Independence day for my independent girl!

I love the 4th of July- it has always been one of my favorite holidays. So many happy memories from that day: watching fireworks sitting in a dental chair at Dr. Steury's office, going to the AHS stadium with friends, holding hands with Mark at the St. Simons pier (knowing I was going to marry him), and watching Alexa, at three months old, seeing the colors in the sky and the hot air balloons light up at the Balloon Glow. It is a special day for me... this year, Mark's family was all in town from North Carolina, so we had a very busy weekend for the fourth. On the actual 4th, we had a cookout for a cousin's birthday during the day and got together with friends on the beach for fireworks. We were able to see about 7 cities fireworks displays from where were sitting, plus people had their own fireworks they were lighting on the beach all around us. Since Alexa has a pretty set bedtime, she was a little cranky and tired, but we still had a great time. She was scared of the sand and wanted us to hold her the entire time--

She had a great time taking fun pictures with daddy





So we now have a new memory to add to my favorites for this holiday-- walking on the beach at night, holding hands with my husband, holding my amazing little girl, listening to her laugh as we watched the fireworks in the distance... a perfect day.

Chattanooga Aquarium and a new nephew, what more could a girl want?

For a Father's Day present, I planned a trip to Chattanooga, TN to check out the Tennessee Aquarium there. I had heard that it was supposed to be a great one, and Mark loves aquariums, so I thought it may be a good surprise! To make it even better, my mom's dear friend Jane was able to hook us up with free tickets to the aquarium and the IMAX theater. So, we were able to have a great day together, for the cost of food and gas only! You can't beat that!

We have a season pass to the Georgia Aquarium here in Atlanta- and we've been there 3 or 4 times- so I wasn't sure what we would think of the one in Chattanooga. I knew the GA one has the biggest single aquarium in the world. It is beatiful, and it is definitely worth checking out when you are in Atlanta, but it doesn't compare to the experience in Chattanooga. Each exhibit is an experience- complete with sound effects, temperatures similar to what you'd experience in nature, and even live trees and plants throughout. You would walk through the doors and feel like you are in a rainforest in South America, or in the Everglades in Florida with gators! The Tennessee Aquarium is smaller, but you get to experience the different aquariums from all levels to really see the fish. They also have a butterfly exhibit, which was my favorite part of the day by far- not only are there beautiful butterflies all over, you can actually see them coming out of their coccoons! I have never seen that in person- and it was pretty amazing, especially since butterflies have been so meaningful to me for the past few years. Alexa was scared of the butterflies- which was adorable! The whole aquarium was amazing- we really enjoyed every minute of it. The IMAX movie playing was a 3D ocean one- Alexa didn't really care to watch it. She made it through about 30 minutes of it (which is an improvement over the first movie she watched) but was really wriggly and squirmy. So I let her daddy finish the movie while we walked around outside. All in all, it was a perfect day!







To add to our good day, we got the news while we were at the aquarium that Alexa had a new baby cousin! Thomas Christian Kauffman (T.C.) was born at 3:04 pm on 6/28/09 (on the actually due date, amazingly enough). Megan did a homebirth, and considering TC was 8 lbs. 15 oz, I told her she was superwoman! That was a big baby, especially with no pain medicine at all. But he was healthy, so that is all that really matters. It was very hard for me to be gone during that time, but I know I will get to see him soon. I think it is so wonderful that he is named after my dad- who was Thomas C Kauffman- I know it would have made my dad so happy to have the first grandson named after him. I only wish he could have been here to hold him.

Impromptu trip to Ashland!

So, I haven't done much better at updating my blog, but this time, at least I have an excuse! On a whim, on June 11, Alexa and I decided to make the long drive to Ohio to see my family! Christen (Matt's fiance) was graduation from OSU and I just missed my mama! The anniversary of my dad's death is June 11, so I think that had something to do with it. Mark was working really late hours that week and had to work all weekend, so it seemed like a good time to get to Ohio!

The drive was fine, a little longer then I expected, but Alexa was not a happy traveler. She usually sleeps great in her carseat, but on this particular trip, she decided she would only be happy if she was holding my hand. I had to be a bit of a contortionist to reach her in her rear facing carseat from the driver's seat, without putting our lives in danger. I was so excited to finally make it to Ashland!

We headed down to Columbus to surprise Christen- which was very fun. She took one look at us and said "You're not supposed to be here!" It so nice to be able to see them. Matt, Christen, Mom, Alexa and I went to the Columbus Zoo, which rocked! So much better than the Atlanta Zoo! Alexa was a little cranky, so we didn't get tons of great pictures, but here are a few highlights!

Seeing the baby elephant:


Up close and personal with kangaroos:










Seeing Aunt Christe and Uncle Matt:




We got to see Uncle JT and Aunt Megan during this trip, to short of a visit with them, but nice regardless of the length. Megan and JT were expecting the birth of their son anytime (he was born Jun 28, 2009- more on that later) so we took a trip to Babies R Us to get a few last minute things.

Uncle Curt made the trip to Ashland a few days later- Alexa LOVED reading with him! They sat and looked at books for a really long time- the two of them really seem to have a special bond.







It was a bit of a short trip, but totally worth it. I can't wait to go back in a few weeks to see everyone again and to meet my nephew! I always love showing off my amazing little girl too.