Here Fishy, Fishy

We had some family fun at the Aquarium this week when Jimmy's cousin Millie came in with her 2 kids, Sara Kathryn and Nelson, and her mom, Sandy. It is always so much fun to have them here. The kids have a blast playing together and it lets us do some fun things we don't seem to do unless out of town company is here.

We were brave and didn't bring Trace's stroller because Millie had her "bus" and the big kids took turns riding in it. However, once Trace got a taste of freedom, there was no going back. We rarely let him just walk on his own, because honestly "walk" is not really in his vocabulary. He is usually in full sprint mode at all times. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded that day so we could run along behind him and keep up.

I believe I saw a glimpse of my future on this trip. There is a story my mom has told for years about my brother that pretty much sums up his childhood. His nickname was "wild man" and he certainly earned it.

When he was in the 1st grade, his teacher called to tell mom about a field trip they were taking to the Knoxville Zoo. She pretty much said, "If you go, then Andy can go." Ohhhh, how I remember making those exact same kinds of calls to parents when I was teaching. It wasn't that he was bad or disrespectful, he was just FULL of energy and was hard to keep up with. My mom used to call it... enthusiastic! Today, I believe they have another word (and medicine) for it, but I won't go there.

So, of course, my mom went on the field trip and she said she spent the entire day running through the zoo saying, "slow down Andy", "walk Andy", "come back Andy", "wait for me Andy", "don't stick your hand in that cage Andy"... you get my point.

I had a little "da' cha voo" while chasing Trace through the Aquarium, wishing someone would turn on the lights so I could actually see him and where he was going. Luckily, the kids were outnumbered 2 to 1 by adults so we had it much easier than my poor mother did chasing Andy through the Knoxville Zoo all by herself.

Here are some highlights of the day...


Trace and SK in the shark cage... they thought that was sooo cool!
The penguins were by far the biggest hit! I'll have to admit, I couldn't wait to see them either. I have heard so much about this exhibit. I could have stayed there all day just watching them.


That night, we put them in the tub. We will probably pay for this one day but they were so cute. Doesn't everybody have pictures from their childhood in the tub with their cousins? It's like a rite of passage.

Sara Kathryn has this gorgeous mane of long curls. But because it gets very tangly and painful to comb out, she did NOT want her hair getting wet. She was so cute warning Trace in her sweet southern twang, "Now, don't get my haaaiiir wet, Tace!" I think she got a little nervous when we pulled out the cups.



Baby Nelson made a very brief appearance in the tub before big sis hit the button that turns on the jets. The water wasn't quite high enough to have the jets on so you can use your imagination as to the aftermath of that. It's much like pulling a blender out of the bowl while the blades are still going. Needless to say, that probably ruined Nelson's enjoyment of tub time for years to come! Unfortunately, there was so much commotion and kids frantically climbing out of the tub, I didn't get a picture. We had screaming naked babies everywhere!

The day was so much fun and made even more special by getting to spend it with them. Come back soon!