Tennessee Day 5

It seemed as if the trip flew by and we were on our last day quicker then I thought! We had a leisurely morning though which was nice. We kind of made up our mind we would make the last day more about relaxation and just soak up and enjoy the mountains. We were going to have a nice, big breakfast that morning but Austin accidentally exploded the glass pan by putting it on top of the hot stove! Talk about a wake up! It was a little hectic trying to get all that cleaned up and the kids fed. Thankfully we weren't in a major rush. I think we were still ready to leave the cabin by 10 or a few minutes before. We drove to Cade's Cove. Our cabin was pretty close to Cade's Cove so it didn't take long for us to get there. We did the loop driving tour. I was hoping we could stop at more places but we did stop 1 which was a 1/2 mile walk round trip and I think we were all pooped after that! The kids were both surprisingly very interested in the old cabins and the wildlife around. This was Lindsay's best day. She loved all the wild flowers and Colby enjoyed the history and buildings. We did stop at the 2 Baptist churches and got out and explored them. After that we mostly drove b/c the kids were hot and tired and it was nearing their lunch time. We just enjoyed the scenic views though. We stopped right around 12 at the grist mill. There is where they have some picnic areas and restrooms. We ate our lunch which I thought was such a neat memory. We had a little picnic in the shade of some oak trees with the mountains in the background. After lunch we decided to explore that area a little. We went inside the Grist Mill and also some of the other houses and buildings in the area. It was fun to just let the kids explore and stretch their legs. Being 4 and 7 they were really fun on this trip! We stumbled on a little interactive talk going on before getting back to the car so we stayed for that. They were showing different animal skins and furs and bones. The kids really got into it and enjoyed feeling and touching everything. After we hopped back in the van we were all pretty tired and hot so we skipped most of the other stops. We got out once more I think then just decided to ride the rest. We got back to the cabin and all rested. We had decided to make that afternoon a time of rest. We just spent time relaxing and enjoying the cabin. We played outside for awhile. Austin picked up a pizza that night for dinner. It was nice to not have to clean up a huge mess. Plus we were all busy packing up our stuff for the early departure time! 
I'll go ahead and finished the post here of going home:
So we got up at 3 central time and got dressed and ready and woke the kids up at 3:45 and got them dressed. They ofcourse were sound asleep. They woke up finally and did pretty well though. We gave them some chocolate milk to sip on in the car. It was 4 central time when we left. We found a starbucks on the road on the way out. The kids were hungry around 5 but we wanted them to wait until daylight to eat. We made it out of Chatanooga around 6:30-7ish and we stopped in a small town at a McDonald's to eat. I think we were all thankful for breakfast and a chance to get out the car. We continued on from there. Austin stopped somewhere before Alabama and let me drive. I then drove all the way to the Mississippi rest stop. It felt like forever but I also loved driving. It was a nice change of pace and kept me focused. I was tired when we got to MS though. We stopped at the rest stop and took a potty break and chance to stretch. We then carried on to Hattiesburg. I was so proud of the kids and how they handled such a long day. It was nice that we were able to stop in Hattiesburg at lunch time. Austin's parents made sandwhiches for us so it was nice to take a break and visit with them. I think the kids enjoyed that stop. Afterwards we split back up...the boys in the truck and the girls in the van. We got to NOLA by about 4. It was so great to be home and still have some daylight. Ofcourse we were super busy but it felt so great to be back home!