More catching up…

First off – we’ve had some inquiries about Mike’s health.  And we are very happy to say that he is doing MUCH better!  He is still taking some medicine (and I have to say – it tastes pretty darn good!) as a precaution, but other than that – he’s 100%! 

Now back to the catching up.  The weekend before Easter, we had some great friends (Matt, Karen, and their two kids Sara and Nathan) who decided to come and visit!  As it turns out, they were looking for something to do while the kiddo’s were on spring break and they decided to make Knoxville their destination of choice.

Sara and Mike just loved each other.  She would get up in front of him and (in her best Pauly Shore voice) would say “Hey buddy!” and he would just grin and laugh.  For Nathan, it was always “baby” Mike.  Never just Mike (or Michael or Mikey) – always “baby Mike”.  And anytime he walked past, it was always a quick wave with a “Hey baby Mike”.  It was adorable!

Nathan and Sara with “baby Mike”

While they were here, we took Sara and Nathan to Smokey Mountain National Park.  We drove up to Newfound Gap where it was so foggy that you couldn’t see more than about 30 feet in front of you.  So much for the good view!  And the wind was blowing about 20 miles an hour causing the fog to form icicles on the trees.  We stayed long enough to take a bathroom break and head back down into the valley where it was considerably warmer.  We walked a short trail to Laurel Falls – and with the rain we’ve had, the falls were very pretty.

 

Matt, Karen, Sara, and Nathan at Laurel Falls

Of course, we also had to go the the aquarium – what 7 and 4 year old wouldn’t love that!  They were fun to watch – zooming from exhibit to exhibit.  To say that they had fun would certainly be an understatement…

“Look at that one!”

 

The next day was an adventure too!  And this time Mike got to go along.  It was Mike’s first trip to the zoo!  He had a really good time all the way up to the point where he passed out from shear exhaustion.  He is in such an inquisitive stage – he really enjoyed staring out at the animals and trying to figure them out.  He had so much fun that we decided to buy a family membership so we can go back whenever we want!

 Mike and dad with the “Waterbucks” in the background…

It’s always so much fun when friends decide to visit.  It’s the next best thing to living next door!

And a preview of the next post – Mike got to meet some relatives for the first time over Easter!  And the weekend after Easter, Mike had yet another “first” – it seems like April has been full of “firsts” for Mike!  We’ll tell you all about it!!!!!