Tracy Anderson Photography: Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?

So off to Chattanooga we went for my 3(mumble mumble)th birthday. It was a lovely trip, jam-packed with rock formations, trains, chimps, jellies, scientific discovery, bungee jumping (in the mall), and a busted lip (Jack, who else?). We'd been planning it for weeks, and even though the weather wasn't stellar, it managed not to rain on our parade.

Chattanooga is a beautiful city quietly nestled in the Tennessee valley. Normally, I don't like ANYTHING Tennessee-related, but I'll give a pass for this one. It was a busy trip, of course, and we managed to cram in the Tennessee Aquarium, Rock City, The Children's Museum, The Chattanooga Zoo, downtown exploration, a trip to the mall (naturally), and a dip in the pool -- all in an extended weekend.

Highlights - Sam and Jack bungee jumping in the mall; singing a family rendition of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt as we marched through Storybook Cavern in Rock City; Jack not being afraid of snakes or goats or any other animal he could get close to; Sam looking earnestly for gnomes around every turn of Rock City; the kids' faces when they realized the Chattanooga Choo Choo was really real; breakfast included (gotta love that) and spending quality time as a foursome.

Lowlights - Jack's busted lip (ON DAY 1, hour 3 of trip - ask me, the story is easier to tell), no photo evidence of bungee jumping because I left my Blackberry and camera at the hotel, frizzy hair and high humidity, and Sam reminding us every day that our truck smells like mustard (don't ask).

I think it may be worth a repeat trip next year! We had such a great time, and the kids now have a ton of great stories to tell their friends at school.