Fortunately the mountain air (and lack of pack-n-play sleep) had Max all tuckered out and he slept almost the whole way home!