Happy 1st Birthday, Pork Chop!

Okay so I know I still have Atlanta pictures to post, but I had to interrupt the vacation stories to wish Pork Chop a happy 1st birthday!!!

I give total credit for James' birthday "banner" on his highchair to my little sister, Tina. She did an awesome job, didn't she? We originally got the idea from Jessica Turner, who made the banner for her son, Elias' first birthday!

Courtesy of our best photographer/friend Lori Mercer, some photos from Pork Chop's first birthday party!!




Unlike his sister, who on her first birthday was very unsure about what to do with her cake, James decided to dive right in!

GA Trip Eats: The Real Chow Baby!

So when I go on trips, I like to eat at places that we don't have in our area. I did alot of googling and research before we left, and found a bunch of different family-friendly options.

One of those was The Real Chow Baby, which was about a ten minute drive from our hotel.

The basic set up is upon arrival and after taking our drink orders, the waitress handed us these little wooden paddles (she had us write our name on it) and walked us through the stir-fry bar: You get a black bowl and load up with rice or noodles, and an assortment of veggies. You add whatever sauces you like, which range from mild (teriyaki) to hot (black bean garlic).

Then you get a red bowl for your protein, like chicken, beef, shrimp, eggs, etc. You can add dry spices to the meat (garlic salt, chili powder, red pepper flakes) and then you leave both bowls - with the wooden paddle - and go back to your table.

The food was awesome, but mine could have used some more sauce. The only other thing that I will say, is this was the first of two "family-friendly" restaurants, based on different website ratings, that were missing a bigger children's menu and a changing table in the bathroom!

Atlanta Zoo (con't.) - The Petting Zoo

Nothing will cause more chaos for an 11 month old than walking him into a confined area with real live animals. I think he screamed so much that he scared most of the animals away.



Tina plunked him down next to one of the goats, and he was not happy!

So then Tina decided to sit down with James in her lap, but the goat showed his teeth and Tina thought (gasp) that the goat was going to eat her hair so that seat didn't stay warm for very long!

Even leaning in close for a photo op, James had a vice grip on Tina's shirt!

The princess had absolutely no problem with loving on the animals in the petting zoo! Some photos of the un-traumatized child:

1st Birthday Party

With Tuesday being his official first birthday, James' first birthday party is today! We are very excited to have Lori Mercer joining us to take James' first birthday photos!

I will post pictures and updates very soon :)

GA Trip:Day 1 - Atlanta Zoo

Thankfully as we arrived in Atlanta Monday morning it was drizzling and cloudy. Once we got into downtown and checked into the hotel the rain had stopped. It was still somewhat cloudy, but the tiny rainshower made it not as humid as I think it could have been. We unloaded the van and headed off to the Atlanta Zoo!

The first thing I did was take pictures of my own wild animals, posing with some statues of the zoo's wild animals!

You will see this expression on James' face alot throughout our pictures. Gracie was two the first time we made a trip to the zoo, but James still seemed a little bit unsure. Of everything!



Gracie thought these little wooden picture taking sites throughout the zoo were alot of fun!

One of Gracie's favorites from last time - the Panda exhibit!


This is how Pork Chop spent most of the trip...in his stroller, pacifier in mouth to keep him from screaming/yelping/yelling. I don't know if it was the time change, or the fact that he was having tummy trouble (I think he may be cutting more teeth, and he might be in some pain) but he was not a happy camper. Or the petting zoo could have scarred him for life. More on that later...


Gracie hanging out with some kangaroos!

I was suprised to be able to get a picture this close. I don't think we saw them this close on our first trip, but we didn't stay very long that trip because it was unbelievably hot.

Another one of the wooden photo sites. Gracie really liked this one with Mommy!

He looks so cute! I had to hold his hands down just to snap the picture.

What have I learned?

That sometimes, no matter how much you plan ahead, when other people are traveling with you it will NOT be possible to leave the house by 6:30 AM.

That if the people traveling with you would go to bed at a decent hour (like you told them to) they would not be so grumpy.

That a portable DVD player, talking GPS, musical toys, a noisy 11-month old, his "Are we there yet?" big sister, and the radio is too much noise at 6:45 in the morning!

When you give a 4-year-old Kool-Aid Kool Bursts, Nutter Butter cookies, and a granola bar for breakfast - expect hyperactivity when you arrive at the hotel.

I am going to win the "Mother of the Year" award for how well my children were fed on this trip!

That taking one pacifier on a three day road trip, for an 11-month-old, whose favorite game is "Let me throw it down so you can pick it up!" is SO. NOT. FUN!

To be thankful for the rain, no matter how little, because although it was humid at the Atlanta Zoo today, it could have been so much worse!

A blue raspberry slushie will make a 4-year-old's mouth permanently blue.

A 4-year-old will whine, sulk, pout, stomp, tantrum, etc if she does not receive the stuffed Panda toy at the gift shop she just HAS to have!

When you offer a Panda cup and two Panda post cards in place of the beloved stuffed animal, a full-fledged tantrum can - and will - occur.

To charge my camera the night BEFORE the trip, so it doesn't die on me right before I try to upload photos to Blogger!

Time for Fun!

We're heading out of town, first thing tomorrow morning!

We're going to see this....



And this....



And we'll be staying here...



And they have one of these....



Oh, and they have THIS....



So, we might even update with pictures and stories while we're gone! Be sure to check back with us!