Chambers in Chattanooga

Benjamin and Isaac blew out their birthday candles in February full of wishes of trains and a family adventure day. So, we planned a day trip to the Smoky Mountains to find an incline train (74% grade at the top of the mile or so run), scenic views, an elevator that descends 260 feet into the mountain (Benjamin's favorite detail/event to recount), a cave AND a waterfall. It was a perfect, perfect day. To quote Benjamin, "This city is AMAZING!" Just don't get stuck in the traffic coming off the mountain of Ruby Falls or the construction on Highway 78 a stone's throw from your own house. We were stuck so long in that barrel of problems that we could have walked home faster. Really. But that still didn't ruin our perfect day. Besides, it all ends well when it ends at Shane's Rib Shack and two for one meal coupons!



Note to self. Bottle of barbecue sauce in the suitcase to Tahiti.

Galactic Triptych

Benjamin created this portrayal of space yesterday with multiple rocket ships and planets, the moon and the earth. He was admiring it this morning with a grin on his face and then commented, "It was hard for me to draw all the planets because I've never been there."

Through Eric's Eyes

Eric attended a meeting in French Polynesia last week with everyone involved in the "project." Here is something of what he saw--a preview of our new world.

And part of why we will be going there...breeding ground for parasite toting mosquitoes--rat chewed, rain-filled coconut shell. The perfect home for unsavory things.

Merci: Chambers at the French Consulate in Atlanta

It is always a good day when dad is home AND the boys get to park in a parking garage, see skyscrapers and cranes, ride an elevator in a fancy mirrored building, go round and round in a revolving door, play outside in spring sunshine in short sleeved shirts, ride escalators, see pizza cooking in a wood-fire oven and then eat it and ride more elevators.

"Baby" Dylan

Isaac "climbing" the "mountain"--"I strong!"

Eric was just glad that the man behind the glass window at the French consulate accepted all of our paperwork for our application for visas for our entire family for French Polynesia. Important acting man behind glass with a microphone sure didn't act happy about reviewing our many documents, but he gave us that curt nod and everything should be shuffling from one desk to another to French Polynesia/Tahiti and back again and one day soon in six weeks or so, we'll have those very special stamps we need. Alles gestempelt!

The Tease

On the way to Chattanooga, we smelled some strong skunk. The boys thought it was a little funny to have that strong scent fill the car.

A few days later Isaac speaks up from the backseat with a very deliberate tone, "Nee Mom, you smell like a skunk."

I turn around to see him grinning from ear to ear. That's our "joker man."

Today Benjamin was commenting on some artwork. "I guess my name is a rain cloud." "Why's that?" Because it's black and it's up in the sky where the clouds would be. And I smeared it."

Backseat Driver

While driving down the road today, this is what I heard from Isaac after a deep intake of breath and dramatic exhale, "BLOW your car down!" "Are you the big bad wolf?" I ask. "YES!" And with that all three of the boys began to blow my car down.

When it snows in Georgia...

We've had so much fun. Sunday morning we thought it was "awesome" when we looked out the window and saw not rain, but little balls falling from the sky. We stomped in the frozen ice balls. Then, much to our surprise since Eric isn't around to give us the heads up about the weather (or state of the world at large), Sunday afternoon it began to snow. It snowed and snowed and snowed. Church ended an hour early and we got home, quickly dressed for the occasion and dashed outside to enjoy the white frosted world. The snow was perfect for rolling big balls. Unfortunately, our mittens were not so perfect. We quickly had some cold hands. Sunday evening the layers of ice and slush froze and we still had lots of snow for playing on Monday. We put bags over little hands and the playing began all over again. "Roads" had to be plowed for the cars, "train tracks" needed to be cleared for the trains. We skidded down our hill and then we found out that you could pack the snow into buckets and make ice bricks that were perfect for building. So we added to our fort and gave it a paint job. Our cheeks were rosy and the snow got accolades from all of us. We couldn't ask for a better farewell party from nature before we head off for life on the island.

This weekend it's supposed to be in the 70s. Now that's my kind of winter.