Thanksgiving 2012

Ahh!! We have internet back at the house! Josh worked for at least an hour Monday night getting everything hooked up and running just so I could steal his computer and spend the night blogging away. However, when I went to start uploading pictures, I got a lovely message letting me know I was out of storage space and needed to purchase a storage plan. Yes, give $ to keep this blog up and running. It doesn't make me happy, but I do love the therapeutic element blogging provides me, so I caved. Hey, it's still cheaper than scrapbooking, right?

I've been dying to get some of these pictures and adventures posted, so bare with me if this is a long (looooooong) one.  I actually have pictures from before Thanksgiving that I haven't been able to share yet, so let's get started.

I had my students vote as to whether they thought I was having a girl or boy...Needless to say, the majority of the class, along with myself, was wrong about our guesses. When I revealed the true gender of Baby Christopher #2 to the class after Thanksgiving, they hesitated to believe me at first. Now they are excited and supportive about helping me prepare for Baby Girl #2. They have even started offering up name suggestions. 

This is how our child goes to Robin's house in the morning. Shades on, hood on, and 2 finger puppets.

Such a mess.

Ok, on to our non-traditional Thanksgiving getaway. (Wednesday-Friday)

Tillman concentrating hard on reading "Scaredy Mouse" to us on the ride to Atlanta.

Playing with her new favorite Stackadoo blocks.

At the mall of Georgia...Tillman insisted on meeting Santa. Then when we got down there, she took some convincing to get up close and personal.

Telling Santa what she wants for Christmas. Look at that tight grip he has on her. 

She got about 4 candy canes and this hat afterwards. I think she will want to meet Santa every year now.

Josh and I were just as excited as Tillman to walk through the DisneyStore. We didn't buy anything, but it was still fun to look. 

Just trying on some headbands at American Apparel. 

We LOVE Ikea!! Note Tillman's enthusiasm.

No comment. 

Thanksgiving morning. Breakfast at the hotel. She was not ready to cooperate.

Getting excited about the Atlanta aquarium. This was before we even went inside. 

Tillman's word for fish is "shish."

Love these two! 

It's not the greatest quality picture, but the two of them are priceless.

The Ocean Voyager moving walkway tank. This was one of my favorite exhibits. 

So cool!

I finally get a picture with my girl.

We got to watch two divers clean the tank. Tillman thought it was pretty cool. 

The penguin exhibit. I thought this one was cute. 

T was so excited about the penguins. 

Our cutie stopping for a snack break.

Look how brave she is... reaching down to touch a huge stingray.

Look at her face. The stingray started flapping its body when she got close to touching it. 

Watching a 4-D movie about sea life... We also got to see an awesome dolphin show, but taking pictures was prohibited. I was the giddy one during the dolphin show. 

And here is where we spent most of our Thanksgiving Day...at the Atlanta Aquarium. 

After the aquarium we found a park to play at.

She loved the drums. She would run up the stairs, go down the slide, and then immediately run over and play the drums. She did this rotation at least 4 times. 

This was such a neat slide. T just slid down on all the rolling bars. 

Thanksgiving dinner at IHOP in Atlanta. 

These are the kind of pictures I get with her. So not fair. What is that face??

Really, Tillman...?? It's Thanksgiving and this is the best I get. 

And then this is what Josh gets. Uhh!! 

A little Black Friday shopping before heading to the Atlanta Zoo. 

Yes, we bought the hat. Yes, you will see more pictures of it throughout the holidays.

Lunch at the Varsity before the zoo. 

Look at those onion rings. Yum!

Her faces. That's all I have to say. She is full of them. 

So full of herself. 

Me enjoying the Varsity for the first time. 

We made it to the zoo where the first exhibit was a billion pink flamingos. This was less than half of them.

These two tigers were soooo entertaining! They kept running around, chasing each other, pouncing, and playing. It was definitely one of our standout moments at the zoo.

Cute sleeping panda.

Our tour guide.  (Sorry for the horrible shadow in this picture.)

I loved this guy. He was huge and scared me to death!! He was so cool though.

This was so neat to see so many of these animals together. The Atlanta Zoo puts the Greenville Zoo to shame. Hands down. 

Giraffe. 

Zebra.

Rhino.  (Shortened b/c I don't know how to spell the whole thing. Admitted.)

Tillman brushing a goat at the petting zoo. She is really good with animals and seems to have no fear. She made it a point to brush each animal at least once. 

Here is the sheep. She liked petting this guy more than she did brushing him. (Again, bad shadow)

One worn out little girl on the car ride home. 

Shopping, Aquarium, & Zoo 3 days straight will do that to you. 

Unpacking our loot once we made it home. 

I'd say we were pretty productive. 

This was by far the most nontraditional Thanksgiving I have ever celebrated, but it was also one to remember. We had such a good time getting away together as a family of 3 and doing fun things we don't do on a regular basis. We always love exposing Tillman to new and exciting adventures and experiences. It's just as much fun for us as it is her. 

And I can't end this post without mentioning that this Thanksgiving was an emotional one. My Grandpa Adkins was on my mind the entire trip, for several reasons. Thanksgiving Day would have been his 90th birthday. I know he celebrated big up in heaven with a huge birthday bash and lots of dancing.  Happy birthday, Knucklehead!! We love you and miss you!