Fall begins...Summer Bucket List - Part V

Even though school started earlier for us this year, we had not yet completed our Summer Bucket List and had full intentions of getting through at least 90% of it. We therefore strapped on our gear and started ticking off activities, one of which was a trip to Tennessee, to visit the new home of our cousins. On the way, of course, we just HAD to stop by Hershey's Chocolate World--and so, the adventure began....

It was a quick nighttime layover on our travels south, which culminated at this gorgeous southern home...

and with these beautiful people....

We spent several lovely days alongside our favorite cousins, Grandma and Aunt/Uncle in their new digs.  To figure out what there is to do around town, we traveled the perimeter and found Brights Zoo and a fun afternoon with the animals was enjoyed by the kidlets. (Bucket List item CHECK!)

Aramis' favorite are Capuchin monkeys...

...although Abby enjoys watching the pink flamingos sleep on one leg. :) 

Trying to figure out in which direction to go was the biggest concern of the day...

Until...we happened upon a hungry giraffe, whose long neck literally reached out and 'touched' us! :) 

Our trip south brought us to some interesting dining spots as well...such as Cracker Barrel...

...and Waffle House. 

It was our visit to Waffle House that really caught us off guard. Dining out with Grandma Mary, and 5 young children, we ordered tons of waffles, pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee and juice, and when the bill was requested...we were kindly told that our meal had been 'taken care of.'  Now, those that read our blog and know our family understand how serious we are about Random Acts of Kindness and how often we complete them. For the first time EVER, a RAK had been returned to us--and a BIG one at that! As the kind wait staff hid the good Samaritan's identity from us, we felt compelled to at least leave a note expressing our gratitude for the meal and kindness, and it gave us an extra boost to do even more this year as it was the first time we'd ever had the RAK'd theory returned to us. Although we'll never know WHY someone decided to pick up our meal (they saw a child with special needs; thought we needed a hand out; saw we were from out of town or just general kindness), we were inspired and rejuvenated by the good deed shown us in the state of Tennessee. 

We combined home school lessons with field trips this summer, our travels took us to the Ecotarium once again, where the kidlets learned about science concepts in a 'real world' environment. One of the most adrenaline-stirring live exhibits was the live bee hive inside the museum, which was created indoors and had clear piping leading outside the museum so that bees could come and go, and build their honeycomb, but no harm or bother visitors. The kids loved seeing how honeycomb was made and how bees swarmed together as they developed it.

Alec enjoyed all the reptiles..especially the turtles

We visited our friend,  Sigfried..the friendly stegasaurus. 

And, even though our kids despise chores/laundry/dishes, they had NO trouble enjoying the bubble adventure stations--big and small. Surprise, surprise! :) 

During the final weeks of summer/early Fall and after our science lessons, the timing was perfect for additional Scavenger Hunt/Adventure Hikes. Our little adventurers/scientists grabbed their magnifying lenses, lists, and tweezers, and set out to locate new (and old) items and learn more about nature. 

On one of our hikes, the kids located some human-placed rock formations, which served as perfect 'stages' for our charismatic little guys (and gal).  Can you say 'strike a pose?'

After all that hard work, the kids just wanted to kick back in the early evening hours. We took full advantage of our fire pit, and enjoyed s'mores, ghost stories and just spent time looking at the stars.  This quiet time served as great moments to just LISTEN to our kids. Hear their dreams, worries, happy moments, and simply connect with them. We gained a lot from listening and felt as if this summer brought our family even closer together as these little beings grow their individual and independent personalities. These are the moments when parents stop and realize just how cool it is to BE a parent. 

S'more anyone??