Trains, Rocks, and Water!

Well, we just got back from Chattanooga late Saturday! It was a fun trip full of all the trains, rocks and water you can handle! We arrived Wednesday and checked into the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. It was a great experience staying in this hotel. It is a restored train station that provided lots of entertainment and character. Although needing some updates on the decor, it proved to be a good choice for two little boys that loved nothing more than to sleep in one of their restored parlor cars.




Wednesday night we explored downtown Chattanooga on their shuttle service and then went back to get a much needed sleep. It was Kinnon's first night in a bed, you can see him sleeping just like his Daddy!














Thursday morning we woke up to the sound of rain pitter pattering on our train car! We had breakfast and then tried to decide what we can accomplish knowing the rain might set us back. Lucky for us Chris had already taken this trip with his Granddad when he was smaller and he remembered Ruby Falls was mostly indoors. So off to Ruby Falls we went! The caves and waterfall cascading down 1120 feet underground was amazing. I also think that Kinnon and Brice walking along the caves happily was just as impressive. They were troopers! The whole way to the waterfall Brice was wanting to see and understand everything and Kinnon wanted to touch and point out every rock and every bit of water. I promise you the words "ROCK" and "WATER" are permanent in Kinnon's vocabulary!!

We drove around while Kinnon took a nap in the truck and then had lunch at a yummy place called the Purple Daisy. By the time lunch was over, the rain had gone away and the sun came out! So, aboard the incline railway we went up Lookout Mountain which both boys enjoyed. Chris and Brice had a great time checking out the cables that pulled the cars. It was mighty impressive as well!





After the incline railway, we met up with Chris' childhood best friend and his family. It was great seeing them - B and K really enjoyed playing with Nathan and Kaelin!





Friday morning we decided to explore the exciting Rock City! Again, Brice and Kinnon were real troopers climbing all the rocks and stairs.

Although the rocks and waterfall were cool, I enjoyed the Mother Goose Village and Fairyland Caverns the most. I wish I had pictures of this but I was too busy looking at all the fairy and gnome displays. It was pretty, colorful and magical! Of course, we all enjoyed being on top of Lookout Mountain. The sky was pretty clear and looking out at 7 different states that high up was pretty cool too. Kinnon was so tired, he passed out on the way down the mountain. So, Kinnon and I rested in the truck while Chris and Brice shared a father/son moment drinking yoohoos and visiting the halfway point of the incline railway from an old-timey general store.












Later that evening, we took a trip on the trolley around the hotel complex. Look close, you may be able to see Brice at his new job of bell ringer for the conductor. You can also catch a glimpse of Kinnon giving the conductor a hug!





Saturday, our travel day back home, we spent the morning aboard a short line train on the Tennessee Valley Railroad! The kids had a great time on a real live train! It was a great experience, we traveled over the Chickamauga Creek and passed thru the Missionary Ridge Tunnel. They also gave us a turntable demonstration for the steam engine! I would definitely recommend it to all those train lovers out there! It was a great ending to a wonderful trip with the fam!!





Well, thanks for letting us share our travel experiences with you! Hope you enjoyed reading about it! And as always, hopefully it won't be 3 months before my next update! Bye!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Well, Brice and Kinnon got to meet Santa Claus in person at my friend Traci's house! Boy, are we glad she has connections! I knew Brice was going to be fine but I thought for sure Kinnon was not going to have any trouble sitting on Santa's lap as well! Boy, was I wrong! When Santa read Twas the Night Before Christmas, Kinnon walked up to him and gave him a kiss on his leg but when he got on his lap, it was a completely different story! They both still had a fun time and we still managed to get some good pics, thanks to an excellent professional photographer!

Santa reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to everyone!




Santa even brought presents for them!




Kinnon talking to Santa about Brice's fire engine:



Kinnon enjoying one of the yummy cupcakes!






Santa was so nice to take a picture with all our lovely Bunco Moms that were there!! I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends!!



Let's hope that Santa is as good as he was to Brice and Kinnon on Christmas Eve!! Thank you Santa for visiting with my boys!!

Mommy, are you happy to me?

Today I went to the Mom 2 Mom monthly meeting and it was about the power of your words. It was a good reminder of how your words can affect others and how others' words can affect you. So often I forget how my actions and words are very influential with Brice and Kinnon as well as others. I see it in Brice every day, more than every day. How he copies me, how he repeats my words, and now Kinnon is starting to repeat Brice's every move. When something falls down or something doesn't go my way and I say "Shoot!", Brice has repeated me. That is bad. When I am in a bad mood and quite snappy, this makes him go from boy who listens quite well to boy who is doing everything wrong just to get my attention. Then when I yell at him, am I yelling at him b/c he is really doing something wrong or is it b/c I am in a bad mood??
When he is doing something wrong and I repremand him, he never fails to ask me "Mommy, are you happy to me?" Well, sadly first thing I want to do is correct his grammar. But then I think of how cute he sounds saying it. Then I think what this question actually means to him. He wants me to be happy with him, he wants me to be proud of him, he wants attention. But, I can't help but wonder if he asks this when I yelling at him because I may be too harsh with him. I am afraid to ask him why he asks this, even though there is a good chance he may not be able to tell me. The good thing is when he says "Mommy, are you happy to me?", I always make sure he understands I am always happy with him!

Yeehaw, it's Halloween!

Well, actually it is 10 days past Halloween and I am now posting pics and stories! I came down with a cold/virus the Friday before Halloween!! Yippee! I went to the doc b/c I had a fever and was scared it might be the horrible swine flu! Luckily, I tested negative for it!! But, I was still at the doctor when the kiddos were headed to the Little Gym Halloween party! Daddy took them and Grandma took pics! Brice was a Cowboy (second year in a row) and Kinnon was a cow! I was so sad that I was missing them at the party. I have to say it was also because I was so excited about making Brice's cowboy costume and wanted to see him in it! It was my first time ever sewing!!! But, better to miss it then get all of the children sick! Luckily, my fever broke and I felt good enough to go out trick-or-treating with the boys Sat night. We went to visit some friends from our old neighborhood and had a great time! Brice and Kinnon were pros at trick-or-treating, they had it down and got lots of candy! Yummy!!!

Edventure - Big Trucks Day!

So part of the fun of having boys is doing "boystuff"! Who knew I being a girl would find my ideal day spending the day looking at big trucks and tractors??? But if it makes my boys smile, I would gladly do it! We now are members of Edventure Museum and the State Museum and they had Big Truck day in Edventure's parking lot. It was quite exciting seeing all the different emergency vehicles, tractors, military trucks, dump trucks, etc. Brice and Kinnon and Daddy enjoyed themselves and so did Mommy for that matter!

Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

So, I am sitting here writing while I listen to my cute little 3 year old yell from his bed, "Mommy!Mommy!Mommy!" and did I mention it is 9:40 pm!?? Here are several problems with this: 1) He was put in bed at 8:30 pm, so why is he still awake??? 2) He is calling for me and I so want to go in there and cuddle up with him which brings me to 3) If I go in there, it will only create many a nights of hearing my title screamed down the hallway every night! 4) Yet, knowing this I also know one day when he is a teenager and wants nothing to do with me, I will be wishing he is screaming "Mommy!" to get me to go in his room and hug him!
How sad is this???

Today went well. Kinnon went to school while Brice and I ran errands and went to Little Gym. We were supposed to have a playdate today but that was cancelled! Boohoo! Hope everyone is feeling better soon!

Just one of the Guys or Queen of the Castle??

Some of you may be asking why I started this blog, especially those who know I already have another one. I, for the past few months, have been struggling with whether or not to have another third child. I have the two best, most awesome, fantastic sons anyone could ever ask for and my pregnancies were without complications and very enjoyable as well. So, why wouldn't I want to carry on the procreation of another little one? That is a question I have had for some time now! I would love to be pregnant again, I would love the idea of another little Chris/Jen combo growing inside me, the anticipation of meeting the little one, and I am not ashamed to admit the attention I get! I also welcome a new little one that is ours, that I can hold, feed, take care of and love unconditionally and watch him/her grow into something unbelievably greater than he/she already is. However, there are some things that I need to take into account. Chris and I always thought a family of four is a good fit. Chris WANTS to stop at TWO! We are also in our late thirties which is old enough and too old to be starting on a third child, I think. And yes, I know this is not a good reason to have another baby but I would love to have a girl too! There I wrote it, yes that was written. I love, love, love my boys but I always thought I would have a girl too that I could share things with, play dress-up, shop with, put on makeup with, you know girl stuff.
So, as much as I say I am sitting on the fence, I think we are leaning to not having anymore children. Correction- I think we are stopping at two. Can you tell this is very hard for me to accept, even though I know it is the right choice? Okay, so I am going to be a girl among many boys. I think that it is time to declare myself Queen of the Lawrimore Castle!