Kids on Leashes

We got home last night from a weekend trip to Chattanooga. I had purchased those animal backpack/leash things for the babies so that we wouldn't have to take our huge stroller. They are old enough that walking is more fun for them, and Nathan, who is a runner, needs to be held onto, but I am always convinced he will pop his shoulder out of place because when we are holding his hand he likes to pull away. So I remember before I had kids I use to laugh at the people with the leash things, now I love them. They worked great to give the kids a little freedom, but they could never get too far away, and we could always hold their hands when we crossed the street or were in a more crowded area, while still leaving the harness attached. Now I just need to figure out how to downsize the diaper bag.

It was a quick 2 hour drive, and the kids were good in the car. We went to the Tennessee Aquarium, and to Ruby Falls, then the next day we went to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and to Coolidge Park. We had a great time, but the kids were so strange in their reactions to the things we saw. Alexis was terrified of the big tanks at the aquarium. She liked the small ones, just not the big ones. Nathan loved all of the exhibits and was so excited that other people were laughing at him rushing to see all of the big fish. Jessica was a typical preteen and pretended to be all moody despite the fact that she was having a good time. We made the trip down to see Ruby Falls and all of the kids seemed to enjoy it, but it was quite a hike (about a mile) so the babies were very tired by the end. Nathan was originally scared of the trains when we first got to the depot, but he warmed up quickly as we referred to the trains as being like Thomas, and so all was well and we enjoyed a nice little 3 mile ride which included a tunnel that was a huge hit. After the train ride we caught a water taxi over to the park in order to ride the carousel. It was a lot of fun for everyone, even Jessica quit pouting to ride on an Ostrich.

This morning when I got to my mom's house with the kids the first thing Nathan talked about was riding the alligator. And no, not a real one, or even on the carousel (he rode a giraffe by the way), he actually meant elevator. That kid is so excited by a damned elevator that he seriously opened the hotel room door and took off down the hall to get on it. Alexis told about the boat first and Jessica mentioned her mom calling while we were actually on the train. That was a funny conversation with her mom. So overall I guess we had a nice trip. It was tiring because of the heat, but it was definitely worth the smiles.