family, trains, and fish

The day after our big blizzard dusting of snow, we packed up what seemed like enough stuff for three days for Henry and headed out to Chattanooga for the day. We met my dad, and my brother Joe, his wife Kiersten and their three kids. (You can see their family's adventures here) As soon as we pulled up Grandpa Doug had us hop on a train, can we say perfect timing?? Henry took his first train ride and he really seemed to enjoy it. I know the big cousins did! We took a quick little trip to a nearby station, turned around and came right back. When we got back, we watched the conductor turn the train on the roundabout and took a quick tour of the workshop.

Then... it was off to the aquarium! Let me just tell you the walk from the parking deck to the aquarium was cold and windy!! Before we got our tickets, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat because we knew we were going to have a big dinner a few hours later. We first stopped at a burger place but they had 30 minute wait so someone had the bright idea to go next door to the hotdog stand. The hotdog stand that was basically a window you walk up to and order and stand and wait....did I mention how COLD and WINDY it was?? Needless to say that part was the least fun of the whole trip. We scarfed down our food while we jogged in place to stay warm and then took off to the aquarium. It was a lot of fun! Henry LOVED to watch the big fish, turtles, and sea creatures/animals swim in front of him. He would get so excited and bounce and "talk" and reach out and touch the glass when something swam in front of him. The pictures don't quite capture the excitement.

After lots of walking and seeing lots of water and sea life, we went back to Joe and Kiersten's hotel for a delicious spaghetti dinner and to hang out with the family for a little bit. While Kiersten worked her magic in the kitchen, Joe took the kids to the indoor swimming pool. If you have ever seen Henry in the bath you would know that he LOVES water. I mean this kid gets excited when you turn the kitchen sink on so we couldn't miss out on the opportunity to see what he'd do in a swimming pool. To say he enjoyed himself is saying the least. That boy splashed until I thought his skinny little arms were going to fall off. He loved it. We didn't bring our swim suits to get into the water with him so I rolled up my jeans and let him sit on the first step and splash his little heart out! He was so cute! I can't wait to see how he'll do in the pool and ocean this summer!

After dinner and a little Olympic watching, we packed up and headed home. We had such a great time visiting with the family and can't wait to do it again soon!