Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, our family of three headed to Atlanta for a little R and R. Husband was excited to get to see his Falcons play in the NFC Championship; and C and I were excited to spend the weekend playing at the zoo and aquarium. He booked us at the Ritz Carlton downtown, close to most of our planned activities, and we arrived to find San Francisco fans lining the sidewalk with cameras and memorabilia in hand. We were at the host hotel of the 49ers!

We checked in and then decided to go for a little walk downtown before getting dinner. The weather was perfect and we strolled while C chatted about everything we passed. We looked at sculptures and tossed pennies in a fountain. We approached a beautiful, large church and C exclaimed, "wow, a castle!" We agreed. It was most certainly a princess castle.

We had an amazing (and surprisingly kid friendly) dinner at Alma Cocina, a Mexican restaurant conveniently located next door to our hotel. The food was amazing, but C was distracted by a mounted cow's head directly above our table. She kept saying, "A cow! Oh no! It's stuck!" Husband and I just told her he was okay and that he was resting, but every now and then she would catch a glimpse of him and worry all over again. It was adorable.

We thought she was getting tired, so we decided to head back to our room and order dessert by room service. As soon as she was back in the room, she was jumping on the bed, playing with the phone, and "reading" every magazine in the room. We enjoyed coffee and dessert with our little night owl before I gave her a bath and wrapped her in the complimentary robe. I just couldn't resist.

C and I settled into the fluffy bed to watch Winnie the Pooh, and Husband kissed us goodnight and headed downstairs to hang out for a little while - a football fan's dream (even if it was with the wrong team). The funny thing about Husband is, he's never met a stranger, and ended up chatting with another Falcons fan all night and walking to the game with him the next day! One of the many reasons I love him.

We woke up early the next morning and headed to the zoo! It was a beautiful day and most of the animals were out. 

We saw so many animals, but her favorite (no surprise here) was the petting zoo. She could not get enough of all the goats and sheep. She petted and brushed them and tried to snuggle them.

Her favorite was a white goat that was sleeping sitting up. 

She looked at him thoughtfully...

and decided to hop on!

It was such a fun morning!

We headed back downtown to drop off Husband for the game and then C and I were headed to the Georgia Aquarium. The traffic was terrible, so he decided to just get out while we were stopped in traffic and walk the rest of the way. There was no time for a long goodbye, so he just made it quick and got out of the car.

C lost it.

She could not figure out where he went. She started to cry scream for Daddy over and over again. It was honestly the hardest I have heard her cry...ever. I could not console her. I stroked her leg while I drove through traffic. We called Daddy so she could hear his voice, but that only made it worse when he hung up. We parked at the aquarium, got out, and still, she screamed for Daddy. It was heartbreaking. Finally, after at least twenty minutes of milk and snacks and rocking in the parking lot, she calmed down enough to go inside.

Luckily, once she saw where we were, she was excited. We were able to meet my friend, Betsi, there and spent the afternoon with some of our favorites - whales, penguins, dolphins, and "fishies." 

The aquarium closed at 5:00, so we killed time in the parking lot with a snack and an Elmo dvd until Husband was ready to meet us. As soon as he got in the car, C was thrilled! We were on our way home, but stopped at Cracker Barrel for a quick dinner. She clung to Daddy like a koala bear and was not letting go. We have quite the daddy's girl on our hands.

We packed a lot of fun into our weekend getaway and enjoyed some time with just the three of us. I'm so grateful for a husband who plans fun trips for us and for a little girl who is becoming quite the traveler (as long as she has Daddy within reach)!

Under the Sea

Few things are better in this life than experiencing something new through the eyes of your child, so we took advantage of being in Atlanta for the weekend and spent Sunday exploring The Georgia Aquarium. 

To say it is impressive is an understatement. We were there all day and only finished half of it; but C was exhausted from partying the night before at Stone Mountain and ended up taking a cat nap in her stroller while we ate lunch. 

We still had the best time walking through the exhibits and watching C's face light up as animals we'd read about swam over her head.

We watched the dolphin show and C was mesmerized. She clapped and gasped with glee each time a dolphin surfaced. When a ball dropped down from the rafters for a trick, she excitedly pointed and said, "ball!" and when it was pulled back up after the trick, she cried out, "oh no!"

It truly is magical to watch her experience new things. I love watching her eyes widen as she sees something thrilling or watching her brow furrow as she tried to make sense of it all. I love watching Husband carry her all over the place and point out different creatures. I love that in every experience is a lesson and in every place, a classroom. And I love that I get to share this sweet, smart little girl with the man she calls Daddy.

Georgia Aquarium, we'll be back. There are many more memories to be made.