Scooting; Frist Center for the Visual Arts; Old Spaghetti Factory

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: draw, simplify, exagerate

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 were at the Frist for 4 hours! And didn't once step into the art gallery! We spent all 4 hours in the kids ArtQuest. We came home with a bag overloaded with all the projects and great stories to tell Daddy.

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!

The Hermitage; Nashville Closings

We LOVED the wagon tour of the Hermitage. Collin and Katie had been wanting to ride in a carriage since Vienna last summer - and we never did spring for the carriage ride!
Here we all are...waiting for the tour!

Andrew Jackson's tomb

The Hermitage: Andrew Jackson's home.

Our little Jackson just could not stay awake! Now someone ask Matt, "Was our Jackson named after Andrew Jackson?"

We wanted to take our children to the Rainforest Cafe - closed.

We wanted to go see a show at the Grand Ole' Opry - also closed.

Opry Mills mall - closed

OpryLand hotel - closed

OpryLand USA - closed but several years ago...not because of the recent flood; but my mom, dad, sister and I loved that theme park!

I guess we will need a trip back to Nashville after they have all recovered.

And now the conference has officially started so we will see less of Matt and have less history outings.

Traveling to Nashville; Elliston Soda Shop; The Parthenon; a full rainbow!

More Rest Stop riding...
while Mommy takes care of the baby.

Katie tries to get some music playing.

This place boasts of the best chocolate milkshakes ever! Collin agreed!

Jackson tried to sample my vanilla shake.

Low on customer service but high on personality - Elliston Soda Shop.

For all you Percy Jackson fans...Collin's reaction to seeing The Parthenon in Nashville. While the movie does not accurately follow the book, Collin was still really excited to see where that portion of the movie was filmed!

The Parthenon in Nashville

Side note: Ran into an ACU professor here. She is also in town for the Christian Scholars Conference.

Katie REALLY needed her picture next to this thing.

After doing a little Target shopping, we came out to see this rainbow, a full one! We headed to the Granny White church driving toward the rainbow! Wonderful! We were also blessed to see our "old" preacher from Tallahassee here in Nashville. He is now the preacher at Granny White. Hello Scott and Sherry - my new blog readers! Our kids LOVED meeting you!

Mud Island; southern cooking; Stax Record Co.

Just a block away from our hotel was Mud Island.
Walking the bridge over the monorail...note to self: see The Firm again once at home.

At Mud Island you can wade in a mini-Mississippi from start in Minnesota to finish at the Gulf of Mexico.

Fabulous fun! It took the kids 1 hour to wade the length of the mini-Mississippi.

Jackson was a smidge bored.

Then after wading in the mini-Gulf of Mexico, we rode the monorail back to land. Mud Island was very fun!

I chose the Four Way Restaurant for lunch. Sweet tea tastes a little different in Tennessee-very strong and very sweet. The menu consisted of fried catfish, fried chicken, fried green tomatoes and NECK BONES!!! And what exactly ARE chittlins? Maybe we are not southern...

Maybe we are soulful...so now we go to the Stax Recording Company AKA Soulsville USA. Great museum!! Even for a person like me who did not have a clue who Isaac Hayes was/is...but it's still a great museum!

Memphis down...now to conquer Nashville.

National Civil Rights Museum; dining in an old trolley car; Walking in Memphis

Everyone ready for a little history lesson? Let me just say that the visit to this museum sparked MANY questions about "light and dark skin", why people today STILL murder (Katie thought it only happened with Cain and Able) and why it's important to learn about history.
The spot right outside room 306 where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed.

The hotel has now been turned into this museum.


Very interesting, moving, sad, educational all in one.

Where can you dine in an old trolley car? The chain restaurant Spaghetti Warehouse. I have never been to the one in OKC, but if they have an old trolley car we'll be there soon. How fun!

A side note: Jackson has eaten carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes and squash. This week we are on squash and the boy does NOT like them! Favorites so far: carrots and sweet potatoes!

We don't own any blue suede shoes but here we go walking...

to the famed Beale Street.

I don't have a clue who sings the song "Walking in Memphis" but I haven't stopped singing that song since we arrived. And I always mess up the lyrics but it is still such a catchy tune.

Had our first Elvis sighting today! He's staying at our hotel and ate breakfast just 2 tables away. Wish I had had my camera.

This pretty much sums up night 1 AND 2