Georgia Aquarium

As a self-proclaimed expert discount finder, I am proud to say that I found half off tickets to the Georgia Aquarium. We decided to go to the aquarium this Saturday to help celebrate our first weekend together as a family since M finished up his MBA at Kellogg.

The aquarium is quite impressive. It is a newer facility with plenty to offer the whole family. We spent the morning looking at the sea life. Some of our favorite exhibits included the giant tank of Manta Rays and sharks. They had several whale sharks that measured 30 feet long. You basically walk through a tunnel where the tank is on either side and above you. It was awesome.

Then we saw the beluga whales and visited the penguins where C and M crawled through A very small tunnel to view the penguins up close. C also got to color and decorate a fun little penguin mask.

Later that evening we went to a little town called Roswell and had a wonderful French meal. C was so good at the restaurant that the hostess said, "She was amazing. You can come back anytime." I guess they have had their share of unruly children come to their fancy restaurant.

Congrats on finishing your MBA dearest husband! We love you and are soooooo proud of you.

Gymnastics

Mommy has been accompanying little C to gymnastics classes for the past two months or so. It is sad that we will have to take a break for a while because of the holidays and then baby brother's arrival. At that point, Daddy will take over and introduce her to swimming lessons on Saturday mornings. We will resume gymnastics over the summer when C can enroll in the preschool class and Mommy and baby brother can watch her from the parent room.

Meanwhile, here are a few fun moments from last week's class.

[Such a good listener...C sits on the green crayon awaiting her turn on the obstacle course.]

[She loves hanging on the bars. The instructor helps her do a pike and straddle.]

[The most favorite part of class is jumping on the trampolines.]
[Such a pro at the balance beam. She can walk forward, do turns, kick legs out in front and back. then the instructor has them do a forward roll on the mat for the big finish.]

[The obstacle courses have plenty of slides, climbing challenges and ladders. This is the largest and fastest slide.]

Thanksgiving at Home

Since I am only weeks away from my due date we decided to stay home for all the holidays this year. We were blessed with a visit from my parents who drove a long 12 hours from Pennsylvania to see us. They arrived on Thursday morning, just in time for my dad to help me prepare the turkey and put it in the oven. I had already made all the side dishes the day before, so that afternoon we could visit and catch up.

Dinner was a huge success and so were Grandma and Pop Pop. C had the best time getting "stuck" in Pop Pop's play holds. The two of them bonded more and more as the weekend progressed.

Friday it poured rain so we spent the day indoors doing little projects around the house. We put up the Christmas tree and changed the house decorations from fall to Christmas. That evening we had our little Christmas gift exchange. Seeing C get all excited over her gifts made the celebration very enjoyable. I for one can't wait to see how she reacts on Christmas morning. I think it will be so much fun to create the magic for her like we had growing up.

Saturday we took my folks into Atlanta for a day in the city. The World of Coca-Cola, our first stop, had us leaving with smiles. Some highlights were the 4D theatre and the tasting room. They even gave us all an 8 oz bottle of Coke on the way out. Our next stop was Zoo Atlanta. We had four hours to kill before our dinner reservations at South City Kitchen. So we took our time and saw pretty much everything the zoo had to offer.

Sunday was our last day and a day mixed with a little rest, a little home Bible study (since we still haven't found a church yet), a little work and a trip to the park.

My dad hand-crafted some letters for C's bedroom that we hung on the wall and decorated. I am so happy to say that C's butterfly garden bedroom is finally finished.
My mom and I also managed to hang the wallpaper boarder in baby brother's room and I have since put the final touches on it so it is just about ready to welcome a new baby.

It was difficult to say goodbye, but we will see at least my mom in just a few short weeks when the baby is born. Thanks mom and dad for a great Thanksgiving.