"outside pleeeeease."

this past week we headed to nashville for a little family getaway.

i had planned some visits to new places (see posts below), but hands down...

the overall winner for the weekend was the swing set out in the backyard!

AND the big BIG piles of leaves.

every morning, right after a big bowl of "hot smoke", little voices would chant in unison....

"outside pleeeeeease."
we obliged. :)

nashville zoo

what?! did you think for a moment we would visit a city and not see their zoo? well then, you haven't been reading this blog very long! ;)

one of the first exhibits were these gorgeous macaws....and they were SO close!

the zoo also had this amazing playground! it reminded me of something out of peter pan.

and look at what the next exhibit had.....no, not wild day's.

meerkats. we were checking them out from the interactive tunnel...very cool!

oh wait, there is a fierce day at this zoo....it is even growling!

maybe that is why poor big b looks scared! ;)

the bamboo forest was SO pretty...it even had a really nice water feature the kids loved.

their petting zoo, had such a great idea...let the kids not just pet, but brush the goats! vivian was only too excited to help...

bauer was a little more intimidated.

first he was a bit stand-offish...checking everything out carefully.

then he decided a little pet would be ok.

luckily no one was asked to pet this fierce creature!

at lunch....well, b didn't quite make it to lunch. this always seems to happen at some point during vacation, he has just had enough. he slept for an hour and half DURING lunch at the mellow mushroom....oh to be two, again! :)

adventure science center

we meant to hit this spot last time, but it was just too short of a trip.

this time we were able to take our time and enjoy each exhibit. (WARNING: there are a lot of pictures...so i am going to keep the words to a minimum...just enjoy!) the planetarium was awesome, and included an interesting scale of just how big our little earth is compared to big ol' jupiter and saturn.

the kids really enjoyed the mechanical exhibits, which included driving a see-through car and lifting a car BY HAND!

next we were off to the nasa exhibit. i REALLY wanted to experience the weightless thingy (what is that called?), but THEY said no preggos. how rude! so cliffy took one for the team, (since vivian and bauer were both too short, and joan looked at me like i had lost my cookies when i asked if she wanted to try) and had a great time working the "wall".

vivian and bauer thought it was a little strange to watch daddy fly through the air...

and it took clif a few minutes to moon walk, but it was lots of fun.

a little family pic.

in theory bauer loves dinosaurs, in reality....not so much. if you look closely you can see this is an interactive exhibit. you can climb in and stand in that little bubble in the middle. unfortunately it also looks like that big t-rex is going to eat the bubble. no child of mine would dare go NEAR that thing. sigh...maybe next time.

ever since vivian's accident she has been fascinated with brains. when she saw this she said, "mommy take my picture for the blog with the "meat brain". :)

the whole second floor was an exhibit on the human body, and was quite well done. here vivian is throwing a ball into the mouth to show how food enters the body.

next, she and gege use the levers to move the teeth for grinding! somehow, i didn't get a manage to get a picture of the big pink slide that represents your colon. and yep, you guessed it, you represent the poop. nope, that's not the worst part...when you come out the end it makes...well...."noises". yeah, we will just call them "noises".

another exhibit on the brain, and the importance of wearing a helmet at all times.....and the poster child for helmet wearing! :)

dr.b checking out cardiovascular world.

good dental hygiene is important to all.

and this thing...well, it is a four story, see-through-floor, play house. i walk over the bridge, took one look down, and said, "no thank you". god made me five foot three for a reason. he likes me near the ground! but everyone else had a great time! here joan and clif fly airplanes.

and vivian rides on the magic school bus.

in the toddler area there was a construction theme. vivian built a fun castle...

while bauer and daddy worked the big crane. after a VERY long day of play we were starving so joan suggested a nashville tradition...

noshville deli. bowls of pickles on a table will make any pregnant lady happy!

and look at the HALF of a sandwich...unbelievable!!

after taking a few food pictures vivian said, "mom, don't you need a picture with me in it for the blog?" yes, honey, of course i do! "that will make it even better!" yep, miss vivian it surely will!!

miss whit-a-ney

i cannot begin to tell you how much i love calling this very talented woman friend. not only is she a super-calm-during-the-storm inspiration, a kicky booty mother, and the kind of christian who LIVES her faith (not just preaches it)....she is also an amazing photographer!

and it is that time of year again when i dazzle her with my beautiful, brown eyed children, and she very happily agrees to a little session. i assure you this is just a preview of her amazing talents.

vivian.....searching for miss whitaney's famous butterflies.

and a little family time. seriously, check her out....whitneyloibner.blogspot.com. you won't be sorry.