Atlanta - Zoo Atlanta

The second day we were in Atlanta we had hoped to be able to spend the entire day at Stone Mountain, but apparently mother nature felt differently. It was storming pretty good when we got up, so we got ready and went to a nearby mall for a little retail therapy instead. After some shopping, eating and allowing the storms to pass, we decided to head over to the zoo instead. Perfect decision. Not only had the weather cleared up to be gorgeous, but there were very few people at the zoo.

 You know you've watched too many Disney movies when you start referring to the animals by the character names. This would be Timon, a meerkat.

I am a sucker for a baby, any baby of any kind. So of course this little gorilla is no different. I would have gladly brought him home if his mommy had handed him over.

This was my first time seeing a Giant Panda and I was completely in awe. They are absolutely gorgeous.

I was thrilled when this one came outside to eat and could have stayed there all day watching him.

I'm pretty sure I'm being watched.

Cutter was actually thrilled to finally get to ride a train, he even cried when we had to get off.

American Girl

Sailor loves Megan, her American Girl doll she got last year for her birthday, and enjoys looking through the catalogs we receive in the mail. While we were in Atlanta I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to take her to a store since we don't have one anywhere near us in Navarre. As much as she would have really enjoyed eating in the bistro also, we were limited on time, not to mention that I'm not sure Tucker and Cutter would have enjoyed it too much. So we settled for plenty of shopping time in the store alone.

 I think she was a little overwhelmed to see all of the items in one location and had a tough time deciding on what to get. She finally settled on a matching shirt for her and her doll, new shoes and a new puppy for her doll.

Atlanta - Centennial Olympic Park

While we were still within walking distance, we left Coca-Cola and strolled over to Centennial Olympic Park. The kids could care less about the history of the park, but Hank and I were living in southern Georgia at the time of the Atlanta Olympics and remember so much being on the news about it. I love that in the middle of chaotic and busy city, you have the beauty and calmness of a park.

This was what impressed the kids the most, an excuse to get wet!

Sailor dancing in the middle of one of the rings.

My biggest and littlest had to play too!

They managed to not get soaked!

Spring Softball

Sailor decided for spring that even though she enjoyed soccer, she wanted to give softball a try. I believe part of her interest is due to the Marquis girls and the fact that she looks up to all three of them. We originally thought she would be playing t-ball since she is still 6, but at sign ups they decided to allow her to go ahead and move up to the next age bracket, so coach pitch softball it is.

We had her very first game last week and I'm not sure I have ever been so excited about a game. Most of the girls on her team have been playing for years and are quite good, but she got a fabulous coach and he is doing a great job of teaching her.

Last time at bat and she got a base hit! She was so proud of herself, as was the rest of the team.

Sailor was given the game ball after their big win!

Atlanta - Coca Cola

After we finished at the Aquarium, we walked over to Coca Cola. I'm a huge Coke fan, especially the glass bottle ones, something about the bottle just makes them taste better. I always loved knowing I could go in Uncle Larry's store and find them, it was such a rare treat. I don't know if the kids found the history of Coca Cola quite as interesting as Hank and I did, but they still had a good time. 

I loved all the old signs.

They have a section where you can sample different Coca Cola products from other countries, my kids thought this was pretty neat. I'm amazed at what some countries believe tastes good. One drink we tried tasted like you were drinking mouthwash!

A little hard to read but this bottle states that Coke is a tonic used to treat headache and exhaustion, sounds good to me!

Sailor was the only one willing to meet the Coke polar bear, and she was quite excited about it.

At the end of the tour each person gets a glass bottled Coke.

Only my kids would want their picture taken with the recycling bin!

Atlanta - Georgia Aquarium

The kids have asked several times over the years if we could visit the Georgia Aquarium at some point, so this year for Spring Break we took a couple of days and went to Atlanta. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly suggest going, it is a very memorable experience. Atlanta has so many interesting things to see and do. And although we weren't real crazy about the traffic and so many people, it is definitely a place we would like to visit again.

 The Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.

Tucker absolutely loved getting to touch the sharks.

I'm pretty sure they were having a conversation.

One of my favorites, the Beluga whales.

Manta Ray, these things were huge yet so graceful.

This is what we came to see, the Whale Shark. We saw three of them and they are simply amazing. They tended to stay at the top of the tank which made it hard to get a good picture of them.

As the mom of a toddler you know we couldn't pass up the chance to see Nemo.

Monster Jam

A couple of weeks ago we went to Pensacola and took the kids to Monster Jam. Cutter loves all things monster truck related right now but he especially loves Grave Digger. The look on his face when the trucks started up for the first time was completely priceless!

Cutter also liked Monster Mutt, he said it was "cute".

Grave Digger, who seemed to be the fan favorite.

I love that happy little face!

We seriously did pay money for that hat.

Cutter also enjoyed the transformers that performed.

Grave Digger was the only truck that rolled, and thankfully no one was hurt.

Cutter wasn't the only excited little boy there.