Rainy Day in Auburn

Friday we got up and it was nasty and rainy.  Yucky!!  We were really looking forward to a fun day in Auburn but it wasn't going to turn out quite like we wanted but even a rainy day is a good day when you are in Auburn.  I am not talking about just a little rain - it was pouring down all morning and windy.  We braved it and walked around just a little bit.  Love this sight!

 Matt's cousin, Madison, is a freshman at Auburn.  It is exciting because Matt is no longer the only "black sheep" in his family for going to Auburn.  Madison was sweet to meet us between classes.  We hung out it in the new student union and talked about how different Auburn is from when we were there.

 We walked around a little more including a stop in the pharmacy building.  It is new and nothing like it was when Matt was in pharmacy school.

 We had lunch at my Aunt Susan's house.  My cousin Ben's family was there which was lots of fun.  It was great to get caught up with family we don't get to see very often.  The kids had so much fun playing together.  We looked it up and learned they are 2nd cousins.

 We then headed back to GG's house.  Ben and Kate love their GG so much!!

I'd Like to Give the World a Coke

After our zoo adventure we headed for lunch.  We wanted to try something different so we did some research and decided on Chick-a-Biddy.  It was all chicken with a southern flare.  It was amazing!!!  So yummy and lots of great options.  Best onion rings I have ever had.  

 We were debating what to do next as it was still early afternoon.  We decided to bit the bullet and go to the World of Coca Cola.  It was a great decision.  We had a wonderful time.  I am so glad my parents were able to join us on the road trip.  My dad started a new chemo a couple of weeks ago and the side effects have been minimal so he is feeling great.  What special memories we made!!

 They had a new exhibit where  you got to see the vault where the secret recipe for Coke is kept.  Very cool!

 We really enjoyed wondering through the museum and seeing all the fun coke related things.

 Ben really enjoyed seeing how they bottle coke.

 And a 4 D movie is always fun!

 My mom is a hug Norman Rockwell fan so she enjoyed seeing the original Rockwells that they have.

 We chilled out on the American Idol coke couch.

 The best part is of course the end of the tour when you get to taste test all the different coke flavors from around the world.

 Ben was very adventurous and tried some really unusual flavors.

 Kate discovered a love for Coca Cola.  I am not sure she had ever had a Coke before but she is now hooked.  I think she might have drank her weight in it.  Needless to say she was a little wired when we left.  It was so funny to watch!  She keeps asking when she can have more Coke.

 Love my silly dad and his awesome photo bomb!

We headed back to LaFayette for the evening and were worn out from our fun day in the ATL!  Love that we have such a fun big city that we can get to easily.

Zoo Time

We so enjoyed our little road trip for Spring Break!!  I had good intentions of blogging as we went along on the trip but that didn't happen.  We just got home so I will blog our adventures over the next few days.  We drove down to my grandmother's house on Wednesday afternoon.  The kids are always so excited to go to GG's house!  They love playing with the retro toys she has and sleeping on her cot.  We all enjoyed a great dinner she made that night.  We got up early on Thursday to head over to Atlanta for a day of fun.  

Our first stop was the zoo!  We hadn't been to the Atlanta zoo since before Kate was born so we were excited to see it again.  

 Both Ben and Kate love maps so they did a great job of directing us through the zoo.

 I love flamingos!

 The Atlanta zoo has an awesome gorilla exhibit.  We saw a couple of baby gorillas and lots of gorillas fighting.  It was awesome to get to just sit and watch them interact.

 Kate's favorite animal is a kangaroo.  She was so excited to see them even if all they did was just sit there.

 The big draw of the Atlanta zoo is the panda bears!

 A set of twins was born back in July.  We saw pictures of them when they were babies and they were tiny.  They have really grown up.  They were so cute!!!  The mama panda slapped them around when they got underfoot and that was really funny to watch.

 No one was real excited about the reptiles but we went in anyway.  Not a fan of snakes!

 We finished off our time at the zoo with a carousel ride.

It was a great morning!  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed seeing all the animals.  More Atlanta adventures to come...

Road Trip

Quick post as we are road tripping for the next few days. Excited for some fun adventures. Our van hit 100,000 miles today. It has been a great van and has many more adventures and miles left in it!  

Spring Break Tuesday

All rules go out the window on Spring Break I guess - I become super fun mom!!  This morning for breakfast I let the kids eat ice cream in our bed.  I know I am really fun.  Well actually, I am avoiding the grocery store and we didn't have many other options.  

 Spring Break can't be all fun.  I do have a job and even though it is super flexible I needed to go into work for a little bit.  The kids were great and just read and played while I worked.

 Then it was time for some fun.  We met up with the Cabras for a movie.  We had wanted to go to the botanical gardens but it was freezing today.  It is not supposed to snow on Spring Break!  So the movies were a good option.  We saw the new Muppet movie.  The kids enjoyed it.

Day 4 of Spring Break was a huge success!  Tomorrow will bring some big adventures.

First Few Days of Spring Break

Spring break is off to an awesome start!  We have mixed fun and some work around the house in the last few days.  It has been great.  Saturday morning we cleaned off the back porch and got the laundry done.  We took a little break to meet up with LeeAnn and Paige at the movies.  The kids were so excited to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman.  

 We took a family bike ride on Saturday night.  Kate is a bike riding master for a 4 year old.

 Sunday we went to church and enjoyed a lazy afternoon.  We had game night with our life group in the evening which is fun.  We are really enjoying getting to know this group.  The kids wanted to sleep in the living room (and that worked great since their sheets were still in the dryer).

 We met up with our friends the Carlisles at the park today for a picnic and some park time.  The kids had a great time.  It was a little chilly but the sun was out so that was nice.

 We ran a ton of errand this afternoon but the kids were troopers.  We enjoyed a little family game time tonight.  Ben and I beat Matt 2 times in a row!

Loving all the family and friend time we are getting to have without school and work.  It is wonderful!  Excited for another great day tomorrow!

Five on Friday

Thought I would do a quick five on Friday update to catch up on everything from the week. 

 

1.  Parade of Readers continues.  Ben is up to 331 books.  Yes!!  He even got a second name plate to put all his chains on this week.  Matt has put a limit on how many books he can read next week. 

 2.  We are so excited it is finally spring!  Now the weather hasn't really gotten the memo that it is spring (expecting temps in the 20's next week) but we are still excited for it.  I am loving Kate's new spring clothes.  Kate and Kaylee looked so cute yesterday in their spring clothes. 

 3.  Loving that spring also means more time outside.  The kids are loving it as well.  It does mean crazy allergies which none of us are loving. 

 4.  Matt and I got to have a fun date night last night.  We went with Brad and LeeAnn to dinner and then to see Jersey Boys.  We have a history of going to see shows together.  I think we were the youngest people there but it was a good musical. 

 5.  It is spring break!!!!!  We have been counting down the days.  So exciting.  We don't have any big plans.  Matt is off for the week which will be wonderful.  We might do a some short trips.  The break will start tonight with cupcakes and Frozen!!!