Atlanta Vacation Part 5

On Friday of our vacation we took the Atlanta train - the Marta - to the Aquarium.

James and Dad were impressed by the long staircase and escalator from the train up to the street downtown.

The Aquarium was amazing and we all enjoyed it a lot.

Rebecca took some pretty awesome pictures of the fish.

A Beluga Whale

The tunnel under one of the hugest fish tanks in the world was amazing

One of my favorites was the enormous window into the tank.

Lily was impressed too!

After Anna looked for awhile, I made her sit still and nap on my lap so I got a good long time to look at the fish.

We went to a dolphin show but weren't allowed to take pictures. On our way into the arena we passed the dolphin tank.

As we waited for the return train in the Marta station, Anna put her glasses on her head as she had seen Aunt Becca do.

After the aquarium, before the walk back to the train station, Becca got a coke and had one last photo opp with the Coke building.

Back to the house and it's gravel driveway that Anna enjoyed

Atlanta Vacation Part 4

On Wednesday we observed the Suzuki Summer Institute violin and cello lessons. We weren't able to attend the teacher's training, but we could observe the children taking lessons one day. James watched the cello lessons that afternoon and Becca and I learned a lot watching the violin lessons that morning and afternoon.

 On Thursday the whole family went to Stone Mountain Park.

We got to ride the Sky Lift to the top of the mountain.  I loved the view!

Sunscreen time!

The Adventure Pass for Stone Mountain included the Air Tram ride up the mountain. We were about to go over the cliff in this picture.

After the Grandparents took Anna home for a nap, we explored the "village." Lily pointed out where we were on the map. It was a little off, but still cute.

We walked to the Plantation and Lily zonked out. Her head kept falling forward so we propped her stroller back while we took turns exploring the buildings.

The Plantation House

The Adventure Barn had lots and lots of Nerf balls to shoot from cannons and play with. We didn't have long before our scheduled Duck Ride, but Lily enjoyed those few minutes.

James and I tried to imitate the serious expressions in the Farmer painting. I think we look a little scary.

The Duck ride took us out on the lake where we got a great view.

Duck call toys were standard issue for every passenger. Lily was nervous about them for the first 20 minutes then wouldn't quit for the next two days.

Our ride started as a bus ride, then we splashed quickly into the river for a boat ride.

Lily wasn't too keen on the life jacket.

All of the children on the Duck got to take turns steering it on the water. Lily loved doing it so much, she cried when she had to stop.

After the Duck ride, we ate supper and settled in for the laser show that was displayed on the face of Stone Mountain.

Lily kept herself entertained while waiting.

It was an amazing show that we greatly enjoyed!

Anna figured out the duck toy pretty fast after she was introduced to it. Then we got to hear it in surround sound!

Atlanta Vacation Part 3

Sunday morning we met up with David and Tricia Troester and went to their church near Stone Mountain. Tricia used to teach Becca and me piano lessons in NC.

After church we went out to eat with them, then home for naps.

Later that afternoon we went back to the covered bridge for photos and exploration.

That evening Rebecca, Dad and James drove to downtown Atlanta to get some night photos of the skyline.

On Tuesday Rebecca, James, and I took Lily to Six Flags of Georgia. I took Lily on the kiddie rides while James and Becca rode the crazy fast coasters. I normally like fast coasters, but I can't ride while pregnant. :-)

They rode the Superman Coaster and every coaster in the entire park.

Lily actually rode this swing ride by herself, but she said she didn't want to try it again.

She was a little nervous on some of the rides.

She rode on a truck ride around a track.

We rode on a boat ride through monster mansion.

We rode on a balloon ride.

I think her favorite was the carousel though.

Refreshment time! Coke advertisements are everywhere in Atlanta. :-)

We rode the train around the park

The next time we rode the truck ride, Lily rode the in cab by herself and "drove."

Becca rode this craziness - an extreme drop tower ride.

This was the first ride they rode. Becca's cell phone fell out of her belt clip on this ride, and she got to watch it fall toward the ground. They told her they could only do a track sweep for lost items after the park closed at night. But there was a rain cloud and they closed everything down for a little while in the afternoon. They did a track sweep then and returned her lost phone! She was thrilled that it was undamaged except a small crack on the case. Lots of people left the park under threat of rain, so the ride lines were shorter after that too!