Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chattanooga!

Over the weekend, me and the girls (mommy, grandma, and Aunt Linny) headed down to Chattanooga for the day. Grandma wanted to take me to the Tennessee Aquarium. Since I have my own fish tank, I was so excited to see lots of fish. Before we ever even got inside, I found a fun little water spot to play in!

Once inside the aquarium, I couldn't believe all that there was to see, do, and touch! I got to touch a stingray and a sturgeon fish.

Inside the butterfly house, a beautiful blue butterfly landed right on my hand. I said, "Wow!"

There were a couple of exhibits that had glass tunnels I could climb into to get a close-up view of fish and crabs. Who knew Nemo would be there?! I also saw sharks, jellyfish, frogs, turtles, river otters, seahorses, snakes, alligators, and LOTS of fish!

The aquarium was great but the "destery" (pedestrian) bridge was really what I was looking forward to. It was a big "tunnel bridge" just like in St. Louis, except this one I got to walk across. When I wasn't walking, I was skipping with Aunt Linny. And it was my favorite color!

I even got to touch the "destery" (pedestrian) bridge!

At the end of the bridge was Coolidge Park. We first rode the giant carousel. I hopped on a white horse. It went up and down as the carousel spun around really fast. I didn't even need mommy's hand to hold me!

Right outside the carousel was a huge fountain with lots of little fountains. It was full of children playing in it. Just like at the zoo, I liked hitting the water.

Around the fountain were animal statues. I really liked the horse and the elephant. I was able to climb on them and I even ate a strawberry Hawaiian Ice on top of one to cool off. You can see the "destery" bridge behind me!

After some fun at Coolidge park, it was back over the bridge. We stopped in at a candy store, and I got Lego candy and jellybeans. We walked around a really neat art district and had a delicious spaghetti dinner and stopped off for dessert afterwards. I had such a great day that I want to bring daddy and Carter back here. Grandma, thank you again for taking me to Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chattanooga!!! I had so much fun!

St. Louis Fun

We recently took a trip to St. Louis to visit Nani and Papa. We always have such a good time when we go that I decided I wanted to invite Aunt Linny so she could experience all the fun too! We did some oldies but goodies like the zoo, the Arch, the Butterfly House, and the Transportation Museum. But we also did some new things like The Magic House and Dave and Busters that I know we will do again.

At the zoo I really liked seeing all the animals, especially the blue frog. I was so excited when I got to see Horton! He even got in the water and took a bath!

One of my favorite things to do is play in the fountains at the Children's Zoo. I like to hit the water. By the end I was soaking wet! Another fun thing that I love doing is riding the carousel. The first time I rode a caterpillar with mommy. On my second ride, I rode a tiger, or as I like to call to it, the beast, with daddy.

The coolest thing about St. Louis has to be the Arch. I get so excited when we make our entrance into town and I see it off in the distance. My favorite thing to do there is touch it. I even let Aunt Linny touch it! She bought me my own little Arch to take home so I can touch it whenever I want.

The Arch is so high that I have to hold on to to see the top!

Nani and Papa joined us for lunch and then we all headed off to the Transportation Museum. My favorite things to do there besides browsing the gift shop and begging for a truck are ringing the bell of the Polar Express and climbing in all the train cars. I got to see a train transporter car and a flatbed train car. Check out this big locomotive I'm standing on. It's enormous!

My Nani works for the fire department. Every time I visit, she shows me all the cool firetrucks. This was a very special visit because not only did I get to see a "firetruck big rig," I actually got to go to a real fire station, meet real firefighters and paramedics, and get on and ride in a firetruck and ambulance. Some of my new friends like Capt. Church, Craig, and Shane showed me hoses, rescue equipment like an axe, and firefighter gear. They even made me an honorary firefighter by giving me my own fireman hat!

This is me and daddy going for a ride in a firetruck. I got to wear these cool headphones, and I talked back and forth with Craig. He even put the lights on as we drove in and out of the station.

My buddy, Shane, took me for a short ride in an ambulance. He too put the lights on. He even let me see in the back and gave me some goodies to take home. I now know that when someone gets hurt, Shane comes in the ambulance and takes them to the "hostable."

This was one of the best days! Everyone was so nice to show me everything. Thank you, Nani, for letting me come to your work and visit. I hope I can come again soon!

One of the new places we visited on this trip was The Magic House. It is a discovery museum for kids. And let's just say that there was a lot to discover! I got to play in a sand and water table, push on a giant pin screen, put gas in a car and drive, fish in a pond, serve daddy pizza in a restaurant, shop in a grocery store, and build a sandcastle on a beach, just to name a few.

Exploring with magnets was one of my favorite things to do.

Daddy touched an electrostatic generator that made both our hairs stand up on end.

When Linny touched it, she got crazy hair!

Daddy and I surrounded ourselves in a giant bubble! The Magic House was definitely magical. I can't wait to bring Carter here.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Mommy is 33 weeks pregnant today! My little brother, Carter, will be here soon! Mommy and daddy took me to a place that does 3D/4D imaging to see Carter in mommy's belly. He's so sweet and handsome, just like me! He kept sticking out his tongue and trying to put his fingers in his mouth. I can't wait for him to arrive!

Summer Fun

Now that summer is here and school is finally out, I've had some time to update my blog when I'm not having fun at Jump Zone, Chuck E. Cheese, mowing grass with daddy, exploring at the Adventure Science Center, or playing in my pool or sprinkler. So many great things have happened over the past few months. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get it all posted. Enjoy and check back again soon!

Construction Heaven

I am a construction truck fanatic! I love watching movies and reading books about construction trucks. I have an ABC book on construction and can name a piece of construction equipment for each letter of the alphabet! It just so happens that my Uncle Tim owns some of my favorite things for his real estate/construction business. He was so nice to spend time with me and take me to see all his cool machines!

Taking a ride on the ariel lift!

Pushing the knobs on the forklift!

Up close and personal in the backhoe loader!

Uncle Tim gave daddy a quick lesson on how to drive the bobcat. I'm not sure who's day he made, mine or daddy's! Daddy let me drive too and I even pushed the button to raise and lower the forklift.

One of my favorites- the mini excavator!

Driving a tractor that belonged to Uncle Tim's dad when he was a boy growing up on the farm.

A huge thanks to my Uncle Tim for one of the best days ever! He told me the next time I come for a visit, he'll take me to see a grader. I can hardly wait!!!

New York

With my little brother, Carter, due to arrive in July, mommy and daddy wanted to do something special as a last hurrah, just the three of us. We couldn't think of anything better than jetting off to New York! The last time I was there, I was in mommy's belly and we had driven the whole way, so this was my first trip on an airplane. To prepare me for my big flight, mommy took me to the library and we checked out some books on airplanes. I even watched an airplane dvd. I learned all the parts of the plane and was quite excited for my big travel day to arrive.

I got the window seat right next to the wing. I liked when the pilots checked the flaps. The takeoff was really fun and I liked being in the clouds. Whenever there was turbulence, I just thought it was the "puff puffs" hitting the plane. Other passengers never even knew I was there. Mommy and daddy were so proud of me and how well I behaved. I sat in my seat the whole time watching my dvd player with headphones so I didn't disturb anyone around me. I really enjoyed my little cup of Dr. Pepper and pretzel snacks. After changing planes in Baltimore, we arrived in "the New York!"

Once off the plane, I rode in a shuttle, a train, a subway, and a taxi. Our hotel room was on the 26th floor. I liked seeing all the skyscrapers. We didn't waste any time and set off exploring the city. We visited mommy's favorite church, St. Patrick's Catherdral. I really liked the organ pipes. We then went to Top of the Rock and saw all of New York City. I noticed the Empire State Building right away.

We ended up in Time Square. I was amazed at all the lights! It was so busy down there. I quickly noticed the M&M store and made sure we stopped more than once. The blue peanut M&M's were my favorite!

Friday was pretty much a wash, so we did things that kept us inside. After visiting a Mets store and stocking up on Mets gear for the game, mommy and daddy took me to two big toy stores. The first was Toy R Us in Time Square. Mommy and I rode in a taxi on the big ferris wheel. I liked going really high! I also found the truck section and the Thomas section. It was the biggest Thomas table I've ever seen! We then went to "F.A.O. Shorts." It was there that I saw the coolest toy ever! A backhoe loader that I could ride! There were two seats- one in the front for the bucket and one in the back to control the scoop. I talked about it the rest of the trip. I'm not supposed to know, but mommy and daddy had one shipped home for me as my big brother present from Carter!!!

That night we hopped aboard the 7 train to Shea Stadium. It was extremely cold and rainy. Mommy went to call Uncle Nicky to make plans for the next morning and while she was gone, I looked up at daddy and said, "I'm cold! You need to take care of me!" So daddy wrapped me up and held me really tight. The game got called and we went back to the hotel. Thank goodness we had tickets for Saturday.

Saturday was a big day for me. We woke up bright and early and caught the train to Long Island. I was getting to meet my Great Grandpa Danny and my Great Uncle Nicky for the very first time! I had such a good time with them. I hope I get to see them again real soon.

After our visit, we caught the train to Shea. It was very special for us to be here for a few reasons. First, the Mets are daddy's favorite baseball team. Also, it was somewhat of a tribute to my soon-to-be little brother, Carter. He is named after a Mets player, Gary Carter, and his middle name comes from where the Mets play, Shea. However, this is the last season they will play in that stadium. When Carter is born, he will know he got to visit, even if it was in mommy's belly! Daddy was awesome and got us front row seats in right field. Ryan Church was so close to me. And when the Mets were batting, it was Ken Griffey, Jr. who was right there. We got to see Johan Santana pitch, one of the hottest pitchers in the league. I enjoyed all the ballpark food and enjoyed the win even more!

Our last night in "the New York" was spent eating and playing games at the ESPN Zone, one of mommy and daddy's favorite restaurants. The third floor, the game floor, was my favorite. I played air hockey, bowling, rode motorcycles, and raced cars and trucks.

All in all, my trip to "the New York" was a hit! I had so much fun and can't wait to go back. My favorite part was the backhoe loader. Wherever we go on our next vacation, I hope we get to fly. I had so much fun on the airplane.

Baseball Game

One thing I enjoy doing with my daddy is watching baseball, especially the Mets. I like to yell, "Let's Go Mets!" whenever they play. Since we don't have a major league team here and there is no chance I'll ever see the Mets live here, I settled for a game to watch our very own Nashville Sounds. We had front row seats right on the third base line. This is me giving my "cool dude" sign!

When I wasn't watching the game, I was standing in line for food. I'm an official ballpark food junkie! After chicken fingers and fries, I filled my belly with ice cream in a baseball cap and a bag of cotton candy. Delicious!

When the game ended, it was our Sounds who came out on top. Daddy got me a game ball when a player ran by. After the game, I was treated to my first fireworks display. Even though the loud booms scared me, I just covered my ears and enjoyed all the colors. I really liked the gold ones! Mommy keeps telling me to just wait for the 4th of July!

Firetruck!

I am a big lover of ice cream, specifically milk shakes. It was my lucky night when Baskin Robbins was having 31 cent scoop night. When we pulled in, the line was out the door. However, that was okay because there was a big "firetruck ladder." The ladder was fully extended! Even though I could climb in the truck, I preferred to stand on the front and touch the "shiny metal bumper."

It was starting to get dark and it was time for the firetruck to go. I got a little scared when the fireman had to swing the ladder to the back of the truck and lower it down. It was really cool to watch though.

Even though we never made it inside the store for some ice cream due to the incredibly long line and the fact that it was already past my bedtime, I did get a cool fireman hat and a sample of "banilla" that a worker was passing out. Once the firetruck drove away, mommy and I went right down the road and I finally got my milk shake from Sonic!