A Trip to Tennessee

*Warning: this is a really long, picture filled post.  Rather than break this trip into multiple posts I decided to just get it all done in one.

Dan's Grandmother, who we call Maw Maw, recently moved to Tennessee to live with her daughter.  We love Maw Maw and honestly don't know how much time she has left, so we made it a priority to visit her this summer while we still had the chance.  We made the choice to leave the kids home with friends and family.  We didn't think they'd appreciate the trip enough to make it worth the extra effort (and expense) of taking them with us. (Thanks again to all those who stepped up and took care of them while we were gone!)  

Maw Maw lives in Franklin, Tennessee, a city rich with Civil War history.  We visited several Civil War sites, including the Carter House, the site of the bloodiest battle of the War. 

The front of the beautiful Carter House. 

You can still see many bullet holes in the side of this building at the Carter House.

This is the Carnton Plantation, the home near the Carter House where the dead and wounded
were taken following the battle.  This home was turned into an instant hospital.
You can still see blood stains on the floors.

This is a portion of the Confederate graveyard at the Carnton Plantation. The Carnton family
donated a portion of their personal family cemetery for the burial of all those killed during the
battle at the Carter House.   The graves are organized by state.  

After a hot morning of site seeing we took a little break in beautiful Downtown Franklin.
We walked along the streets window shopping at antique shops, craft stores, and a toy store.
Dan took the opportunity to do a little business at a bank.  He never stops I tell you!

Our favorite stop in Downtown Franklin was Sweet CeCe's, a little frozen yogurt shop.
It was a frozen yogurt buffet where they weigh your cup to determine the price.  

At the end of each day we made a visit to Maw Maw.  It was so good to see her again
and see how happy she is here. It was so good to see her doing so well, even though her
memory is slipping.  As much as we miss her in Utah we know that she is in the right place.

As an extra bonus we got spend time with Aunt Kitsy (Maw Maw's daughter) and Uncle Dennis.
They are so wonderful.  We had a great time with them.We played games, ate lots of food, and
talked until late each evening. 

Another highlight of the trip was out visit to the Hermitage, the home of Andrew and Rachel
Jackson.This is the backside of the house.  I realized too late that I didn't get a picture of the
front!I loved the tour of the Hermitage.  The Jackson's have such a unique story.  The house
is beautiful and the grounds and many outbuildings are amazing.  

The grounds of the Hermitage were beautiful, and like most of Tennessee, were filled
with Lilacs! But unlike Utah Lilacs, most were pink rather than purple!

This is Rachel's Garden.  It is so much more beautiful in person and so peaceful.  I could have
sat there all day.

And this is the final resting place of Andrew and Rachel Jackson.  Andrew was heartbroken
when his wife died.  He visited her grave every evening until he died.

When we asked friends and family what we should see and do in Nashville almost everyone
said we needed to visit Centennial Park and see the Parthenon.  Little did I know that Nashville
is known as the Athens of the South. To celebrate Tennessee's Centennial they built this life-
sized Parthenon.  

The jewel of the Parthenon is this statue of Athena.  It is huge!! I can't remember how tall
she is, but I do know that the small statue of Nike in her palm is 6 feet tall.

We couldn't miss a trip to the Nashville Temple.  It is a small temple, yet still beautiful.

Of course, there were lilacs.

The most random thing about our visit to the temple was running into the only other person
we know in Tennessee, on old neighbor of ours Todd Callister.  He just happened to be walking
up the sidewalk of the temple as we arrived.

And on our last day in Tennesse we visited the Opryland Hotel.   It sounds weird to visit a hotel,
but it was filled with plenty of things to see and do.  It's kind of like visiting the hotels and casinos
in Vegas, just without the Casinos.

One of the highlights of the Hotel is taking a boat ride on the river.  We paid way too much
money for this picture but since pictures of the two of us on the trip were few are far between
we decided to splurge.

I found it very interesting where they got the water for this river.  They sent thousands of
empty bottles (If I remember right, they were empty Jack Daniel's bottles, but I could be wrong)
to every state in the nation, as well as other places around the world.  They asked people to fill
them from different bodies of water and send them back.  They water they received back was
poured into the Delta to form the "Blending of the Waters."

This plaque shows all the locations in Utah where water was collected.  

And after our trip to Opryland we began our long trip home, (which was nothing compared to the
loooong trip to Tennessee, which included several missed flights and an unexpected overnight
stay in Chicago.) Of all the airports we visited the Nashville airport was my favorite.  

Family Vacation: Part Three: Lego Land

We can't go to Southern California without visiting Lego Land.  And we timed our visit just right.  It was the opening weekend of their new Star Wars exhibit.  The boys were in Star Wars heaven.  They have every movie and every character built out of Legos.  It was such a highlight that I have more pictures of Star Wars Characters than I do of anything else at Lego Land.

There was an entire row of these characters.  A dozen at least.  And the boys made me take their picture with each and every one of them.

And after we saw all the Star Wars stuff we finally moved on the rest of the park.  
Which I failed to take many pictures of.

Nolan and I finished out the day hanging out in Duplo Village while the big boys rode one last roller coaster.

And on our way out of the park we found Harry and Hagrid in a gift shop.

Family Vacation: Part Two: The Beach

While in Cali, we spent one day at the beach.  Unfortunately, it was a cold and windy day.  But what do you expect when it's still March?

The boys loved digging holes in the dirt.

And after a lot of begging and pleading, I finally agreed to let them change into their swimming suit.
 I figured they were going to get wet anyway, they might as well have wet swimming suits
 and dry clothes.

Preston had more fun on land than in the sea.

But not Tyson, we couldn't keep him out of the ocean.  He loved every minute of it.

Nolan, his first time at the ocean, was smart enough to keep his jacket on.

Dan was an awesome Dad and played with the boys in/near the water, allowing me to stay
warm and  dry on the shore.

Occasionally Preston would venture out into the water a little.  Just long enough for a big wave to drench him.
Then he was back by my side trying to get warm again.

Preston's favorite thing to do was chase the birds.  Which was fine by me.
They kept trying to eat our food.

Tyson loved making Sand Angels.  This totally makes me laugh because this is how he made
Sand Angels when he was two, face down.

And the silly boy kept rolling in the sand just so he'd have an excuse to go back in the
water to rinse off again.  Did I mention he had a good time?!

Family Vacation: Part One: Disneyland

Warning: Picture Overload!!!

At the end of March we surprised the boys with a trip to Disneyland.  We hadn't been since Tyson was 2 years old, so it was new for all of them.  We had a great time, despite the crowds.

Waiting in line for our first ride, Dumbo.  Nolan had no idea what to expect.  He was just happy to be there.

I quickly learned that standing in line turning into a wrestling match when you have
three little boys.Usually it was  Preston and Nolan playfully attacking each other in
each line.I did my best to keep the chaos to a controlled minimum so it wouldn't disturb
the people around us.  

Dan rode all the big fast rides with the older boys, while Nolan and I kept ourselves entertained on
the more mild stuff.  We made good riding budding since he was too small  and
I was too pregnant to ride many of the rides.It was a win-win for everyone.

Everyday life is controlled chaos with these three.  Disneyland was no exception.

Jedi Training was a highlight for the boys.  We tried so hard to get Tyson chosen to
participate on stage,with no luck.  After trying twice we gave up.
I couldn't deal with the disappointment on his face anymore.

Goofy was high on Nolan's list of people to see at Disneyland.  We practically accosted him when he walked by.  He didn't seem to mind.

This kid enjoyed Autopia a little too much.  I am terrified for when he learns to drive.  I only have 12 more years!

All three of my boys love Phineas and Ferb.  We made sure to get front row seats for
their Rock and Roll show.  They encouraged all the kids in the audience to participate.
This is as close as Preston wanted to get.  I even joined in when they
asked parents to hula hoop.

Tyson joined in nearly every song and had a great time.
 He is in the middle in a green shirt.

We just missed the opening of the new Cars Land.
 But my boys were happy just to seeMcQueen and Mater.

Dan was a saint to go on all the silly little rides with the boys.
Nolan and I really did enjoy a slower pace.

While standing in line for It's A Small World, a nice older couple insisted on
taking our picture.They said we needed proof that I was there too.

Nolan was a little hesitant around most of the characters.
But Pluto wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.
He was so sweet with Nolan and got him to warm up to him.

For weeks (months?) before we went to Disneyland Nolan kept asking to "Find Mickey Mouse."
When I asked him why he wanted to find Mickey he would say, "He give me a hug."
Nolan was right.  When we finally found Mickey Mouse, Nolan got his hug.

This picture makes me laugh.
Tyson DID NOT want to stand in line to see Minnie Mouse because "She's a girl!"
He almost refused to be in the picture.  And this is him trying not to smile.  

Preston, Nolan and I stood in a really long line to see Tigger.  Dad and Tyson were busy riding Splash Mountain.

They loved Eeyore too.

Every afternoon without fail Nolan, my no-napping child, would fall asleep in his stroller or in his dad's arms.  He fell asleep on my lap on the Haunted Mansion.  He kept sleeping all through Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Tiki Room.  He finally woke up when we I laid him in his stroller while Dan stood in line for Pineapple Ice Cream.

Dan insisted that we all pick out character hats.  He really wanted this picture! 

And to make sure the hat purchase was put to good use we posed for this picture in our hotel lobby as well.
 These are our "I'm too tired to stand up straight" fake smiles.

We plan to go back in another 5 or 6 years.  I hope to not be pregnant next time.