The lake is literally right out our back door. I'm not a fishing kind of person but I do love the view.
Collin and Katie LOVE to fish! Matt calls it "casting practice" since they didn't catch anything but they didn't care...they loved it.
See I have a thing for hotels. I do not like to stay in them. My parents took my sister and I on a vacation every summer. I never remember staying in a hotel with them. They are resort people...which makes me a resort person. I didn't know I was a hotel snob until I married Matt. Matt grew up camping. So if he was sleeping somewhere indoors - well, that was luxurious. I tend to draw the line a little higher than "being indoors". Frankly there are too many "I wish I could just get over myself and stay here" moments. Those stories are for another day. Meet the parents: Glenda and James Bowden AKA Grammy and Poppa.
Grammy teaching Katie to read! Yes, Katie can read now! She's read 4 books so far! Grammy also taught Collin to read with this same reading program when he was about 4 1/2. She is a super-great teacher! Also, for those of you that don't know...she was my chemistry and physics and pre-calculus teacher in high school. Yep, she's that smart.
Katie! Reading!!
My nephew Chandler with his "silly" smile.
Another silly smile from Chandler. And here is my sister Serena - pregnant with baby 2 due January 2011!
We packed everything...including baby clothes that might come back home with us since sister can't fit them in the car.
Matching clothes again - they are loving it!
Can you find the baby?
Will somebody help me please?
The face of Sam Houston in Huntsville, TX.
The statue of Sam Houston - Matt drove by this statue twice a week for 2 years on his way to Sam Houston State University while working on his master's degree.
Here is the family!
The Good: Young King Josiah
The Bad: Samson - he did things his way
The Ugly: Queen Jezebel and King Ahab
The man who needs no introduction...the host.
Collin enjoying the singing at VBS.
Our charismatic Katie singing during her first official VBS.
Katie is loving her summer time reading! This was her choice from the library.
Oh wait...she's not reading...she's napping. Katie hasn't napped since 2007! Bloody Book of Blood...you are getting checked out every week.
And now...playing forward for the Hoosiers...Collin McCook!
All the campers are listening intently to Coach Findley.
He played his entire first game with his hands in his pockets!
Hands are out of the pockets by game 2! By day 3, he told some ladies at our church, "When I dribble, I'm dangerous!" Today was the last day. Collin said he had a great time! His favorite part of Cage Camp was snack time!
was not a huge success.
Since Jackson really dislikes baths, we were certain that he would not love swimming either. He did not.
Looky, looky who we found fighting for the Union: Brigadier General Alexander McDonald McCook. If Grandpa were still alive I'm certain he could tell us the relation!
We attended a Ranger Talk about loading a musket and then got to hear/see/smell one being fired.
The fam and the rebel with red fingernail polish.
Collin and Katie are participating in the Jr. Ranger program and dressing up as a Union soldier (Katie) and a Confederate soldier (Collin). The Park Rangers thought they were so cute they let them hold muskets.
Hiking out to the Indian Mounds - maybe a 1 mile hike.
The view of the Tennessee River from the Indian Mounds.
After completing 8 pages in her Jr. Ranger book...now introducing...Katie the fighting Jr. Ranger!
And after completing 8 pages all on his own...now introducing...Collin the Jr. Ranger!
Matt: Are you kidding me?
"The Trace" of the Natchez Trace Parkway - orginally a hunters/Indian walking path. Now a scenic drive from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi.
Meriwether Lewis grave site
The Catfish Hotel: a nice restaurant; not a hotel. Man, I'm either sleep-deprived or I'm a little more air-headed than I thought I was.
Tennessee River
Believe me I was praying hard when these 3 decided to climb down the steps to the river. Scary, rickety, spooky steps!
Our last outing on our vacation: the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. We have no pictures from the inside but it was a very interesting and neat museum! Makes me wonder if my parents still have any of their old records.
Sweet Jackson...posing...isn't he adorable?
The mummy was NOT at the Country Music Hall of Fame - he resides in the Tennessee State Museum. This museum was kinda an after thought today - a "can we squeeze one more thing in" item. And this is what we found!!! What does it have to do with the state of Tennessee? A Tennesseean found him. Well, that answer is good enough for me.
Scooting (or scootering as Katie would say) around Lipscomb University campus.
Wait a second...I thought Harding University had these special swings...hmmmmm....
Mom and babe loved seeing the beautiful campus of Lipscomb. It's amazing what a little water will do.
We saw many OC friends while we were out and about today. It's like we all came on vacation to the same place! Except we have the luxury of playing while the adults are conferencing and using words like "faunching" - that was for you Janesmom!
After lunch the kids and I went here. This place is FAB-U-LOUS!
Upstairs from the Art Gallery was a kids section called ArtQuest.
This dog is made out of yellow crayons - fantastic!
Collin and Katie made 30 different art projects!
Project: Make a kaleidoscope on the computer - Katie's favorite!
Project: Use watercolors to paint a picture.
Project: Making a print.
Still making a print...
Project: cutting and pasting
Project: Build your own building.
Project: Scratch Art
Project: Create your own movie - Collin's favorite!
Project: Follow the leader with lines - no talking.
Project: Drawing.
We picked up dad from the conference and headed to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Sound familiar? It did to us too. Not as cheap as Spaghetti Warehouse but it DID have a trolley in the dining room. Unfortunately a family of 5 could not dine in the trolley car - wah. After dinner Collin and Katie wanted to show dad all the places they scooted while he was in the conference so off we went around the Lipscomb campus again. Saw hundreds of fireflies! Smelled the delicious magnolias! Beautiful evening!