Jim's new job has taken some getting used to...his schedule is not as flexible as it once was and therefore we hadn't seen him for 3, yes count em, 3 weeks!!!! We had planned on going up there to visit him, but with my car acting up and my Mom about to have surgery we decided to meet half-way, which turned out to be a fun, fun, fun getaway for all of us!!! We got a room at the budget friendly Hampton Inn, and luckily for G they had an indoor pool-SCORE!!! (we had packed a swimsuit just in case). That first day we didn't have tons time so we took a quick but entertaining trip to:
This place is pretty fun. They have over 100 life-sized dinosaurs, a fossil dig where the kids dig for their own fossils, a museum with actual dino fossils, teeth, tusks etc., a place where you can be a paleontologist and excavate a dino skeleton, and a uber fun dino-themed playground.(probably G's favorite part) We had fun walking through imagining what life was like back then, and Jim cracked up at G and I doing our "T-Rex arms". I would have LOVED this place when I was a kid because I went through a big dinosaur phase. My favorite has always been the Brachiosaurus (herbivore, of course). Here are a few picks from "The Land Before Time"
This was us in front of my fav dino. the Brachiosaurus
She loved the dino playground!!!
We don't care what we do as long as we're together : )
J helping G dig for fossils
She's identifying the fossils she found
My little Paleontologist
This is the replica of how they mark their discoveries
This is a portion of an actual Mammoth tooth!
Look how small she is in comparison!!!
MY GIRL
A dino family portrait
Cute girl
After Dinosaur World we went to Cracker Barrel for the first of 3 meals we ate there that weekend. Haha, we tried to eat at other places but there is NOTHING in that area besides "the crack" and fast food. Nothing that is open on a Sunday that is. So, anyway, we had our Sat. night CB special then took G down for some pool time.
After our pool fun we had to get some shut eye for what we were really excited to do, drumroll please.......KENTUCKY DOWN UNDER!!! I loved this place, it had everything-a cave, fudge, and where else can you pet kangaroos! I would recommend this as a great wkd getaway for the family as it's not a far drive and kids 4 and under get in free!!! We had so much fun watching and learning about the animals. Get there early though because shows are at varying times and you won't get to see it all if you don't. We got there at noon and two of the exhibits were already closed for the day. Here are some pics from our fun fun day:
This is where you could use the sifter to reveal your very own gemstones (tumbled rocks)
This is a cute little Laughing Kookaburra, also known as "the Bushman's alarm clock" for the sound they make. Their call has been used for sound effects in movies, and they are quite friendly!
A bit crowded aren't we?
This one really liked G and followed her all the way around the cage
Pretty Peacock
This guy is the Papuan Frogmouth.They are unique in that they don't chase their prey, but rather open their mouth to reveal a bright yelllow coloring inside that lures their dinner right in!
This bird was my favorite, the Galah. It said farmers and Galahs do not get along b/c they flock in groups of thousands, and will look like a sea of pink and grey as they swoop down and completely destroy a crop! I have no crops in Australia, therefore I still like them ; )
This is a Goffin Cockatoo. G loved this bird b/c of the plume on its' head. If you notice she is imitating it with her dog ear in the picture.
Pretty Eclectus Parrot. This is a female, we knew this b/c it is red and blue. This is one of the only species of parrots that is sexually dimorphic, which means you can tell their sex by their coloring. A male would be green. We learned alot on this trip!
These are a couple of shots of Kentucky Caverns which you get to tour while there. It was discovered in 1799 by a 6yr old girl while she was picking berries with her brothers. It was also at one time used by a man for a moonshine distillery and part of his equipment still remains in the cave. To see additional photos of the cave and the rest of the trip, visit my FB page album.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108763&l=5ff2953057&id=1498932264
you could feed the baby lambs a bottle and milk a cow
Some of the pretty kangaroos
J and G petting the Red male Kangaroo. He cracked me up, he was all laid back. We called him the "Hefner" of the roos.
See, he was hilarious!!!
Petting the Emu. These birds can't fly, but they can live up to 30yrs and run up to 37mph!
This was the pretty Black Swan, which is unfortunately now on the endangered species list : ( I couldn't get a good pic of it, but it truly was beautiful.
We had a GREAT wkd!!! Below I have posted the links to the websites so that you may check them out for yourelf, and plan a wkd getaway of your own!
Halloween...is it the candy, the excuse to dress up in anything you want(and then actually go out in public in it), or the good-spirited mischief (rolling, forking yards, saran-wrapping vehicles)? I don't know what makes everyone else love Halloween but for me it's easy-watching G ; ) She dresses up like it's Halloween everyday anyway, yep and we just added to our vast array of dress-up clothes by hitting up the Wal-Mart clearance costumes. This has become some sort of tradition for us. This year's selections were a spanish senorita, a bride, two southern belle outfits, and a "harem" genie ; ) She REALLY wanted Ariel, but we couldn't find her size. 
