leftovers

As usual, I took many, many photos.  Not all of them could make it into the previous blogs, so here's a grab-bag of photos taken while the family was in North Carolina.

Jonah was making his best grumpy face while on our walk with Papa.

Sissy looking up at Hunter.

Sissy and Hunter at the photo shoot.

Jonah was playing in the tree.

Nana reading to the crew.

Nana and Hunter on Tweetsie.

Brooklyn on the Mouse Mine train.

Noah on the Mouse Mine Train.

Hunter and Jonah playing on the Kindle.

Nana reading to the kids again.

hiking at Rough Ridge

I could not pass up an opportunity to show off the wonderful hiking trails we have in the area.  Casey, the Texas Smiths, and I hiked to the top of Rough Ridge.  It is a great little hike because it is relatively short (less than a mile to the top), but still has some wonderful views.

Hunter and Brooklyn had their own packs and were ready to hit the trail.

About half-way up, there's a large rock to offers some great views of the area.  It was also a great place to get a picture of the Texas Smiths.

Adam decided to take the hard way up.

Eating snacks at the top.

The hike up was dry, but as we got to the top, we noticed a storm coming in.  Below you can see the wall of rain moving its way across the mountains.  By the time we got back to the cars, we were all completely soaked.

trout fishing

During the reunion, we wanted to take all the kids fishing.  However, we were a little worried about the patience level of five kids under the age of 6.  With this in mind, Papa found the Grandfather Trout Farm.  The trout farm had a few ponds that were so stocked with fish that it would have been hard not to catch a fish.  Each kid took a turn (with help from the dads) and got to reel in a big one.

Sissy was as expressive as usual.

Hunter and Jonah "helped" uncle Adam get the hook out of the fish's mouth.

Hunter liked catching the fish but wasn't as excited to hold it.

Noah was a little tentative at first, but with uncle Casey's help he was able to get a big one.

 Jonah waited patiently (sort of) while the other kids caught their fish.

Here we are with Jonah's fish.  Vanessa was able to capture the moment with her phone.  (Casey was also taking pictures, but those seem to be missing in action.)

After all the fishing was done, we had some time to play around.

All in all, it was a fun time and great for the kids.  They got to experience the joy of catching a fish without all the waiting around.

Tweetsie with the Smith-Jacksons

We couldn't pass up a chance to take everyone to Tweetsie.

All the kids did a great job driving cars.

Papa, Nana, and Hunter took the chairlift to the top of the park.

Uncle Adam bought the kids Dippin-dots.  Jonah was a fan!

The cousins had fun on the plane ride. Noah looked serious, but he did say afterwards that he liked the planes.

Sissy always seemed to be smiling.

Sissy was having a GOOD time.

The four cousins on a boat.

Noah was brave enough to ride the Tweetsie Twister. Jonah decided against it. (He has since conquered his fears and now loves riding the Tweetise Twister.)

Even Jed had a good time!

Smith-Jackson photo shoot

While everyone was together, we had professional photos taken to commemorate our time. The photos below are not the professional ones, but I was able to get a few good photos by shooting around the photographer.

Sissy is so photogenic and is always up for having her photo taken.

Cus Noah looked so dapper with his bow tie.

All three Texas Smiths.

Checking out the pond.

The Jackson Family.

Happy baby Jed on the swing.

Our little man posing for a few shots.

Jump!

Smith-Jackson Vaca 2013

Way back in July, the Fresno Smiths, Fresno Jacksons, and Texas Smiths all joined us in North Carolina.  It was a great time and we really enjoyed getting to show off our new(ish) home town.

Important note: I am taking over posting a few blogs. Unfortunately for everyone reading this, I am not nearly as good of a writer as Vanessa is.  Hopefully the pictures really are worth a thousand words.


Before the cousins arrived, Jonah, Papa, and I took a walk around Bass Lake.

The rain did not detract from our fun time.

The first day that everyone was together, we went to the Blowing Rock Park.  The kids had fun and it was a good time for me to take pictures of all the cousins.

Noah

Jonah

Hunter

Brooklyn

Baby Jed

Hunter and I took a walk around the "Mountain House" (the house we all stayed in during the reunion).

The next day, we took a hike around Trout Lake. Vanessa, Brooklyn, and Hunter were exploring a little stream.

Cuz Noah was inspecting a caterpillar.

Four of the five cousins.

Throwing rocks in the water.