Murfreesboro

We had nothing planned for today and no big landscaping projects that we had to work on so we decided to spend the day in Murfreesboro (which is about 20 miles east of us).

We are not really into Civil War history, but a lot of battles occurred around here that seem to have been important (or at least very deadly).  In Murfreesboro, there is the Stones River National Battlefield which is part of the National Park Service.  We decided to check it out first.

The battlefield area is actual really pretty.  We only hiked a very short trail because it was pretty cold (it's been so warm the last few weeks that we are not used to the cooler weather that just came in).  But there is a nice driving loop and a super nice visitor center with a museum.

The boys got to get their passport books stamped with 3 stamps each (though they had 8 or 9 stamps for individual areas of the battlefield).  It's been almost a year since we've been to a new national park with them!

In the museum we watched a short video explaining the battle that occurred here with reenactments.  I asked Brian a couple of times if he thought it was too graphic for the boys and we thought they were doing okay.  Tonight we decided it was fine when Carter was telling us about the film and said "A guy shot a canon and hit another guy in the hand and it turned red."  Rylan added, "And his hat fell off."

Carter loved seeing all the canons.  When we first entered the park, he screamed super loud about each one he saw (and there were plenty).

"This *#@*$ map!" ...

"Okay, now where are we going?" ...

These cutouts were on the trail we walked on from the visitor center ...

We drove over to the Hazen Brigade Monument.  It is the oldest surviving Civil War Monument (it was built during the war).

The best picture I could get of all the boys (the wind was whipping through here and they were cold!) ...

If it weren't so cold and I didn't have everyone with me, these fences would be really pretty to photograph.  This is the best I got.

After the battlefield, we went to lunch at Bojangles (we don't have one close to us so when we get over here, we usually have to stop there).

After lunch we went to the Discovery Center.  The boys and I have been there several times but this was Brian's first time there.  We had fun exploring the museum and it was practically empty which was awesome.

Carter in the "haunted" firetruck ...

Brian and Carter built this ...

Before we left, Rylan tripped and hit his chin on a train table.  Unfortunately his tongue was between his teeth at the time.  It was bleeding and he was upset but after a minute he was mad at me for holding him and wanted to play again.  We knew it was his tongue that was bleeding but Rylan wouldn't let us get a good look at it until tonight when I bribed him with a toy from our toy stash.  It's a deep cut and I'll be calling the nurse at our pediatrician's office in the morning to see if we need to bring him in.  But it clotted quickly, it isn't swollen, and he says it doesn't hurt so he's probably (hopefully!) okay.

Before heading home we walked through the Murfree Spring Wetland that is adjacent to the Discovery Center.

There is a letterbox hidden behind this sign on the trail that we stopped and found ...

It was an appropriate stamp for Rylan ...

We had a fun family day!

Voting

On Monday I took the kids with me to vote.  I attempted to explain to Carter about why we vote and what a president does.   We got a coloring book about voting while in line and read a little about the process.

He remembers some of the things I said and has totally confuses others.  I'm sure we'll be talking about voting and the president more over the next few weeks.

Carter does remember this guy's name though that is outside The Factory - Rusty.  We'd never gone in this entrance before so this was the first time we saw him.

Carter with his "I Voted Early" sticker ...

Deerwood Arboretum

After I picked the boys up from preschool this afternoon, we went over to Deerwood Arboretum in Brentwood to find a couple of letterboxes that had just been placed.  It's super warm here still and the leaves are changing so it's beautiful and we have to be outside.

A couple of notes:  (1) A firetruck visited school today so both boys had to wear their firehats. (2) Carter (and most of his classmates) picked the recently added Ring Pops from the treasure chest in their class today (they get something every Thursday) so Carter has nice blue lips.

The arboretum is adjacent to the Little Harpeth River.

The first letterbox was under this bridge over the river.

It was under that rock in the center of the picture.

The blue lips and tongue ...

The second box was behind this tree in all the vines.  Fun.  I should probably check for ticks before going to bed tonight.

Rylan opened this one up.

We were the first ones to find both boxes and the second one had a "first finder" prize.

It was just a flower magnet but Carter LOVES his "surprise".

After finding the letterboxes we continued to walk (actually I walked while the boys rode in the stroller) the approximately one mile loop around the arboretum.  It's really pretty out here and tucked away between some established Brentwood neighborhoods.

The stamps from today were really detailed.  All the stamps we've come across are hand-carved. 

Preschool Learning

Two things Carter recently learned at preschool ...

I love them both!

Train Table

The boys and I had built two round tracks (one for each of them) the other day on the train table.  While my mom was here, Carter decided he needed to decorate his side for Halloween.

The closer side is Rylan's and the back side is Carter's:

This has turn into a seek and find!  Can you find the reindeer Pez dispenser?  Can you find the Playmobile policeman on the motorcycle?  Can you find the green dinosaur?

I wonder how much longer this is going to make it before Rylan decides to knock it all down (it's been close to a week that it's been like this with more stuff added daily!).

Parthenon

After we went hiking at Radnor Lake yesterday and before dropping my mom off at the airport, we had about an hour.  Since Brian hasn't been to Centennial Park yet, we went over there to walk around for a bit.

This is where the Parthenon is located.  Here is a description of the place:

The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals. Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London. The Parthenon also serves as the city of Nashville's art museum. The focus of the Parthenon's permanent collection is a group of 63 paintings by 19th and 20th century American artists donated by James M. Cowan. Additional gallery spaces provide a venue for a variety of temporary shows and exhibits.

We still haven't been inside - maybe next time.

Soccer Pictures

I picked up our teams soccer pictures and trophies before the game yesterday. 

Carter is a pro at posing for pictures and he only got one take (unlike a lot of the other kids).  It turned out pretty good.

And here is 66% of our team (3 weren't there that day and one freaked out about getting his picture taken).  Top row is Brett, Rob, Carson, and Jacob.  Bottom row is Brady, Carter, Aidan, and Will.  The picture truly reflects each kids personality.

I also picked up the participation trophies that the kids get at the end of the season.  I think we are going to do a simple pizza party after our last game next weekend and give them out then.

We were extremely shorthanded for the game yesterday - only 4 kids showed up (Williamson County has fall break the beginning of this week and I think that hurt us).  The other team though had 9.  Instead of sharing players, the other team just substituted their whole team every few minutes.  They had one strong set and one weak set so they would score a bunch and then switch teams and we'd score a bunch.  It worked out for Carter - he scored SIX goals.  After each goal, he turned around screaming, "I scored ___ goals!" while holding up that many fingers and running toward Brian and my mom.  It was quite a celebration on his part each time!  All our kids scored though so Carter wasn't a total ball hog.  Though he's finally gotten more aggressive - yeah!

Front Curb

Our neighborhood is finally going to get the final paving in the areas that have been completed.  Which means the giant puddle in front of our house should finally be gone and our garage won't always be so filthy!

In preparation for paving, they have been tearing out curbs that were damaged during construction.  Apparently ours was pretty bad because they removed almost the entire section in front of our house today!

Hopefully they pour the new curb soon while the sod can still be put back in place without too much damage!