The Great Snow-venture of 2014

Situation: 4 days of freedom to adventure where we please.

Mission: find snow!

For MLK weekend we realized we had time to really make some memories. That Thursday after work we packed up the car, loaded a very excited Connor into his seat, and made our way to our first stop, Uncle Josh and Aunt Heather's house just north of Orlando. It was the perfect way to break up the drive and satisfy the heart in seeing loved ones. Connor enjoyed his time with the pups, and we all got a great night of sleep before waking up the next morning to proceed on our journey.

Friday morning we woke up and arrived safely in Atlanta, Georgia. Connor was outstanding on the trip only occasionally asking "are we there yet?" and was perfectly happy to watch his movies and play in the back seat. We did stop at Chick-fil-a for lunch and to let him stretch his legs a little. We hit Atlanta by 4:00pm and checked into our hotel. We freshened up and headed into the city for our first excursion. A friend had recommended checking out the SkyView Atlanta and we thought it sounded like fun. I'm not sure we were quite ready for the 28 degree weather, but the cars were enclosed and heated, and the view was magnificent. The massive ferris wheel made Connor giddy, and we got to rotate around the circle 8 times. We then got the bright idea to "take a walk" and ventured across the street into Centennial Park (Olympic Park) and didn't last long in the elements. We decided to find refuge, aka warmth, inside The Varsity, and satisfied our tummies with yummy hot dogs. It was a first for all of us, and I'm grateful to Food Network for schooling me in the ways of delicious bites.

Saturday morning greeted us with 20 degree temperatures and a little boy who was excited to make snow angels. The entire reason we targeted Atlanta was because Daddy had found that Stone Mountain had been transformed into Snow Mountain for the season. We reserved our slot for the big hill sleds and then had free reign of the other snow-tivities offered. The first thing we did was venture up the people mover to the family sled and Connor was excited. He had so much fun that he didn't want to do it ever again. Ever.

We decided to "take a break" from big boy sledding and headed over the the snow play area. After taking only two steps onto the fluffy soft white stuff Connor splayed himself on his back and proceeded to make his first, of many, snow angel. Right there, in the entrance to the snow zone, he displayed his thrill and joy of seeing snow. This was where we spent most of our day. 

This was the perfect place for Connor with little bunny hills for toboggan runs and tube sledding. We couldn't pull the little man away from it. We did it over and over again, and he got so good at pulling the tube behind him and up the ramp to repeat the process continuously. 

No trip to Stone Mountain would be complete without making it to the summit of the big rock. Connor wasn't sure about the express lift to the top, but once we convinced him it would be a fun adventure he was in. He loved it up at the top, and kept stopping to make sure I got pictures of him everywhere. He conquered the mountain, and then was just as excited for the fun ride back to the ground.

Our little buddy crashed hard for naptime after his adventures in the snow, and when he woke up we took more advice from friends and made our way to Legoland for some indoor fun. They had a cute little shooting ride at the beginning, then took you through a lego version of Atlanta, and dropped you into square block utopia. Connor's favorite activity was the build your own race car area, and with every release at the top of the hill would say "here comes trouble!" (thanks Papa!). We closed the place down and I may have had a little too much fun in the girl section with the karaoke machine. Who can resist a pink room and a microphone stand with no one around? I think we all crashed once we got back to the hotel room, but I was too tired to remember correctly. 

     

After doing our research we concluded that with only a two and a half hour drive we should hit some real snow. According to the weather channel Cherokee, North Carolina was scheduled to receive the white stuff and we couldn't have been more thrilled. We made a quick stop into the Smoky Mountains Visitor Center where they told us that the Park was closed because of the snow and ice. We thought for sure we would find snow in Cherokee.......we didn't. Nooo!!!! We did get the "bear" picture though so I felt like it was a great stop no matter. 

After eating lunch we decided to attempt to drive up into the park. We figured that if we got to the point where they closed it we would turn around and head back to the hotel. To our great delight it had opened up to the wanderers. Little by little we started seeing icicles hanging off of the rocks on the side of the road. When we came around one corner there was a little bit of snow hanging out along the curb and that was all we needed to pull over and jump out (oh and let Connor snatch an icicle to suck on)! Luckily another car who had been coming from the opposite direction had also pulled over there and excitedly told us we needed to get back in the car and head up to Newfound Gap. They told us there was enough snow to build a snow man and have lots of fun. oh.my.gosh. I think I was more excited than Connor!

A few more curves and some more snow on the ground, I made Tim pull over at another overlook to let Connor test his snow legs....and to take a picture.

Enter Newfound Gap......finding real snow.....Mission Accomplished!!! 

At one point Connor insisted on taking a picture of me playing in the snow, and I loved the image he captured! 

We spent the afternoon making a snowman, throwing snowballs at each other and off of the mountain, making it snow on our heads, and enjoying every minute! My little snow angel showed his Florida roots by referring to pine cones as "palm" cones, and constantly asking to build sand castles in the snow. It was delightful. It took driving to the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, but we got our snow-venture!

We spent 10 hours on Monday in the car heading back to the flat land. Connor again was a rock star in the back seat and never once asked to get out of the car or got the wiggles! We made it home easily and have the greatest memories from this epic weekend! Of course the songs from Frozen gave us the perfect soundtrack for our adventure too!

Hello 2014

Of course I have to bring up the obvious "I cannot believe it's 2014 already." But truly, it has started off with many great activities, and even some life events. I'm on board with 2014, I know that the Lord has some great things in store, I'm just excited to see what they are. 

We used our first Disney trip of 2014 to celebrate my birthday, and the first evening we were in Orlando spent a cold evening, 46 degrees, playing Fantasia Mini Golf. To say we had so much fun is an understatement. I'm pretty sure everyone was in stitches at some point during the evening, and though it was cold, we created a great memory.

Connor was outstanding, and would go ahead to the next course and play it over and over again until we caught up to him. He made quite a few hole in ones and was a natural. I think all of us made at least one hole in one, and it was celebrated each time. Connor has proceeded to ask us every. single. day. since playing to go back and play again. "Sometimes, I want to play putt putt again, sometimes."

 The next day we started at Hollywood Studios, drew Eeyore, ate at some amazing food trucks, and I even received my first birthday present (a prop used on stage in the original cast production of Wicked). We then headed to Magic Kingdom and enjoyed all of the rides we know and love. It's always nice to utilize baby swap too when we have the whole group together. We don't usually use it when it is just the three of us.

We had the most fantastic seats for the fireworks display and I think it will now be our new go-to spot. We sat on a walled bench between the carousel and the new fantasyland and had fireworks booming over our heads from two separate locations. Everywhere you looked the sky lit up with light and sound. We were all in awe with how serendipitous it was.

 It was a magic night at Magic Kingdom for sure, and we were even lucky enough to still enjoy the Christmas decor that hadn't quite been taken down yet.

We spent my birth day at Epcot and had a yummy meal at Teppan Edo in the Japan section of the World Showcase. Connor enjoyed watching the chef prepare all of the delicious food and we all ate until we were full.

They very sweetly presented me with a slice of cake and candle to make a wish, and even created a special birthday hat that I donned the rest of the evening. Special to be sure. 

Starbucks even got in on the birthday magic and presented me with a grande frappuccino and cake pop before we even left the park. It was a memorable weekend, and it's just one more example of how every time we are there it is slightly different and just as wonderful. It's sad to think, but I'm not even sure of the next time we will all be up there together (insert sad face).

 Today Connor played in his first tee ball game and daddy got to coach. We've been looking forward to this for a long time. We found a league that took 3 year olds and signed him right up! He's been asking for weeks about the first day, and this morning was beside himself with excitement.

His turn up to bat was considered a grand slam since he was last in the line up and he couldn't have been more thrilled. He walked right  up to the tee like a pro, and didn't even wait to be told what to do. He smacked that ball for a great hit, and then got to run his way around the bases like the champ he is with the biggest smile on his face!

"Hi everyone, I see you!"

Going after the ball.

Getting tips from coach daddy.

Fielding.

The amazing fans that cheered on our little slugger. 

Here is our ace after it was all over. His team name is the "Avengers" and he is number 4. We could spot him easily today by his bright orange glove, and of course his red socks. He had so much fun and talked about it over milkshakes on the way home.

This is finally the first moment we have had to start putting Christmas decor away and it is always bittersweet. I look forward to this new year, but it is so easy to want the security of the past. The Lord has already provided some amazing opportunities for our family, and it will be so interesting to see what pans out and how the Lord will guide our paths. Recent things have been moving so quickly, and I look forward to where Casey is going but sad to see him leave. He is an adult after all, and it is such a reminder that our children grow up, and may move away, and we have to enjoy our time with them while we have it. We have to make the most of each moment together because we are going to miss those moments when we no longer have them. That is what 2014 will be about. Enjoying our time together and seeing what the Lord has in store.