Nashville - The Frist

Avery and Rose on their way into the museum.

On our recent trip to Tennessee, we stayed in Nashville with some great friends. They took us to a fantastic museum, The Frist Center. The two exhibitions were fabulously interesting. Chihuly's glass art was bod, colorful, and playful. It was most definitely a chore to keep the kids in line ... breaking a Chihuly sculpture would've spent our vacation budget, and then some!

To reward their great behavior, and to give them an artistic outlet, we took our kids to the top floor kids club. There they had hands on activities including printmaking, stop motion movies, human figure sketches, texture drawings, blocks, and a whole bunch more. We all enjoyed the opportunity to create after seeing such beautiful art on display!

Everyone was creating the stencil for the printmaking.


The kids got to add the ink

Run it through the press.

Revealing Avery's final product

Maybe an artist like Grandma? She loved sketching.

Avery was learning how to draw a self-portrait

The final exhibit was tailor made for the mamas! Chris and Mike took the kids outside so Rachel and I could enjoy an audio tour of The Golden Age of Couture Paris and London 1947 - 1957. It was glamorous, stylish, and so very different from gowns today.

This was one of my favorites. It shows the gown with intricate embroidery and a complicated undergarment

Disney: There's Always Something New

We have been to Disney more times than I can count. And we still love it. Even though we have been so many times, we are still discovering new things.
On our last trip we found a not-so-hidden Barber Shop just past the entrance to the Magic Kingdom! So, we tried it out. It was a fun experience, fast, and quite reasonably priced.
Though it was new to us, the small three chair barber shop has been around for quite awhile. In fact, the barber who cut Avery's hair has been working at that same chair for well over a decade!

The name of the shop is Harmony. Would you believe that they even have a barber shop quartet that stops in to sing? Its Disney, so you'd better believe it! The Dapper Dans were not there when we were, but we have seen them strolling up and down Main Street before.

Hot -> Beach

It must be because I grew up in South FL, but whenever it gets really hot outside, I crave the cool waves of the ocean, a white sandy beach or at the very least a pool! Our apt. doesn't have a pool and the beach is ... well, it is within driving distance. But it is very different from the ones I am accustomed to. This one, for some reason, is more brown than the other beaches. Its unlike anything I have ever seen! So on hot days like today I take a look at pictures like these and just enjoy the times we have had at a beach I love.

We Went to Dollywood

Our family enjoyed a day at Dollywood. It was blazing hot, but the shade of the TN Smokies was quite nice.

Chris likes to spin the kids round and round. I always sit that one out!

MH on the carousel. She is riding a deer. Only at Dollywood!

We rode a Steam Train around the park. It is an actual train used during WW2! And it still uses coal and steam to operate. By the end of the ride we were all sprinkled with little black bits of coal!


The Knoxville Zoo had an attraction at Dollywood. It was a huge color-able wall.

We took some funny pictures while Chris was riding the TN Tornado rollercoaster.



Chris and Avery enjoyed the Lumberjack ride. Ha!

My favorite part of the day was listening to Bluegrass music and eating a funnel cake. MMMMMMm! Funnel Cake!

A Castle for a Princess

We tried to take Mary Hannah and Avery to the Biltmore Estate, one of my favorite places to visit. Although long, the drive through the mountains from Tennessee to Asheville, NC was beautiful and relaxing. Mary Hannah was so very excited to go to a "castle." When we arrived, it had already closed. But our little Sleeping Beauty didn't notice because she was napping in the back. When she awoke, her first question was "Are we at the castle?" We had to tell her the castle was closed. MH burst into tears! It was so very sad. I think we are going to take her to "THE" castle before we move out of FL. This little girl is really a princess at heart!

Enjoying the Mountains

More TN Photos


Avery LOVED playing putt-putt. This particular course was in the trees on the side of a hill. Its namewas perfect: Hillbilly Golf!



A day in the Smokies


Thinking about Texas...

In the Mountains

Its just what we like for an easy vacation: a little cabin in the woods... with cable, WIFI, and shops nearby, of course! We are taking it easy this week, relaxing Goldilocks style.

Our little slice of rest and relaxation.

Welcome Ya'll!

A very country living room

A cozy story time just before bed

A cozy room with a fantastic bath... see below

A huge jacuzzi tub in the master bath.

And a hot tub just outside on the back deck.

Family Vacation

We are in the car, packed to the gills, with a toddler, preschooler, and all their gear. Of course there are some movies, but also toys and books, blankets, plush pets, and pillows. I like to call it “happy stuff.” Its all the stuff we brought to try to keep the kids happy while we drive, drive, drive. I have managed to carve out a sweet 2x2 area around my feet. I call that “sane space.” I just need a little bit of room in the car where nothing is touching me. Well, nothing more than the computer on my lap, the pool of magazines and contents of my purse strewn about my ankles.

We are taking a family vacation… and the final stop is well beyond Disney! Can you believe it??? We are so glad to be headed to Tennessee for some rest, relaxation, and a visit with Mimi and Aunt Heather.

We said our goodbyes to our Oasis Church family on Sunday, and started on our way out of state. We made a fun stop at Disney’s POP Century, Avery’s favorite place at Disney, and possibly the entire world, for some din-din and playtime in the arcade. Then it was on to my old stomping grounds, “Go Gatorsville,” for a good night’s rest.

When the night sky was as black as the asphalt, we tucked the kids in their carseats, dimmed the cabin lights, and declared bedtime. A few moments later, Avery was fast asleep. There was a tiny voice coming from the back seat, singing sweet songs. The lyrics were sometimes correct. The pitch was just right. And the volume grew stronger and stronger as she her confidence grew. Since her daddy and I stayed quiet, she must have figured we weren’t listening. After a few rounds of “The Wheels on the Bus” Mary Hannah fell fast asleep.

Traveling with little ones sure can be challenging. But it’s just as sweet.

Spring Break puts a Spring in my Step

This week has been more than wonderful to have time with my children. We have enjoyed lazy breakfasts, cartoons, day trips, and even picnic lunches. Oh how I can't wait for summer just so I can enjoy the days with my kids! (But honestly, I think school should end in the spring so everyone can enjoy this most perfect weather!)

Monday started off with a bang at the Beach! We gathered our sand toys, donned new bathing suits, and headed down to the newly renovated Hollywood Beach with Grandma. It is such a joy to visit that place now. The boardwalk has brick pavers, a decorative retaining wall separating the beach dwellers and the beach combers, and beautiful lantern light posts that highlight the blue sky and share space with the tops of the towering palm trees. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water fountains at the splash park. I love that place for the way it entertains my kids, but even more for the way it rinses sand off my munchkins! Its a two-for-one deal! The ocean water a perfect light blue, it was crystal clear, there were sand bars, and lots of sand castles to be built. I took the kids in the water all by myself. Honestly, I felt quite proud of myself for that. They don't know yet how to swim, and I was conquering my own fear of the "what ifs..." They squealed with delight. I am pretty sure Mh thinks she is a mermaid by the way she kept trying to leap out of my hands. Swimming lessons are a MUST this summer!

Tuesday was just as much fun at the park. We met three other moms and five other kids to play on the slides and swings. Two friends brought their newborns and one brought her daughter who was adopted from Kazakhstan. MH and Lindsay followed each other everywhere. Avery followed around some older boys and eventually learned how to jump off a moving swing, much to his mother's shagrin. Then I remembered he's a boy and should probably learn how to do that one day! Everyone, including the moms, had a great time in the fresh air. No one wanted to leave.

Wednesday was a slow day. The kids and I rested at home and enjoyed playing with toys. It was not extremely exciting, but it was sweet and down right normal. Just having time together is a treat.

Thursday was our day at the Water Park. Ok, not really. It was our day at our water park... in our front yard. Here's the story:
The kids and I took a walk to the local shopping plaza. We ate lunch at the very delicious Sonny's Famous Steak Hogies - who, by the way, will be featured on Food Network's show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" in June. Yummo! The kids got the special treatment: cheeseburger hogie, chips, and sprite! I was reliving my time in Philly with our close friends, so I ordered whatPhilly is famous for: Cheesesteak. When the waitress asked MH what she wanted on her Cheeseburger, she replied "Just tomatoes and bubble gum." She had the waitress' heart from then on!

I digress... as we strolled the plaza, we ducked into a fancy place, Family Dollar, and picked up a swimming pool. That, my friends, was the highlight of the day. Once home the kids changed into their suits and had tons of fun splashing and spraying, running and laughing while I planted some flowers in our garden. Ok, its not really a garden. "I planted flowers in our garden" sounds way more glamorous. I planted flowers in the green and dry landscaping that decorates the front of our house. It needed some color. "Garden" sounds must better, doesn't it?
For Avery, it was probably a tie between playing at our "water park" and making a cake for Daddy. Daddy has not been feeling well lately, and Avery wanted to bake this special cake to make him feel better. I don't know if it will actually make Chris feel better, but it sure makes me feel great! I can't wait to eat his chocolate chocolate chip sour cream bundt cake. Yumm!

The forecast for Friday is a major backyard makeover! We have been waiting years for this! Pictures to come once the sod is down and the family is BBQing on the terrace. Ok, again... not really the terrace. Just sounds better. Wink Wink. While Chris was busy readying the backyard for sod, the kids and I were planting seeds to grow some flowers. MH has been asking a lot lately about how to grow a flower, so this was very exciting to her. Avery loved the whole process, too. The dollar section at Target had these little grow kits. Avery chose Marigolds and MH chose Zinnias. The plants sprouted in two days. Check out all the growth on day 3!