Come swing with ME!

Our weather has been a rollercoaster of temperatures lately...below freezing one day and tornado warnings the next. This weekend was another mixed bag of temps....sunny and mild on Saturday and then grey but in the low 70's on Sunday! Both days were still perfect for playing at the park...

 First we played on the swings...

Then we ran all over the playground...

And then it was time for the slide....Anna likes the slide...

 She just hasn't gotten the hang of it yet!

Anna also loves to climb onto things...this weekends favorite activity? Climbing up to the window seat and looking out the window with the cat!

Anna meets Kate

Anna met Kate last week....no not Kate the future princess...but the name brand of Kate Spade. I'm happy to report Anna liked her Kate Spade bag as much as her mommy likes them. Of course I don't put my Kate Spade on my head....Here is Anna with her first Kate Spade bag!

In Loving Memory of Bailey...

Bailey passed away Friday night after a very long and happy life of 16 years with my family. Bailey began as my sister's dog, stayed with me for awhile, and finally settled into a very happy and spoiled life for the past 10 years with my Mom. She was the perfect companion that never left your side (especially if you had food!). Bailey was one of a kind and will truly be missed....

Heads and Tails

Heads Up! Four months ago  if we tried to put a hat on Anna this was the reaction we got....

And now she loves wearing hats! Give the kid a hat and all day long she'll put it on and off...

 Anna also loves pulling this hat as low as possible, over her eyes so that she can't see where she's walking!

Our new favorite weekend activity is visiting the Nashville Humane Society. It's a great facility and Anna loves going there (dog is her favorite word!). Many of the animals are in rooms with windows at her level so it's easy for her to look. And they have a trail outside for people to walk the dogs on...the hardest part? Leaving without a dog! Repeat after me....It is irresponsible for us to get a dog right now....but oh did my heart melt for a certain dog today!

               Dog statues - just as much fun as the real thing!     How much is the kitty in the window?

 Puppy Kisses = Big smiles and lots of giggles!

 

These puppies were all over Anna and the one on the right had great fun attacking my jeans!

 How much is that doggy in the window?

This is the dog that we took out today...Cookie! A hound mix that was super sweet and loving...I repeat it would be irresponsible of us to get a dog right now...

 She was very good on the leash...

 

And very sweet and gentle with Anna....

 It would be very irresponsible of us to get a dog right now......I must keep repeating this....

Road Trip

Our good friend Corey is in Atlanta this week so we took a road trip today to see her. We decided to meet halfway in Chattanooga, TN....but the question was where to go? What to do? Do we got to the aquarium? The discovery center? Visit the Chattanooga Choo-Choo? None of these were touristy enough for us so we went to Ruby Falls! What is Ruby Falls you ask? Ruby Falls is the attraction that boasts 33 advertising billboards between Nashville and Chattanooga - yes we counted! It's also a 145 foot waterfall located 1,120 feet underground! A southeast must see attraction!

  Along the way we saw many stalactites and stalagmites...what are those you wonder? Well statctites form as water drips from the ceiling leaving minerals behind and stalagnites are formed by minerals deposited on the floor when the dripping water hits and leaves behind minerals. The easiest way to remember is a lesson from Alastair - stalactities hold on tight and stalagmites might reach the top!

 

 Many formations were pointed out along the way...here is the donkey..can you see it? Here's a hint - it's not the donkey's face.

 The Bacon Formation!

And then we got to the actual waterfall...it was glowing red...and then the music started...and then the lights went on...

Behold the magical Ruby Falls!

Anna did enjoy the walk behind the waterfall!

Corey is visiting some friends of hers that have a daughter who is only a month older than Anna...they looked at rocks together...

And shared their crayons at lunch

It was an exhausting day!

ZOOperBowl Sunday

To celebrate SuperBowl Sunday the Nashville Zoo offers half price admission...since we had never gone to our local zoo and since neither of us watch football (I know - GASP! how very un-American of me!) we thought we would check it out!

Hmmm....maybe this is why admission is half price!?

It was chilly outside but in the Unseen New World it was warm and toasty...perfect for viewing turtles, frogs, fish and too many snakes for my own personal comfort level. The staff also had some snakes out for people to touch. Alastair did take Anna to touch a constrictor - I did not stand close enough to watch or take a picture of this event!

Anna also enjoyed running everywhere...

Bouncy bridge makes a bouncy stroller

Anna's favorite animal of the day was the red panda. It kept running past the front of the glass much to Anna's delight and had her in a constant giggle.

Mommy and Daddy's favorite part of the day? Playing on the swings!

But I think Anna liked the swings too!

The Jungle Gym area also had a giant snake tunnel to walk through - what is it with this zoo and snakes!?

Overall it was a ZOOper day!