Scarecrow Trail at Huntsville Botanical Gardens

Each year for fall Huntsville Botanical  Gardens puts together ''Scarecrow Trail'' various businesses, schools, groups etc. get together and make a scarecrow for the trail. It's always fun to go to the Botanical Gardens, we go multiple times a year.

 Fall is always extra fun though, we get to see all the creativity and hard work that is put into each scarecrow. This years theme was ''traditonal''

So one day Making Connections got together to set up the Autism Awareness Scarecrow. I don't get to be as involved with the group as I would like to be, and I was off the day they were setting up so I decided to go. Debbie did a fantastic job with the design. It's hair was spray painted and it had cute little iron on puzzle pieces all over it's overalls.

It turned out to be such a cute scarecrow too! After that my friend Whitney, my daughter and I all enjoyed a lunch at Clementine's at the Gardens. Then we took a short tour around the gardens, skipping most of the different sections of the gardens. It was so hot that day, and I had to pick up my little man from school so we were rushed for time.

Whitney working on the hair.

Little Miss Sassy working on his ''stuffing''

After it was all finished

How cool is this? I love the sunflowers, they add a nice touch!

Angry Birds made out of gourds and plastic jugs.... pretty neat! 

 

 

Giant Lilly pads in the water garden.

If you've never been you really should make plans to go. Fall is the perfect time, the weather is cooler, the leaves are changing and who doesn't love scarecrows?

 

Little Gymnast

Our little princess fell in love with all the jumps, flips and pageantry of the Olympics. She is obsessed with Gabby Douglas! She begged and begged to take gymnastics so I finally went and got her registered. She absolutely loves it!

doing a roll

Jumping on the AIRTRACK

Very first time on the bar

So proud of getting her hand stamped after completing her first class

Balance Beam

 

 

This Saturday is ''Open Gym Day'' for members and they get to bring a sibling or a friend. She  is going to take her older sister Lindsey! Super excited!

''A Red Carpet Event''

A Red Carpet Event, what an awesome name for my princesses first dance recital! It was a busy day but an amazing day! I got up and got my princess dressed in one of her big brother's button up shirts. We went to see our good friend Beverly at her salon, and of course she did an amazing job on her hair!

Next up  we headed over to the civic center for her Mary-Kay make-up by Miss Carly, who also did an amazing job on her stage make-up! She looked like a little porcelain doll!

Then she was ready to go onstage for her rehearsal. She was super excited! She went backstage then I took a seat out in the audience and waited to see her rehearsal. I'll even admit that I cried, as she was the first one to walk onto the stage with her beautiful little golden curls! Such a bittersweet moment, seeing her onstage for the first time! I can remember the day she wanted to take dance classes and she was still too young. Now here we are, her first year has just been completed!



Rehearsal



They all looked so stinkin' cute dancing around in their little costumes, with  their bouncing curls! As soon as her rehearsal was over I left the concert hall and met her as she came off stage. I hugged her and told her that she did an amazing job and I was super proud of her! The first words out of her mouth were....''where are my flowers?'' hahaha!!!! I had to explain that she was only at rehearsal and that she would get her flowers later that night after her performance! So after all that we went home and relaxed until it was time to touch up her hair. Then we went back to the civic center for make-up. I left her backstage with her group and took a seat with my family! I couldn't wait until it was her turn!!!!

Opening Act

Choo Choo  Cha Boogie





My beautiful Princess Dancer



With her teacher Miss Stacey



She was so very proud of her beautiful roses!!!!



Daddy's girl!!!!




We had a fantastic time watching her performance! I can't wait until the DVD of the show arrives next month! I'm so thankful that Ann's Studio of Dance made her first year of dance a year to remember!

Day 18 {Your favorite birthday}

My favorite birthday is my 25th birthday. It was freezing cold that day, and really windy. Whitney and I went to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. I got up early  that morning got dressed, and drove about two hours to pick up Whit. Then off to Atlanta we went. We stopped along the way to get gas, and snacks. Later on I had to pee really bad so we stopped at a gas station in Atlanta and I got creeped out because nobody was in the store. No customers, no clerk just a car outside. I think I ended up waiting until I got to the aquarium.  It was the first time I had been there. We laughed a lot that day. We were leaving Atlanta and there was a car at next to us and it had bag of chips hanging out of the door. We thought it was hilarious! On the way back home we stopped at the Olive Garden in Anniston{I think it was in Anniston?} We had a great lunch and great drinks! Then we stopped on the side of the road in Pell City, and we parked facing up a hill. We wanted pics of a pretty waterfall in the woods just off of the roadway. We got out took our pics and then when I tried to drive away the car was stuck. The ground was wet and we just had to be parked uphill. We got unstuck by backing down the hill into the road. HAHA it was hilarious. There was mud all over the sides of my Xterra. The best part of the day wasn't going out of town or eating out, it was getting to spend the day with my best friend. We have made a lot of memories over the years, and I always enjoy making new ones with her. Maybe in February we can make another day trip for my birthday :)

Gatlinburg,TN

Our friends invited us to go to Gatlinburg with them, they completely paid for everything. The hotel,food, and attractions. The only thing I paid for was a few things for the kids and having a few ''Old time photos'' made. Such a blessing that we were able to go and that we have such thoughtful friends!




a train at the Chattanooga Choo Choo museum

 Saturday October 8th was the day we left. We stopped in Chattanooga. First we went to the Chattanooga Choo Choo and toured the museum, went on a trolley ride, then visited the gift shop. It was a lot of fun and my little conductor had tons of fun!


After that we took a trolley over to the Creative Discovery Museum it was a blast for all of us. We spent several hours there. I would love to take the kids back again sometime.

We stopped and got something to eat then made the rest of the trip to Gatlinburg. The weather was beautiful there, mostly in the 70's. The tree's were beautiful! We spent an entire day at Over Gatlinburg, we did the chair lift multiple times. We did the alpine slides, the water slides, the animal exhibit,the playground, the maze, and the train.                                                                      

We visited Fannie Farkles multiple times when we were there. The kids loved it, I loved it, lol everyone loves that place! The babies got airbrushed t-shirts, lil man picked Angry Birds, and Miss Priss picked out a ballerina one. She had her photos made at Ole' Thyme Photo. I think they turned out really cute despite the fact that she had a boo boo under her nose due to her runny nose that started Saturday.

One night we were standing outside of a candy store, watching them make the taffy. All of a sudden there was a man dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow! Not only did he look like him, he talked like him, and his movements were exactly like they are in the movies! We were quite entertained by him. My sweet angel said ''don't let him shoot my mommy'' gotta love the way little ones think! We explained to her that it wasn't a real gun, and that he was only wearing a costume sort of like Halloween, only it wasn't Halloween. She was happy with that and wasn't afraid of him anymore.

We went to eat at Texas Roadhouse, which has great food but poor service. The police were called there because the waitress added gratuity to a check, probably because she knew she wasn't going to get a tip. They wanted her to remove the gratuity, and so they called the police. There was a lot of yelling involved. Anyways I was amused by their high-chairs for the little ones! They are made out of old saddles! Cute idea if you ask me!

We had a wonderful time with our friends. I'm glad that my step-daughter was out of school for fall break and got to go too! I enjoyed spending time with her and the babies.

Monday we ate at the Pancake Pantry, lil man fell asleep waiting on his food. Out of the dozens of times I have been to Gatlinburg it was my first time eating there, I absolutely loved it.



Chocolate chip pancakes

 After breakfast we made another visit to Fannie Farkle's. We all played then cashed in our thousands of tickets for prizes. We walked the strip in Gatlinburg one more time, then started the trip back home. We stopped to see a small waterfall.

We stopped at a train museum in Townsend, it was closed but we still took photos of the kids with the old engine outside. Later on we took the Foothills Parkway, we wanted the scenic route home.

Along the parkway there was a place to stop and park. Then we had a half a mile walk up the mountain to get to what is called Look Rock. I managed to get a cramp in my calf during the walk up the mountain. It was well worth the view once we were at the top though. We could see Maryville, Cades Cove, Clingman's Dome and several other places from this one place. We got to see the sunset while we were up there, and it was absolutely beautiful!

Beautiful view from Look Rock

The Lincoln County Fair

Every year since I have known my husband we have made the trip to Fayetteville,TN for the  Lincoln County fair. It's become a tradition. We went before I was pregnant. while I was pregnant, and now we take our children there.

It's not just one of those carnivals that travels the country with a few questionably safe rides and a creepy clown. It's a full blown old fashioned county fair. A fair of a dying kind.

They have everything from rides, beauty pageants, livestock judging, 4H competitions, quarter horse races, cooking competitions, antique tractor display, demolition derby races, and so much more. Not to mention performances by country music artists Steel Magnolia, and Colt Ford.

It's almost like stepping back in time for a few hours. I have forgotten with the everyday hustle and bustle of adult life how much fun the simpler things in life can be. I enjoyed watching my children as they watched the hog judging, they informed me that it was the ''three little piggy wigs.'' I loved the excitement on their faces when we went into one of the barns and there were dozens of miniature horses waiting their turn to be judged, They were so cute almost made me want to bring one home! I can get away with telling people its a dog right?

Cotton Candy

As I walked around I took in all of the typical ''Fair'' smells like popcorn, cotton candy, funnel cakes, and so on. We tried just about everything. After all it only comes once a year so we might as well indulge ourselves. My babies are too small to ride most of the rides, so they had a few kiddie rides they could do alone. Then a few they could do with a parent. I let loose and had just as much fun as they did.  Seeing the excitement on their faces is just priceless. This was really the first year that they got excited about everything at the fair, not just the pretty lights. I could hear faint screams in the distance from the kids on the roller coaster and a few of the other rides too.                                                

                                                                              

I love that I have been able to share this experience with my children.  I hope this fair lasts for years to come. I wish that more old fashioned fairs like this would make a comeback. Maybe someday my children will still be able to take their own children to this fair or one like it. It saddens me to see good old fashioned fun events like this slowly disappearing. Kids these days are so wrapped up in video games and such that they don't do much of anything else. It was nice seeing all the kids in the arena with their animals for judging. At least someone is teaching the next generation how to carry on an old tradition.

It was an absolute blast! I would suggest this fair to anyone! If you are within a reasonable traveling distance it's well worth the trip!
  

                                                                               


Here is a link to their website http://www.lincolncountyfairinfo.com/map.html

and here is the link to their Facebook event's page                                          http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149866958400564