GrAnDmA!!!

Grandma came to visit and we had so much fun! She was able to fly out for the arrival of Kirsten's first baby, due any day now! 

On our way to the Botanical Gardens . . .

At first when we saw that it was raining, we were disappointed that we might not be able to do many things, but it actually made for perfect outdoor weather. The sun wasn't blaring down on us and we weren't too hot or too cold. Plus the kids loved using their umbrellas.

There's a glare in the picture, but the legos spell out Corless.

We discovered a whole new section of the gardens that we hadn't seen before. Everything was so beautiful!

We headed to the Space and Rocket Center the next day. We've figured out that with the size of our family and the cost to enter all these places, it really pays off to buy the membership. Both the Rocket Center and the Garden memberships save us tons of money. If we went to either place just two times, it would cost more than the membership, but now we can go to either place as much as we want and not have to keep paying.

Both places change their exhibits annually, and this year at the Rocket Center they have a Robot Zoo. 

The kids were having fun interacting with this diver.

They have some fun amusement park rides outside that are included in the cost. The kids weren't too sure about this ride at first, but once they survived it once, they loved it and immediately got back in line each time they rode so that they could go again. The line was short enough that they each went several times. 

Cooper said he didn't want to ride at first, but then he changed his mind. However, he screamed and screamed and the look on his face was pure terror once the ride started, but then his face changed to joy, and he started laughing. I caught it on video, but the video wouldn't load on the blog since it was too long, so I'll post it on Facebook.

Olivia was in a grumpy mood the whole time we were there, and I could just see her throwing a fit and squirming out of the ride, so we didn't risk letting her have a try. Maybe next time we go.

Me and Tim got to ride the adult version. We both screamed and the kids got to watch. After the ride, the kids all ran to me and looked a bit concerned. It was sweet that they were worried for us. It's sad that I'm getting to the point that amusement park rides aren't as thrilling as they used to be. We're getting old!

Eating out at a buffet after the museum . . .

The kids loved trying on Grandma's visor . . .

We had lots of fun playing games. It's so nice that the kids are getting old enough to actually play games that the adults enjoy too.

We decided to try going to one of the local big fireworks displays on the fourth. It actually wasn't too badly crowded, we got a decent parking space, and were able to get out quickly afterwards without getting stuck in traffic. The fireworks were so big and close! They played patriotic music along with it, which I always love. I got a little emotional when the first one started, while looking at all my little ones, and thinking about how blessed we are to live in this country.

It rained again, but maybe that's why it wasn't too terribly crowded. Olivia didn't really like the fireworks. She kept covering her eyes or ears, and saying, "Let's go back to the van." Haha! The rest of us enjoyed it though.

Someone needs to teach me how to take pictures of fireworks.

It was so fun having Grandma visit, and we're excited to see her again when we go to Atlanta at the end of the month to meet Lucy Mae once she arrives!