4 Days of Celebration for the 4 Year Old

Wow! What a birthday celebration Miss Marlee had last weekend! I'm still trying to recover from it all!

Day One: On Thursday we started the day off with breakfast at Chickfila with the whole family. Then we headed home to rest and prepare for our trip to Nashville. Chad bought tickets way back to Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3. We arrived in downtown Nashville  just in time to beat the dinner rush to The Old Spaghetti Factory. It seemed liked everyone else had the same idea for dinner. We sat in the train car while we ate dinner.The kids were totally taken on the sights and sounds of Nashville. Then we headed over to Bridgestone Arena for our night fun. Marlee and Cooper were a little taken aback in the beginning. We were on the 7th row, so everything was up close and personal. (I didn't post any of the Disney on Ice pictures because of copyright)

Super excited about the Birthday Weekend!

Woody and Jesse taking it all in.

Day Two: On Friday we headed up to the Cornersville Homecoming Parade! Marlee was happy to see horses and Cooper was excited about the tractors. Corntown knows how to throw a parade! LOL That evening we headed to Chuck E Cheese for games and fun and finished up with dinner at Chickfila. (Chickfila is our favorite fast food chain).

Day Three: On Saturday We had Marlee's 4th Birthday Party at the Recreation Center. It could not have been a better day for a party. The weather was just perfect. Not too hot or too cold. No wind and lots of sunshine. Marlee wanted a My Little Pony Party, so that's what she got. A girl I graduated from HS with made her cake. It was so cute, but tasted even better! Plus it was inexpensive. Marlee received wonderful presents from all of her favorite people.

The yummy, yummy cake!!

She kept her back to everyone while she opened gifts.

I eat that face up everyday.

Admiring one of her many presents.

Cooper got a new bike, too. I'll definitely be getting exercise now!

Day Four: Sunday rounded out our visit to the burg with a big breakfast buffet at Shoney's with Chad's side of the family. Marlee enjoyed spending some extra time with her cousins she doesn't see very often. That afternoon we headed home and all crashed that night.

Mayfield Dairy

This past Monday we went on a field trip to Mayfield Dairy in Athens, TN. It was interesting. The kids were excited if they could get past the bickering in the backseat of Ms. Amanda's car. I'm sure she won't invite us to ride with her again. lol It is not a dairy farm but a packaging plant. They mold the jugs and fill them with milk. So the kids were a little disappointed that there weren't any cows to see and pet. No big deal, we got ice cream as treat afterward. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the facility, so I only snapped a few before and after.

Saturday in the Park

We were slow going this morning. In an effort to jump start the day, we headed to the library to check out some new books. Right behind the library is a playground. An overcast morning couldn't keep the humidity away. After lunch I was able to slip away with some girlfriends to go see Eat Pray Love and have dinner. It was a nice break from the norm.

She loves to walk around the fountains at the Civic Center.

Guess who's back? GRUMPY

Dad came to the rescue and let Coop ride on his shoulders.

It didn't last long. The slides were wet. The humidity was high. And Coop was sweating.

Miss Dramatic in action

Behind her is a large outdoor stage for concerts. She was pretending to be the queen.

We love when Daddy can tag along for our outings.

Gymnastics Free Play

We went with some friends the other day to a local gym that has free play for kids. It was neat to see the kids' reactions. They really liked it and had a great time with their friends. I was taken back to my childhood days of running and flipping around the gym. I think Marlee would really enjoy it and totally has the body strength to be a gymnast.

Jumping on the trampoline.

Cooper was just hanging around.

Watch dis, Mamma!

Look at me!!

The foam pit if you fell off the balance beam.

Just another day

We had just another Saturday around here. We stopped off at the farmer's market to get some yummy pastries for breakfast. Then we headed off to the zoo. It was overcast and made for the prefect summer day to walk around and see the animals. They must have liked the cooler temps and the clouds. They really seemed to be out and about.

Showing off the HUGE cinnamon roll.

Coop was going in for the kill. There was enough left over for breakfast on Sunday.

My caged animals. I need one of these at home.

They love to push the buttons and hear the animal sounds.

He and Coop were in telling funny jokes.

Mimi and Coop talking to the chimp.

This little guy kept following Cooper around. It was pretty cute.

Drive-In Movie

Friday night we took the kids to a local drive-in to watch Toy Story 3. We had the full experience with concession stand hamburgers and hotdogs and fries. We set up some blankets on the ground and let the kids eat and play until the movie started. Overall, I think everyone had a good time. The movie was cute, and now Cooper is all about Buzz Lightyear.

Zoo

Last week we went to the zoo with some new friends. The kids has a great time walking around and seeing all of the animals. Since I have so many pictures of the animals, I tried taking pictures of the kids playing around. We ended up buying a family membership, so we can go anytime we want. I think it was well worth it!

Park Play

We arrived at the library before it opened this morning, so we decided to spend some time at the playground behind the Civic Center. Marlee and Cooper were the only kids there and really enjoyed themselves. I hope the early wake up combined with hardcore play at the park means a long nap for both kids today.

We finally got our pool key and are super excited to try out the new splash pad and beach entry pool this afternoon. Of course, we'll have the camera in tow to catch all the action.