Rocky Mountain Tennessee

Skyler and I left Florida last Wednesday afternoon and arrived at our hotel in Perry, Georgia without any delays. After a good night's sleep and a hot breakfast, we ventured our way up I-75 to Auntie Cheryl & Uncle Charles' home. We reached our destination safely to the legendary C & C Farms, just before noon. Although I've visited my sister's beautiful home sprawled out on 10 gorgeous acres numerous times, it was Skyler's first trip and she definitely had a fabulous time. Auntie Cheryl & Uncle Charles made us feel like celebrities!

Skyler was greeted with countless kisses and a few gifts. Here she is wearing her new giraffe jacket and an adorable knitted hat to match from her Auntie & Uncle.

Auntie Cheryl's friend, Kim, had a colorful variety of little hair bows waiting for our sweetie. Such a kind gift but, Skyler quickly removed the bow immediately after the picture was taken and found her way into Uncle Charles' arms. She's just not a fan of any hair accessories.

We quickly found our way onto the farm were Skyler was greeted by the many friendly animals. I hope you enjoy all these wonderful photos. Skyler couldn't stop smiling. She had never seen any of these animals before, so her curiosity was bountiful! To start things off, I just had to include this picture below. Daddy loves bears and while we were on our honeymoon, he wanted to buy something similar to this statue for our front door. Being Mrs. Modern, I said, "NO!" At least he'll always have this to look at.

Touching Princess.

Chocolate Mousse, the lovable donkey.

Brutus & Mousse.

Scout

Auntie Cheryl giving the tour of the barn & goats.

FRIDAY.....

We woke up Friday morning and Skyler enjoyed her bottle from Auntie Cheryl. After her mid morning nap, we headed out to the Chattanooga Zoo.

We spent a few hours wandering through the zoo as we got to know some of the wildest residents of Chattanooga! The zoo is just 2 miles from the downtown area and features animals from all over the world. Skyler was very alert to all the creatures and she enjoyed the Prairie Dogs and the White Tailed Deer the best. She was bouncing up and down in her stroller when she saw them. She also waved to every animal in the zoo. It was so cute to watch her. Definitely an entertaining day!

At the zoo entrance.

We entered the popular petting exhibit first and Skyler got to touch a pot bellied pig and many African Pygmy Goats. The goats seemed fascinated with her and the stroller. They all came running over!

Here are Skyler's two favorite creatures at the zoo....the Prairie Dog & the Whited Tailed Deer.

Towards the end of our day, we took a spin on the new Carousel. It has over 30 hand carved animals representing rare and endangered species from around the world. Skyler loved every turn on this magical work of art. Towards the end of the ride, she was standing up and waving at Auntie Cheryl each time we passed her!

Our last stop at the zoo was the gift shop. Skyler fell in love with an iguana puppet and Auntie Cheryl immediately bought it for her. She made the funniest faces when I would open the puppet's mouth, especially mimicking, "pucker-up". We ended up at Big River Grille & Brewing Works for lunch. It was a fun, lively spot located in a historic trolley barn. They have an on site brewery, making 8 different pilsners.

SATURDAY....

Because of the bad weather looming on Saturday, we decided to be safe and stay home. The entire state of Tennessee was under Tornado warnings. Skyler took this opportunity to help Auntie Cheryl with lunch, while exploring the kitchen. She certainly enjoyed the refrigerator.

Skyler had clam chowder and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. It was another first and after each bite , you could hear an outburst of, "mmmmmm!" She does this quite a lot.

After lunch, it was play time with Uncle Charles! Skyler has been taking a few steps, but then falls to her bottom. She's making wonderful progress in the walking department and will be running in no time.

Bob, the cat, was quite fond of Skyler. He's an outdoor kitty, so when ever we stepped foot outside, they palled around. I just love the second picture of her and Bob playing at the back door.

Before the storm hit, Uncle Charles, Skyler and I hopped on the Polaris Ranger and checked on all the animals. Our little angel loved the smooth, slow ride.

View from the front of the yard.

View from the front porch. The mountains are just beautiful!

The storm finally arrived & Auntie Cheryl kept a watchful eye on the news. Skyler didn't seem to be too worried or scared and she actually enjoyed watching the heavy rain through the living room window.

SUNDAY....

Well, our last day in Tennessee finally arrived (boo-hoo). We toured the property in the early morning hour, making sure the fence line was intact and the animals were safe. We were very blessed to have missed the many tornadoes and only noticed a few limbs scattered throughout the farm. Skyler & I opted for our pajamas as attire when Uncle Charles took us around the property. The animals came to see us immediately. Auntie Cheryl stayed inside and cooked us a tasty breakfast. As you can tell by the many pictures, Skyler loved the attention from the animals.

By mid morning, the four of us took a 35 minute ride to Chattanooga to do some shopping and eating........Skyler's favorites! Sweet Pea always enjoys shopping with Glammey & I and this day proved no different. We ended up at a La-Z-Boy store. Here's Skyler checking out a chair for comfort and durability. She had a blast furniture shopping and Auntie Cheryl bought the entire set that she bounced around on.

While they were making the purchase, we strolled around the outdoor area. As Skyler showed me, it's never too late to stop and smell the roses! Life is so grand............

For lunch, we enjoyed another stop at The Big River Grille & Brewing Works over at Hamilton Mall. Skyler munched on fried cod and cole slaw. She was quite the happy girl on the way back to the farm. I guess a belly of yummy food will do that!

Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you love that special one sooooo very much, but it was time to head home to Florida at 5PM. I took over 300 pictures of our fabulous trip and will take home a lifetime of memories. I hope you all enjoyed a fraction of our adventure. Thank you, Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Charles, for an awesome four days! I love you dearly and promise to make this an annual event! See you at Skyler's 1 Year Birthday Party.

One last picture before leaving.

As I created this post today, I also wanted to acknowledge our Baby Skyler's 11 Month Birthday. The joy you bring to our lives is the best treasure ever. You are simply delicious!