Rock City, the Incline Railway, and Ruby Falls, oh my!

Uncle Brett, Aunt Rachel, Maggie, Aubrey, and Aiden came to visit last weekend! Olivia was SO excited. They could only stay one night, so we made sure to cram as much fun as we could into the one day we had! They got here Friday night and we had a little trouble getting the kiddos to bed:



Maggie and Aubrey were the only ones that ended up in Olivia's bed! A HUGE thunderstorm woke us up bright and early Saturday. Luckily, the weather cleared and we were able to head to Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain is home to Rock City, Ruby Falls, the Incline Railway, and a host of other outdoor activities. It's only 10 minutes or so from downtown Chattanooga. It was the first time Michael, Olivia, and I had been, too. We went to Rock City first. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, there was an Irish Festival going on and one of the "rivers" (Michael informed me it was a circulated river and they used a pump for the waterfall) was dyed green!



From Rock City's website:

Rock City is a marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock formations, gardens with over 400 native plant species, and breathtaking "See 7 States" panoramic views. Take an unforgettable journey along the Enchanted Trail where each step reveals natural beauty and wonders along the woodland path.

The 7 states panoramic view was pretty neat:



We had to keep a close eye on the kids, as the barriers were not very tall!







We continued on the trail and found lots of other interesting things:







It was really fun! It involved LOTS of walking, LOTS of stairs, and a swinging bridge that some people thought was funny to make bounce as we walked across (Aubrey was not amused).

We were only a 10 minute drive to the Incline Railway, so we headed there next:



The Incline is one of the steepest passenger railways in the US, with a 72% grade- it really does feel like you're going straight up (and down!). The kids loved it:





It was, however, a relatively short ride, so we were quickly on our way to Ruby Falls. Leo Lambert discovered the waterfall in 1928 and named it after his wife, Ruby. This was a guided tour, basically right into Lookout Mountain. There were several neat rock formations. Olivia and Aiden were worn out by this point and were both carried throughout the entire tour! After about a 30-45 minute walk, we reached the waterfall:





It was pretty amazing, although I would have liked to have seen it without the colored lights they have spotlighted on it.



Told you we packed alot into one day! We headed out of the Falls and sadly parted ways with the Cole family. I was exhausted when we got home, I know they were, too!

We have been enjoying warm weather and decided to pull out an old favorite yesterday:



We loaded up our bikes and headed to the Riverwalk trail in Chattanooga. We've missed our bike rides. I think Michael and I would be OK riding along some roads in Dayton, but no way would we pull Olivia. Riverwalk is the closest bike/walking path that we've found. It's 8 miles long, with several branch off sections. It's a very nice path, with lots of playgrounds and restrooms along the way. We started at the "top" of the path, which is Chickamauga Dam and ended at Coolidge Park. Coolidge Park has a carousel, a splash pad, and a large playground right on the river. It's a neat park in a neat neighborhood (called North Shore). I think we will be spending some time there this summer! We had to let Olivia ride the carousel:



It started raining a little, so we booked it back to the truck. It ended up being around 18 miles, since we took a few of the side paths. It was so nice to be outside enjoying the weather!

Olivia was supposed to have surgery on the 19th to remove the cyst on her eyebrow. Dad and Tammie even stopped here on their way to Mississippi to check on her. Here she is right before the anesthesiologist listened to her lungs and suggested not putting her to sleep that day:



Her (new) pediatrician (that I REALLY like) thought she was "at the beginning" of pneumonia Friday and put her on an antibiotic. He thought she would be fine as long as she didn't run a fever that weekend (which she didn't). However, the anesthesiologist said if she was his child, he would not put her to sleep that day. That was enough for me, so we rescheduled for April 4th.

You know how you hear "school pictures" and you automatically think they really aren't going to be that good? Olivia had her first school pictures a few weeks ago and with the bump on her eyebrow and her not feeling great, I didn't expect them to be great. I ordered the smallest package, since you have to order before they're taken. Here's how it turned out:



Cute, right?! Now I have to figure out how to order more!

Thus concludes one of the longest posts I've written! Have a good week!

Pinterest and other things

Pinterest is an online Pinboard. When you're online and see something you like (anything, recipes, crafts, home decor, quotes, etc.), you add it to your pinboard. Then it is saved for you to go back and look at all the ideas and decide what you would like to do (when you have time!). Here are a few examples of my finds on Pinterest:



Ever wonder how to display all your child's artwork? This is 2 1"x2"x6' pieces of lumber spray painted white. Olivia "helped" me paint the clothespins pink and purple (of course), then I hot-glued them to the board. I love how it changes with new artwork (someone wanted to pose):



Another:



These are 3 old picture frames that weren't being used. I spray-painted them white, then framed some old scrapbook paper. Mom made the vinyl letters for me. This was probably the least expensive project, since I already had most of the supplies!

Last one (for today!):



Paint chip art! During our many visits to Lowe's, I grabbed several paint chip cards in shades of pink and purple. Then I cut them into a leaf pattern and glued them onto cardstock. Simple!
All of these projects were for Olivia's room, although I have lots planned for the rest of the house. I did make one more thing for Olivia's room:



I actually painted that! I got to get away for a night last Saturday and meet some friends in Knoxville. We went to one of the 2 hour painting classes. It was really fun! The painting will end up in Olivia's room, since it's the only room with pink.



The painting on the top right was the one the teacher painted. Funny to see the different interpretations!

We recently started bricking the archway downstairs. It is a long process, but I think it will look great when it's finished! Michael cuts the brick and I glue them on. Well, I glue them on until they start going crooked and he has to straighten them for me!





In other news, this popped up above Olivia's eyebrow a little over 3 weeks ago:



It was right at the end of my kidney stone debacle and it was very small. It grew over the week, so I made an appointment at the pediatrician we saw in August. I wasn't very happy with them in August (they weren't pleased that she is on a delayed vaccine schedule) and the unhappiness continued after this visit. I was basically told I was over-reacting and it was either a bruise or an ingrown hair. We watched it for another week, then I started looking for another pediatrician. I finally found one that was highly recommended and they were great! It is a cyst and is apparently fairly common. The pediatrician told me he is 99% sure it is benign, so no worries about anything more sinister! He referred her to a pediatric surgeon and she goes March 16th for the initial visit and to schedule surgery. I am trying to stay calm about her being put to sleep. We'll leave it at that.
There is a risk of infection, so I am ready for it to be gone:




It was Silly Sock Day at school today:



And a funny video with Daddy:



I will keep you updated on the cyst!