Rayna and I have been pretty sick lately.  So sick, in fact, I haven’t had the energy to do much of anything… especially clothes, cleaning or dishes.  So, my blog has suffered as well.  My goal for today was to simply get dressed, put on make-up and share some of our Christmas memories.

After eating the most WONDERFUL, INCREDIBLE and RIDICULOUS meal at my parent’s house, Christmas night was spent doing clothes, packing and taking down Christmas trees, lights and decorations.  (Yes, Matthew is ALL-about getting things done… even clearing our entire house of Christmas before the day is even over.  Sometimes, it’s a little-much, but that’s actually one of the things I love most about him.)

We packed-up, picked-up my nephew and headed to Arkansas to spend the rest of our Christmas holiday with Matthew’s parents.  We arrived and Ross and Rayna opened presents and spent the next few hours taking pictures with their iTouch. 
Ross was also pretty excited about his new art supplies…
Rayna only had one request… to ride J.D.  So, we headed to the barn…
…and got J.D. saddled up!
And here’s a few snapshots…

Some mornings when the house is busy and loud and the weather’s too cold to go outside, Rayna will just sit on the bed and look out the upstairs window.  This morning, she grabbed a cowboy hat before climbing on the bed.  I just had to take a picture of her lost in thought…

…and then she saw my camera and got SILLY!

Great memories… there’s a few more to share, but I’ll try to finish-up in a few days.  Thanks for stopping by!

I’m a BIG fan of Chattanooga, TN.
The food is good.
The people are friendly.
The streets feel safe.
And, it’s only 3 hours away from Atlanta!

Each time we drive into the city, the kids spot the beautiful, kid-friendly building on the corner and start telling how much they want to visit the Creative Discovery Museum.  Although we stay in the hotel right beside it several times a year, we’ve always had other tickets that kept us from trying it out.  But when the kids found out we were headed to Chattanooga, they started their requests early.  “We want to go to that kid’s museum!”

The kids and I absolutely LOVED Creative Discovery Museum!  We got there a little early and the staff felt sorry for my poor children who waited outside in the cold without jackets on ‘was nice enough to let us hang-out in the lobby before the museum officially opened’.  (I told you the people were nice!)  

The kids were happy just being in the lobby looking at all the gingerbread houses…
The emphasis at this museum was not only ‘hands-on,’ they also placed an importance on teaching kids how everyday items work.  Ross may not have understood the full extent of air-pressure, but he certainly enjoyed seeing his face change as he directed all the strong air into his mouth…

The ART-wing was obviously mine and Ross’ favorite (…although the music section was REALLY cool too)!  There were SO many activities for the kids to enjoy.  In addition to leaving our mark all over the drawable-walls, we also left with plenty of homemade pop-up cards the kids created.
Lastly, gotta’ rave about the water area…  Ross could have spent hours using the dams and tools to redirect the flowing water-systems. 

Before we left, Ross managed to get bubbles all in his hair.  (As only Ross would do.)  I could have very-easily Photoshopped the bubbles out, but this picture is very symbolic of Ross’ playful and funny nature.  I tell him all of the time, “Ross… I wish I could be more like you.”
Ross, Rayna and I recommend Creative Discovery Museum to anyone visiting Chattanooga!   The kids are ALREADY ready to go back!