Saturday, October 27, 2012

Scenic City Part 2

(Continued from previous post)

Rock City had some amazing sights to see!



(Admittedly, taking this picture made me a little nervous.) I didn't walk out there. Did I mention I don't like heights?:)


 Jan demonstrating his Superdad powers!
 Wow! Like father, like son. :)

After Rock City, and a "cat nap" in the car for 3 of the 5 travelers, we climbed aboard the Incline Railway at Lookout Mountain. Very steep at the top!

 The view DOWN...gulp!



Somebody enjoyed the ride!

Next, we were off to the Children's Discovery Museum.
We actually went for about an hour the first day we were in Chattanooga, but they closed at 5:00, so we were forced to leave before we had experienced it ALL.
John Owen kept asking, "When are we going back to the museum?":)
This was probably his favorite place in Chattanooga.
Can't say that I blame him...It was pretty awesome!
(BEWARE: PICTURE OVERLOAD!
I just couldn't help myself, and neither could they for 4 hours!! That's right, 4 hours!)

 River Works Exhibit
Very cool...
Very wet!!

 You better believe this child of mine wanted to wear the plastic apron to keep her clothes from getting WET!

MEGA climbing apparatus


More climbing!

"Hamming it up" for the camera:)

Jan got in on the fun. Isn't he talented? He can talk on his cell phone and balance at the same time!

Up on the rooftop of the museum is a Simple Machines Exhibit. Lots of wheels, pulleys, inclined planes, etc.


Friday, October 12, 2012

Scenic City

That's where we just returned from...Chattanooga, TN! We had a great getaway for Fall Break 2012, and we made some special memories. TN Aquarium, Ruby Falls, Rock City, Incline Railway at Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga Children's Discovery Museum...Go, go, go! See, see, see!

Here's our trip in pictures and very few words.
Let's start at the Aquarium...
 "Look, Mom! It's Happy Feet!":)
 The Emperor Penguin can be the same size as me when it is is full grown! Wow. (I didn't realize that!)
A blessed and proud Momma snapped this picture. hehe
All 3 kiddos sitting nicely and listening to the diver in the tank as he talked about the different sea creatures surrounding him and then...
 Sand Tiger Shark!!
 Mary Claire needed a little security after the shark made his appearance.
And everybody says, "Awww!" :) Made this Momma smile...
 John Owen checkin' out the different species of jellies.
 And we were all amazed at the Japanese Snow Crab! (This was just a baby crab. Can you imagine a full grown crab? Whew...)
 Who's the happiest fish in the tank?
Umm...I think it's Jonah.
I bet he's imagining what it's really like...:)

On to Ruby Falls...
 The castle-like structure at the entrance. Kids got a kick out of it...
 Who's ready to explore an underground cave?
Mary Claire is!!!:)
 Ooh...They loved exploring the cave!
 But they REALLY thought the underground waterfall was cool!
(I did, too.)
 I tried my best to get a picture of Mary Claire's reaction when she saw the waterfall.
Priceless!
My 3 cave explorers!

Then, there was Rock City...
 A quick shot before entering this haven of rocks and nature!

 SQUEEZE through, boys!

 Jan wanted to buy one of these for our yard until he saw the price of the ones in the gift shop. Secretly, I was so happy they were too pricey...
I opted for a small ornament to go on our Christmas tree. You know, only visible for about a month or so.
The swinging bridge!
Good thing that it didn't swing too much. I am not good with heights, not good at all.
I began to get really nervous here.

 Apparently, Jan did, too. Notice the grip on the youngest one's hand now.
 This guy is too cute!:)
 Beautiful scenery!

Pretty cool!

To be continued...Scenic City Part 2