Nashville, Tennesee

I have not seen Davey and Lindsey in forever, and I have never even met my one and only niece, Chloe. So to say we were a little excited to see them this weekend is an understatement. Driving up to Nashville was the longest drive we took for all of these little weekend get aways while at SOS training. Thank goodness our car has a media system in it so the kids could watch movie after movie till the almost 5 hour drive was completed. We met up late on Friday night and crashed at our hotel. Saturday morning the kids were excited to meet their cousin, and together we all went down to have breakfast in our hotel lobby. Chloe is the cutest thing in the world, and she is definitely a momma's girl. She prefers Lindsey, and girls in general above boys, so we all got a kick out of watching Connor try to get close to her while she kept giving him the cold shoulder. Poor Connor, he is such a sweet and tender little boy who just wanted to get to know his cousin, hold her hand, and hang out with her. I bet down the road the two of them will become best of friends, or at least I hope they will.

Our first stop for the day was the Country Music Hall of Fame and museum. This is perhaps the most popular site to see in Nashville since after all Nashville pretty much only exists thanks to country music. We were all excited, especially Kyle who is a true country music fan. As we went into the museum, we were a little let down like we were with the Coca Cola factory in Atlanta. I guess we just expected more for the hype that this hall of fame gets, but it was just your typical museum/hall of fame with a ton of things to read about various county music artists, and items of their clothing, or other paraphernalia enclosed in glass cases. If we didn't have kids perhaps it would have been more enjoyable and more intriguing, but basically we tried to look around the best we could to get the feel for it, then decided to leave. The kids were all growing restless, and we were starting to cause a scene so we took that as our que to leave. It was still pretty neat, just not a place to bring kids.

After we left the Country Music Hall of Fame, the rain had ceased so we decided to walk down the main city street and check out the stores and restaurants and get a "feeling" for the city life. Our time was shortens because soon after we started our walk it began to pour rain again. Uhg, this awful weather is putting a damper on our day! As yucky and wet it was, we were still determined to enjoy our time together. The trick now was to find a place that was inside so we could stay dry. Most of the nice things to see and do in Nashville are outside, so we were really racking our brains for inside kid friendly places.

We finally decided to stop at the Parthenon and let the kids wonder around inside there. It is a giant building modeled after the ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It has pillars and honestly looks very similar to the Parthenon in Rome, Italy. While we checked out the building and got some adult conversation in, the kids enjoyed chasing each other around, getting some wiggles out, and trying to fight for Chloe's attention.

Their happy time quickly switched to screams and grumpy time and we all knew the kids were due for naps and lunch. We quickly ate at Chick Fil A for lunch (cause who doesn't love Chick Fil A?) and all the kids passed out in the car. Score! All four kids asleep at the same time, it was a miracle. So Lindsey and I decided to go check out Target's Hunter boot sale that was going on while Davey and Kyle drove around trying to keep the kids asleep.

Our Hunter boots adventure was not successful and we couldn't find any boots (later we found out that they recalled all the boots and pulled the line all together, so sad!) Oh well, At least Lindsey and I had some fun shopping and catching up. She is due with a little boy the end of May. I am so excited for them and can't wait to meet another little nephew.

After our little Target shopping break the kids woke up and it was time to decide on the next activity. Sadly it as still raining cats and dogs outside! Such a bummer. I could tell the kids were getting restless so we just decided to end the day by going to this bouncy house play place. Kyle found this indoor kids play area and it proved to be just what our kids needed. It was seriously the most "white trash" place in the entire city, but who cares. The nice part about it was the kids got to get all their cooped up energy out, us adults got to sit and talk, and poor pregnant Lindsey got to sit and prop up her feet (I can only imagine being that far along in pregnancy and walking all over the place chasing a toddler).

At night we went back to our rooms which were right next to each other which was nice, and of course my kid's infatuation with their cousin Chloe only grew throughout the day, so they naturally wanted to go say goodnight to her, give her goodnight kisses and hugs, and help tuck her in. It was a sweet moment and really made me realize the innocence and love that kids have.

The next day we decided to check out The Grand Opry and the inside botanical gardens. It was a chilly day but we were prepared and had a bunch of inside activities lined up for us to do. The Grand Opry was fun and historic to see, but the best part was the botanical gardens. Inside the hotel next to the Opry is a giant indoor atrium with walkways, water features, man mad canals, gondola rides, and cute little shops. It was a lot of fun and truly beautiful.

Afterwards we checked out the nearby mall where we ate at Johnny Rockets (delicious burgers), and found the best store giving great deals on cowboy boots. I wanted to get Kyle another pair but he refused since he already has a pair of boots. So we decided to get the kids little boots. Abby got pink ones and Brayden and Connor got little black boots. They are nice boots too and all three we only spent $45! The kids have been obsessed with their boots and wear them all over the place. The time finally came where we had to part ways. Davey had to go back to Dental School the next day in Cincinnati, and Kyle had to go back to SOS training in Montgomery. It was so nice to see them again and get caught up. Hopefully it wont be too long before we see them again. I am so grateful for my brother and his wife and daughter that they were willing to drive several hours to meet up with us. Such a fun time with such fun memories.