Fall break

The kids got a week off from school in October.  HG took the week off too, so our family could spend the time together doing some fun stuff.  One of the things we knew we had to do again was camping.  We had such a fabulous time last year at Fall Creek Falls and the kids had asked several times if we could go "roughing it" again.  So...we packed up half the house (or at least it seemed that way) to camp at Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga.  We had a great time even though it rained one night and our water-proof tent wasn't quite so water-proof.

  
The campground had many things to offer, including gem panning and a cave.  The kids loved the gem panning. 

 I bet you can guess how many arrowheads Ethan found?

Naomi found a variety of "beautiful" gems.

Naomi was a little nervous about going into the cave and asked if there would be bats and spiders in it.  HG and I reassured her that there was nothing in the cave and that dispelled all her fears. So...we all went bravely into the cave.

It was great and we all enjoyed it immensely!!!  Even when we had to step around a snake on the path that was only half-way through the tasty meal of a salamander and later when a bat went flying around our heads...twice!!  Our guide told us how lucky we were....in her 6 years giving tours only one other time had a bat come out during the day and she had never found a snake in the cave. HG and I wondered how Naomi would react after our reassurance that there would not be any creatures!  But...she was super brave and just in awe of the beauty of another incredible masterpiece from our creator.

We also enjoyed the beauty of the fall leaves.  I love this picture of the trees and Naomi riding her scooter down the path.  While hiking we found this incredible tree with a hole in it.  Here's Ethan poking his head through it.

 And here's a wider shot of Naomi in the same tree.

This picture cracks me up.  She had to lean way in, so her feet were dangling in the air.  I guess since she had already braved the cave with a snake, half-eaten salamander, and bats she didn't even think twice about what creature might be living inside that tree.

I'm not sure what it is about boys and fire, but I think Ethan only wants to go camping so he can poke the campfire.  It makes me a nervous wreck, but I have been told it is a boy thing that I should let happen.  I cringed and let it go...but not without reviewing the stop, drop, and roll thing.  Thankfully, we didn't have to act it out!

 Last year I gave HG a hard time about his fire skills.  Apparently, last year we had some bad firewood that made it nearly impossible for HG to get the fire going.  I suppose that must have been true because this year he got our fires going without any trouble, so I had to apologize for my teasing.  While we tore down camp the kids sat by the campfire working hard in their notebooks.  This is what they made...

 You may have to double-click the photo to see...but they made him fire awards! 

Another adventure we had on this week off was a visit to the Georgia Aquarium.  When the kids were just 1 and 2 years old I took them by myself for a day at the Aquarium while HG worked across the street at the CNN center.  

It was one of those days when I realized that I must have been crazy to try and get through the world's largest aquarium and the massive crowds by myself with 2 babies.  But...the aquarium is amazing and I really wanted to take the kids back now that they were older and could appreciate it more. The exhibits are incredible.  I just stood in awe of God the entire visit.  It is amazing how many different sea creatures there are and how incredibly each one has been designed.  God is just simply amazing!  I could post a 100 pictures that are fantastic of this place, but I'll try to limit it to just a few.