Atlanta Vacation Part 6 of 6

On Saturday morning we walked to the covered bridge and waded in the river. That afternoon we returned to the North Point Mall.

This was James' favorite doll outfit. The girls might be getting Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin dolls for Christmas and I can sew outfits for them!

Becca found the Build-A-Bear store and caved in to the overwhelming need to get one. She picked out the bear body and they used a really cool machine to stuff it super fast. They had a pipe that shot out stuffing to fill the bear in a couple of minutes. Becca brushed the lint off under a blast of air as you see pictured.

The turning point in her desire to get a bear was finding the "Brave" outfit.  She simply couldn't resist.

The Pottery Barn sold a loft bed that seems perfect for our needs. James took a picture to try to build one. The loft bed fits a twin mattress which we already have, and the lower area should easily hold the toddler bed that we already have. Later when Anna is ready for a twin bed it can be added below easily. The stairs are safer for a three-year-old to navigate than a classic ladder bunkbed.

On Sunday we attended Calvary Baptist Church in Smyrna, GA then Becca, James and I went to the Kennesaw National Battlefield's 150th anniversary. It was the site of a civil war battle fought with Sherman on his way to Atlanta.

The view from the top of Kennesaw Mountain

We got to watch a cannon firing demonstration

Mom and Dad Joyner and Becca left Sunday afternoon, but James and I stayed one more night. We packed up Monday morning and left Atlanta. We had one more CityPass ticket to use that day on our way out of town - the Zoo!

We met Tori Troester and her two boys there. They were able to use Becca's extra ticket. Here is a picture of Samuel Troester as he fed the birds at the zoo.

Anna enjoyed watching the birds and trying to get closer to them.

We got rained out at 1:30pm. It started to pour and all of the train rides and children's activities closed, so we decided to head out of town.

We got home at 6pm and unpacked and had Steve and Emily over to work on his resume.

Tuesday we went to Bear Lake to see Dad and Mom Bryan's campsite. We got there at about 10am and left at 9:30pm, but no pictures were taken. :-)

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!