Final Day

Our last day was spent at Stone Mountain. I had heard a lot about this place but didn't really know what to expect or how to plan our day. This carving is the largest in the US. The Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson We started the day of on "The Duck". This was a loud event. We all had our duck makers and were letting people know we had them. Dad and Roy put theirs to use right away.

Gavin rounded out the back with his own.

He went into the water super fast and made a huge splash. Gavin's eyes got really big. The captain allowed each of the children to come and drive the boat. Roy was headed for land but quickly steered us out to the middle.

Gavin, as you can see, wasn't too worried about land. No worries we made it out safe and sound.

This was the huge Duck that we rode. I think the boys enjoyed this the best.

They had a glass making factory and these people would show you how they make all of the pieces. We spent a long time watching. If you can see if the back that furnace is 900 degrees. OUCH!!

Our trips are never complete without a trip on the train. Gavin loves trains. This train takes you around the whole mountain in about 20 minutes. It was getting hot so it was nice to have a breeze.

This rock has a lot of granite that comes from it so who knows maybe Grammie's counter tops came from Stone Mountain.

My only disappointment was that it was extremely crowded. They had a neat three story ropes course that I REALLY wanted to do but by the time we got to it, the wait was two hours long. I just couldn't stand there for that long. The boys were getting tired so we headed back to help Amy get ready for Brad's birthday party.

Timothy came out with the boys to help cook. Look at those pretty blue eyes.

After dinner, Bill and Brad enjoyed some bonding over SPARKLERS!!

Amy and I hung out and supervised just in case we needed the fire extinguisher.

As you can see, this was serious business.

But lots of fun!!! Thank you Amy and Brad for being absolutely wonderful hosts for our vacation. You family and home out there are gorgeous and you are sorely missed here in SA.

Atlanta Day #2

Sunday we got up super early and headed out to Amy and Brad's church. It was sooooo far away!! We were glad that we went because everyone was super nice to us and we enjoyed the sermon. The we ate our packed lunch in the parking lot of the GA Aquarium. It was already so full that we were on the top level. We finished up and headed in. The line was wrapped around the building but luckily we got our tickets the day before (Amy and I are so prepared!) and so we got to go in the shorter line and got in. With a baby and two anxious boys lines are the enemies. Gavin wouldn't smile but once inside his frown turned upside down and he was ready to check out the aquarium. First Stop: petting the sting rays and sharks!!!! The boys would have probably stayed at this one exhibit the whole time if we would have let them. The sting rays were slimy and the sharks were very rough. I am not sure how the sharks don't attack because if I had 50 kids reaching for me I think I would SNAP!!

The next room had this huge turtle. He came up to the window just for his very own photo.

This is an albino alligator. He never once moved while we were checking him out. I think he was trying to be stealth like and not get seen.

The space where people could walk was very narrow and of course we brought the stroller for little Timmy. Amy had a little incident with a rude guy who didn't approve of baby strollers so we began the rotation of holding the little guy. I always think babies love Bill to hold them because he gets them to the best seat in the house since Bill is so tall.

This crab was awesome. I have never seen one this big. We are huge Deadliest Catch fans these days so it captured my interest. Wouldn't want to be caught in the water with one of these.

This was all of our favorite parts. It was the biggest tank at the aquarium. We stood there for 30 minutes watching all the animals. The aquarium allows people to spin the night and get in the tank and snorkel and scuba dive. If we had more time or ever visit GA again we all decided this was something we HAD to do.

They had a huge manta.

They also had a tunnel that you could go through the tank without getting wet to see more of the tank. It was a massive tank. Hopefully one day we will be getting in.

This shark kept following me through the tunnel. I think he thought I was going to be his dinner.

Bill and I both decided that this one stop was worth the whole trip. If you our ever in GA this is a MUST SEE!!!! We absolutely love the Corpus Aquarium and we take the boys at least once a year but the GA aquarium was the top of the pyramid!

Vacation Day 1

So the alarm started at 4:00am and we somehow made it to the airport. Can you believe the boys are smiling. They were such troopers to start the trip. Gavin slept most of the way so he became rejuvenated. We landed in Atlanta and got our car and headed out to Amy and Brad's. The scenery was so pretty and the area that they live in is awesome. We pulled up to their mansion ( I mean home..) and basically made ourselves at home. We decided to head out and try the Varsity. If I could describe this place to you it is a Sonic on steroids. Basically it is a two story fast food joint with a drive in.

They had about 20 lines going with people ready to take your order. It was loud and crazy. The food was not good but we were told you gotta go once. Very random thing but totally entertaining.

We then headed to the Zoo. It was super HOT! We got lost a bunch of times and I would say the SA Zoo is much better. This was my favorite little guy.

The boys were interested in the reptile house. Yeah, that is just not my thing.

Our second event was the Atlanta Braves vs. Florida Marlins! This complex was so neat.

My favorite part of the game was seeing Chipper Jones. Such a classy MLS player. It might be his last season so it was good to see him. The crowd reception was always loud when he stepped up to the plate.

Roy enjoyed learning the tomahawk chant. I never knew there was such an art to it.

Gavin's favorite part was the ice cream.

Roy got a new ball for his collection.

We had such a nice time at the game and it was very entertaining. Braves won 4-1. It was a quick game and we were back at Amy's for the night. We were all ready for ni-night from out loooonng day!

Caught a bass!

I had a pleasant surprise at work last week. These two cutie pies came for a visit. They ran to the back office and gave me tons of hugs..... And then.... They completely destroyed my office.

These two faces tell it all. They know exactly what they are doing.

We went to Dallas this past weekend to spend some time with Uncle John and Aunt Bev. We spent the WHOLE weekend fishing. Didn't catch anything but this one pretty decent bass. It gave me a fight though. I thought I was hooked on the motor in the back and thought Aunt Bev was going to be mad when she screamed WOW DID YOU SEE THAT FISH JUMP??? That fish was on my hook....

Bill couldn't be left out. He hooked on to his own the next day.