Part one of three of the upcoming travel series...
About a month ago, we were fortunate to find a Friday/Saturday where neither Scott and I nor his brother Richard and wife Krista had anything on our family's busy schedules. They live about 3 hours away in Chattanooga, and we have been wanting to visit for a long time. We got there early Friday evening and had a great dinner and hang out time around the house. All the kids stayed up late and the grown ups enjoyed visiting.
The next morning we started off slow. Aunt Krista had a whole bunch of toys that CJ thought were great. His favorite was definitely the little people from Noah's ark. They fit ever so nicely in his mouth. :)
Natalie and Nathan snuggled and watched cartoons. Aren't they cuties? You should meet them...they are super sweet too!
They we had a wonderful breakfast. Krista spoiled us with biscuits, gravy, sausage and eggs. YUMMY!! CJ was a good eater too, but that was thanks to his cousin Natalie. She can get this little man to open his mouth almost to the point of unhinging his jaw. They were quite smitten with each other.
Then we got moving. The guys and kids went by the Harley store, and Krista and I enjoyed getting ready without any little helpers. We met up at the school where Richard works and the kids attend. It was fun to get to see their classrooms...even the biology lab where Natalie dissected an earthworm. GROSS!
And then we made our way into downtown Chattanooga. It is a beautiful city. There was an article about how great it was in Southern Living, and it lived up to the hype. We started off at the Chattanooga Cho-Cho and then headed to the aquarium. The kids had fun running around outside...
Then it was time for a quick bite to eat. Check out that wide open mouth! I kept telling Natalie she needed to move in and help me take care of CJ. She is going to be a great babysitter in a few years. I see lots of cash in her future.
And then we finally made it inside. A quick family shot of Richard, Krista, Natalie and Nathan...
And then a quick shot of Scott, me and Booger man...
There are actually two buildings split between freshwater and salt water. CJ had so much fun looking at the fish and touching what he could.
And Natalie and Nathan were a hoot at usual...
And just as we were getting going, Krista's camera died. I said "No worries...I have mine." And then about 10 minutes later, mine dies. The funny part of this is the only person in our family more adamant about taking pictures than me, is Krista. For us both to be camera-less was very sad. :( So, you'll just have to envision the kids petting sting rays, playing with butterflies, and being oh so very cute.
After the aquarium we walked around downtown and then went to one of Richard and Krista's favorite Italian restaurants. It was yummy, but getting close to bed time for the little man by the time we were done. We headed back to the car and drove home as CJ slept. It was a fun weekend, and we hope we can do it again soon!
