tennesse visit (MOST IMPORTANT!)

Well, I saved the best for last! While we did a lot of fun things in Tennessee, and spending time with all our family was wonderful, the most important thing we got to do while we were in Tennessee was to spend time with Nanny the Great.

I love her so much, and I have more priceless memories of doing things with her and my Granddaddy over the years. She taught me to ride a bike, they taught me to fish, I worked in the garden with them (and Nanny thought it was fun to scare me with the rubber snake!), I went to church with them. I could go on and on. And now, I love that my kids are getting to spend time with her.

Unfortunately, Nanny fell a few weeks before we came and broke her hip. She worked like a champ and was already walking some when we got there. It was incredible to see how much progress she made in such a short time. She was in rehab when we were there, so every day we would go for a visit. My kids are wonderful. They were quiet (for the most part), CJ listened and didn't run around like crazy, they smiled at and talked to the people there, they played in Nanny's room without disturbing anything, and they made Nanny smile. :)

Here is the day CJ got his birthday present from Nanny. She is telling him that she was sorry she couldn't come to his party, that she loves him and that even though she wasn't there, she still got him a present...

Then the fun began...

He had a blast playing with the play dough. And Will, was just his wonderful self. Do you see him just chilling out playing with Gran's camera case?

And here is Will with his Nanny the Great. He would smile and coo at her every time we were there. He loved her at first sight...

And just in case you were wondering if CJ still likes his play dough. Yep...

first purchase...

While we were in Tennessee, CJ had a great time with mom's friend Ms. Janice. She took us swimming one day, and he was always ready to smile at her when they came to visit or we saw them at church. He even went to her over Gran one day... now that's how you know he liked her!

Every time CJ would see her, Ms. Janice would also have a $1 for him in her pocket. This was extra special for me, because we had friends that did the same thing for me every Sunday. Whatever change Mr. Bruce had in his pocket, I always picked out the pennies. After time, I collected enough that I got to buy this strange, furry purse thing. I loved it and wanted it soooo bad. And I still remember how proud I was to buy it.

CJ didn't really understand what money could buy, but he thought it was fun to get something. By the time we were ready to leave he had $5! Our last evening we went to the Casey Jones Village. We went to the train museum, and then went to the Old Country Store for a yummy dinner. I had already decided to let CJ spend part of his money, give some at church, and then save the rest (He got a cool pirate piggy bank for his birthday from granddad, and he loves to put money in it. If he sees change at our house, he had a definitive idea of where it should go!)

When we walked into the old country store and saw this, I knew what his first purchase would be! We heard lots of "eat dat. eat dat peas (eat that. eat that please)" while we waited for our table.

After a nice supper, CJ got to fill his bag with whatever candy he wanted...

Then we took it to the nice lady at the soda fountain. She weighed it...

and then told us how much we owed. CJ proudly handed over one of his dollars.

He didn't really understand why she handed him the receipt. He was too focused on the CANDY!

Do you think he liked it?

first day of school...

I'm interrupting my Tennessee catch-up posts to bring you a very, very important post. Young Mr. CJ started school today! There is a wonderful preschool/mother's-day-out program in our area, and we decided to enroll CJ this year for two days a week.

Mondays he'll get to do music, which he raved about on the way home today, and Thursdays they do an organized PE type program. I know he'll really like that. He doesn't need it, but he loves it.

I have visited a few places, but after seeing a preschool program through NAEYC accreditation, I'm a little bit neurotic in my expectations for a program. I love that his teachers have been teaching in the school for many years and have been working in the same room for a few years. I love that they have a planned curriculum for the year. I love that they have free play. I love that they will discipline him. I love that he will be around other kiddos who will grow and stretch him to share. Most importantly, I love that they pray with him and teach him about Jesus. I am a FIRM believer that the more people who invest in my boys and tell them about Jesus, the better. The more it will resonate in their hearts.

So even though I thought I would keep CJ home until he was three, we decided this would be great for him, and give me some one-on-one time with Will. Last week, when I went to enroll him, I got to see his room and meet his teachers. This morning we took daddy with us so he could see the room and meet Ms. Sandi and Ms. Madonna. CJ had fun showing daddy around...

Then CJ was so sweet to bring Will a toy he though Will would enjoy. He was right!

Then we put CJ's lunch at the table where CJ will sit every day. We got there a little early, so the chairs weren't at the table yet. When Ms. Madonna told CJ that was his seat, he looked around, pushed the chair from the art table over and had a seat. It was so cute.

Here he is with his teachers. Can't you tell he is SO excited. This morning the first thing he said to me was. "Good morning, Mommy! Go school. Play friends." I think this is going to be a good thing.

trains galore!

While we were in Tennessee, we got to have lots of fun at the Casey Jones Village Train Museum and at the old train depot that has been restored into a museum. Jackson, Tennessee was once a railroad hub, so there is a lot of history there. My mom even remembers when the Depot was open. After we left we drove past my pawpaw's (CJ and Will's great, great grandad) old store that was down the street.

Our first stop was the Depot. Our tour guide for the morning was Mr. Carl. We were the only ones at the museum, so we got lots of good one-on-one attention. There were lots of wonderful things to look at...

but the best part, was there were lots of fun things to play with (an on!). It is a hands-on sort of place, within reason, and CJ had a blast exploring and looking around.

Then the make your eyes bug out kind of fun came. There was a giant model train modeled after Jackson. It is maintained by local volunteers, and it is really neat. There were lots of fun buttons to push that made lights turn on or camp fires light. CJ didn't know what to think at first, but after a few minutes, he loved it and had a great time pushing the buttons as the trains ran across the tracks. Mr. Carl was so patient with him.

After the train room, we got a special surprise. Check out what came rolling by on the tracks...

Mr. Carl showed us how these levers used to control the switches for the tracks, and even let CJ have a try.

Then we got to explore by ourselves. CJ and Gran had fun on a handcar. CJ thought it was hilarious to move the arm up and down.

The Depot also has some old cars that you can wander through.

After the cute picture with Gran above, we tried to take a picture with me and the boys. FAIL. CJ wanted nothing to do with me, and only wanted Gran. :(

If I remember correctly, CJ is telling me, "Mommy stay here. CJ go Gran." Little stinker, but I love him. Will on the other hand, loved riding in the Moby and looking at everything. He had lots of big smiles.

I didn't think I was going to be able to drag him away from the railroad cars, but do you see this face????

"toot! toot!" There was a train whistle on a pull cord. This was definitely the best part of the day as far as CJ was concerned!

A few days later we went to Casey Jones Village. CJ had a fun time playing with their many train tables.

Will is just a great, go with the flow, can have a great time anywhere kind of guy. He does great in the Moby, although I got a few strange looks!

They had a fun little ride for kiddos, and since we were there with Gran, she of course couldn't say no. CJ said "wow" at first, and then started to say, "toot! toot!"

After the first ride, CJ actually wanted me and Will to ride with him instead of Gran. Then I couldn't say no, so Will and I (not so gracefully) got in. From my face, you would think it was a super, scary roller coaster though!

Fun times and great memories! I see both of these places being long term fun spots as both boys grow.