chattanoogie

The beauty of starting school August 1 is looking forward to a week long fall break in September. At the six week mark of school, the kids and mommas have paid their dues with early mornings and the rigorous schedule. We traded our school day structured woes for a little Chattanooga escape with Omi and Papa. Miller came up with the word Chattanoogie. Any play on words is welcome in his vocabulary He's always up to the sillys these days. And, silly talk produces the most hilarious belly laughs from our boy.

We've talked about meeting halfway between Knoxville and Atlanta for awhile, so we were thrilled when Omi and Papa organized a couple fun days together.We loaded up the car early Tuesday morning with high hopes for a fun day at the Creative Discovery museum. Packing up could be a post in and of itself. Can I get an amen? Since Eliza Kate is not a fan of taking naps in the car, she was going to have to forgo her morning snooze for a day of play. Risky, I know. She pulled through and with all the distractions handled her lack of beauty sleep quite nicely. Chattanooga's Children's Museum rocks our hometown museum. The kiddos loved the hands on water play area in the front. They could have splashed the whole morning away if we'd have let em'.

Splashing they surely loved! Eliza Kate would let her "du" out of her site or grasp.

In the chaos of stroller parking, restroom breaks, and settling in...I finally noticed the splash smocks a little too late. What's a little water down your clothes? No harm done, right?

Eliza Kate thought the fountain looked good enough to drink. On tippy toes, thirsty girl used the pool of  play water for her drinking refreshment.. much to our dislike.
She looks so much like a two year old to me here! This toddler stage has proven to be her most adventurous. I have to watch this one very closely these days. She's not afraid to take risks.

All suited up , Landon thought she looked like a Japanese wrestler with her romper pants and blue smock all tied up..
Functional & funny too;)

Miller just squeaked into the preschooler area. With the four and under rule, he just made the age cutoff. Glad he did as this classic car was calling his name. Beep beep! Coming through.

Sidekick sister in tow, they were cruising in the red convertible. All their cares tossed to the wind!

A house and garden just her size.

Notice her soaked romper.

Eliza Kate was reading to her "doggy". She really liked giving the doggy food and water.
Miller played in the doghouse. Eliza Kate thinks he belongs in there sometimes;)

Then it was off to the dinosaur exhibit. We sported our digging hats ready for some fun in the sand.
We had to assume the paleontologist role. Miller's eyes lit up when he saw the digging site.

It wasn't long before missy wanted her shoes off so her little toes could touch the sand. She found a paintbrush and began carefully dusting bones.

Paleontologist Miller found a vest and hat. His pockets were put to good use holding his official tools. Digging for fossils is hard, careful work.

These two are interacting as they play now. The age gap is narrowing and as Eliza Kate acquires new words, they're able to communicate more. Miller corrected her when she thought their were horses on the mural above the dig site. In no time, she was pointing and repeating "dino". Her language is exploding in this stage as she's surrounded by a chatterbox for a brother. She sure lets him know what she wants. Most of the time, he lets her have it. One thing is for sure she's watching and mimicking every move from big brother. We keep telling him, "She's a learning baby... Be patient." For the most part, he's understanding.

Landon was able to force his way into a kid's vest. He's always up for a playful challenge. Reminds me of the song "Fat Guy in a Little Coat".Miller's safari hat hat kept swallowing his head obstructing his vision. Palentologist Daddy got his hands in the excavation action.

Off to the rooftop Fun Factory, we explored the Simple Machines exhibit. I use to love teaching this unit to my third graders. I'm sure Miller gets tired of me instructing him about all the machines using my third grade teaching vocabulary.

The kiddos loved these pulley swings. Miller discovered that he could pull down on the rope to lift himself higher and higher.

Eliza Kate pointed and said, "wing, wing" Nothing gets in the way of this girly and her swings.
We were nearing the end of our visit when this photo was taken. As you can see, she was thinking all about her lovey and naptime.

After naptime, we ate dinner right on the river at The Boathouse. I learned a valuable lesson in Hilton Head..Eliza Kate cannot handle waiting very long sitting in her high chair.. She just can't sit still for very long before she chants, "dow, dow!". Crackers can only get us so far into the wait.  It's just easier for me to let her be free than to entertain her at the table while she squeals and whines.
So that's what we did! I let her roam on the walking trails by the river to work up her appetite. It made me wonder why I put so much pressure on myself concerning table behaviour with Miller at this age. She'll get it with time, but for now she wants her freedom to roam. So, for now, I'm enjoying my stay at home mom working vacations and dreaming for the season of relaxing dinners again;)